Photo: iamavoterwi.org
Kweku TeAngelo Cargile, Jr.
Kweku TeAngelo Cargile, Jr.
Involvement in the political process is more important than ever. This October, many Milwaukee-based organizations have teamed up to present the “I Am a Voter Scholarship Competition,” a scholarship competition which encourages young people to submit art that reflects what voting means to them. The prize for winners is a $10,000 scholarship. The goal is to encourage young people and people of color to make their voice heard. Unique to Milwaukee, the creative effort is working to inspire change and investment in the future of the country.
Submissions for the “I Am a Voter Scholarship Competition,” will be accepted through October 14. For more information, visit Competition | I Am A Voter WI
“I am confident that it is unique to Milwaukee,” says Kweku TeAngelo Cargile Jr., Executive Director of The BrandLab, one of the organizations involved in presenting the competition.“The BrandLab is a national organization. We grew to the Milwaukee market in 2021. Our mission is to change the face and voice of the marketing industry by creating a BIPOC pipeline into the industry, and we do that through various mediums.” The BrandLab Milwaukee is committed to creating a more diversified workforce in marketing, which makes them an exemplary partner for the “I Am a Voter Scholarship Competition.” “It’s a huge opportunity and I’m very grateful to be able to support these efforts. We need to diversify our marketing and advertising industry. It’s a privilege to be able to make change,” says Cargile.
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The “I Am a Voter'' contest features an opportunity for young people to submit animations, artwork, videos, and much more for the opportunity to win $10,000. The contest will have six winners, five chosen by the judges involved and one will be voted on by the general population. “This project really prioritizes creating opportunities for young people to speak to the impact they can have around voting,” says Cargile. “Not only to educate our young people about the history that creates opportunities for us to be where we are right now but also empower them to say, ‘If I were to speak to a voter campaign, how would I envision it?’”
The competition is made possible by partners including AIGA Wisconsin, The BrandLab Milwaukee, Imagine Milwaukee, Greater Together, MARN, MATC, MIAD, MPS, Milwaukee People's Flag, Souls to the Polls, United Adworkers, Urban Underground, and UWM. “This is truly around creating opportunities for young people to engage in the political process. Particularly around the election that is happening in November,” says Cargile. “There’s a huge gap when it comes to minorities truly stepping into the polls. It is really important to create opportunities where communities feel advocated for.”
The BrandLab is working to see more young people excited to vote for who they feel best represents them and their communities. “This scholarship competition is focused on young people,” exclaims Cargile. “This is nonpartisan work. We’re really prioritizing engaging folks in the process so that they know that they are a voter and to really utilize their power to vote for whoever they believe should be advocating for them in our communities.”
For more information of voting registration, or to check if you are registered to vote, visit Confirm You Are Registered to Vote | USAGov
