by Marianne Schild
YWCA Correspondent at DNC

The last night of the Democratic National Convention, I got to spend a little time in one of the media boxes with journalist and political analyst Juan Williams.
I told him that for those of us in Generation Y the development of our political consciousness stems from wanting to elect officials, regardless of their party affiliation, to get a job done in a divisive political environment in which we are on rival teams. I asked him, if this divisiveness is all we have ever known as a generation, how can we combat this? Juan responded, “We must engage and fight it.” Fight the urge to make fun of the other side. Remember those are our politicians – we elected them, and they represent us. As we change, they change. Remember what President Clinton said Wednesday night: their purpose is to make policies. Elect them for their purpose to get things done, not because they are in your party.
I also asked Juan what he loves about YWCA. His response might surprise you – watch the video below!

Marianne Schild, YWCA correspondent at the DNC, is the donor relations manager at YWCA Central Carolinas.
YWCA correspondents attended the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., and the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla. Follow our Twitter updates by using these Twitter hashtags: #ywcaDNC and #ywcaRNC. Learn more.