Jordan Martin: Young Activist’s ‘Bernie Journey’ Funds Volunteer Trips For Sanders Supporters
At 23-years-old, Jordan Martin appears to be a typical young woman. She’s married to an Army member, she attends college full-time, and also takes care of her 5-year-old son. Except, Jordan Martin is anything but typical. She’s a prime example of Millennials taking charge of their future. In what little free time she has, she maps out her Bernie Journey to help fund trips for Sanders supporters so they can canvass for Bernie.
In recent post in the r/SandersForPresident on Reddit, Martin gave a snapshot of how she came to be inspired to create Bernie Journey to fund volunteers for Bernie.
It all started with a phone call from the Bernie Sanders campaign asking if she could journey from her home in Michigan to canvass in Ohio. She couldn’t afford the trip, so she set up a Go Fund Me page and raised $3,000 in 24 hours.
“Then it hit me. I knew I could make a change”
In less than a week, Martin coordinated with the campaign to raise funds to help more than 50 people (including herself) travel to different states and this is how Bernie Journey was born.
“I teamed up with the entire office/local volunteers and the Bernie Journey was created! I completely funded the trip for over 50 volunteers in both Dayton and Toledo.”
Inquisitr interviewed Martin, exchanging several emails with the young activist. We discussed a variety of issues, from her motivation to create her Bernie Journey to her opinion of the Occupy Movement*. It turns out, Jordan Martin is part of a growing number of Millennials who have awakened to the reality that the world is no longer theirs. And she is one of the people fighting to help take it back, one journey, one phone call, and one vote at a time.
We asked Martin what motivated her to start her Bernie Journey other than a need for funds to travel.
“We are at a time of crisis when the economy is failing, jobs are getting shipped overseas, our military power is being taken advantage of and it is getting harder to just survive…Bernie is not afraid to call out corruption, challenge the status quo and take on those who don’t have America’s best interest at heart.”
Planning out our canvassing trips even when I'm working! Read my story here! https://t.co/qq5MIhKifF pic.twitter.com/Cz4OJKpKPF
— Never Hillary. (@BernieJourney16) March 18, 2016
She also said her son, Jayden, inspired her to work for a better future for all children. Martin is a firm supporter of the “Bernie or Bust” movement. She gave a common complaint among voters of all stripes: getting big money out of politics.
“What a lot of people don’t understand is that Bernie’s supporters are not just the Democrats…Republicans, Democrats, independents and non-affiliated are all coming together to vote for Bernie…I will not vote for Hillary…especially after seeing her lies and dirty tricks throughout the campaign.”
Sending my Michigan grassroots team of over 100 people to travel the country to canvass and train independent Bernie campaign offices!
— Never Hillary. (@BernieJourney16) March 18, 2016
Martin’s efforts with Bernie Journey have also brought her into contact with people from all walks of life, including people who, for various reasons, could not vote in their state’s primary. Registered Independents and unaffiliated voters, people who didn’t register in time, people with criminal histories. It made her think that perhaps the system needs to be changed.
“I think that everyone should be automatically registered to vote when they are 18. I also think that we should not require an individual to affiliate themselves with a political party. Who are we to tell someone that just because they made a bad decision that we can take away their American right to vote?”
Martin also talked about her experience meeting Jane Sanders, who made a deep impression on her when Bernie and Jane visited Flint, Michigan, to listen to people talk about the water crisis.
“Jane Sanders sat in the crowd and cried throughout the entire town meeting. They both truly showed that they cared about people being affected.”
When Martin met Jane after the meeting ended, she was struck by how authentic she was.
“I thanked her…for stopping into Flint and genuinely showing compassion, empathy and concern to our situation. She told me that her and Bernie’s hearts were broken listening to these stories.”
After telling Jane that Bernie had inspired her to vote for the first time, Jane “embraced me in a motherly-like hug.”
Martin was also impressed with Bernie Sanders’ record on LGBT rights. As young mother married to a female Army member, she had some harsh words to say about Hillary Clinton’s tardy support of same-sex marriage. Previously, Clinton had been adamantly against it.
“She publicly shamed the LGBTQ community and denied us of deserving equal rights until less than three years ago. I do not believe that she has honestly changed her opinion on it. It really makes me sad to see members of the LGBTQ community to look past her ignorant comments about us.”
Some of #TheBernieJourney team ? read my story here! https://t.co/qq5MIhsGR5 pic.twitter.com/2s2Hq8muYP
— Never Hillary. (@BernieJourney16) March 18, 2016
She praised Bernie Sanders for having been on the right side of history for decades, and mentioned his opposition to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” She also expressed dismay at the Human Rights Campaign for its support of Hillary Clinton.
“I actually ended my monthly donation to the Human Rights Campaign because they are turning a blind eye to a candidate that has supported all rights since the very beginning.”
Jordan Martin’s Go Fund Me page has now received more than $6,000 for the Bernie Journey. She has already taken short trips to Ohio with the money she raised and is planning canvassing trips with other volunteers to Pennsylvania, Indiana, and California. You can follow Jordan’s Bernie Journey on Twitter at @BernieJourney16 and Facebook.
*Jordan’s opinion on how the Occupy Movement may have influenced the current election will come later in a related story.
[Photos courtesy of Jordan Martin/Facebook]
