Democratic North Carolina House representative Allen Buansi spoke to students in Hanes theater on September 19 during the flex period, encouraging students to get involved in politics.
Buansi used his time at Hanes auditorium to describe how he got involved in politics as a high schooler at East Chapel Hill High School and what made him pursue a career in politics.
Senior Chloe Solum, vice president of the Teen Democrats club, met Buansi through a canvassing event for his campaign.
“I asked him if he would like to come to Chapel Hill High School to describe his involvement in the North Carolina State House and what they have jurisdiction over,” Solum said.
Solum founded the Orange County Teen Democrats, a local branch of the national organization High School Democrats of America. Solum has since partnered with senior Maya Tarter, president of the Teen Democrats club, to further the cause of the political party.
Tarter said the club’s goal in hosting Buansi was “to inform more students about their local candidates as election day gets closer. Many students are familiar with presidential candidates but may not know who is running for North Carolina State House.”
After Buansi’s speech, the floor was then opened to students and staff to ask Buansi about how he got involved in politics, policies he has supported in the past and legislation he hopes to see passed in the future.
Multiple students asked the representative what is being done to address gun violence within North Carolina, especially as school shootings continue to rise. Buansi explained that while he is in full support of gun control, the Republican party has a super majority, which means not much can be done to further the Democratic agenda in regards to gun control.
Buansi then explained the gun legislation that has been passed most recently by the House of Representatives. The legislation, as he described it, was a motion that ultimately repealed the state requirement of obtaining a permit from a local sheriff prior to purchase of a handgun.
Buansi said he hopes to reinstate the permit once the opportunity presents itself, calling it “an immediate step [the House of Representatives] can take” to strengthen gun control in North Carolina.
Two students expressed their concern as the war between Palestine and Israel continues. The pair asked Buansi if there was anything the North Carolina House of Representatives could do to support Palestinians affected by the war. While Buansi expressed empathy towards those in Palestine and Israel, he made it clear that the House is limited to the State of North Carolina and “does not make laws or policies in regards to conflicts abroad.”
The final question came from English teacher William Schrader, who asked Buansi if he thinks the government should regulate social media out of concern for teenagers’ mental health.
Buansi explained that regulating social media hasn’t been a legislative priority but that he shares Schrader’s concerns. “In many ways, those sort of [social media] platforms have become cesspools for hate and for and for the kind of speech that really doesn’t move us forward,” he said.
The event ended with some final words of advice from Buansi, encouraging students to take action in local politics and how they can best do so while still in high school.
Tarter and Solum both agreed that the event was a success and met their club’s goal sufficiently.
“I think the event went very well,” Tarter said. “We haven’t had any representatives come to speak for a while so it was interesting. Many students came prepared with very informed questions to ask Representative Buansi, and he encouraged them to volunteer on a campaign if it was something they were interested in.”
