In Her Campus’ series Gen Leaders, we interview Gen Z candidates running for office in 2024. This month, Bryce Berry — who is running for Georgia’s House District 56 — explains his political aspirations and how his job as a teacher inspires him.
Bryce Berry’s journey into politics began before his age even hit double-digits. At age 7, he saw a photo of Barack Obama on a magazine cover, and soon after, he and his mother were knocking on doors in St. Louis for Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign. From then on, Berry was interested in politics, staying involved as a community organizer as he studied at Morehouse College and went on to become a nonprofit leader and public school math teacher. However, he never really saw himself running for an elected position — until recently.
Berry, now 23, is currently the Democratic nominee for Georgia’s House District 56. “God works in mysterious ways and opened that door for me,” he tells Her Campus in an exclusive interview. His candidacy is largely inspired by the students he teaches in Atlanta, including those affected by gun violence, homelessness, and a lack of economic mobility. “I wanted to make life for my students better and life for my community better, and there’s no better way [than to run for office].”
One of Berry’s main platforms in his campaign, unsurprisingly, is education. From teachers living below the poverty line to schools that look strikingly similar to prisons, Berry knows changes need to be made. “If we’re not taking care of our students, we are fundamentally failing as a state,” he says. “I want to have a massive school infrastructure bill.”
Berry also emphasizes the importance of improving healthcare. “I have a district that doesn’t have a single hospital or clinic, and that’s mostly because we haven’t expanded Medicaid,” he says. Reproductive rights are also key to his mission. “Georgia has that big abortion ban that’s so archaic and so wrong — we need to get rid of that too.”
Economic opportunity is another pillar holding up Berry’s campaign. According to Berry, the average worker income in Georgia is not enough to pay the price of housing, and as a consequence, the almost 400,000 college students that come to the state every year can’t afford to stay there. By raising wages and making the state more attractive for workers, he hopes to help Georgia grow.
While Berry has a lot of plans for Georgia’s future, he knows that as a Democrat, he’ll be in the minority in the Georgia House if he’s elected. But he’s willing to work across party lines if it means making positive change. “I’m a believer in compromise when you must, and fight all the time.”
As a member of Gen Z, Berry’s progress-forward mindset could help him reach across the aisle to do good in his state. However, his young age does come with some challenges.
“I think one of the biggest challenges is the fact that you have to present yourself [as being] 10 years older than you are,” he says. “I’m a sneakerhead, I’m a clothes-head, but you know, I had to wear a suit today. You’ve got to seem older. And I get that’s kind of the conventional wisdom, but to me … excuse my French, who gives a f*ck?”
To Berry, it shouldn’t matter how old a representative is — or how old they seem to be — as long as they’re fighting for the good of their constituents. “[The idea that we need to seem older] gets us away from the real issue,” he says. “People don’t have healthcare, women don’t have rights, people don’t have jobs that will sustain them. It’s not whether I wear Jordans to this event — it’s what I’m going to do to make sure my district is taken care of.”
Thankfully, Berry doesn’t always have to try to age himself up. Georgia House District 56 is home to the most colleges of any district in the state, including Georgia State, Georgia Tech, Clark Atlanta, and Berry’s alma mater, Morehouse. “This is actually one of the younger districts in the state, so speaking to [young people], going to town halls, making sure that they have a crucial part in our platform is everything,” Berry says. “No matter if they will [vote] or not, I’m still their representative, and they should still be engaged and fought for.”
From 2022 to 2023, Berry was the president of Young Democrats of Georgia, a position now held by Parker Short, who recently went viral for dancing at a Kamala Harris rally in Georgia. When I bring up this moment, Berry laughs (“I have to keep him humble!” he says of his successor), but explains that joy and enthusiasm for politics, like the kind displayed by Short, is key for young people looking to get involved in their communities.
“You have to find joy in the work that you do, and know that the work you do is worth it. That’s what Parker does so well,” he says. “You’ll get knocked down. But if you have joy despite the fact, just keep on going — things will get better … I know it looks dismal some days, but there’s joy in both little and big things.”
So while Berry’s original intentions weren’t to run for a government seat, he is where he is today because of his passion to improve his community. He’s not sure whether that will lead him further into politics beyond this election, but he’s open to where this journey might take him.
“I believe in faith, so whatever falls in my lap, if it’s for me, I will walk in that path,” he says. “Whatever’s best for my students and my families and my community, that’s what I want to do.”
What’s your go-to fun fact about yourself?
I know every U.S. president in order.
Do you have any nicknames?
My girlfriend calls me B.
Who are the top three artists you’re listening to on the campaign trail?
Beyoncé always, Stevie Wonder, and Silk Sonic.
What’s your go-to snack on the campaign trail?
I hate snacks — if I eat a snack, though, my team’s been snacking on a lot of plain Ruffles.
Favorite Georgia sports team?
The Hawks.
Vote by mail or in-person?
In-person. Nothing better than that.
What are the top three issues your campaign is focused on?
Education, healthcare, economic mobility.
Favorite part of being a teacher?
This is going to sound crazy — when the students start roasting each other. It’s hilarious. And I try to stop them, but they’re funny.
Do you have a motto or words of wisdom you try to live by?
“Find a way or make a way.”