Justice for All
Gun Violence Prevention
Gun violence is not an isolated policy issue. Gun violence can come in many forms: mass shootings, street violence, police violence, domestic violence, suicide, hate crimes, and many other types of violence; therefore, we need to treat it as the complex and multifaceted issue that it is. Gun violence is the result of systemic injustices and failures of the United States dating back to the founding of our nation. If we are to truly find a solution to preventing gun violence, we must address the root causes of gun violence in addition to enacting common sense gun laws that 64% of college students support.
Women’s Rights
Establishing equal pay, protecting reproductive rights, ending the pink and tampon taxes, implementing paid family and medical leave, and combating all forms of violence against women are all essential to help put an end to the gender inequity present in almost every aspect of our society. We must continue to fight to make sure that women are represented in all places where decisions are being made so we can ensure that we are creating both a society and government that treat all of us with dignity and respect.
Racial Justice
Systemic racism is a part of our nation; it did not disappear after the abolition of slavery or the Civil Rights Movement. Whether it is combating redlining, environmental racism, access to loans, racism in health care and medicine, racial profiling in education and policing, or racist voting laws –– we need to actively work to dismantle all institutions that continue to perpetuate racism against People of Color. It is not enough to not be racist; we must be actively anti-racist and do all that we can to dismantle these institutions and establish equitable institutions that promote racial equality.
LGBTQIA+ Equality
No one should be discriminated against for their sexuality, gender identity, or gender expression. Gen Z wants to live in a society where all people are allowed to be who they are and love who they love. To achieve this mission, we need to work to ensure they have the same rights and privileges as heterosexual and cisgender people. The basic rights of LGBTQ+ individuals are increasingly under attack from fascist elected officials in the form of “Don’t Say Gay” and anti-trans legislation in states all across America. We cannot allow wannabe dictators to continue to pass policies that seek to erase LGBTQ+ from existing in public spaces and must take action to prevent this.
Disability Justice
Disabled people are the largest minority in the United States. With 27% of adults in the United States living with a disability. Disabled people can have an extremely hard time finding an accessible polling place for them to vote. Disability justice also intersects with economic justice with low-income caps that determine Federal assistance.
Ratify the Equal Rights Amendment
The ratification of the ERA is a transformative and necessary step in helping create the society Gen Z Americans believe in. This major step towards an inclusive society is driven by Gen Z’s commitment to equal opportunity for all and social justice. The ERA would help combat gender- and sex-based discrimination by providing legal protections that help safeguard the rights of all people regardless of their sexuality or gender expression.
Justice for Immigrants and Asylum Seekers
Immigrants are welcome here. No amount of hateful rhetoric will change the fact that the diversity of people and cultures is what makes the United States special. We must provide the necessary funding to process these cases in a timely manner, and we need to establish a pathway to citizenship. We also need to end the abusive practices of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to prevent them from further terrorizing human beings seeking a better life in our nation.
Justice for Indigenous People
Gen Z believes in justice for Indigenous people. The ACLU of New Mexico defines indigenous justice as “the freedom and ability of Indigenous people to exercise their rights and sovereignty over themselves, their people, and their land. This includes the freedom to engage in traditional ways of governing, being, healing, and knowing while also learning and celebrating culture, language, tradition, and heritage by ceremonies and other practices.” The United States has committed far too many atrocities against Indigenous people, and this goal is the bare minimum we can do to begin to heal these deep wounds.
Addressing Hate on College Campuses
The recent violence in Israel and Gaza has and continues to deeply impact young people in the United States. As we watch the horrors overseas, we have also witnessed vile acts of antisemitism, Islamophobia, xenophobia, and other forms of hate and intimidation on college campuses. We must actively denounce hate, condemn violence, and embrace respectful, free public debate on campus and beyond.
Police Accountability & Redefining Public Safety
Our current solution to public safety is not working. Despite the endless amounts of money that local, state, and federal governments invest in policing, it is not having the desired effect in reducing crime. We must invest in community-based solutions that address the root causes of crime instead of investing in over-policing. Additionally, we must institute better systems for holding police accountable. Their job is not easy, nor should this many responsibilities be placed on them, but they have to be held accountable if they fail to do their job or abuse their position. Ultimately, we must rethink what the characteristics are of a world that would make us more safe.
No More War
Young people are tired of being used as pawns in the endless and senseless wars of the military-industrial complex. Peace and diplomacy should always be the top priority of US foreign policy, and war should always be the very last option on the list. No one benefits from war, except the military contractors who profit from it, but we all benefit from peace and cooperation. If we want to tackle global problems like climate change, we need to have global cooperation to avoid impending disaster. Russia’s unjustified invasion of Ukraine has derailed these efforts significantly, and the United States must work towards a diplomatic solution that limits the bloodshed and protects the sovereignty of Ukraine.
Peace and a Two-State Solution
Young people at home and abroad believe in maintaining peace, prosperity, and human life. All indiscriminate attacks on Israeli and Palestinian civilians must be condemned. Immediately, the global community must ensure the safe return of all hostages to their families, protect all civilians from indiscriminate bombing, and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza through a bilateral ceasefire and other diplomatic efforts. The ultimate goal of negotiations must be a mutual agreement to long-lasting peace and a two-state solution.
Ending the War on Drugs
Gen Z knows better than to continue to fall for a decades-long failed War on Drugs that disproportionately incarcerates Black and Brown Americans. In contrast, we now know that many of the drugs for which people have been imprisoned, like marijuana, are beneficial for medicinal and recreational use. 93% of college students believe that marijuana should be legal at least for medical use, and 68% believe it should be legal for recreational use as well. In addition, adult drug use should not be considered a crime the same way cigarette smoking and drinking alcohol are not a crime. We need to be treating substance use disorder as a medical condition rather than a criminal justice issue. For those who are already victims of this immoral policy, we need to clear their records and let them have their lives back.
Implement a Restorative Justice System
We need to fundamentally reevaluate the justice system. The goal of prison should not be to dehumanize and ruin the lives of all incarcerated people. Someday, many of these people are going to be released from prison and we need to ensure that all incarcerated people are ready to reenter society productively. Recidivism rates in the United States are far too high and we must combat that with a new vision for incarceration. Other countries around the world have implemented restorative justice systems where inmates are treated like humans and the punishment is solely that they are cut off from the outside world. A system like this would allow us to rehabilitate inmates, decrease recidivism, and help them improve their lives when they are released.
Abolish Cash Bail
If the “justice” system has policies or laws in place that have a monetary value tied to them, then those policies only apply to low-income people. No one should have to remain in prison for the duration of their case just because they do not have the financial means to pay their bail. Cash bail only applies to low-income people and we need equal justice.
Ending Private Prisons
There absolutely cannot be a profit incentive for incarceration in the United States. Similar to the military-industrial complex, if we allow people to profit off the suffering of others, then they are going to do everything in their power to maximize it in order to maximize profits. About 25% of the world’s prison population is in the US, despite the fact that the US is less than 5% of the world’s population. If we are to begin to stop our mass incarceration problem, we must end the profit incentive.
Decriminalizing Sex Work
Sex work is work. Criminalizing consensual sex, including the exchange of these services, is taking away from the human right to autonomy and privacy. The government should not be telling consenting adults who they can have sexual relationships with and on what terms.
If you’re interested in reading more, you can download the full Voters of Tomorrow Policy Platform.