Samuel Parker Short (born 2002) is an American politician who was the president of the Young Democrats of Georgia. He gained popularity on social media after singing and dancing to the Kendrick Lamar single "Not Like Us" at a rally for the Kamala Harris 2024 presidential campaign. He graduated from the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan in 2024 and is working toward a master's degree from the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University.
Parker Short | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Short in June 2024 | |
| President of the Young Democrats of Georgia | |
| In office 2023 – September 2024 | |
| Vice President | Davante Jennings |
| Succeeded by | Davante Jennings |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Samuel Parker Short 2001 or 2002 (age 22–23) |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | University of Michigan (2024) |
Early life and education
editSamuel Parker Short was born in 2001 or 2002[1] in Dunwoody, Georgia, where he was raised.[2] His father died when Short was young, leading to his family's receiving Survivor Social Security. Short's father's labor union helped protect his family from medical debt, which brought Short to advocate for Democratic politics.[3]
He attended Dunwoody High School, where he led a student walkout on March 14, 2018, advocating for gun control in response to the Parkland high school shooting.[4] Short also founded a Young Democrats Club at his school, which received guest speeches from political figures such as former Georgia governor Roy Barnes and former Georgia State Senator Jason Carter.[5] He graduated from high school in 2020.[6]
Short graduated from the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan in May 2024.[6] He is now a candidate for a Master of Public Policy degree from the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University.[2]
Political career
editShort first worked as an intern for the first congressional campaign of Jon Ossoff[1] from March 2017 to June 2017. From January 2018 to November 2018, he worked for the campaign of Mike Wilensky; during this time, he began coordinating groups of volunteers.[5] In March 2019, he became the Georgia Chair of the High School Democrats of America for the next year. From June 2019 to November 2019, Short managed volunteers and outreach for Lynn Deutsch's campaign for Dunwoody mayor. Short also managed voter outreach for a campaign for Ted Terry from June 2020 to August 2020.[2]
In August 2020, Short was a Democratic National Convention (DNC) delegate.[7] Short was a legislative aide for Georgia State Senate member Nikki Merritt from December 2020 to April 2021.[2] Following that, he was an intern for the chief of the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department from June 2021 to August 2021.[8]
Short again worked as an intern for Ossoff in his Judiciary Committee team from September 7, 2021, to December 17, 2021.[9] He worked for the advocacy group Public Citizen from February 2022 to April 2022 and for the Michigan AFL-CIO from May 2022 to January 2023.[2]
In 2023, Short became the president of the Young Democrats of Georgia (YDG), working alongside his vice president, Davante Jennings.[10] (Prior to his YDG presidency, Short was the Vice President of Programming from May 2021 to May 2022, and then the Executive Vice President.)[2][11] His term has ended in September 2024 and replaced by his vice president, Davante Jennings. [12] He has since then served, as of October 2024, as its National Committee Representative.[13]
Short worked as an aide to Atlanta city councilmember Liliana Bakhtiari starting in June 2023. In September 2023, he started as an office intern for the public defender of Washtenaw County, Michigan. He continued in this position until January 2024, and in February he became the deputy manager for Kimberly Ann Thomas's campaign for the Michigan Supreme Court.[2] Short was also a DNC delegate again in 2024.[3]
In July 2024, Short endorsed the Kamala Harris 2024 presidential campaign.[14] On July 30, 2024, Short gained popularity on social media after singing and dancing to the Kendrick Lamar single "Not Like Us" at a rally for the campaign at the Georgia State Convocation Center in Atlanta.[15][16] Videos of him from this event received millions of views, with one being shared by Kamala HQ, an official social media presence of the Harris campaign.[6] One article called him "the Kendrick Lamar-spitting white boy blowing up TikTok."[17] He said he aimed to direct this attention to the YDG and advocate for more involvement of young people in politics.[18][19]
Short has worked as a policy analyst for DeKalb County, Georgia, since May 2024.[2][15] On July 24, 2024, he was a guest speaker in a press conference advocating for teaching AP African American Studies in Georgia schools.[20]
On August 19, 2024, Short confronted Pro-Trump Supporter Charlie Kirk at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, where the two were seen arguing, with Short later leaving the conversation.[21][22]
Short published an Op-Ed in the Atlanta Journal Constitution about citizen initated ballot initiatives in October 2024.[23]
References
edit- ^ a b Lyden, Meleah (August 1, 2024). "Georgia Young Democrats president seen singing, dancing to 'Not Like Us' at VP Harris campaign rally". 11 Alive. Atlanta, Georgia. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Short, Parker. "Parker S." LinkedIn. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ a b Melber, Ari (July 31, 2024). "Loser: Trump's waking nightmare deepens as Kamala wins 'the culture'". The Beat with Ari Melber (Television production). MSNBC. 4:00. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ Andrews, Evelyn (March 16–29, 2018). "Dunwoody High students join national gun protest". Dunwoody Reporter. Vol. 9, no. 6. p. 30. Retrieved August 5, 2024 – via Issuu.
- ^ a b Andrews, Evelyn (April 15, 2018). "Student protest leaders took different paths into activism". Rough Draft Atlanta. Newspack. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ a b c Disbrow, Eliza (August 1, 2024). "That Viral Dancing Guy From The Kamala Rally Is Actually A Rising Star In Politics". Her Campus. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ Rayam, Lisa (August 20, 2020). "A Georgia Teen Delegate At The DNC Talks About His Experience". Wabe. PBS and NPR. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ "Say hello to Parker Short!". Atlanta Fire Rescue Department. Summer 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2024 – via LinkedIn.
- ^ "Salary Data of Samuel Parker Short, Congressional Staffer". LegiStorm. December 17, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ "About YDG". Young Democrats of Georgia. 2024. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ "Fordies make their mark on the 2022 midterms". Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. University of Michigan. December 9, 2022. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
- ^ Umontuen, Itoro N. (September 23, 2024). "Davante Jennings takes over as president of Young Democrats of Georgia". The Atlanta Voice. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
- ^ "About YDG". Young Democrats Of G. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
- ^ Aragon, Rachel (July 25, 2024). "Georgia's young voters could make a big difference in election". WRDW. Atlanta, Georgia. Atlanta News First. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
- ^ a b Sumlin, Hayden (August 5, 2024). "Dunwoody native goes viral at VP Harris rally". Dunwoody Crier. Atlanta, Georgia: Appen Media Group. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ Cohen, Danielle (July 31, 2024). "This Guy Had the Time of His Life at the Kamala Rally". The Cut. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ Huggins, Katherine (July 31, 2024). "Who is the Kendrick Lamar-spitting white boy blowing up TikTok for his Kamala Harris rally bars?". The Daily Dot. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ Kallis, Sarah (August 2, 2024). "Georgia Young Democrats president says his viral dancing moment is bringing attention to activism". Georgia Public Broadcasting. PBS and NPR. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ Alston, Christopher (July 30, 2024). "Young political leaders in Georgia discuss how a new Democratic candidate affects organizing". Wabe. PBS and NPR. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ "Sen. Nikki Merritt to Hold Press Conference on Teaching AP African Studies Courses in Georgia Schools". Georgia State Senate Press Office. Atlanta, Georgia. July 23, 2024. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ "Republican activist Charlie Kirk clashes with Democrat in video from inside DNC". Chicago Sun-Times. August 19, 2024. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
- ^ Badash, David (August 19, 2024). "'Owned the Minute He Enters': Christian Nationalist Charlie Kirk Is at the DNC". New Civil Rights Movement. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
- ^ "Opinion Georgians deserve a choice". ajc.com.
