Students lined up to watch former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris debate Tuesday night. As they entered the University Theater — where the debate was live streamed — a student worker handed out popcorn, while a DJ spun hip hop tunes. Student moderators also energized the crowd with a musical roll call and a bingo game that offered a chance to win some swag.
Many attendees expressed concerns about climate change, gun safety and the conflict in Gaza. Malaya Mason, 19 is one of the hundreds present. She said she didn’t attend for extra credit. Instead, Mason has been teaching other students how to vote.
“We’ve been registering people not only here in Maryland, but in their home states as well,” said Mason, a sophomore. “We’re making sure they have absentee ballots coming to campus so that they're able to send in their ballots and have their votes counted.”
Students at Morgan State University participated in a musical roll call during #DebateNight2024. They danced to songs that represented their home regions which included reggae and afro beats for students who originated from other parts of the world. Read & listen @wypr.org pic.twitter.com/p6wQVJKpRz
— TheeWK (@WkThee) September 11, 2024
The political science major is involved with the school’s chapter of Black Girls Vote, a non-partisan organization that is working to increase political engagement among African American women and girls.
“People are just really excited to participate, especially the freshmen,” Mason continued. “They're like, ‘I'm ready to vote. I turned eighteen during an election year.’ I’m like 'Yes!’ because when I turned 18 it was quiet like crickets.”
Students booed and cheered, growing more vocal when the candidates talked about reproductive rights. Jenae Davenport, 19 called the debate “empowering.” She felt a deep sense of significance watching it at her historically Black College and University (HBCU), knowing that Kamala Harris, who also graduated from an HBCU, is making history as the first biracial woman nominated for president.
However, Davenport said she worried about the erosion of rights, reflecting on the historical struggles for freedoms that are now at risk.
“Honestly, I’m not really concerned about student loans,” said Davenport. “I'm in college and I'm going to continue to get student loans. I think we were more expressive to the bigger issues like abortion, Palestine and Israel because that's what's affecting us now. Money is something that we can deal with later. Our rights are being taken away, other people's rights are being taken away, and that's what really matters.”
At the El Salvador Restaurant in Fells Point, Modelo beers flowed freely and stacks of nachos filled tables as a crowd of about one dozen Baltimore City Republicans watched Harris and Trump go back and forth.
Blanca Tapahausco, a Hispanic Republican, focused on immigration. Adopted from El Salvador as a child, she feels Democrats pander to Latino voters.
“It's a slap in the face when people have waited. The Democratic Party is using people who are in a situation. They want to be here, they want a new life, but they are being promised things the party will never deliver,” Tapahuasco said.
She criticized Democrats for promising Medicare for All to immigrants, although Harris has distanced herself from that policy in this campaign cycle. Christopher Anderson, a lifelong conservative, running for a city council seat in Baltimore’s seventh district, is also concerned about immigration. As a Black man, Anderson thinks an influx of foreign migrants will be harmful to Black communities.
“Illegal immigrants coming into the country will take jobs from minorities and people in impoverished communities,” he said.
A 2020 Pew Research study found that most Americans believe foreign migrants are filling jobs that American citizens don’t want. And while the numbers of immigrants coming into the country reached a record high in 2023, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported record lows in Black unemployment.
At times, Anderson found the debate frustrating wishing for more policy discussion.
“I don't think they get into the meat and potatoes of what actually concerns the American people. They bypassed immigration and focused on each other’s records, January 6, and court trials,” Anderson said.
Despite his frustration, Anderson is hopeful for Trump’s election victory but acknowledged both candidates performed strongly in the debate. At Morgan State University, students involved in the civic engagement team are preparing to register more voters on Saturday, September 17, for National Voter Registration Day.
