For the second year in a row, history teacher Joanie Garratt has brought her current and former APUSH students alike to the West Hollywood Democratic Club’s “Democrat of the Year” awards to expose them to the political arena.
The 15 students who were invited had the opportunity to engage with important community members and national politicians. Among the prominent members of the community in attendance such as Board of Education President Noah Margo, Board of Education member Tristen Walker-Shuman, and former mayor Les Bronte, Congressman Ted Lieu came to the awards ceremony, which took place on Oct 26, and answered students’ questions in a forum.
Former Congresswoman Katie Hill, who resigned on Sunday, was supposed to be honored as the “Democrat of the Year''; however, she was not in attendance due to “personal issues” West Hollywood Democratic Club President Lillian Raffel said.
Regardless, the goal for Garratt is that her students will become more active citizens and be more involved in politics, she said, and that she will continue to bring her students to this event every year to accomplish that.
“I really enjoyed being able to ask Ted Lieu questions about issues that matter to me, because it’s so rare to be able to directly address a national politician but I think that’s democracy at its finest,” senior and former APUSH student Matthew Allana said. “I’m very interested in politics but often I find it difficult to participate because I’m a teenager, so this event was a great way for me to immerse myself in the political arena.”
“You ask me how it’s affected my students but it’s affected me too. I feel a part of something bigger. I feel that this is insanely important, more important than anything that I’ve ever done," Garratt, who canvased for former Congresswoman Katie Hill, said. "If we lose this election, our country is not going to be the country we were all born into. I didn’t expect at my age that I'd be driving an hour away canvasing all weekend, that’s how important it is to me.”
“Joanie is a very well known volunteer within the 'Katie Hill for Congress' community. She is a ball of energy that not only has shown up consistently but is someone who is always engaged with the staff in a really considerate and thoughtful way," Kelsey O'Hara, Hill's 2020 campaign manager since January, said. "I don’t think there is a single person that works for Congresswoman Hill that does not know who Joanie Garratt is.”
Congressman Lieu, who has been to this event for two years in a row now, said that he keeps coming back due to his close ties to the city and the West Hollywood Democratic Club.
“I love Beverly Hills. It’s in my district, I’ve represented it for many years not only in Congress but also in the State Senate. This is a wonderful organization. Not only do they help elect good democrats, they hold our feet to the fire," he said. "It’s also very educational. You hear from different speakers, it’s very informative, it lets you know what’s going on. I love the people in this organization, that’s why I keep coming back.”
“Seeing representative Lieu was really impactful cause I met with some of his people through other things so it was cool to see him and hear him; I just met with Katie Hill’s campaign manager which is one of my dream jobs," junior and APUSH student Eva Levin said. "It’s an honor to be around all these people that have had such an impact on my life.”
“It is so important that young people are involved in politics. If you don’t have young people involved, than you’re not responsive to the actual norms and ideology of a large portion of the world. These are the people who will be inheriting this earth, inheriting these policies," O'Hara said. "Seeing young people involved politically is probably one of the only things that helps me get up every day and to keep doing this. It gives me a lot of hope because a lot of days it’s hard to have hope and I think it’s wonderful.”
“I’ve already met these people, but I like to expose my students to these opportunities. I like my students to have an opportunity to be upfront, close and personal with these people. I want my students to be involved, independent thinkers so they can distinguish all the bolshevik and nonsense out there [from] reality," Garratt said. "We need to be good citizens. You can’t always pass the buck, and it starts with us. Think globally, act locally.”