News Profile: Peter Feddo

Ali Khan

When senior Hitasha Singh arrived at Virginia Commonwealth University in the fall of 2001, she was surprised by the lack of political activism on campus.

“Coming from California and its very progressive environment, it was almost jarring to come to Richmond and see so little going on at VCU” politically, Singh said. “I became involved in the Student Government Association (SGA) so that I could even have a clue as to what was going on statewide, because I wasn’t going to find out otherwise.”

Three years later, Singh said, VCU has become much more politically aware.

“Everywhere you go now – and particularly this fall – you see voter registration tables, protests against university policies, announcement for candidate forums, and events such as the Kerry children coming to campus,” she said. “It’s like night and day.”

The organization most prominent in this new activist wave, according to Singh: the Young Democrats.

“They’ve really made a name for themselves and the school with the type of events they’ve had,” Singh said.

Integral to that recognition has been Peter Feddo, the group’s leader since its revival in the fall of 2002.

The senior information systems major, first motivated to enter politics by his mother’s efforts to keep a landfill out of her backyard – literally – and subsequent battles with the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors (where Feddo realized, he said, “this political thing is really important”), has established the Young Democrats as one of VCU’s most prominent student organizations.

In two years – first as president, then as president emeritus – Feddo has helped the Young Democrats grow from one member to 175 last year (becoming the second largest Young Democrats club in Virginia) and to 400 this fall. Along the way, the Young Democrats have promoted the national Democratic Party, and its candidates, on campus – generating attention for VCU as a Democratic stronghold.

“Eighteen thousand undergrads is a noticeable number,” Feddo said. “This is a big institution, and the Kerry campaign looked for a place with a lot of Kerry supporters” when choosing to bring the children of Sens. John Kerry and John Edwards, the Democratic presidential and vice presidential candidates, to VCU earlier this month.

The same day the ‘Kerry Kids’ came to VCU, “they went to Norfolk State, and the next day Elizabeth Kerry went to U-Va. and JMU,” he said, “but we were the big event.”

But that reputation wasn’t easy to cultivate, Feddo said.

“When we started [the group] in 2002, the Democratic Party was getting kicked around on this campus,” Feddo said. “Our only enemy was apathy.”

Now, he said, “apathy has given way to activism.”

The Literal and Figurative Carrot Stick

Feddo credits the success of the Young Democrats to, among other things, a veggie tray.

“All the ingredients were there to make things work [at VCU] . . .the people, the energy within the Democratic Party, even some of the things that we didn’t think would work contributed to our success,” such as a tray of vegetables and dip Feddo brought to every meeting.

“I always ended up taking half a veggie tray home, but it drew people in,” he said.

But food wasn’t the main reason for Feddo’s success.

“We’ve worked out all of the processes that make a good organization here at VCU,” he said. “We focus on everybody, not just the political science department. Our diverse leadership allows us to really reach into many social groups – I’m really proud of [that].”

Feddo’s leadership – and dedication – hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Ali Faruk, a junior sociology major and president of the Muslim Students’ Association (MSA) on campus, credits Feddo for dedicating himself entirely to the cause of the Young Democrats.

“Feddo is like the Sohaib Mohiuddin of the Young Democrats,” Faruk said in a reference to the nationally recognized former president of the MSA at VCU. “Feddo was a driving force inside the Young Democrats. They had events, lectures, they were super organized – Feddo was the driving force.”

Handing Over the Reins

Having built a foundation for the Young Democrats at VCU, Feddo decided to step down from his position as president in the fall of 2003, letting others take the reins of the day-to-day management of the Young Democrats.

The decision, he said, wasn’t an easy one.

“It was a tough decision to step down, but I had to do it,” Feddo said. “It allows leadership to continue to develop . . . it was a tough decision, but a very mature decision.”

Feddo then turned his attention to the statewide level. There, however, he didn’t meet with much success – initially, at least.

In 2003, he ran for vice president of the statewide organization – and lost. In 2004, Feddo tried once more – and came away unsuccessful. Following the election, however, he was appointed communications director for the Virginia Young Democrats.

During the past summer, the president of the organization left, and the vice president stepped into the position – leaving the vice presidential spot open. For Feddo, the third time was the proverbial charm, as he ran and won the office.

Working on the statewide level has its negatives, Feddo said.

“It’s tough to realize that one size doesn’t fit all,” he said. “What works at the University of Richmond may not work at VCU, and vice versa . . . taking the U-Va. model and implementing it at VCU would be a horrible idea.”

But being active on such a level also allows for a better perspective on why the Young Democrats have succeeded at VCU, Feddo said.

“VCU students come from middle class backgrounds, and they’ll probably continue in that role,” he said. “The Democratic Party represents people: better policies, better vision, and a better future.”

But will such enthusiasm translate into votes for Kerry in October?

Feddo believes so.

“We will see a lot more states like Virginia in play that will swing John Kerry,” he said. “There’s a clear difference between [President] George W. Bush and John Kerry, and [voters] will see the contrast of values.”

Getting students to register to vote – as the Young Democrats have done all semester – “is the easy part,” Feddo said, in turning out the vote.

“Voting is the key. I need to make sure these people vote. We’ll do everything to make sure that these votes are for Kerry,” he said.

“If I wake up on November third and George Bush is still president and I feel there was something I still could have done for Kerry,” Feddo said, “I will be disappointed.”

A Red and Blue Future?

Such convictions would seem to predict a future career in politics. But Feddo doesn’t think so.

“I think I’m already in a career in politics,” Feddo said with a laugh. “It’s a tough game . . . you get pretty worn out. I get hate mail on my Young Democrats account,” which he controls as webmaster for the Young Democrats of America.

“People don’t know me, but they hate me,” he said. “It’s tough to deal with that.”

“[But] then I think of bad policies, I see our governor [Mark Warner] fighting for things that I believe in, and it hurts . . . you’ve got to fight for things that you believe in,” he said.

Feddo draws on his mother’s experiences during his childhood in Chesterfield County for inspiration.

“My mother set a good example: don’t let people kick you around – and that’s what we’re doing at VCU and as Democrats in the state of Virginia.”

Up next for Feddo: planning for the 2005 Virginia Young Democrats convention, to be held at VCU (“a big to-do,” as Feddo, in his slight Southern twang, calls it) and a potential run at the Virginia Young Democrats presidency.

But first, Feddo intends to do what he can to recruit voters.

“[Students] need to realize the power of their vote . . . that vote, that’s what changes it all. Too many people think of politics as stamp collecting. It’s horrible to look at it this way,” Feddo said. “Politics are everything in our society.”