Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley likes to come to Washington regularly to attend People for the American Way’s Young Elected Officials (YEO) Network gatherings so he can mix, mingle and learn from his colleagues and policy experts.
“I love this conference,” Crowley, 39, told The Informer. “I have been coming to this conference since 2017 when I was a state representative. In 2020, I was elected county executive.”
But it’s more than a good time that keeps Crowley coming back for the convenings.
“I like to know what is going on with what others are having to deal with in their cities, towns, counties and states,” he said, “and their mindset toward solving problems, and what best practices they are employing to address issues.”
Crowley was among the scores of participants at the 20th anniversary of the network’s conference, themed “2025 National Convening: Our Fight, Our Future,” at the Watergate Hotel in Northwest D.C. May 1-4. While the majority of activities took place at the Watergate, participants also had the chance to explore other areas of the city, including Southeast’s Sycamore & Oak Retail complex on the campus of St. Elizabeths East in Ward 8.
The gathering occurred as the Trump administration: continues to execute and propose severe cuts; eliminate federal programs and agencies; attack the nation’s civil rights laws affecting people of color and LGBTQIA+ individuals; enable voter suppression tactics by states; crack down on illegal immigration; and assess tariffs on foreign goods that may increase prices for American consumers.
“I came here to find out the latest about educational outcomes, policy and the best way to help the community,” said Dr. Arneshia Fuller, the owner of the No Rest Until Success Foundation Inc., in New York City.
While most participants were elected officials, people like Fuller and other community organizers attended the conference with a mission of furthering their work by stepping into politics.
“I am also here to learn how one becomes an elected official,” Fuller told The Informer.
‘Your Leadership is the Resistance‘
Former D.C. State Board of Education Ward 8 Representative Markus Batchelor, who works as the National Political Director for People for the American Way, sounded the charge at the Opening Session of the YEO Network conference on May 2.
“Somebody say, ‘Our Rights, Our Future,’” said Batchelor, 32, a resident of Ward 8, in front of a crowd of about 50 people. “Somebody say, ‘Our Rights, Our Future.’ We need to take time to frame our weekend. Take this first morning to determine why we are here.”
Former St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones encouraged the young leaders to be bold in the age of Trump.
“Every time we push for change, we are told to wait,” Jones, 53, said. “Own it. Embrace it. You are the now for the experiment known as democracy.”
Noting the budget cuts, reductions and eliminations proposed by President Trump, Jones said county and municipal leaders will have to make sure that government functions for the average American.
“Local leaders have become the front line of justice,” the mayor said. “Your leadership is the resistance.”
Anderson Clayton, the chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party and the youngest party chief of any state, said it is critical that young people get and stay involved in the political process.
“I have been working across North Carolina to build up Democratic clubs in high schools and among teens,” Clayton, 27, said. “We are looking at setting up clubs at trade schools because not everyone wants to go to college. North Carolina has the second most intense rural population in the nation, next to Texas, and we are working in small towns and villages, too.”
YEO Network Visits Sycamore & Oak: Complex, Entrepreneurs Inspire Leaders
A group of 20 of the YEO Network participants visited the Sycamore & Oak complex on May 3 as part of conference activities.
When they arrived, Dana Hall, program manager of Emerson Collective, who plays an active role in managing Sycamore & Oak, took them to meet Le’Greg Harrison, co-owner of The Museum, a Black-owned retailer that specializes in urban wear.
“Don’t be afraid to be innovative,” Harrison told the group while at his brick-and-mortar location at the complex in Southeast’s Congress Heights neighborhood. “I have lived in states where projects like this don’t exist. You can make it happen, but the community must be engaged.”
Harrison also counseled the leaders to “listen” and “do what you say you are going to do” when conducting their business.
In addition, the group had the chance to visit the WeFit gym owned by Joe Houston and sample cuisine and drinks at the food court.
As she took in the various sites at the complex, Channel Powe, a former school board member for a district in the Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area, was impressed with what she was witnessing.
“This is a space shaped by the community,” Powe told The Informer. “It is an example of economic justice, and it is a safe space for people. It looks like entrepreneurship, it looks like extended life expectancy, it looks like a community-led initiative, and it looks like love.”