I’m incredibly inspired by the political activism of teenagers. When I say this I hear the response “Gen Z is gonna save us.” I think that sentiment places an unfair burden on young people to fix problems that they did not create.

I did not create these problems either. But I’m tired of hearing “I think your generation is the future” from the same people who vote against the candidates that I support, argue against the policies I value, and would not vote for me if I ran for office.

Young people are expected to carry the world to salvation and are given no support to do so. Our parents who grew up in the Civil Rights era were told that they were too progressive and their memory is too short for them to recognize that they’re doing the same to us today.

The unique predicament for the young people of 2020 is that this very well may be the last future we get to fight for. Climate Change has gone unchecked for so long that by the time we have enough political power to make change the world will be well past healing.

The large scale problems we face today are now as insurmountable as they were once preventable. It’s a shame. A crime has been committed against my generation.

I am not an old person. I’m 25. But some of the most inspiring people I’ve learned from are still even younger than me. They’re running for office. Attacking their administrations. Explicating and exposing hypocrisy. Doing hard, thankless work.

I’m struggling to end this thread. I don’t have a note of hope or a quote that feels relevant. I imagine that this journey ends quite morbidly to be frank. But I’m breathing. I’m here to fight another day.
And to provide support to my community in as many ways as I can.