13-year old Myreen Malik Takes on Civic Engagement
In the course of APF’s Get Out The Vote initiative, we connected with many groups around the country working to improve civic engagement in the Pakistani American and South Asian community. We found many captivating leaders in this space with diverse backgrounds and experiences.
Myreen Malik is a thirteen year old get out the vote leader and volunteer in Austin, Texas. In 2020, she founded Teen PACT, an organization for Pakistani American Teenagers in collaboration with PACT, the Pakistani American Collaborative of Texas. Teen PACT focuses on helping Pakistani American teenagers get more involved in politics, and gives them the opportunity to make a change in their society.
Individuals from PACT joined APF’s GOTV initiative for nonpartisan engagements and outreach. We had the opportunity to ask Myreen a few questions about her work this year, her perspective on the country in this moment, and her perspective on civic engagement in our community.
Myreen Malik
“When adults make a statement, they are often taken seriously because of their experiences and knowledge. However, when a teenager makes a statement, you can be sure it comes from a raw and real place. You know that if a teenager is concerned about something, it really matters to them.”
APF GOTV: Tell us about the community engagement work you’ve been doing.
Myreen: In June, around the time the Black Lives Matter movement started getting the attention of millions of Americans, I saw right before my eyes teenagers just like me speaking out about it and making their voices heard. This showed me just how influential teenagers just like myself can be in the real world. I started getting involved. I made many phone calls for Breonna Taylor and Elijah McClain, advocating for their justice wherever I found an opportunity.
Later on, as the 2020 elections neared, I realized that through these elections I had a big opportunity to change things for the better. I started getting involved more politically. I got involved in campaigns for people such as Mike Siegel, MJ Hegar, and Candace Valenzuela. Nowadays, people only become politicians for the power instead of having a genuine interest in helping the people. The candidates that I supported through their campaigns have a real focus and a plan for a better America for everyone, no matter which minority group you come from.
I recently formed an organization for Pakistani American teenagers called Teen PACT. Here, we focus on giving Pakistani American teenagers like myself the opportunity to get more involved in politics. Teen PACT has been holding phone banks for the past month, focused on getting out the vote. I believe teenagers have an important voice that really needs to be heard right now. Teen PACT is our attempt to make that voice heard, loud and clear.
“I believe teenagers have an important voice that really needs to be heard right now.”
APF GOTV: What issues are you most passionate about?
Myreen: Social justice is a topic I care about deeply. Some of the major issues in that area that I care about are economic inequality, racial injustice, and educational opportunities. When I say I care about economic inequality, I am talking about how nowadays, it is almost impossible for anyone to actually pursue ‘the American dream’, mainly because of the almost caste-system like economy America has. For example, if a poor person and a rich person both work the same amount of hard, it is very likely that the rich person will become much more successful than the poor person because of the difference in basic resources they have.
This leads me to my next topic: educational opportunities. First of all, I think that everyone deserves a quality education, no matter who you are. Second, I think that our current education system puts unnecessary focus on doing well academically. For example, the ‘valedictorian’ of the class is often solely based on who gets the best grades, regardless of your actual capabilities. This puts people with natural book smarts at an unfair advantage than other people who are no less smarter than them. There are all kinds of smart, and the american education system needs to recognize that. There is a famous saying, “If you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will live its life believing that it is stupid.” We need to ensure that our education system brings all of us along and really leaves no one behind.
Finally, racial inequality is important to me because, similar to these other issues, it puts a certain group of people at an unfair disadvantage for something they cannot control. Something as simple as the color of your skin can potentially cost you thousands of dollars in income because of a job opportunity you were denied based on your skin color. Or, it could cost you your life. So, the theme of all of these topics is social justice. Everyone is different in their own way, and we should respect that instead of using their differences against them. Everyone deserves a chance at the very best life, regardless of who they are.
“Everyone deserves a chance at the very best life, regardless of who they are.”
APF GOTV: Do you see an opportunity or a problem with the way your community approaches civic engagement/voting?
