• Categories

  • Post Archives

  • Twitter Updates

      > Follow us on Twitter

    • Latest Posts

    • Meta

    Archive for the
    ‘Democracy Class’ Category


    By: Eric Axelson

    RIP M-bone

    Monday, May 16th, 2011

    It’s a tremendously sad day for Cali Swag District fans. As many of you have heard, M-bone was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting early this morning.

    M-bone, whose full name was Mante Ray Talbert, was only 22 years old, and this senseless act of violence has tragically taken the life of a young person with a bright future ahead of him. Our hearts and thoughts go out to his family and the other members of CSD as they get through this difficult time.

    Here at Rock the Vote, we’ll remember M-bone as a talented and inspiring guy who cared about his peers enough to help us get them registered to vote and taught Democracy Class with us to high school students in his hometown of Los Angeles. We’re grateful for his activism and the example he set for other young people.

      Eric Axelson
      Bio: Eric is Rock the Vote's Democracy Class Program Manager.
      @EAinDC
      Email the author at: blog(at)rockthevote.com

      Posted in Democracy Class | 1 Comment »


      By: Eric Axelson

      New Boyz Tour: Day 1

      Thursday, May 5th, 2011

      A little over a year ago, the New Boyz taught the world how to jerk in a worldwide phenomenon that “did for jerkin’ what Chubby Checker did for the twist.” As you might guess from their name though, the New Boyz are all about doing new things, and have joined with Rock the Vote to help register new young voters across the country.

      The New Boyz are currently on a national tour for their new album Too Cool to Care, but they’re taking a quick break from that for a Democracy Class tour of three high schools in Detroit, Cleveland, and Cincinnati. A few years out of high school themselves, Legacy and Ben J know exactly where these students are coming from when they talk about issues from the economy to gang violence.

      Yesterday at Osborn High School, former turf of Eminen’s high school freestyle battles, newcomers Legacy and Ben J led a discussion on issues specifically pertinent to Detroit, their neighborhoods, and their school. Of course, having two famous musicians in a classroom has its perks, and by the end of the day, students were also talking music and taking sure-to-be profile pictures with the New Boyz. The day ended with a concert for the entire senior class, including a Dougie contest (yes, even the teachers participated) and crowd surfing by Legacy and Ben J while performing their chart-topping hits.

      Today it’s off to Cleveland for another round of voter registration, concerts, and hopefully just as many teachers willing to try out the latest dance craze.

        Eric Axelson
        Bio: Eric is Rock the Vote's Democracy Class Program Manager.
        @EAinDC
        Email the author at: blog(at)rockthevote.com

        Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
        Posted in Democracy Class, Uncategorized | Comments Off


        By: Aubrey Vaughan

        Nikki Jean Shows Democracy Some Brotherly Love

        Wednesday, April 20th, 2011

        Philadelphia: Home of cheesesteaks and brotherly love. More importantly, the birthplace of American democracy.

        Nikki Jean: Toured alongside Kanye West, Rihanna, Lupe Fiasco, and NERD for the Glow in the Dark Tour. More importantly, now a Democracy Class teacher.

        Nikki Jean’s been making music for almost as long as Rock the Vote has been around. More precisely, according to her website, since she was this big:

        Fast forward to 2005 when she moved to Philadelphia to join its vibrant music scene, where she quickly became involved with the indie hip-hop band Nouveau Riche, skyrocketed to fame with her popular YouTube videos, and joined Lupe on his 2007 sophomore album ‘The Cool.” On top of all that, she’s currently working on rolling out her own solo album.

        Clearly, Nikki Jean’s a little busy, but when it comes to engaging young people in our democracy, Nikki’s committed to Rocking the Vote. She joined us at Philly’s Constitution High School last Thursday to host a Democracy Class and a lunch time voter registration rally. By the end of the day, students had registered to vote, signed up to volunteer, or be alerted with a text reminder to register on their eighteenth birthdays.

        And just for the record, that whole brotherly love thing? Totally not a rumor. Last fall, our Philly-based field team saw midterm turnout rates significantly higher than the national average. At U Penn alone, turnout went up by 46 percent, according to Rock the Vote’s Election Day tallies. Keep on rocking, Philadelphia. We love you too.

          Aubrey Vaughan
          Bio: Aubrey is a field intern at Rock the Vote.
          @aubreyvaughan
          Email the author at: blog(at)rockthevote.com

          Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
          Posted in Democracy Class, Democracy Day, Uncategorized | Comments Off


          By: Heather Reid

          Junior Statesmen Rock the Vote

          Wednesday, March 2nd, 2011

          This weekend, Rock the Vote interns got the opportunity to speak to hundreds of high school students at the Junior State of America’s Mid-Atlantic and Texas Winter Congress in Washington, DC.  We had the chance to meet and speak with the Junior Statesmen themselves and tell them a little bit more about Rock the Vote, give away shirts, and talk about Democracy Day, a high school civics event taking place on March 23rd.

          Interns Heather Reid and Kristin Andrews Rock the Vote.

          To learn more about Democracy Day and to sign up, visit www.democracyday.com.

          To get Rock the Vote’s own Eric Axelson’s take on Democracy Day, check out his blog here.

          For more info about the Junior State of America and their programs, click here.

            Heather Reid
            Bio: Heather is Rock the Vote's Field Intern.
            @hkreid
            Email the author at: blog(at)rockthevote.com

            Tags:
            Posted in Democracy Class, Democracy Day, Uncategorized, young voters | Comments Off


            By: Aubrey Vaughan

            Join RTV for Saturday’s National Youth Summit

            Friday, February 25th, 2011

            This Saturday, Rock the Vote will be out supporting student leaders from across the nation at the Department of Education’s first-ever National Youth Summit at Howard University. After listening to remarks by Secretary of Education Arnie Duncan, the day will proceed with Q&A’s, discussions on important educational themes, workshops, music (including performances by DJ Priest and Asheru), and a poetry slam by Guerilla Arts Ink Entertainment.

            The conference’s theme will touch on the national goal for America to be the global leader in college graduates by 2020, and how young leaders play a role in achieving this goal. One of the other youth organizations participating alongside Rock the Vote is Adobe Youth Voices, which gathered young leaders to produce a music video showing what communities, families, and schools can do to help youth be more successful in school. Be sure to check out their video below.

            If you can’t make it out for the event but are interested in participating, watch the live online stream beginning February 26th at 9 AM here, and have a voice in the dialogue by sending questions to Robert Gomez or posting on the event’s Facebook page. See you there!

              Aubrey Vaughan
              Bio: Aubrey is a field intern at Rock the Vote.
              @aubreyvaughan
              Email the author at: blog(at)rockthevote.com

              Tags: , , , , , , , ,
              Posted in Democracy Class, education, Uncategorized | Comments Off

              « Older Entries