VOICES: Miami Valley teens have opportunity to share views on future of the nation

Three boys — high school students — hanging out in an alley on a morning when they should be in school.

We’ve both observed scenes like this. You probably have, too. Such events heighten our anxiety as we wonder what the kids are up to. They also raise questions beyond our own self-interest: Are we giving youth the tools they need to participate successfully in the community they will inherit from us? Do they feel accepted and valued for what they can contribute now, even before they’re old enough to vote? And what more can each of us do to involve young people and help them develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence they’ll need for creating a world where everyone has an opportunity to prosper?

We don’t have all the answers, but we have an opportunity for Miami Valley teens — an opportunity for them to share their views of the nation they envision for their future.

Greater Dayton Move to Amend, in partnership with the Dayton International Peace Museum, is hosting the We the People Art Contest for Dayton-area students in grades 9-12. The contest theme is “The Democracy We Want,” and students can submit artwork in three categories: visual arts, performance arts, and political cartoons. Cash prizes will be awarded in each category, and winners will be announced March 9 in an opening reception at the museum in downtown Dayton. You can find contest rules at tinyurl.com/39kbwkbm. Deadlines are fast approaching, and we ask students to use the link found in the contest rules to let us know their intention to participate.

Who are the teenagers in your life? Do they express themselves through art in some way? Perhaps you know a teen who sketches, writes song lyrics, or composes original tunes. Encourage this young person to enter the contest, to voice their opinion about what they see happening in our nation today and what they’d like to change. Perhaps they could draw a political cartoon that illustrates the limitations of our two-party system. Or maybe they could rap about a solution to gerrymandering.

A significant source of inspiration for students could well be the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission. January 21 is the 14th anniversary of the 5-4 ruling that affirmed the misguided doctrines of “corporate constitutional rights” and “money as speech.” We could all use this day to reflect on the state of our democracy, particularly as we enter the 2024 election year and prepare for the deluge of political campaign ads.

Our democracy is under threat. The threats aren’t new; we’re just more aware of them. They emerged back in 1886 when the Supreme Court granted constitutional rights to corporations. They continued growing in the 20th century as the court equated money with speech. Here in Ohio, we can see the threats at work when railroads buy influence to put profits over the safety and well-being of folks who live near the tracks, and when oil and gas companies claim “constitutional rights” to do business in communities that oppose wastewater injection wells.

To move our country in the right direction, we need an amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The We the People Amendment, introduced last spring as House Joint Resolution 54, makes clear that money is not speech and constitutional rights belong to flesh-and-blood persons only. You can help create a democracy where our elected representatives are genuinely accountable to the people by signing our petition at movetoamend.org/motion. You can do even more by empowering our youth to become champions of democracy — and by giving the teens in the alley a chance to redirect their energy and speak truth to power.

Mary Sue Gmeiner is co-chair of Greater Dayton Move to Amend. Deb Hogshead is chair of Move to Amend Miami County, and a volunteer with Greater Dayton Move to Amend and the Ohio MTA Coordinating Committee.