Looking for World Change?

Dear Leading Ladies

“Young people today just don’t know how to work hard.”

“Too many teens and young adults have been spoiled. That’s why there are so many unfilled jobs in restaurants and stores.”

“Today’s youth think they are owed something — by their parents, their bosses, their country.”

We have all heard some version of these putdowns of today’s youth. But when we look around, we see a different landscape. We see many involved teens and young adults who are not only working hard in school and at work, but who are also committing themselves to social action that will ameliorate the ills of our society and environment.

To celebrate these young leaders, we are co-hosting “Students as Changemakers: Creating Opportunities to Build a Better Tomorrow” at The Cabot in Beverly on Tuesday, October 18 from 7-8:30 pm. Dr. André Morgan, Director of Opportunity, Access and Equity for Beverly (MA) Public Schools, will deliver the opening remarks and then moderate a discussion with Pingree School Equity and Inclusion Student Programs Coordinator Hannah Liu, and Food Project Regional Director Ludia Modi, as well as student leaders from Beverly High School, The Food Project, and Pingree School who will speak about their roles as student activists. Materials from various student action groups will be on display in the theater.

It is clear that we face a multitude of social justice problems that involve education, food, health, the climate, employment, racism, and more. The older generations can’t solve the issues alone. We need to support our youth and nurture their skills and confidence so that they are ready to tackle the challenges facing our human family… we need a new generation of changemakers.

Our local changemakers have role models from the past and present to guide and inspire them. We thought a brief look at a few would be a good reminder that young people have always carried the torch of hope and promise.

Greensboro Four

For instance, Jibreel Khazan (formerly Ezell Blair, Jr.), Joseph McNeil, Franklin McCain, and David Richmond, four North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University freshmen, began the sit-ins at a Woolworth’s in Greensboro, North Carolina, to protest segregation after the killing of Emmett Till Jr. in 1960. Their initiative, sitting at a lunch counter reserved for whites only, “did more than integrate their local lunch spot; their actions kindled a non-violent revolution,” according to #passthemicyouth.

The Scholls

Brother and sister Hans and Sophie Scholl were co-founders of a non-violent resistance group called The White Rose while they were students at the University of Munich during the reign of Nazism. The group published and distributed pamphlets denouncing the Nazi party and encouraging resistance among fellow German citizens. Eventually they were caught, tried, and convicted of treason before being executed.

Lowell Mill Girls

The Lowell Mill girls went on strike — “turned out” — in 1834 for better wages and a shorter working day. Some of the girls were as young as 10; some toiled 13 hours a day for a pittance. Though they didn’t get what they wanted from their first or even second strike, in the 1840s they organized the Lowell Female Labor Reform Association and petitioned the state legislature for better hours. According to the AFL-CIO, one mill girl described their accomplishments this way: “They have at last learnt the lesson which a bitter experience teaches, not to those who style themselves their 'natural protectors' are they to look for the needful help, but to the strong and resolute of their own sex.”

Xiuhtezcatl Martinez

Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, a young American environmental activist and advocate for indigenous and marginalized communities, is particularly vocal against the effects of fossil fuels. Also a hip hop artist, he has made speeches at the United Nations on multiple occasions to highlight how global climate action plays a part in the wider fight against injustice and inequality.

David Hogg

A survivor of the Parkland school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas School, David Hogg is a gun control activist and an important force in creating the March for Our Lives rallies across the country. He continues to work for Never Again MSD, a political action committee formed after the massacre to plan protests, push for legislation in Florida to allocate more money for school security and mental health, and raise the minimum age at which a resident can purchase a gun from 18 to 21. He authored the recent bestseller, Never Again: A New Generation Draws the Line.

There are thousands and thousands more young people, past and present, who are working for positive change in our world. Some of them may be household names; others will remain anonymous to most of us. They are our hope and our future. And they need our support and our confidence.

As Dr. Morgan will explain in more detail on October 18, schools have the ability, the opportunity, and the responsibility to help students develop the skills needed for improving society. We, as adults, should then support their efforts and the organizations they create.

“Students as Changemakers” is a free event, but we encourage registration here. We hope you will join us to learn what our local young changemakers are doing and how we can stand with them.

Today was Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement on the Jewish calendar, the beginning of a new year and a fresh commitment to a better world. Our wishes for a sweet and peaceful new year to our Jewish Leading Ladies and for all of us.

Therese (she, her, hers)
Judy (she, her, hers)
Didi (she, her, hers)
Mackenzie (she, her, hers)
Leading Ladies Executive Team
Leadingladiesvote.org
Ladies@leadingladiesvote.org