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CAROLINADAZE Raleigh recap and what’s next

Young people in North Carolina are fired up and ready to vote! I saw that undeniable energy firsthand on September 14 as I looked across a sea of 4,300 people who packed our CAROLINADAZE Music & Arts Festival in Raleigh.

Ten-time GRAMMY Award-nominated singer and actress Janelle Monáe headlined an all-star lineup of performers. Young people and grassroots activists took to the stage to express why this new generation of voters must use the power of their ballot.

From the hundreds of voters registered, to the thousands receiving election education, CAROLINADAZE Raleigh offered young attendees like me all of the ways they can turn that energy into better days ahead for North Carolina.

As my teammate Jazmyne Abney told the thousands gathered there, the biggest election of our lives starts now. It’s time to get ready.

Like we’ve witnessed at CAROLINADAZE, young people are ready to meet this moment as we shape the future of our state and create a multiracial democracy for everyone. Thanks for being with us!


Slideshow: CAROLINADAZE Raleigh

Volunteers with Common Cause North Carolina at CAROLINADAZE in Raleigh

Volunteers with Common Cause North Carolina help people get ready for the 2024 election by sharing nonpartisan voter guides at CAROLINADAZE in Raleigh

A volunteer with You Can Vote helps people register to vote at CAROLINADAZE in Raleigh

Lisette Rodriguez and Aniya Whitfield with Common Cause North Carolina at CAROLINADAZE in Raleigh

Gino Nuzzolillo with Common Cause North Carolina speaking at CAROLINADAZE in Raleigh

Jazmyne Abney with Common Cause North Carolina and the HBCU Student Action Alliance speaking at CAROLINADAZE in Raleigh

Attendees at CAROLINADAZE in Raleigh

Lute performing at CAROLINADAZE in Raleigh

Attendees at CAROLINADAZE in Raleigh

Moses Sumney performing at CAROLINADAZE in Raleigh

Moses Sumney performing at CAROLINADAZE in Raleigh

The stage at CAROLINADAZE in Raleigh

Tierra Whack performing at CAROLINADAZE in Raleigh

Tierra Whack performing at CAROLINADAZE in Raleigh

Attendees at CAROLINADAZE in Raleigh

Janelle Monáe performing at CAROLINADAZE Raleigh

Attendees at CAROLINADAZE in Raleigh

Janelle Monáe performing at CAROLINADAZE Raleigh

Attendees at CAROLINADAZE in Raleigh

Janelle Monáe performing at CAROLINADAZE Raleigh

Janelle Monáe performing at CAROLINADAZE Raleigh

The Common Cause North Carolina team at CAROLINADAZE in Raleigh, joined by more than 4,300 people ready to vote!

01/22

VOICES OF YOUNG VOTERS: NEW CAROLINADAZE ESSAY SERIES

We’re excited to be partnering with our friends at Facing South/Institute for Southern Studies to launch the CAROLINADAZE Essay Series!

The series features stories and voices of young everyday North Carolinians and their visions for a better future in North Carolina and the South.

In the first installment of the series, writer Barbara Sostaita explores how North Carolina’s Latinx communities and churches are creating spaces for people to organize and chart a new vision for a better world. You can also read this introduction to the essay project by series editor and Southern journalist Victoria Bouloubasis.

READ THE SERIES


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