When Bates senior Miles Nabritt first joined the Harward Center's Bates Votes initiative in 2018, he was soon confronted by a confounding document.

It was a report handed to him by Peggy Rotundo, the director of strategic and policy initiatives at Harward, which tracked student voting rates at Bates in the 2012 and 2016 elections. The study, conducted by Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University, showed a registration rate of 71% among Bates students in 2016, which was relatively high among peer institutions. Yet only 43.5% of them had cast their vote, nearly 7% lower than the national average. At least it was better than 2012's rate, when 41.9 percent had voted, but only modestly so. 

Nabritt has been constantly reminded of that report this year, as he has rejoined the Bates Votes cause. Where and how could he influence his peers? 

As a sprinter and captain on the men's track and field team, he is one of more than 600 varsity athletes on campus, a group that represents around 40 percent of the student body. He believed that if team voting captains like him can help push teammates to vote, perhaps student-athletes at Bates can push the college's overall voting rate much higher.

Nabritt is getting his message out with Bates Votes and as managing editor of the Bates Student's Forum section. A Student-Athlete Advisory Committee member, he is also using his time to promote diversity and inclusion at Bates in his position as an office manager in the Office of Intercultural Education, and as a member of two groups newly formed by the Department of Athletics, the Bates Athletics Agents of Change and the Bates Athletes of Color Coalition.

Nabritt sat down for an interview with us last week. He then sat for a follow-up interview on Election Day, in which he discussed the emotional and tense discourse happening on campus over the past week That part of our interview is found at the end of this article. 

Andy:  What is foremost on your mind right now?

Miles:  Trying to intake and embrace everything that's been going on, not only at Bates, but in the country overall. November 3rd is really coming up and everyone's been eager to register to vote or trying to participate in and be more aware of what's going on politically. I'm talking to my friends, my professors, of course, my family back home in New York, and just saying, "Boy, these crazy times we're living in." We've never seen such issues such as packing the courts…. [meanwhile] we're still in a huge pandemic, we can still get sick, we still can lose loved ones, but we're still trying to create or change the society in the way we want it to be. [I'm] trying to keep a level head, keep everything focused, even though you have 10 different things going on in your mind.

Andy:  How long have politics been an interest of yours?

Miles:  When I was younger, I'd always see my parents watching Meet the Press, or the 6 o'clock news, listening to the anchors and how they could articulate political matters, the economy. I was like, 'Oh, that's pretty interesting,' even though I was like eight or 10 years old, and I didn't know what they were talking about at all. Reading the New York Times or the Washington Post, interpreting different perspectives, even though politically I might not agree with them. Then in high school, it really became one of my main focuses, and it became a part of my applications to colleges, that I have a huge political mindset and I really wanted to do civic engagement as well – and to be aware of what's going on both domestically and internationally.

Miles:  I've definitely been fortunate to have parents who raised me to be more aware, more conscious of what's going on in the outside world or within my own community in New York. They're always questioning me at the dinner table or on our Zoom calls on Sundays to talk about the environment, whether that be back at home or around the country.

Andy:  Have you been involved in social causes consistently in your life?

Miles:  Absolutely. I was very lucky to have friends from high school who inspired me to go out to demonstrations and protests, or to talk to other people who have experienced either racism, discrimination, harassment or abuse, and are willing to tell their story. It's not every day that people would want to talk about their pain, and it's not every day that people have the space to tell their pain. I was lucky to go to a high school where I had students and other faculty of color who wanted to share that space, who wanted to create a space where the community members of color were uplifted and motivated to share their story.

I was very fortunate to be at certain demonstrations in person, where I think the Black Lives Matter movement really took off in 2014, 2015, and seeing the youth turn out with signs and microphones, and all the chanting and all the emotion that we had, just walking and chanting for hours and having sort of unlimited energy. I was lucky that the demonstrations that I went to were safe and there was not any conflict between the police and the protesters. But as we've seen time and time again, especially this year, that often hasn't been the case. You've seen police really having intense and violent altercations with protesters. To me, looking back at last summer, it was definitely a horrifying realization that it's 2020, and we've been through all this stuff for generations, but we still are seeing this inherent inequality that we have, this inherent prejudice that Black and Brown, Asian, Indian or Indigenous lives are inferior to white people's lives.

Andy:  Do you have any theories why the number of Bates students who were registered to vote in 2016 was so much higher than the number that actually voted?

