Amanda Gonzalez (she/her), is running for Colorado Secretary of State this year. A bisexual millennial attorney, she is currently the Clerk and Recorder for Jefferson County, Colorado. Amanda is a member of the Colorado Hispanic Bar Association, Colorado Women's Bar Association, and Colorado LGBTQ+ Bar Association. She is running to protect every Coloradan’s vote from interference, expand voting rights, and keep Colorado’s election system secure.
Maren Davidsen is a Norwegian singer and songwriter who blends Nordic Americana with country influences to tell stories of growth and change both in her relationship with others and her relationship with herself. She discusses her latest single releases, how she balances existing in so many places at once and what her debut album means to her. She is passionate about encouraging empathy and aid for the homeless in her country and beyond.
The group Justice Democrats is a progressive campaign finance reform organization that endorses candidates who refuse to accept donations from corporate PACs and lobbyists. This year, they are primarily running in states like New York, California, and Illinois, but one endorsed candidate is running in Colorado: Melat Kiros (she/her), a Gen Z former attorney. Melat was born in Ethiopia and immigrated with her family to the United States at the start of the Ethiopian-Eritrean War. In the middle of this campaign for US Congress, she is also working on a PhD in Public Affairs. A one-time barista who worried about making rent, Melat has first-hand experience as a working-class woman and brings that experience to her campaign, which is centered on Medicare for All, abolishing ICE, getting big money out of politics, housing as a human right, and holding AI companies accountable before they eliminate entire workforces without a safety net.
Stanford Fraser (he/him), a Black millennial public defender. A graduate of Howard University in Washington, DC and Harvard Law School, Stanford is a die-hard Game of Thrones fan and Pokemon card collector. He has testified to the state government regarding legislation to ban no-knock warrants, require body cameras for police, and decriminalize drug possession. A former Amnesty International volunteer, he organized area college students and led protests to abolish Maryland’s death penalty, which Maryland did that same year. Today, Stanford’s platform rests on the pillars of criminal justice reform, overhauling healthcare, and lowering utility bills for Prince George’s residents.
Despite our dependence on cellphones and social media, many people are feeling lonelier and more disconnected than ever. In a technology-driven world, real social connections can feel rare. But your social wellness matters more than you realize. Here are some ways you can build community and meaningful connections.
David Orkin (he/him), a gay millennial immigrant workers’ rights attorney and union organizer, is running as a Democratic Socialist to unseat Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar, a close political ally of former NYC mayor Eric Adams. David has dedicated his life to the immigrant rights, and labor solidarity movements, working in migrant shelters in Mexico, in the desert and detention centers of Arizona, with people fighting deportations, and with workers organizing in Queens. He is centering his campaign around affordable rent, healthcare and childcare, and abolishing ICE.
Kelli Blanchett will seduce you with her soft sad melodies as she shares her life through her music. As a survivor of chronic illness she is a passionate advocate of disability rights and representation. We are excited about her new album Casual Dining, and had the opportunity to discuss it and her humanitarian work with her here.
Raaheela Ahmed (she/her) is a millennial South Asian woman who is the former president of the Prince George’s County Board of Education. Raaheela formerly served as the Student Regent on the University System of Maryland Board of Regents, representing more than 150,000 students across 12 public universities. Raaheela is a badass: she got her motorcycle license while in high school and played rugby for three years during college. Yet she also loves being near bodies of water and aims to visit every US National Park in her lifetime. A democratic socialist, this lover of cheesecake is basing her campaign around strengthening public schools, expanding access to affordable healthcare and housing, and protecting working families.
After the election of mayor Zohran Mamdani in 2025, the Democratic Socialists of America are flexing their muscle in races all over New York City, putting forward 10 candidates at the federal and state levels. One of these candidates is Christian Celeste Tate (he/him), a biracial millennial consultant who works with nonprofits to fight poverty, reduce inequality, and bring about social change. Christian’s platform calls for abolishing ICE, fighting predatory real estate investors, taxing the rich, and using grassroots organizing and electoral campaigning to build a socialist movement across the city.
Azadeh Afsahi fled Iran as a child, but her country never left her heart. She just realizes that it and the people there, especially the women, need help. Ergo, she started Iran House, and more recently Afghanistan House. These houses are build to help survivors from Iran and Afghanistan navigate the traumas they have been through, start their long journeys to heal, and help support the people there as much as possible.
New York’s progressives are not all concentrated in the city. They exist all over the state, particularly in upstate New York cities like Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany, Ithaca, and Binghamton. Dan Livingston (he/him), a millennial former city councilmember, dropped out of college during the Iraq War in the early 2000s and hitchhiked across America and Canada for two years. Dan’s despair over the war turned to resolve, and he returned to college and became politically active. He founded a Habitat for Humanity chapter, organized relief trips to hurricane-hit Louisiana and Mississippi, and worked for several organizations which provided meals to the hungry. In later years he protested at the Occupy Wall Street and Standing Rock protests.
