.png)
 |
| Erica Gaither Class of 2019 |
I believe with all of my heart that young people today not only have the ability, but the obligation to transform their communities. As a newly-turned, eager 20-year-old, it would be easy for me to rant about the eye-rolls, superior chuckles, and the “oh, honey, you have no idea” remarks that I have inevitably received. But, I choose to remember the time I read about the Little Rock Nine as a freshman in high school, holding back tears in class as I read aloud. I choose to remember the time I truly learned about civil disobedience- reading about John Lewis and other student activists being spit on and taunted in preparation to sit at a lunch counter they were forbidden to be near. I choose to remember the chills I got witnessing Malala, Pakistani activist, fighting for female education. I have to believe that these young change agents and the many that have come before and after them, never once questioned whether their age would consequentially affect their passion, drive and commitment to what they were fighting for. You are never too young to hold your society accountable and challenge the injustices around you.
As someone who sees the value in activism, I find inspiration and utility in the paths forged before me. My greatest tool for transformation is history. With a powerhouse of champions to emulate, I almost feel as if I could never fail. Whether I’m sweeping up the paths already forged or using their blueprints to forge my own- I feel held to rise to the standard they’ve so eloquently set.
As an up-and-coming change agent, I feel that it is absolutely necessary to assess the greatest tools and obstacles at your fingertips. The young people of today have had the fortune and horror of growing up in the technology and social- media crazed age. Having an iphone in sixth grade, and a Facebook account by the eighth was our norm. We’ve been forced to be witty and creative- spending hours cultivating a hashtag to perfect the end of a tweet. But the beauty of our obsession with broadcasting our thoughts so liberally is that we have an unbelievable opportunity to connect with each other. My check-in on Facebook to Standing Rock during the Dakota Access Pipeline protests and my use of #BlackLivesMatter during the frightening height of police brutality allowed me to be a part of something larger than myself when financial means, or timely concerns prevented me from being able to hop on a plane. Just last week I was able to watch a live stream of the historical Women’s March in the various cities and even countries. We can stand in solidarity with the click of a button. We are united through a common thread on our timelines.
And while I do believe that the advancements of technology is convenient for speaking out and joining in, I think it can also be a dangerous road to laziness and indifference. I could never fathom what it would have been like to stand arm-in-arm following Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the March on Washington. I question every day if I would have had what it took to train for a protest like John Lewis- having others hit, spit, and throw things at me to mock the adversity to come. My biggest fear is that soon we’ll be hiding behind hashtags and excusing our absence at a rally with the notion that “it’ll be live-streamed anyway”. Our generation struggles to know the different impact that face-to-face interaction and solidarity can make during a demonstration. My fear is that technology is pushing us away from tangibly using our rights. There is nothing like being surrounded by people with a unified message, holding a sign and yelling chants because that is our first amendment right to free speech and assembly come to life. I’m afraid one of the greatest tools at our disposal could possibly be our greatest obstacle. My mind is in a constant tug-of-war battle with seeing the beauty and horror of what technology and social media can bring.
Ultimately, I think that as the young people of today, we have the opportunity to be and create the world we want to see. Acknowledging what can help us and overcome what could set us back is a major key to progression. Our age does not define our dedication to the movement, if anything it makes us stand a little taller, and act a little wiser to be respected. We are the force to not be taken lightly as we transform our community.
Erica Gaither, a sophomore McConnell Scholar from Princeton, Ky., studies criminal justice, political science, and social change.