Teens find a voice through activism
The current political climate is tumultuous.
Everyone needs to use their voice. Men and women of all races, genders, and ages.
In today’s society, more and more diverse people are standing up for what they believe in, trying to ensure that their voices are heard amongst the many controversies that occur throughout politics, the environmental world, human rights, and more. For many, activism is used for exposing people to contrasting perspectives and inspiring change.
However, creating impact as a youth can be challenging, as they are often not expected to have a strong voice or are not taken as seriously. Despite these perceptions, many students have taken it upon themselves to partake in activism efforts and create opportunities for themselves, as these barriers prove to be no challenge for the passion student activists surge with.
English teacher Erik Migdail said, “The sooner the better; expression of a citizenry that is engaged with the political process, a citizenry that wants to make their voice known. It can be really scary to protest sometimes, so I think the earlier you develop a comfort level with making your voice known in that way, the better off you are.”
One student who has overcome obstacles and has encouraged activism at Carlmont is Rosie Asmar, a junior. Asmar led the during-school walkout that occurred following the 2016 Presidential election, as well as being the Vice President of the Gay Straight Alliance and the President of Sojourn to the Past Club.
Asmar said, “It’s tough being super young because people assume things about you, just like everyone assumes I’m just passionate and not willing to talk about anything and come to an understanding with people.”
Student activism has been prevalent since the 1960s when a group of black youth began to protest for black rights. According to The Atlantic, this Civil Rights Movement was fueled by youth leaders and student activists. Throughout this era, youth leaders led immense activist efforts, which have also translated into the Black Lives Matter movements today.
“I come from a background and tradition of protest from the community I grew up in and the family I grew up in. My parents, who were both educators, have a picture of me when the New York City teachers went on strike, must have been in the late 60s, as a three or four year old with a big sandwich board protesting in a crowd,” said Migdail.
When picturing activism, one often imagines a scene of screaming protesters flooding the streets and holding signs to advocate their beliefs. However, activism takes shape many forms and is not merely limited to this notion.
At Carlmont, many students have voiced their opinions and demonstrated their activism efforts through social justice clubs, such as Black Student Union and Feminist Club, as well as events like Fortifying Bridges.
Jay Clark, a senior who is involved in GSA and participated in the walkout, said, “During the election, a lot of minorities felt silenced and they couldn’t safely voice their opinions and needs and their experiences, so I think it’s really important to say we are still here and we are still fighting, and we aren’t going to give up, we still exist, and we still have a long way to go.”
Divya Menon, a junior, takes a unique approach on activism through a blog she created to spread awareness and share her perspective on gender equality. Menon created the blog after being inspired to do so after observing how students were uneducated or responded negatively towards feminism.
“We are in a time where all different minorities are watching their rights fade away. Racism, misogyny, and homophobia in social media is getting so strong and with the current political climate and government, it’s a norm to be hateful to people. My goal for right now is to change someone’s life and teach them to be kind to one another,” said Menon.
Clark also tries to advocate her beliefs throughout her daily life, carrying out seemingly small, but meaningful actions. For example, she has collected a numerous amount of buttons that each have a different meaning and purpose that she often wears.
Clark said, “One of my favorite buttons says ‘I don’t mind straight people as long as they act gay in public’ and that’s a rhetoric to when people say ‘I’m not homophobic, but I just don’t want to see gay people in public’ because that is homophobic. When you flip it, people see how absurd it sounds.”
In today’s unsteady society, students must put themselves out there as they are the next generation who will invoke change. Fortunately, the Carlmont community, students and faculty alike, have encouraged one another to exercise their voice and participate in activist efforts.
“These are times that are significantly, meaningfully, and categorically different than anything else I’ve seen in my life and I’ve grown up with an early awareness. The stakes seem much, much higher. It’s more important than ever for people to get involved as citizens to safeguard this democracy, to return this great nation to the values that have made us the great envy of the world, and to return us to being leaders in compassion and justice, which I feel that we are endanger of losing sight of,” said Migdail.
TALKBACKS
Rosie Asmar: I just want to be involved and these are issues that are very important to me and my family and I know that a lot of kids too the issues are important for them. I want to stand up for them in a healthy way. A lot of kids say they want to be activists, but they don’t really do anything and just kind of go on social media, but I want to stray away from that and educate people more in-person.
Cindy Shusterman: As a teacher, I am an activist. I feel like teachers are on the frontline since we are in constant contact with students for eight to nine hours a day. By working with those students who are involved, it allows me to continue my own activist work. I also feel that we have to be more direct-action oriented, which is what are you going to do to make your activism known—concrete steps. Get out behind our screens and have face-to-face conversations because with social media, so much now is done behind a screen and that only gets you so far. To really do true activist work, you need to physically remove yourself from home and go out into the community. Do the work; it can be draining, but your impact is going to be so much greater.
Erik Migdail: I believe that each individual has responsibility to act positively in the world in order to bring back change that they want to see. I think that’s true no matter who you are and where you live, but particularly in a nation that is built on citizen activism and engaged citizenry. I think that is not just my right, but my responsibility as a citizen to make my voice known in a lot of different ways since protest is not the only way I make my voice known.