On the Binghamton city council, Dan advocated for collective bargaining rights, creating apprenticeship programs in public schools to encourage young people to go into the trades, and he successfully fought back against a privatization scheme at a wastewater treatment plant, keeping the workers there unionized. Today, his platform is fourfold: taxing the rich, providing clean water for all, ensuring affordable housing, and protecting immigrants from ICE. Dan is running on the Working Families Party ticket, and he has been endorsed by Bernie Sanders.
Fitzroy Holt’s soulful music will leave you with hope and recognition. For someone who thinks everyone has been a bastard at some point he is very generous, giving back to organizations for kids with cancer and mental health. Read on to learn more about Fitzroy Holt.
Evan Smith (he/him) is a Gen Z democratic socialist candidate running from southern Maryland running for Delegate. He is the communications director of the Young Democrats of Southern Maryland. A former D2 track athlete, Evan is primarily focusing on public transit and the affordability crisis in his campaign. Should he be elected, he will be the youngest delegate and the only one born in the 21st Century.
From Madrid to Nashville Juana Everett has captured our hearts with her soft Americana vibe, with a little bit of Spanish flair. You wont regret letting her music wash over you and take you along on her journey as you read on to learn more about her, her music, and her volunteer work with World Central Kitchen.
Ericka Kopp (she/her), is a multi-racial (Black, Hispanic, and white) bisexual millennial attorney in suburban Richmond. Ericka has worked in the Richmond Public Defender’s Office and Wrongful Convictions Clinic, getting a wrongfully imprisoned man released. A 2026 Courage Candidate, this ice hockey player is centering her campaign on free universal healthcare (Medicare for All) and free public education from pre-K through post-secondary schooling.
With the rise of online sales and the allure of new trends, it’s easy to fall into the cycle of buying, wearing and discarding clothes. Fast fashion relies on this constant consumption, and it takes a toll on the environment, from resource depletion to overflowing landfills.
Yuh-Line Niou (she/her), is a former New York Assemblywoman who is currently running for State Senate. This queer millennial was the first openly autistic representative in the New York State legislature. Born in Taiwan, she is an anti-poverty advocate and activist who has fought predatory lending and red-lining in New York’s neighborhoods. Yuh-Line has taken progressive stances on many issues, including Medicare for All, Taxing the Rich, the Green New Deal, and Abolishing ICE.
After learning her family history Hilary Giovale made an important decision to do better than her relatives. As a sensitive soul she understands the damage white settlers did to the natives and the blacks that were enslaved along the way. She wants to help others understand this history as well through her book, Becoming a Good Relative. Please read on to learn more about Hilary Giovale and her journey.
Amaris Dordar (she/her) is a younger millennial and Chicana mujer. Born at the very tail end of the millennial generation, she is a first-generation college graduate, having gone to Yale for her Bachelor’s and Harvard for her Master’s. Amaris is an attorney who speaks multiple languages, including Spanish (fluently), as well as Mandarin, Hindi, and Tibetan. A lover of yoga and hiking, she passionate about affordable housing, environmental sustainability, wildfire prevention, LGBTQ+ equality, expanding access to healthcare and mental health services, and creating economic opportunities for working families and small business owners. Exploring Los Angeles’ diverse cultural communities has focused Amaris on practical, community-centered solutions to homelessness and climate resilience across Los Angeles County.
Mai Khoi went from golden album pop star to exile just for standing up for the rights of her people in Vietnam. As Americans we take for granted our right to free speech and to protest. But we now have Mai Khoi helping us to fight to keep that right in America too. Mai Khoi has some of the most incredible rang of a singer I have ever heard. Her songs range from metal banshee to jazz to surreal art. With her new album, Five Years in Exile, just coming out you don’t want to miss it or seeing her live, if you can. But for now, read on to learn more about this absolutely fascinating woman and her art!
America is supposedly the land of opportunity, although it doesn’t feel like that nowadays. But that opportunity is not gone. Shonique Williams (she/her), is a perfect example of that. Raised by a disadvantaged mother on welfare, Shonique was wrongfully convicted and imprisoned while trying to escape an abusive relationship. She fought against her imprisonment and was released after a year. In the aftermath, she founded an advocacy organization to help prevent the same thing that happened to her from happening to others.
This millennial progressive advocate is running on a platform centered on civil rights, with a focus on Black, Brown, and marginalized communities, alongside economic justice and making California more affordable and sustainable for everyday people. Her top priorities include affordability, sustainability, and criminal justice reform, including living wages, affordable housing expansion, Medicare for All, and universal childcare and pre K, but her wide platform includes abolishing ICE, ending mass incarceration, and protecting California’s natural environment.
From milky vocals to lyrics that touch your soul, Danni Nicholls will wrap her music around you with her songs that will inspire your own journey. When Danni isn’t creating music or living through the experiences that inspire her music, she is advocating for kids, the arts, or playing at benefits. To learn more about Danni Nicholls, please read on!
Late last year, voters in California voted to enact a mid-cycle redistricting campaign. This means that California’s US Congressional districts would be re-drawn to enact fairness and balance out Republican power grabs across the country. US Republican Congressman Kevin Kiley was moved from the 3rd District to the 6th District. In California’s election system, the top two candidates in a primary election move forward to the general election, regardless of party affiliation.
