On August 25th, 2017, I started Friends of Intelligent Democracy, a nonpartisan political action committee that is supposed to be the first political action committee for young people by young people.
My motivation to start Friends of Intelligent Democracy was my not so welcoming experience at an Ohio Democratic Party fundraising dinner. I had spent the afternoon at a "Bench Building" event learning about how to run for office and afterward had bought a ticket for an Ohio Democratic Party Legacy Dinner in honor of the late astronaut and Senator John Glenn.
When I arrived, everything went as normal as I checked in and entered the VIP section to be the youngest person in sight. Eating cheese and crackers with state representatives and other state officials I was often asked what table I was at, so I went back out to the check-in table to find a ticket with my name on it saying that I was at Table 99. Upon further inquiry, it turned out that Table 99 was in the back of the venue which was confusing as my ticket was for tables near the front of the hall.
After asking about switching tables after pointing out the ticket type I had and getting a halfhearted answer I decided to brush it off and concluded that I would still be in the hall and get to hear speeches from Ohio's gubernatorial candidates and Senator Sherrod Brown and headed back to the VIP reception.
On my way out, I was approached by two guys in suits with earpieces and a lady in a pink dress who asked me to come with them. I thought the issue with my table had been figured out, but it turns out that my question about seating had led the staff to think I was a Republican tracker. I was told I was going to be kicked out of the event if I could not prove that I supported Ohio's Democratic ticket, which seems kind of backward for a party that is supposed to be all about tolerance and inclusion. However, saved videos from a Hillary Clinton rally on my Snapchat and email correspondence with the congressional office I was planning on interning with freed me of any suspicion.
I asked for an explanation of my table placement and being questions and the answer was shocking. The staff straight up told me it was because of my age they knew I was not there to write a candidate or party a check for five grand and it would make sense that I was a Republican tracker because I was young and white.
As an apology, they put me at the right table and I got to take a picture with Sherrod Brown (above). While I left the venue with no hard feelings, I sat in the car on the way home and realized how that event was unbelievably the opposite of what it should have been. A young person showing up to these events should have been a good thing and my race should not have mattered at all.
While the staff was wrong about me being a tracker, they were right about me not being there to write a check. I thought about it and there are not many teenagers and young adults that want to be politically active and have money to support candidates, but what if there was a group that could advocate on their behalf. That's how Friends of Intelligent Democracy came to fruition and I have had a great experience so far and look forward to a productive midterm season.