Everyone needs to use their voice. Men and women of all races, genders, and ages.
In today’s society, more and more diverse people are standing up for what they believe in, trying to ensure that their voices are heard amongst the many controversies that occur throughout politics, the environmental world, human rights, and more. For many, activism is used for exposing people to contrasting perspectives and inspiring change.
However, creating impact as a youth can be challenging, as they are often not expected to have a strong voice or are not taken as seriously. Despite these perceptions, many students have taken it upon themselves to partake in activism efforts and create opportunities for themselves, as these barriers prove to be no challenge for the passion student activists surge with.
English teacher Erik Migdail said, “The sooner the better; expression of a citizenry that is engaged with the political process, a citizenry that wants to make their voice known. It can be really scary to protest sometimes, so I think the earlier you develop a comfort level with making your voice known in that way, the better off you are.”
One student who has overcome obstacles and has encouraged activism at Carlmont is Rosie Asmar, a junior. Asmar led the during-school walkout that occurred following the 2016 Presidential election, as well as being the Vice President of the Gay Straight Alliance and the President of Sojourn to the Past Club.
Asmar said, “It’s tough being super young because people assume things about you, just like everyone assumes I’m just passionate and not willing to talk about anything and come to an understanding with people.”
Student activism has been prevalent since the 1960s when a group of black youth began to protest for black rights. According to The Atlantic, this Civil Rights Movement was fueled by youth leaders and student activists. Throughout this era, youth leaders led immense activist efforts, which have also translated into the Black Lives Matter movements today.
“I come from a background and tradition of protest from the community I grew up in and the family I grew up in. My parents, who were both educators, have a picture of me when the New York City teachers went on strike, must have been in the late 60s, as a three or four year old with a big sandwich board protesting in a crowd,” said Migdail.
When picturing activism, one often imagines a scene of screaming protesters flooding the streets and holding signs to advocate their beliefs. However, activism takes shape many forms and is not merely limited to this notion.
At Carlmont, many students have voiced their opinions and demonstrated their activism efforts through social justice clubs, such as Black Student Union and Feminist Club, as well as events like Fortifying Bridges.
Jay Clark, a senior who is involved in GSA and participated in the walkout, said, “During the election, a lot of minorities felt silenced and they couldn’t safely voice their opinions and needs and their experiences, so I think it’s really important to say we are still here and we are still fighting, and we aren’t going to give up, we still exist, and we still have a long way to go.”
Divya Menon, a junior, takes a unique approach on activism through a blog she created to spread awareness and share her perspective on gender equality. Menon created the blog after being inspired to do so after observing how students were uneducated or responded negatively towards feminism.
“We are in a time where all different minorities are watching their rights fade away. Racism, misogyny, and homophobia in social media is getting so strong and with the current political climate and government, it’s a norm to be hateful to people. My goal for right now is to change someone’s life and teach them to be kind to one another,” said Menon.
Clark also tries to advocate her beliefs throughout her daily life, carrying out seemingly small, but meaningful actions. For example, she has collected a numerous amount of buttons that each have a different meaning and purpose that she often wears.
Clark said, “One of my favorite buttons says ‘I don’t mind straight people as long as they act gay in public’ and that’s a rhetoric to when people say ‘I’m not homophobic, but I just don’t want to see gay people in public’ because that is homophobic. When you flip it, people see how absurd it sounds.”
In today’s unsteady society, students must put themselves out there as they are the next generation who will invoke change. Fortunately, the Carlmont community, students and faculty alike, have encouraged one another to exercise their voice and participate in activist efforts.
“These are times that are significantly, meaningfully, and categorically different than anything else I’ve seen in my life and I’ve grown up with an early awareness. The stakes seem much, much higher. It’s more important than ever for people to get involved as citizens to safeguard this democracy, to return this great nation to the values that have made us the great envy of the world, and to return us to being leaders in compassion and justice, which I feel that we are endanger of losing sight of,” said Migdail.
TALKBACKS
Rosie Asmar: I just want to be involved and these are issues that are very important to me and my family and I know that a lot of kids too the issues are important for them. I want to stand up for them in a healthy way. A lot of kids say they want to be activists, but they don’t really do anything and just kind of go on social media, but I want to stray away from that and educate people more in-person.
Cindy Shusterman: As a teacher, I am an activist. I feel like teachers are on the frontline since we are in constant contact with students for eight to nine hours a day. By working with those students who are involved, it allows me to continue my own activist work. I also feel that we have to be more direct-action oriented, which is what are you going to do to make your activism known—concrete steps. Get out behind our screens and have face-to-face conversations because with social media, so much now is done behind a screen and that only gets you so far. To really do true activist work, you need to physically remove yourself from home and go out into the community. Do the work; it can be draining, but your impact is going to be so much greater.
Erik Migdail: I believe that each individual has responsibility to act positively in the world in order to bring back change that they want to see. I think that’s true no matter who you are and where you live, but particularly in a nation that is built on citizen activism and engaged citizenry. I think that is not just my right, but my responsibility as a citizen to make my voice known in a lot of different ways since protest is not the only way I make my voice known.