Highschool Activist Has Global Reach – GDN Exclusive Part I

by 08/17/2022

Jerome Richardson

This upcoming freshman is Jerome Richardson, formerly Jerome Treadwell, of the Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota communities. He is an 18-year-old “activist, philanthropist, strategist, bridgebuilder, mover, and shaker.” His work has been featured on CBS, NPR, BBC, BuzzFeed, National Geographics, Yahoo News, Teen Vogue, New York Times, and many other news outlets.

At his young age, he has accomplished much in helping his Minneapolis-St. Paul communities, where he was born and raised. And now, he has global reach and doing the work of justice, equality, liberation, reparations, and freedom for all, especially people of African descent.

Jerome has aided the evacuation of more than 700 Africans from danger zones of war-torn Ukraine into Poland, Hungary, and Romania by raising nearly $80,000 for refugees on GoFundMe. Jerome firmly believes, “It’s important to have a movement that understands the needs of our people and speaks the language they understand, not just in dialects but in experience.” In speaking with this inspiring young man, “shared experiences” matter to him and moves him to do the activism he does.

And now, he is working on ensuring that young people are educated and have literacy when it comes to voting. “We know that voting is a massive piece of us getting us to our next hope of freedom, and in MLK’s words, our dreams. So, Jerome is currently working on not only getting out to vote but on educating people and educating people on what voting means and what voting looks like. And how to vote, but in a non-partisan way. He also said that being non-partisan does not take away from his passion for what he does.

Jerome tells young people, 18-year-olds like himself, to get registered to vote and to be a part of the legislative process and the process of liberation within our governmental system and Constitution.

He is the Executive Director of Minnesota Teen Activists, a non-profit founded by15-year-old Aaliyah Murray. At 16, he was the second youngest president of the St. Paul Minnesota, NAACP Youth, and College Division. He works on promoting voting rights and getting young people to become more active and vote. He is targeting 18-year-olds, those who are young, eligible to vote on a college campus, and high school seniors and graduates. He also wants to ensure they are being accessed and going to inner city low-income minority communities. He sees the so-called “achievement gap” as more of an opportunity gap. So, as he comes into this conversation, he understands the need to protect the right to vote and to bridge that opportunity gap.

Jerome’s focus is on being accessible to young people and minorities. He is committed to getting them out to register and vote with a complete understanding of how to vote early, use absentee ballots, and understand the entire process. He recognizes that young people need to know the political process. But, he stresses that they need to know who to vote for, from your city councilman to your mayor, governor, the judges, the school board members, and all elected officials. That’s what Jerome is working on now the inner city, young people, and those who don’t have or were never allowed to have voter literacy.

This summer, as ambassador of the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation, Jerome is working with a new-found national coalition of Gen Z young leaders by the name of Youth Never Let Up and others from organizations such as: NAACP YCD, National Action Network, HBCUs, and others to demand justice for Emmett Till. GDN will cover many of these student-led events of activism and profile them as the young leaders they are.

Next up for Jerome is college. This fall, he will attend Temple University, where he earned a full ride. He will be majoring in political science with a minor in music. He says he’s excited about his future. “I’m excited to focus on education, and I desire to work in the White House and make that change that we’ve invested in.”

Greater Diversity News (GDN) readers should watch for Part II of this article, where Jerome will discuss GDN projects, It’s a Family Affair: NAACP membership, About The New Black Student Movement, and Plan Your Vote.

To remain current with relevant local, state, and national news and our Civic Engagement activities, including the “The New Black Student Movement” (The NBSM) and “It’s A Family Affair: NAACP Membership” initiatives: sign up for GDN’s free eNews publications at www.greaterdiversity.com, “read” our Greater Diversity News page. In addition, please ask your organizations, friends, and associates to do the above to generate and maintain greater mass participation with The New Black Student Movement initiative.

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