Informing Young Voters: An Interview with Lily Oatis, founder of Not Just Headlines Media
- mlhines1
- 1 day ago
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By William Hinson, editor
Oct. 30, 2025
On Friday, Oct. 10, I had the incredible opportunity of attending a gathering of local political candidates and elected officials, all of whom are running for public office in the upcoming 2025 Greensboro municipal elections. The gathering was put together by Not Just Headlines, a nonpartisan political media organization that aims to empower and educate Generation Z voters about the importance of local politics and voting in municipal elections. The organization was established by GTCC student and fellow Titan Shout staff writer Lily Oatis, whom I had the pleasure of interviewing during Friday’s gathering.
Through Not Just Headlines, Ms. Oatis has conducted interviews with all of the candidates running for local office in the upcoming Greensboro municipal elections. Find the full slate of interviews here. A number of candidates were present at the gathering, which was held to commemorate the public airings of the interviews.
The 2025 candidates present at Friday’s gathering included:
- Marikay Abuzaiter, candidate for mayor of Greensboro
- Cecile Crawford, candidate for Greensboro City Council District 2
- Zach Matheny, candidate for Greensboro City Council District 3
- April Parker, candidate for Greensboro City Council District 3
- Nicky Smith, candidate for Greensboro City Council District 4
- Tammi Thurm, candidate for Greensboro City Council District 5
- Jeannette Davidson-Mayer, candidate for Greensboro City Council District 5
- Jamilla Pinder, candidate for Greensboro City Council At-Large
- Irving Allen, candidate for Greensboro City Council At-Large
What got you into politics, specifically local politics?
Ms. Oatis cited her mother, Lisa McMillan -- who runs a public charity organization called Turning Everything Around, dedicated to connecting individuals to resources for upward mobility -- as the primary reason behind her fascination with local politics. She recalled interning with her mother at this organization after graduating from high school, which coincided with the 2024 presidential campaign.
Ms. Oatis recounted being able to have conversations with local candidates for public office. However, during those conversations, she often found herself asking the question, “Why isn’t this accessible to everyone?” She described having met with prominent local leaders at bizarre times such as at 3 p.m. on a weekday, which most of us would probably agree is not a very convenient time for us, especially those who are students, to meet with our elected officials.
What inspired you to want to educate younger voters about the importance of local politics?
Ms. Oatis responded by stating she believes that local politics does not receive as much general attention or interest from the general electorate as it should.
She recounted that when she first launched Not Just Headlines political leaders referred to her as being “special” for having an interest in local politics at her young age. Oatis responded to this assertion by saying, “I’m not special. Most young people want to get involved in politics the way I do, but we don’t utilize the resources that older voters use. We mostly need to make informed choices.” She added that when she founded Not Just Headlines, she “wasn’t trying to be this big person who was bringing in all these people,” but that she was “looking at things from my perspective.” She wanted to make a difference and, in her own words, “be the change I want to see.”
How long have you been dedicating yourself to assisting younger voters in learning about local politics, and is it something you see yourself doing for the foreseeable future?
Ms. Oatis founded Not Just Headlines in April 2024 and that her love for journalism was a primary motivating reason behind her desire to launch her website/podcast.
“I don’t know what I’ll be doing when I’m 70, but I definitely want to go to journalism school and learn about different aspects of journalism.” She expressed a desire to explore other avenues of journalism in addition to her work at Not Just Headlines and The Titan Shout.
In addition to the candidate interviews, what other kinds of voting resources do you plan on providing for the upcoming local elections this November?
“I think there are a bunch of great people doing great work and, right now, I’m just a one-woman show,” Ms. Oatis answered, “so what I like to do is give people the official resources.”
These resources include posting links to government websites and educating voters about how they can get important questions answered, such as how to check/update their voter registration and what electoral districts they reside in. She also mentions that in addition to Not Just Headlines, there are other local political journalists and activists in and around the Greensboro area who have been working much longer than she has to educate the voters on local affairs and provide them with voting resources.
Can The Titan Shout look forward to any contributions from you in the near future?
Ms. Oatis said readers of The Titan Shout should expect more contributions from her, especially now that she has finished her interviews with all the candidates for public office in Greensboro.
“I am so excited to start writing again,” she said. “I’ve always loved writing.” She added that she is looking forward to figuring out what kind of a writer she truly is, and that as a staff writer for The Titan Shout, she will be able to experiment with all sorts of unique stories.
When asked if she had any specific plans for what she was going to write about, she said, “We’ll see.” I joked that with her dedication to local politics coupled with my own interest in state and national politics, The Titan Shout ought to have a robust team of writers for future news content.
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