A civil rights activist told Campus Current on Tuesday why students should vote in the upcoming general election.

Carl Snowden, the Caucus of African American leaders of Anne Arundel County convener, spoke with Campus Current about the importance of voting after giving a speech at the Voter Education Lunch & Learn Series event Amplify Your Voice, Cast Your Vote. 

“I think Malcolm X said it best,” Snowden said. “‘We bring about change in America, either through bullets or ballots.”

The Office of Student Engagement reached out to Snowden to teach students the power of voting and explore reasons why they should vote at the event on Tuesday.

Snowden gave an exclusive interview with Campus Current when the event was over.

Just registering to vote can make an impact because it’s a way of getting involved, according to Snowden.

Snowden said if students didn’t get involved in politics, the Vietnam War may not have ended until much later.

“The war in Vietnam, for example, stopped because of student involvement,” Snowden said. “[It was] not because of the president [Richard Nixon], but because students got involved and demanded an end to the war.”

Students should “take the time to inform themselves” before they vote according to Snowden.

“You want to make sure that when you vote, you’re voting because you understand what the issues are,” Snowden said. “For example … more people have health care than ever in the history of this country” because of the election of former President Barack Obama and the passing of the Affordable Care Act in 2010. 

Snowden added: “That all [came] as a result of voting.”

Snowden said it’s important to educate yourself about what’s going on within the country.

“The more we know collectively, the better we are as a nation,” Snowden said. “It’s important that people pay attention, that they study, that they do research, because through that process, it just broadens your horizons.”

According to Snowden, “fair representation” is important for a representative system like a democracy.

“Although a system is set up, unless you have fair representation, that system will not serve you well,” Snowden said.

That is why Snowden previously joined Ujima, a black student union, in the 1970s when he was enrolled in AACC. 

“When I was here, [there] were only four black professors,” Snowden said. “Our focus at the time was to see to it that there’d be an increased number of particularly African Americans teaching on [the] college campus.” 

Snowden said the number has “increased tremendously” since then.

Reporter Ayla Cole contributed to this story.