Nominated by: John Feinblatt, President of Everytown for Gun Safety
Age: 21
Location: Tallahassee
Elisha McDowell is the president and co-founder of Florida A&M University’s Students Demand Action chapter. She became involved in the fight for common sense gun regulation after a shooting at a party in her hometown pushed her to attend Gun Sense University 2024, hosted by Everytown for Gun Safety.
“Growing up in Cleveland, gun violence was an inescapable fact of life for Elisha McDowell. Soon after arriving at Florida A&M University, a historically Black university in Tallahassee, Elisha decided to do something to stop the cycle of violence—so she helped establish a chapter of Students Demand Action on her campus.
Students Demand Action, which now has 1,000 groups at high schools and colleges across the country, is part of Everytown for Gun Safety, the nation’s largest gun violence prevention group. The fundamental premise behind Students Demand Action is simple: Gun violence is the leading cause of death for children and teens in America, so young voices should be at the center of this movement.
Through her work with Students Demand Action, Elisha has testified at the Florida statehouse in opposition to dangerous gun lobby bills, helped mobilize thousands of young voters, and organized a vigil the day after two people were killed and six more were injured in a mass shooting at nearby Florida State University. Thanks to young leaders like Elisha, the so-called ‘lockdown generation’ is changing the political calculus around gun safety, and pushing lawmakers to put public safety ahead of gun industry profits.” —John Feinblatt
John Feinblatt: There’s no shortage of causes clamoring for our attention these days. Why did you choose to focus on gun violence prevention?
Elisha McDowell: Gun violence prevention has never just been an issue I advocate for. It’s the cause I carry because it protects the communities that made me who I am. As a Black woman from Cleveland, Ohio, I grew up in an environment where gun violence was a way of life. It shaped neighborhoods, families, and futures. I am a survivor of this environment, so this work is very personal. I know what it feels like when violence becomes so common that people begin to accept it as normal. When I came to FAMU, I was excited to be elected the president of our Students Demand Action chapter, seeing an opportunity to grow it into something that truly reflected the power of an HBCU campus.
I focused on deep campus engagement, building real relationships instead of just hosting one-off events. We partnered with organizations like Rise Tallahassee to strengthen each other’s work and our collective impact. I have worked closely with the Divine 9 and other Black Greek organizations to help turn out their members to vote and plug them into advocacy efforts, because civic engagement and gun violence prevention are connected. I also wanted our organizing to reflect the creativity and brilliance of Black students. We hosted poetry events and inclusive spaces where students could process their experiences with gun violence through creative expression and storytelling. For me, building the chapter has never just been about policy. It has been about culture, community, and empowering Black voices to lead. Through that work, I have engaged hundreds of students at FAMU and beyond in the gun violence prevention movement, trained more than 80 students at our Summer Organizing Institute, and helped lead over 4,000 voter contacts during the 2024 presidential election. As a Survivor Fellow, I share my story to show other young people that our lived experiences can be transformed into leadership.
Feinblatt: What is your SDA group working on this session and how do you stay hopeful?
McDowell: This session, we are actively fighting efforts to lower the firearm purchase age and enact Campus Carry legislation in Florida. Both of these policies would make our campuses and communities more dangerous. As students who are continuously affected by gun violence, we refuse to stay silent while lawmakers advance bills that put us at greater risk.
I have testified and lobbied directly against lowering the age and spoken with legislators about why Campus Carry would harm students and faculty. We continue to show up at the Capitol, at Advocacy Days, and in legislative offices because we believe the people most impacted by these policies deserve to be heard. Our presence alone challenges the narrative that young people are disengaged or unaffected. After the shooting at FSU, that responsibility felt even heavier. I organized and spearheaded a vigil the very next day, bringing together more than 100 students and multiple campus organizations. We needed space to grieve, but we also needed space to stand united and demand change. That moment reinforced that this work is essential. It is about protecting real students in real time. I stay hopeful because I have seen what consistent action can do. Although advocating in Florida can be a challenge, I stay hopeful by knowing that no effort towards this cause can be in vain, and that I’m working on behalf of the community that is impacted by gun violence.
Feinblatt: What is one thing you wish more people knew about the fight for gun safety?
McDowell: I wish more people understood that this fight is a long game. It requires showing up consistently, even when it is uncomfortable. I have testified against efforts to lower the firearm purchase age in Florida and attended Advocacy Day at the Capitol to speak directly with lawmakers about why bills like Campus Carry and lowering the age are so detrimental to our state. As a student and a survivor, I have explained how these policies would make campuses less safe and increase risk for communities already impacted by gun violence. Being in those rooms matters. When legislators hear directly from young people who would be affected by these decisions, it changes the tone of the conversation.
I want more students to realize that they have the right to take up space in those rooms. I also wish people knew how important it is to dispel myths about gun violence prevention. On my campus, I actively work to challenge misinformation and shift the culture around what it means to advocate for gun safety. This movement is not about taking rights away. It is about responsibility, community care, and preventing harm. Through conversations, teach-ins, creative events, and direct engagement, we are building a campus culture where gun violence is not normalized and where students see advocacy as an extension of protecting one another. The fight for gun safety is about policy, but it is also about culture. It is about changing narratives, empowering young people to speak up, and ensuring that our campuses and communities are places where safety is prioritized over politics.
Feinblatt: How do you think this generation of young activists approaches the work differently from those who came before?
McDowell: This generation understands both the power of digital platforms and the necessity of physical presence. We use social media to raise awareness and mobilize quickly, but we also show up in person to testify, lobby, and organize. At an HBCU like FAMU, activism feels communal. It is rooted in history, culture, and collective responsibility. As a Black woman organizer, I approach this work knowing that my community has always had to advocate for its own safety and dignity. Whether it is mentoring more than 80 students in organizing skills or bringing hundreds of students into the movement, we believe in building leaders, not just moments. We understand that legislators need to see us face to face. They need to hear our stories and feel the urgency behind our demands. That balance of online pressure and in-person advocacy defines how we organize.
Feinblatt: What are you hearing from your peers about the upcoming midterms? How can we make sure they turn out in November?
McDowell: My peers are frustrated with the political climate, but they are also more aware than ever of how elections directly impact their safety and rights. As students at an HBCU, we talk openly about how policy decisions affect Black communities in particular. At FAMU, we completed over 4,000 voter contacts during the 2024 presidential election through campus canvassing, phone banking, dorm storms, and more because we understood that civic engagement is part of community care. We had real conversations with students about what was at stake. To ensure strong turnout in November, we have to continue building spaces for dialogue such as town halls, campus forums, and peer-to-peer outreach. When students feel informed, connected, and seen, they show up. Voting becomes not just a civic duty, but a collective act of protection and power.
This feature is part of CULTURED’s 2026 Young Activists list, spotlighting those around the country working to champion the causes closest to them. Each is nominated and interviewed by a leader in their field. You can read each of their features here.
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