Myreen: As for teenagers, I think we sometimes underestimate the amount of influence we have. Of course, when adults make a statement, they are often taken seriously because of their experiences and knowledge. However, when a teenager makes a statement, you can be sure it comes from a raw and real place, and most likely not as influenced by past experiences. You know that if a teenager is concerned about something, it really matters to them.
As for Pakistanis, we are not as civically engaged as other communities as a whole. We have heavily underestimated Pakistan’s influence in the world, and we heavily underestimated our power as Pakistani Americans. Which is why it is so important to VOTE this election. If you are a Pakistani American, voting is the best way to get involved right now. Go and make your voice heard!
“We have heavily underestimated Pakistan’s influence in the world, and we heavily underestimated our power as Pakistani Americans. Which is why it is so important to VOTE this election.”
APF GOTV: What, if anything has kept you going and motivated in the months since you started organizing your peers?
Myreen: My biggest motivation is America itself. I know that we have the ability to live in a truly equal and free country. My experiences with these campaigns I have been involved with have shown me that in a society where we generally only see the bad, there are still good people hanging on because they want to see us improve and they want our generation to be able to live in a better place. The fact that I know good people are still out there fighting for us gives me hope. I know we can heal our country and lead the world to a better tomorrow.
APF GOTV: What was the most interesting/meaningful conversation you had with a constituent?
Myreen: One interesting conversation that I had was with an older lady who was undecided this election. I was given an opportunity to share with her my points of view, and was able to listen to her point of view, which obviously was built over a much longer life than mine. She found it interesting that people my age are getting involved in the political process and really care about what is happening around us. Ultimately, she did not agree with everything I was saying. But after a long discussion, she concluded the conversation by saying that I had given her a lot to think about.
This is probably my favorite thing about phone banking: getting to interact with so many different types of people from such different walks of life than me. In particular, this conversation stuck with me because it was the first time during phone banking where I felt that I had genuinely made a difference in someone's day. I may not have changed her point of view entirely (I will never be sure) but I had made her think about how people as young as me think, and the role her vote will play in our future.
APF GOTV: Tell us about Teen PACT.
Myreen: Teen PACT is an organization that I have formed for Pakistani American teenagers. PACT stands for Pakistani American Collaborative of Texas. Teen PACT focuses on helping Pakistani American teenagers like myself get more involved in politics, and gives them the opportunity to make a change in their society. So far, we have focused on getting the vote out for the 2020 elections, making phone calls every Sunday. After the election, I am hoping that we will be able to interact with politicians and eventually get involved in more social and political campaigns. My dream is that one day, Teen PACT will represent all the Pakistani teenagers in America and will be a force for good in American Politics.
APF GOTV: What does the future hold for you.
Myreen: I want America to be a place of equality and freedom. I want America to be a place where everyone is valued and appreciated, and nobody is brought down for something they cannot control. I want America to become a place where everyone gets the justice and education they deserve, and a place where children don’t have to worry about the environment. I want to be able to contribute whatever I can to bringing America and this world to a better, more fair place.
APF GOTV: Does your heritage have an impact on how you view your community and the effort to get out the vote?
Myreen: Both of my parents are immigrants from Pakistan, and they both grew up in fairly conservative households. When they moved to America nearly two decades ago, they both became more liberal. So, in our household, all kinds of points of views are listened to, and I think that has carried into my ‘get out the vote’ work, considering I often have to talk to all sorts of people. Because of the environment I grew up in, I am able to talk with people about not only my opinion, but I am able to understand theirs and persuade them. I am also more sensitive and understanding to immigrant communities and minority groups, because I know what it’s like to be part of one.
“You matter. Make your voice heard. We are the future of this country. Let’s make that future really bright.”
APF GOTV: What’s a message you want to give to Pakistani youth?
Myreen: Your voice matters, and even the smallest things you do, make a difference. If you make one phone call, you are making a change. If you donate a single dollar to a certain cause, you are making a change. If you sit down with one person and talk to them about something you care about, you are making a change.
Your Pakistani heritage is an asset because it gives you a much wider perspective than most people. You are able to see the American perspective, and you are able to see the Pakistani perspective, giving you a wide range of people's point of views.
You matter. Make your voice heard. We are the future of this country. Let's make that future really bright.