Youth on Black Lives

Cardboards with the words “Black Lives Matter” surface through city streets. It’s simply not a trend. It’s a battle to demand justice for black lives. The fight to end police brutality and overall oppression against black people is very much a reality. Younger generations have taken matters into their hands to make it known that as long as there’s no justice, there will be no peace. The organization of protests and petitions have been prevalent in spreading awareness. From being teargassed to shot by rubber bullets, protestors are seeking to alter the unfair system. The movements for change are often started by millennials or gen Z. For example, a large number of protestors in my town, Santa Rosa, California, are mainly people in their teens and twenties. Not only are people protesting on streets, but on social media as well. The app Yubo, recently held a poll that resulted in 90% of participants supporting Black Lives Matter. 1 The Yubo app has primarily users of the ages 13 to 25. Many black teens have spoken about their feelings towards the situation and how we can all support black lives. Posting on platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, and Tik Tok has been a useful tactic to spread important information on Black Lives Matter. This is a result of many media

outlets releasing false information on protests and the movement itself. Sharing petitions and links for donations have created an uprise of communal involvement. Emailing and calling local reps, demanding an end to police brutality has also been crucial. Artists and creators are using their skills to help towards funds, businesses, victims, etc. An example is our very own magazine member, Nico, who has been selling personalized drawings with all proceeds going towards the Austin Bail Fund. Starting conversations on the topic is a step in the right direction. Saying political opinions is something that many adolescents are not holding back on. Recent tweets and memes about calling out racist people have been surfacing all over Twitter. Some may not even share the same views as their family, but still choose to use their voices in order to be heard. As young people, some don’t want to 1 Dominic- Madori Davis, “THE ACTION GENERATION: How Gen Z really feels about race, equality, and its role in the

historic George Floyd protests, based on a survey of 39,000 young Americans”, (Business Insider, June 10 2020, https://www.businessinsider.com/how-gen-z-feels-about-george-floyd-protests-2020-6), listen to what we have to say. They will preach about how “we don’t understand”. But it’s vital to know that we are the future. We seek change and won’t back down until we’ve received it.

Petitions Links:

Justice for George Floyd - https://www.change.org/p/mayor-jacob-frey-justice-for-george-floyd

Justice for Breonna Taylor - https://www.change.org/p/andy-beshear-justice-for-breonna-taylor

Justice for Shukri Abdi - https://t.co/Tgd7rs5TbT

Justice for Tete - https://t.co/ZXclM7HUOy

Reopen Kendrick Johnson’s Case - https://t.co/ZRuTYHJg69

Justice for Alejandro Vargas Martinez - https://t.co/vLyk04Safa

Free Siyanda - https://t.co/GG4Yl0npja

Justice for Tamir Rice: https://t.co/uaUSs2NWbA

Reopen Sandra Bland’s Case: https://t.co/Y6MpVjiWYX

Reopen Christian Taylor’s Case: https://t.co/Y6MpVjiWYX

Justice for Julian Cole: https://t.co/Qi9KrPryKQ

Justice for Robert Fuller: https://t.co/ahpp7vUbyG

Free Albert N. Wilson: https://t.co/p6EuB6IB0i

Justice for Ahmaud Arbery: https://t.co/hrH7DGUZUh

Justice for Cameron Green: https://t.co/SFJ6sSDB18

Justice for Amiya Braxton: https://t.co/G3HLvHzJbm

Fire Jared Campbell: https://t.co/jQZZf2dppr

Fire Broward County Police Officers: https://t.co/o88pCp1XYk

George Floyd Act: https://t.co/FyS4KrxBvH

Justice for Rashad Cunningham: https://t.co/XUGao0aS1I

Justice for Darren Rainey: https://www.naacpldf.org

Let The Grand Jury Decide: https://t.co/eqeadYXtGj

Donation Links:

Black Lives Matter: https://t.co/gKa1glkAs2

George Floyd Memorial Fund: https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd

I Run With Maud: https://www.gofundme.com/f/i-run-with-maud

In Memory of Tony Mcdade: https://www.gofundme.com/f/in-memory-of-tony-mcdade

Gianna Floyd (George Floyd’s Daughter): https://www.gofundme.com/f/gianna-floyd-daughter-of-

george-floyd-fund

Justice for Breonna Taylor: https://www.gofundme.com/f/9v4q2-justice-for-breonna-taylor

Justice for David McAtee: https://www.gofundme.com/f/justicefordavidmcatee

For James Scurlock’s Family: https://www.gofundme.com/f/for-james-scurlocks-family

The Bail Project: https://secure.givelively.org/donate/the-bail-project

Campaign Zero: https://www.joincampaignzero.org/#vision

Minnesota Freedom Fund: https://minnesotafreedomfund.org/

Fund Black Trans Women and NB People in MN: https://www.gofundme.com/f/blm-frontline-

fundminneapolis

The Bail Project: https://bailproject.org

Atlanta Black Owned Businesses Relief: https://t.co/VITjp0PPwc

Raided Black Owned Businesses: https://t.co/Xh89HSpqnw

Somali Owned Businesses: https://t.co/AhUcy14D4c

Reclaim The Block: https://secure.everyaction.com/zae4prEeKESHBy0MKXTIcQ2

Color of Change: https://colorofchange.org

More ways to help and information (petitions, funds, resources, etc):

https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co