Coronavirus coronavirus coronavirus! For a majority of the year, it seemed as if coronavirus was the only thing that the media cared about, and rightfully so. COVID-19 has turned the world upside down faster than we’ve ever seen before. However, throughout the past weeks, we’ve seen another significant event taking over the country. Youth-led protests, positive movements, and petitions, ending injustice. It’s time to face the truth. Coronavirus is not the only pandemic tearing the nation apart, and young people are fighting against it.
Systemic and individual racism towards African Americans has plagued this country from its start till today. Countless amounts of innocent people have been murdered at the hands of police brutality and hate crimes. George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Trayvon Martin, Ahmaud Arbery, Eric Garner, and hundreds of others. The list keeps growing. There are victims whose names the media will never know. Never before in lifetimes has rising up to fight for equity been more important.
Like a phoenix rising out of the ashes, Generation Z has shown courage. Many of these protests are youth-led. There are teenagers leading city-wide movements. This generation is the new face of the Black Lives Matter movement. Gen Z has so much potential to create a change due to some of their advantages, which include a higher chance of being educated and typically more bold character traits. It has been proven through surveys, that Generation Z typically finds more importance in mental health. The characteristics that Generation Z has developed from one another are astounding. The current future has a lot of potential to be impacted positively, due to the mindset and actions of many members of Generation Z.
In addition to the natural characteristics of the younger generation, Gen Z has the most powerful tools at their fingertips. Using their devices, they have started movements. This has been especially prevalent throughout the uprisings of the Black Lives Matter movement. Social media has played a very large role in the development and acceleration of revolutions. The generation named after the last letter of the alphabet is taking the last straw and making a change.
Ayaan Akhtar – Phillips Exeter – DMSF
Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash