When asked how she would describe her activism work, Winter BreAnne, 20, responded that she's "just active." In about four short years, Winter has centered herself as a voice in the world of civic engagement, gun control, education, and more. Prior to the election, she launched her Vote with Winter campaign where she spent over 80 hours working with first-time voters across the country, preparing them to confidentially cast their ballot in the 2020 election. And though Winter has traveled the states educating students and even helped organize the National School Walkout where almost 3 million students took a stand against gun violence in 2018, it was those recent one-on-one conversations with civic-minded teens that really made her feel like she was making an impact. While Winter struggles to find a through thread in all of her work, she believes it all stems from the desire to empower young people, as well as to further the Black liberation movement. "I feel like I'm just a young person who cares so much about the world," she told Seventeen.
What inspired you to get involved with the 2020 election?
This was my first ever presidential election where I was of the age to vote, but even before Trump was elected, I had been doing organizing around civic engagement and youth. I toured elementary schools across the nation and implemented a curriculum in 20,000 schools all around civic engagement, voting, and the electoral process. So, this year I was working on bringing that education into one-on-one conversations with young people who were voting for the first time. About two months before the election, I announced my Vote with Winter campaign, which ended up being really succesful. I spent over 80 hours, chatting with over 80 young people on one-on-one Zoom calls where all we did was walk through their ballot—every single measure and every candidate, anything that they were voting on. That way, they had a guide they could take with them to the polls or use when they filled out their absentee ballot.
What was it like to tour all of those elementary schools?
I've always been pretty civically engaged. When Obama was elected in 2008, that was a really big moment for me. But I noticed a lack of education around civic engagement. I had never really learned about the electoral process in school or had any help from teachers. I was like, "Dang, we're going to have to start educating people in this." So, I started touring elementary schools to get young people introduced to the idea of civic engagement before they're 18. I think a lot of the issues we have–especially with youth voter turnout–comes from a lack of education. You have young people who turn 18 who never really interacted with the idea of voting or being civically engaged and then we're trying to play catchup to get them excited to do this thing. So, I built out a program that I toured elementary schools with. Then, in 2018 I partnered with Amplifier Art and Shepard Fairey and created a curriculum, which is called Power of the Future Voters, and released it into 20,000 schools across the nation.
What have the results been like from the students who went through that curriculum?
The curriculum that got put in the 20,000 schools went mostly into middle and high schools as well as a couple elementary schools. In terms of results, so many of the Vote with Winter people were actually students who had the curriculum in their school, which I guess is how they found me. Then, I have a couple of younger students who had the artwork by Shepard Fairey put in their classroom. Teachers have sent me pictures of these little Black girls looking at the picture. A big part of that whole campaign was the visual impact as well because most classroom walls don't have people who look like me on them. I don't even think I can remember a picture of a young Black person or Black woman on the walls of my classroom. So, a lot of people were just moved by the artwork that was done by Shepard Fairey.
Now that the election is over, what's next?
Ooh, there's so much work to be done! A lot of things are happening. Even just leading up to the election, a big part of what I was saying is people want to engage within the election and then, once it's over, pretend that's it and there's nothing else to do. In reality, the work is continuous. I'm still doing Zooms with different classrooms and students and walking them through the curriculum now that things are virtual. I've also been working on a lot of Black Lives Matter issues, making sure the case with Breonna Taylor isn't over, so putting a lot of efforts there as well, whether that's through keeping pressure up via protesting or implementing more digital strategies with folks on the ground. I'm also a full time student, which I always forget about and I never really talk about that much.
What is a major goal of yours when it comes to your activism?
There are different goals within every project I do, but I feel like overarching, it's to empower young people and work toward liberation for all people, particularly Black people. Once Black people are free, everyone is free. So, how do we further along the movement toward Black liberation and how do we make sure that we're taking care of the most marginalized within every space? That's the lens I view my work through.
Answers have been edited and shortened for clarity.
Carolyn Twersky is an associate editor for Seventeen covering celebrities, entertainment, politics, trends, and health. On her off time, she's probably watching Ru Paul's Drag Race, traversing NYC for the best donuts, or, most likely, enjoying time in her favorite place in the world: her bed.