Miles:  No. That really surprised and shocked me. I thought the numbers would be higher, at least maybe 50%, but unfortunately, that wasn't the case in 2016 or 2012. It looks like we're on the incline this year, but we'll see. I can't try to control individual people to vote. We can only control promotion and getting the word out to different people. I think a lot of people are really incentivized to vote this year.

Andy:  How do you go about getting out the student vote?

Miles:  Basically, I talk to students and advocate about the importance of voting, about how there was a high registration rate at Bates, but unfortunately low turnout rates [in previous elections]. We're really trying to reach out to the class of 2024, because we want to make a good impression on them in terms of what voting means to us at Bates, and how we're all working so hard to participate in civic engagement and election programming and politics here. Also, since I work on the Bates Student, we're continuously publishing content concerning voting and the election. We're publishing our election issue newsletter, which will highlight debate analysis, the importance of voting and voting suppression. It's a very important time to just bring all the social platforms that we have on campus to focus on one big goal, which is getting out the vote.

As far as my team, I sat down with [associate men's and women's head track & field coach Curtis Johnson, head women's track & field coach Jay Hartshorn and head men's track & field coach Al Fereshetian], along with the other voting captains for the men's and women's track team, and we were like, "What can we do this year?" They've done it in past years, but now using social media as well has been such a big part in outreach and how we can reach out to not only those students on campus, but also those who are studying off campus as well remotely to get involved, get educated and register to vote. That's been really key. 

Andy:  Has your message changed over the last couple of months? Has there been a transition from "OK, you've got to register," to now "you really have to vote?"

Miles:  Well, I'm lucky enough to also work at the Bates Student, where we really focus on election programming initiatives and election promotion. I have written several articles about the importance of voting and the importance of voting by mail. Both Bates Votes and the Bates Student want to highlight that this will be an unprecedented year in terms of voting. Two years ago, during the midterm elections, we never could have imagined that a pandemic would sweep in and totally change the outlook and fabric of our country and our social atmosphere.

Andy:  Do you see your efforts fitting into any future career plans?

Miles:  Hopefully. I've been discussing law school with my parents. I love diplomacy as well. I do Model UN at Bates, and so I'm looking possibly into the United Nations as well. I had a great opportunity the summer before I went to Bates to visit the United Nations and see the General Assembly, and look at different student-led programs there. Maybe also focusing on international politics. There are so many open fields that I could go through. And of course, I'm really looking forward to continuing my education after Bates.

Andy:  What do athletics mean to you? I know that before college, in addition to track you also played baseball and tennis.

Miles:  Participating in a sport for me is just like being a kid at a candy store. There are so many different experiences, so many different people you can meet, and I also love the travel. I love being able to go to Florida for a tennis tournament, or going to Staten Island to play baseball. Being on the track team and traveling to Middlebury for [the New England Division III Championships]. I don't know how to describe it. It brings me joy. It brings me good energy.

And seeing this year, with the first-years and all the way up through my fellow seniors, advocating and being socially active as well, and being a part of this community, despite everything that's going on with COVID-19, has been really special for me. It's really just a heartwarming experience being able to be part of the track and field team to see coach Jay, coach Curt and coach Fresh, and [assistant coaches Art Feeley and Al Kirkland] as well. They really have made me feel a part of a family, and more importantly, a great team member.

Andy:  You spoke recently on the Bobcast about you and your mom visiting Bates for the first time, and how the atmosphere was part of what sold you on coming to Bates. Was there any disconnect for you between that feeling and then later learning about how many previous Bates students neglected to vote in 2016?

Miles:  My first time at Bates it was the day before Short Term, and it was like the campus was literally glowing. I was like, "This is so cool." Everyone was smiling and everyone was with their skateboards or their bicycles. I was like, "Is this what college is going to be like? Sign me up." I just get the feeling at Bates... you can see someone from across the quad and say, "Hey, what's up?" I love the feel that there's not really a hierarchy, like, "Oh, I have to approach you a certain way in order to talk to you."

I've been at Bates for several years now. We talk about Bates as a space that we all share, not only students and faculty, but staff and administration. I think we all play a part in shaping it to be the community that we want it to be. I think we all play a role in terms of either voting or being a part of diversity and inclusion or just being just a member of this community, whether you're on an athletics team or not.

