By ERIN STRIKE and KYLE DUFFY

Erin Strike is a junior at Londonderry High School and one of the Democratic National Convention pages for the New Hampshire Democratic Party. She and Kyle Duffy of Atkinson, also a page and a senior at Timberlane Regional High School, wrote this op-ed about what being a part of this year’s Democratic National Convention means to them. InDepthNH.org will check in with them as the Democratic National Convention continues virtually this week starting Monday night.

In early March, as we started our applications to be New Hampshire’s Democratic National Convention pages, the COVID-19 pandemic was beginning to turn our world upside down. Soon enough, schools were closing and businesses were shutting down. By the time we were selected to be New Hampshire’s Democratic National Convention pages in April, it became clear that life would not go back to normal.

Just as the world looks different now, so does this year’s Democratic National Convention. But we could not be more excited to be part of this historic event that highlights how Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and Democrats up and down the ticket are the candidates that will work for us and our entire generation. 

First, the Democratic National Convention will be a fantastic opportunity to highlight the work Democrats are doing for young people. Our own experience in Democratic activism in our communities includes working to turn out the youth vote in our local and statewide High School Democratic organizations and volunteering for presidential candidates during the First in the Nation Primary. Now, we get to be part of the Democratic National Convention that will be brought right into Granite Staters’ homes.

The virtual nature of this year’s convention makes it possible for all Granite Staters to participate and hear our candidates’ vision to make college more affordable, protect our environment, and keep us safe in schools. The convention week will feature incredible speakers and opportunities for young people to get involved by phone banking, attending virtual watch parties, and getting to know how Democrats are in our communities and fighting for us.

The Democratic National Convention and every single event taking place during it underscores how important it is that we elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, and re-elect our Senator Shaheen, Congresswoman Kuster, and Congressman Pappas, and Democrats up and down the ticket. They will fight for the issues that matter to us.  

Second, the Democratic National Convention is an opportunity to show young people that while Democrats are fighting for the issues that matter to us, Republicans like Donald Trump and Chris Sununu are pushing schemes that threaten our future, supporting lobbyists that care more about their profits than our lives, and trying to silence us by suppressing our right to vote. Despite their best efforts, young people refuse to remain silent during this election.

We are organizing and making phone calls, causing good trouble on Tik Tok, and making sure every single young person who is eligible to vote is registered and fired up to elect Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and all of our Democratic candidates in New Hampshire. Young people know that the Democratic Party is the party that gives young people the platform to speak and be heard, which is why we are proud to represent the New Hampshire Democratic Party as Pages to the Democratic National Convention. 

Finally, the Democratic National Convention showcases how excited young people across the country are to unite behind Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. As pages, we take such pride in being a part of the New Hampshire Delegation that will vote for these candidates who we know will be the ones to defeat Donald Trump and Mike Pence.

For young people like us, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris embody what it means to be a Democrat, which is looking out for others no matter what they look like, who they love, or where they live. It means finding common ground on how to tackle the issues that we all care about because when we are united, we are unstoppable.

And it means doing everything we can to create a better future for the next generation. We couldn’t be more excited to be part of this year’s Democratic National Convention and to do what we can to elect Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and Democrats up and down the ticket. 

InDepthNH.org takes no position on politics. The opinions expressed here belong to the writers.