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A Woman With Answers
A woman from Cleveland wearing a maxi-dress with matching black converse sat with her legs crossed in the front of a room filled to capacity. Her 90-minute presentation was eventually cut off because of an inquisitive audience searching for answers from a knowledgeable lady. The microphones weren't working so she said screw it! Without the use of a microphone, her voice still echoed to the people in the back and her body language helped prove her authority in the room. This sharp-thinking, spit-firing woman is Nina Turner. Nina is a former state senator, early supporter of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and a progressive politician.
Go Nina!
Nina's sharing of her political opinion goes way further than speaking to college students across the country. She is a political commentator for CNN, and in 2017, she started the "The Nina Turner Show." On her first episode, Bernie Sanders guest starred as her first interviewee. What I liked about this is that she followed the Society of Professional Journalist Code of Ethics perfectly. Seeking the truth and reporting it was the main focus when working with Sen. Sanders. The one-on-one interview was the start of Turner's new broadcast platform.
A Black Female Politician's Stance Of Media Coverage
Nina shared her thoughts about black America today and how the media is covering it. Under Mr. Trump's presidency, his speeches show neglect to the people of color who are brutally beaten, or to the people of Mexico and Puerto Rico facing environmental catastrophes. Instead, white supremacists continue to get away with brutal, racist remarks and protests. All of this is very important to Nina, but she wants to bring it back to what has been impacting people for years. Instead of the 24/7 coverage of Russia, what about Flint, Michigan? She wants the coverage of the Flint's water crisis to be just as important as what's happening in the white house.
That's exactly what she's using her platform for:
1. to elevate the voices for those who cant have their voice heard
2. to respond to problems with an intersectional solution
3. how to respond to criticism and keep pushing forward
4. to do the work of nation building, one person at a time.
So What Does Nina Want Us To Do?
Nina started advocating while in college by creating the organization "Students for Positive Action." The focus of her club was to get students involved in politics, register to vote and help change the world. "We need dreamers, we need people to push this world past what we thought we could do. Dreams create new realities," Turner said. Her inspiration has always been Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who worked to empower the youth for future generations to come. She also hopes that the newer generations can stop stereotyping and come together for the common good, so that even during a time of difficulty and racism, students today can fight back together.
More than anything, Nina wants us to follow our hearts. She grew up in a rural country background, and was the oldest of seven children. She is from a single parent household, and constantly struggled with money. Becoming a first-generation college student took motivation and her own hard work, but also came with a lot of debt. Now as a politician, she is working to revolutionize the cost of going to college, so more students can attend and create a movement as she did. Nina has been recognized nationally and by several publications for her contributions to the Bernie Sanders campaign.
For a woman who practically started from nothing, she refused to be ignored and continues to advocate for several different platforms. Her ethical reasonings of what she can do with these platforms, how she justifies her actions and making her actions morally good have helped people of all demographics.
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