IGNITE's Blog

Madysen Forney is a second-year Dr. Anne Moses IGNITE Atlanta Fellow.

Recent efforts in North Carolina to restrict youth voting will come back to bite. I'm certain of it because as a student, I've helped countless student peers navigate the complex process to vote. I know how explicit efforts to restrict youth voting are firing up my compatriots. Young people are told we have low participation in politics, and that we should participate more. But then, politicians try to pass voter restriction laws which make it harder to participate. Still, like it or not, youth voters are becoming more of a force in North Carolina. 

“Who said she could run? She said she could run.” - Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi

All of my grandmother’s children are bankers. That, at least, is what she tells the other ladies at church. And while her not-so-humble brag isn’t entirely accurate, it isn’t exactly a lie either. All four of her children, from the oldest, my uncle Ted the bank executive, to the youngest, my mother Patrice the accountant, spent years studying finance, management, business, economics, and accounting in order to achieve the lifestyles they lead now. It’s abundantly clear to anyone paying attention that their hard work directly led to their present success. And they did it on their own. No acres. No mules. Just Black Americans proving that they don’t need help to be excellent in their respective fields.

(WASHINGTON, D.C., July 18, 2023—For immediate release) – IGNITE, a national nonpartisan movement of young women who are ready and eager to become the next generation of political leaders, is proud to announce its sixth annual Young Women Run conference in Washington, D.C. this July 18-20, 2023. 

IGNITE, America's largest, most diverse nonprofit organization devoted to young women's political empowerment, is proud to welcome Sharon Harris and Anne Morriss as the new Co-Chairs of its Board of Directors. Sharon is the current founder and CEO of the Sharon Harris Collective, which provides thought leadership and digital media management to various clients in Atlanta, Georgia. Prior to this, she worked as Chief Marketing Officer at Ascential. Sharon has served as a member of IGNITE's Board of Directors since 2019 and as Vice-Chair since 2021. Anne Morriss is the current Principal at The Morriss Group. She has served as a member of IGNITE's Board of Directors since 2022. We’re extremely proud and excited to continue working with both of them in their new roles.

In response to today's Supreme Court decision curtailing Affirmative Action Sara Guillermo, Chief Executive of IGNITE, America’s largest, most diverse organization devoted to young women’s political leadership, said:

A new United Nations report has found no improvement in gender biases in the past decade. Young women have no choice, it seems, but to fight through bias to succeed. It's a powerful insight when it comes to running for political office. There is no point in sugarcoating it for them. Not if we're going to reshape the future in a more positive direction. But there is more that we can all do to help, too. The solution isn't only in women's hands but everyone's.

On June 19, 1865, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, more than 250,000 Black Americans were freed in Galveston, Texas. Since June 2021, the United States has...

Growing up, I always had a strong sense of justice, but for a while, I struggled with where to place it. It wasn't until I became engaged in my community that I truly found my purpose. At some point in our lives, especially when it comes to our service and impact, we start to search for greater meaning in our actions. We start to question why and for whom we do it. Finding one's purpose in life can be a daunting task. It often involves a great deal of introspection and self-reflection. While some people may find their purpose through personal exploration, others may find it through serving their community.