Gen Z Rising

Photograph by Jarek Tuszyński from Wiki Commons

“Spread the word! Have you heard? All across the Nation. We are… going to be… a GREAT generation!” These immortal words by Yolanda Renee King, 9 year old granddaughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., were spoken at the March for Our Lives demonstration in Washington D.C., organised by survivors of the Parkland school shooting and attended by 800 thousand people in Washington alone.

What we are witnessing is nothing less than a revolution. Our youngest generation will not wait for us adults to come up with solutions to previously unsolvable problems. They unite, take action and are committed to create a new reality that will work for all. Cutting across all old divisions (gender, race, income), they have a deep sense of solidarity, and a fearless resolve, insisting that their voices matter and that change is inevitable.

These youth leaders view the major challenges of our time, like gun violence, through a ‘generational’ lens, which gives them power despite their young age. It’s THEIR time now, and they know jt. Honest, raw and emotional, they cut across the proverbial B.S. to demand REAL responses and REAL action from those still in power. Today I’ve seen young leaders vomit on stage, cry silently, shout, recite poetry, share heartbreaking stories of gun violence and gun death, call out politicians, lead the crowd in claps of unity and chants of resistance.

“Spread the word! Have you heard? All across the Nation. We are… going to be… a GREAT generation!”

We’ve heard you loud and clear, Generation Z. Change is here. And we couldn’t be more proud!

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