Fourteen-Year-Old From Inglewood Explains Why He’s Canvassing for Obama in Nevada

Fourteen-year-old Antoine Jenkins traveled from Inglewood, Calif. to Las Vegas, Nevada to knock on doors and urge voters in the swing state to vote for Obama.

By Jorge Rivas Nov 06, 2012

Antoine Jenkins on a charter bus traveling from Los Angeles to Nevada. (Photo: Will Coley)

Fourteen-year-old Antoine Jenkins traveled from Inglewood, Calif. to Las Vegas, Nevada to knock on doors and urge voters in the swing state to vote for President Obama.

"In four years I’ll be able to go college and that’s why I need that student loan from Obama," Jenkins explained to a resident he met that asked why he was knocking on doors. The interaction was captured in an audio story by Will Coley, a Los Angeles based progressive activist who works as a social media strategist.

Coley met Jenkins on a charter bus that traveled from Los Angeles to Las Vegas this past weekend.

"When I boarded the bus, Antoine and his mother were sitting behind me and we immediately hit if off," Coley told Colorlines.com. "He was the youngest canvasser in our group and everyone cheered him on. We chanted ‘Antoine!’ almost as much as we did ‘Four more years!’"

Inglewood is a predominantly black and Latino community in the South Bay region of Los Angeles. Earlier this year the Inglewood Unified School District became the first Southern California district to be taken over by the state due to the district’s "ballooning budget deficit." In an effort to cut costs the district eliminated 200 positions and increased class sizes as a result.

Listen to Will Coley’s story below.