College Nights to Political Fights: My Journey into Politics

I spent sleepless hours trying to figure out what to write as the first blog post for Political Fishbowl and decided to share how I got into politics.

Besides guzzling Mountain Dew and coffee during classes, playing video games, joining clubs, drinking cheap beer, partying, and spending many late nights battling procrastination, it wasn’t until my senior year in college that I realized politics was much more than just presidential elections or MTV's “Rock the Vote” campaigns. While national elections are crucial, the lesser-covered elections—midterms, governor races, even local city elections—are equally important. These overlooked elections often let bad actors slip through the cracks.

I learned this the hard way, along with millions of other Americans, during the Trayvon Martin trial and the Florida "stand your ground" laws. These laws allowed a grown man to murder a child in cold blood with a gun because he claimed to be “fearful for his life.”

Who was to blame? Trayvon Martin’s killer, George Zimmerman? Or the absurd law that allowed Zimmerman to walk away cleanly, avoiding all accountability?

The Trayvon Martin case made me realize how fractured our country was. The riots, the hate—oh, the hate was wild. I even ended friendships over the racist and absurd things some would post on Facebook.

It was an uneasy time in America. But could it all have been avoided with common-sense laws?

Maybe.

Ultimately, I realized that by paying attention to ALL levels of politics—federal, state, and municipal—I could help raise awareness and maybe, just maybe, make a difference in this beautiful experiment we call America.

So now, I ask you, what got you into politics?

Thanks for reading, fam. Wishing you all positive vibrations. Be sure to sign up for Political Fishbowl for more political content.