Today, Lauren Babb Tomlinson (she/her), is running for this seat. A millennial mother, Lauren is also a Chief Public Affairs Officer for Planned Parenthood. Lauren’s platform centers on expanding access to healthcare, strengthening protections for women and workers, and preventing price gouging.
After eight years, there is a wholesale changing of state government in California this year. Both the governor and lieutenant governor positions are open, and there is a large group of candidates for both offices. Today we are interviewing Janelle Kellman (she/her), a gay woman who is the former mayor of Sausalito. She is an environmental attorney and the founder and CEO of the nonprofit Center for Sea Rise Solutions. A passionate climate justice warrior, Janelle points out that the Lieutenant Governor sits on the State Lands Commission and the Coastal Commission. The lieutenant governor also sits on the University of California Board of Regents, the California State University Board of Trustees, and the Commission for Economic Development. Through these positions, Janelle plans to use the power of the office to to advance climate resilience, public education, housing, good jobs, and a more equitable economy.
This cycle, we are profiling another candidate, Angela Gonzalez-Torres (she/her), a Chicana millennial and community organizer in Los Angeles. She is running in the Congressional district that represents both Downtown and East Los Angeles. After time working on the Highland Park Neighborhood Council, Metro’s Public Safety Advisory Committee, and in the LA Mayor’s office, this district native is now running a grassroots, student-led, community-informed campaign to face the challenges of the highest costs of incarceration, the dirtiest air in Los Angeles County, and the largest number of eviction notices in the city. Angela’s top campaign issues include housing for all, economic dignity and security, healthcare for all, climate action, education and youth empowerment, immigration reform and community advocacy, and a pro-peace foreign policy.
Mexican-American artist Mariel Méndez (MARALOVE) views art as a way to understand the world around her. She utilizes painting, photography, and styling as her means of expression. For her, inspiration can be found within emotion and intuition. Passionate about ocean conservation, she’s worked with organizations like Azul and Kilómetro Uno. To learn more about MARALOVE and her art, read on.
In the 2024 presidential election, South Texas (particularly the Rio Grande Valley), voted overwhelmingly for Donald Trump, after over 100 years of voting solidly Democratic. The reasons were myriad: overwhelming inflation and a sputtering local economy, Trump’s machismo appealed to young male voters in the region, and widespread exhaustion with decades of illegal immigration. Well, we see what Trump’s presidency has wrought: increasing inflation and a sputtering local economy, a deranged machismo bordering on reckless insanity, and the wholesale deportation of both undocumented and documented immigrants alike (as well as several US citizens) from the Rio Grande Valley.
Esmeralda Cantu-Castle (she/her) is running to change all that. Esmi was first encouraged to run for political office in the aftermath of the brutal murder of her daughter, a Navy Seaman, last year, by a fellow sailor who kept her body for four days before dumping it in the woods behind an elementary school in Norfolk, Virginia. Esmi is passionate about supporting others, particularly workers, families, and veterans. This millennial mom is running to ensure that women in her district are afforded access to contraception and reproductive healthcare. Dismayed at how Elon Musk’s SpaceX corporation has willfully polluted South Texas, she is also running on a strong environmental platform that protects both the land and water of the Rio Grande Valley.
Singaporean singer-songwriter Charlie Lim recently released his new single “Nobody’s Home,” an intensely vulnerable track that offers a taste of his upcoming album “DAYDREAM.” The album is set to release towards the end of this year and touch on themes of regret and responsibility. Beyond music, Lim is an active advocate for cancer, supporting organizations like Singapore’s Children’s Cancer Foundation and Make-A-Wish Singapore. To learn more about Charlie Lim and his upcoming album, read on.
This article is about Caitlyn Gegen (she/her), a Gen-Z graduate of the University of Georgia and resident of Suwanee, and our best fight against Andrew Clyde. Caitlyn’s top three political issues are human rights, affordable living, and universal healthcare. She says, “by human rights, I mean the right to vote, a woman’s right to her own body, and the right to due process. To protect all of these rights, we need representatives who will bring an inclusive approach to policy making, and are willing to improve the democratic institutions in our country.” Caitlyn’s platform includes raising the federal minimum wage to at least $15 an hour, pushing for universal healthcare, investing in clean energy projects across Georgia, and breaking up corporate monopolies to help small businesses and consumers.
New Mexico is a state of wide open spaces, but most people in the state live in and around the largest city, Albuquerque. In the small section of city that encompasses La Mesa, Trumbull Village, and the International District, Janelle Anyanonu (she/her) has been the state representative for the past three and a half years. A former member of the New Mexico Black Central Organizing Committee, Janelle is descended from Nigerian immigrants and has spent her whole life in the state. During her first term in the House, this millennial Burqueña was one of five sponsors of legislation to protect abortion rights and gender-affirming care in New Mexico; the law passed and became the Reproductive and Gender-Affirming Health Care Freedom Act, ensuring access to healthcare denied to millions of others in many of the surrounding states. Janelle sings in the choir of St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral in Albuquerque and is an avid embroiderer of blackwork and cross-stitch projects.