This year especially, we're trying to promote more diversity and inclusion, and that has been one of my main roles here. I'm really excited to see what we come up with. On the track team, I've been working with Coach Jay, Coach Curt and Coach Fresh as well on how to make the track team as inclusive and as diverse as possible for not only this year, but in future years as well. Because as a senior, it's going to be my last opportunity to make an impact. 

Andy:  Could you tell me about the new Bates Athletes of Color Coalition you've been involved with?

Miles:  We met over the summer several times and we've met once or twice so far this semester. With this group, I think we're focusing on having more of an open space to actually just discuss things and hang out and have that ability to talk not just necessarily about our pain, but about how we're doing, how we're feeling. I think it's a really great atmosphere. Coach Curt sponsors us as well along with  [head football coach] Malik Hall, which has been great to see. It's great to develop a friendship with him.

Andy:  Can you see how there was a need or want for the group?

Miles:  Yeah. As a senior, we want to lay a framework for at least the upperclassmen for next year, and all the students that are coming in from the class of 2025 next year to have that established space that we didn't have when we came in as first-years. We want this established and well-connected and well engaged, and to have a smooth transition from this year to next. The goal is that students of color won't feel as uncomfortable or as scared to be a part of, for example, a white-dominated athletic team or other white-dominated athletic groups within campus — because it's the clubs and intramural teams that are also often predominantly white. We just want to have that space for everyone for next year and for years to come.

Andy:  Do you see getting out the vote as a social justice cause?

Miles:  Absolutely. I think voting is the best way as citizens of this country to actually have a say in impacting our society for the future. After what we have seen over the past four years, this election, I think unlike any other, is a real tipping point to where we want to go as a country and as a society. There's a lot of weight riding on this election, and I think I think everyone from young to old, white, Black, Asian, Indigenous people, everyone, I think not only in this country, but all the world is, I think, feeling the impact of the 2020 election.  
 

ELECTION DAY FOLLOW-UP

Andy: Certainly there is a lot of political tension in America leading up to Election Day today, and Bates has been no exception. Over the past week a lot of students have expressed anger with the college and with one another, in social media and on campus at a protest on Friday afternoon. What can you share about what you have observed in the past week?

Miles: You can definitely feel the excitement but also the tension here today. I just came out of a Zoom class, and every one of the students and my friends seemed withdrawn, or just out of it, after everything that's happened the last couple of days. A lot of people are hurting on campus. I've never seen this feeling before. Everybody has their moments when they're stressed, but definitely it's a different feeling than I've experienced on this campus before. 

After everything that's happened over the summer, I think there's a lot of baggage that people have. I think it's fair to say that there's been a lack of support for those that have been marginalized, not only based on their race but their political identity as well.

As a student of color, to hear my Black and Brown friends express their traumas [at a campus protest on Friday]... it's definitely an unsettling time. I think it's important to reflect and organize spaces where everyone is able to support each other and talk, but I think it's very difficult right now.

I was very moved when I was invited by my Black and Brown friends to come to [Friday's] protest. I was there to hear about people's traumas and support them. And there was a sense of needing to end the backlash happening. But after the protest, a lot of my other friends who weren't there at the protest also needed support and guidance. So, I was being pulled in different directions, but hearing everyone's stories is really key these days. But the most important thing is it showed that people were not afraid to talk to the administration, to say that they're hurting, and they're expressing certain traumas that they can't really say on social media. [Traumas] that they feel like the student body, or everyone who was watching, needed to hear. 

Andy: How have you personally interpreted this week's experiences? 

Miles: For me, it's hearing everyone's stories, not just my Black and Brown friends but those who have been marginalized politically on this campus as well, and I think it's really important to hear that side of things -- even though I think many people do not want to hear it, and rightly so. I understand [thinking] 'I don't want to hear someone's political views if they're not in tune with mine,' but there's also the importance of civil discourse. 

I think on this campus, this year, we're really trying to grapple with how we define free speech and how we connect to others who are not necessarily sharing our opinions, and how we can create a space for everyone to be friendly and cordial with one another even though we don't agree.

My fingers are crossed that after this election, at least the atmosphere will go back to the way it was, where at least people could be friendlier, or there wasn't such bitterness in the atmosphere. But I would say a lot of people are tense right now, and definitely with my Black and Brown friends, I stand with them in the fact that we need to discuss more trauma, and at least there needs to be more of a response toward supporting faculty and students of color who have been marginalized.