Black Lives Matter Activist Brittany Packnett on Why She's Endorsing Hillary

MHP: Why endorse Hillary Clinton now?

This is not about me. This is about the work. The best way I can use my platform is to support Secretary Clinton.

...I have a responsibility to young people, to my community, and to our work. If our work is progress, then I must use the platform I have to ensure the work has the best possibility to advance. This is not about me. This is about the work. The best way I can use my platform is to support Secretary Clinton. Our vote is sacred. If it weren't, people wouldn't have been trying to steal it from us for so long. I'm hoping that we use our vote wisely on November 8.

...Ultimately, I arrived at two points simultaneously. First, Secretary Clinton can protect the important, though imperfect, steps taken by the Obama administration to improve equity in criminal justice, education, and health care. And second, I am completely fed up with Donald Trump's candidacy. It is not a joke. The policies he is proposing on issues like immigration, health care, and Supreme Court appointments truly are deeply worrisome and dangerous. Once I realized both of these things, I knew I couldn't look at myself in the mirror if I didn't stand up and do what I could do now to encourage young people to vote in this election.

What makes you confident Hillary Clinton is someone who will listen?

Part of it was coming to see and understand Hillary's personal story more. Have you seen the Humans of New York video of her discussing her experiences as a young law student? The first time I watched the video I identified with her in a way that I hadn't before. She discussed taking her law school entrance exams and having men verbally assault her. That resonated with me. I vividly remember my experiences of sexism and racism, and I could see how her experiences had imprinted on her as well. Those moments never go away. They shape you...

Listening to Secretary Clinton discuss her own experiences assured me she understood that reality. She wanted to help people as a lawyer, she had to clear all these additional barriers the men in the room didn't have manage. She used a phrase: she put her head down. I've literally said that exact same thing to myself so many times—just put your head down because ultimately the work is what matters.

Once I connected to her on a human level, I realized I needed to take responsibility to understand what she's accomplished. I learned more about her time at the Children's Defense Fund and about her time organizing around issues that matter to me. I found myself having deeper respect for her. And as a woman of color, I see more of myself among her staff than among the staff of other candidates. That matters.