Today we’d like to introduce you to Wen-Kuni Ceant.
Hi Wen-kuni, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Wen-kuni Ceant and I am a native of South Florida. Being born in Miami and raised in Broward from an immigrant (read as Haitain) community–I quickly realized the importance of politics, particularly within my home state. Florida has always been a pivotal battleground when it come to local, state and federal elections and we have become known for our notorious faulty elections. However, I figured with Politicking maybe we could absolve Florida of that disparaging reputation and re-harness our political prowess.
Politicking was a brainchild born of a conversation I had with my then sorority sister, now co-Founder Jordan Wilson. After early voting in the 2016 election, I was rather embarrassed to admit that although the names at the top of the ballot looked rather familiar, that the names at the bottom of the ballot looked alien to me. How ironic was it that I couldn’t realize the names of the elected officials that mitigated policy in my own backyard? After coming to terms with this painful realization and discussing it with Jordan, we started reaching out to family and friends.
We realized that they, too, struggled with understanding which candidates represented them and what these candidates actually stood for. It wasn’t me problem, but instead we problem. That “we” represents the 52-55% of eligible young voters in 2020 that actually voted. But when we take a look at that number in regards to racial demographics, we still find that black and brown young people are not coming out to the polls in rates comparable to their white counterparts. This disparity is a reflection of the structural inequalities that exist within our political system. The same system that proclaims liberty and justice for all. Politicking was developed as a solution to this issue, as my co-founder and I believed that one of the ways to address the systemic inequalities that exist within the United States is through the actualization of political capital. Politicking allows black and brown voters to solidify their understanding of the political system, their personal political ideologies, candidate platforms and even commonly misconstrued amendments and referendums.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Not even. Politicking as an entity has always tried to be where the money resides. However, Politicking has faced that challenge that most black women-led start-ups have faced – a lack of funding. “Black women-led startups have only received .06 of the $247.7 billion in total tech venture funding raised since 2009.” This statistic is alarming as it ensures that black women have to continue to hate from outside the club – a club that they have a hard time earning admission to. Despite all odds, Politicking has continued to press forward. Through our angel investors and crowdfunding campaign (https://www.gofundme.com/f/politicking-x-2020), we have managed to stay afloat.
Aside from financial stressors, Politicking’s single most challenging issue has been the struggle to remain non-partisan. With Jordan and I being black women – oftentimes, assumptions are made about what Politicking stands for. Despite this, we have done our best to remain neutral and continue to call attention to the issues that matter. Helping millennials and non-millennials alike to realize that black and brown people are not a monolith is integral to our mission. More plainly, this means not all Black people are liberal! Not all rich people are conservative! These lines, particularly in our communities, are blurred – Politicking normalizes that. We instead encourage a forum of healthy discourse on issues that we may agree or disagree with our peers, family members, and mentors about. Fortunately, we have a song advisory committee that ensures that we stay central to our mission of education for all.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Politicking is a sociopolitical platform that demystifies the political process for millennials. Politicking is dedicated to improving and galvanizing the millennial vote by providing information about both micro and macro politics. This application, which can be downloaded in both Android and Apple stores, gives users the upper hand when going to the polls by streamlining everything you need to cast an educated ballot – right from the palm of your hand. Imagine waking up in a world where you don’t know who your local Mayor is – in fact, imagine a world where you don’t know who most of your elected officials are. That is the world that most Americans live in today. Through Politicking, we are able to create transparency between candidate and constituent by revolutionizing the way users have been traditionally informed about politics. Politicking stands apart from other voter information platforms because it meets millennials where they are. Through a simple, well-designed, web-based platform, users are presented with data pertinent to municipal, state, and national elections. Brand-wise we are most proud of our various social media outlets that reach out to historically disengaged communities and make voter information and current events palatable to the everyday person. I would like Voyage readers to consider Politicking as their leading resource when delving into the world of politics.
Any big plans?
2021 has been crowned as the year of the Mayoral election here at Politicking. We are excited to cover some of the year’s largest Mayoral elections in places like Boston, New York City and even Hialeah. In fact, there will be elections in what many call the Big 4 (when referring to the largest cities in Miami-Dade country): Miami, Hialeah, Miami Beach and Homestead. Covering these local elections are an exciting pivot from our heavy coverage on federal politics for the Presidential election in the year 2020. We will also cover the special elections for the filling of Late Congressman Alcee Hasting’s seat–an election that will undoubtedly be a crowded field in South Florida. We are also hoping to secure start-up funding this year in an effort to continue to grow Politicking’s technology. Politicking has its hand on the future of politics throughout the continental United States, and it is our duty to ensure that we continue to uphold that charge as we grow.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@politickingapp.com
- Website: www.politickingapp.com
- Instagram: @politicking
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/politickingtheapp
- Twitter: @politickingapp
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClTKA9nPufcn4jA-PELzlTw
- Other: https://www.gofundme.com/f/politicking-x-2020
