![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_9208-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Sen. LaVon Bracy Davis with students. (Yerimiah Evans\/FAMUAN)<\/p>\n
Students filled the H. Manning Efferson Student Union on Nov. 18 for \u201cMeet Your Legislators Day,\u201d an interactive panel designed to break down the realities of Florida politics and\u00a0give students direct access to the legislators who\u00a0represent\u00a0them.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The event brought together\u00a0state\u00a0Sen. LaVon Bracy\u00a0Davis\u00a0,\u00a0state\u00a0Rep. Rashon\u00a0Young\u00a0and\u00a0state\u00a0Rep. Anna V.\u00a0Eskamani.\u00a0The\u00a0three lawmakers\u00a0from Orlando are\u00a0focused on\u00a0fostering\u00a0the next generation and building a bench of\u00a0leaders to come behind them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The panel, hosted by student organizers,\u00a0brought\u00a0dialogue\u00a0centered on civic literacy, political\u00a0advocacy\u00a0and the importance of young voters in state decision-making. Legislators fielded questions on\u00a0defying the\u00a0status quo\u00a0and the challenges that shape policy decisions in Tallahassee.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Young,\u00a0a graduate of\u00a0Bethune-Cookman University, is\u00a0a strong advocate for funding historically Black colleges and universities\u00a0and\u00a0emphasized\u00a0the importance of continued investment in institutions like FAMU.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI am very adamant about funding for HBCUs,\u201d\u00a0Young\u00a0said. \u201cMaking sure that our schools get that adequate and appropriate funding that they deserve is extremely important to me, and FAMU is a great example of that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Young also urged students to recognize their political influence and to push back against voter apathy, which he described as the biggest barrier to progress.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cThe largest block of voters right now is the apathetic voter,\u201d he said. \u201cThe person who says, \u2018My one vote doesn\u2019t matter.\u2019 We all\u00a0have to\u00a0make that decision that it does.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Eskamani\u00a0echoed that message while encouraging students to understand the systems that shape their lives. She noted that many young people feel excluded from the political process because the structure was designed to be inaccessible.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen people say the system is broken, I\u2019m like, oh no, it\u00a0was meant to be this way,\u201d\u00a0she\u00a0said. \u201cIf you\u2019re not engaged in understanding how the system works, it will continue to be designed to ignore you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Eskamani\u00a0reminded students that campuses have long been catalysts for major social movements.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of the most historic moments in American history started on college campuses,\u201d\u00a0Eskamani\u00a0said, citing the civil rights movement and anti-apartheid organizing. \u201cYour voice is so desperately needed right now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Davis used her remarks to challenge students to step into their political power sooner rather than later. She referenced the role young people played in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were your age,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m\u00a0expecting\u00a0great things\u00a0from your generation now. You\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0get the luxury to say, \u2018I\u2019ll figure it out once I graduate.\u2019\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0expecting you to join me on this battlefield now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The event closed with a Q&A session, where students asked about policy priorities, voting\u00a0rights\u00a0and how to get involved at the Capitol. Lawmakers emphasized that legislative change often requires both persistence and collaboration.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
As Young told the room, \u201cYou are our accountability partner. You are our motivation. You are the next generation of leaders.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_9202-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Attendees and legislators at the event. (Yerimiah Evans\/FAMUAN)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sen. LaVon Bracy Davis with students. (Yerimiah Evans\/FAMUAN) Students filled the H. Manning Efferson Student Union on Nov.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":112484,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[232,234,233],"class_list":{"0":"post-112483","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tallahassee","8":"tag-tallahassee","9":"tag-tallahassee-headlines","10":"tag-tallahassee-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112483","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=112483"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112483\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/112484"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=112483"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=112483"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=112483"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}