Guest Post by Merry Gu – Student Voices
One of the hardest things about my job is editing the “opinion” page of the paper. We have a lot of freedom on that page and can pretty much publish anything we want, but the same two old Chinese men write almost every week. There is the “China is great at all the things” guy and “America sucks except when Japan sucks more” guy. It has been my personal mission to increase diversity on the opinion page by seeking out more diverse writers and more diverse topics, but it has been an uphill battle.
One of our teen writers, a Chinese-American teenager living near Philly, just wrote one of the best opinion pieces I have seen in months about how the voices of young people are making a difference in protests in America and online. I tried to get it boosted to the opinion page on Monday, but I lost because then there would have been a hole in the teen page. Oh well. Merry was kind enough to let me repost her piece here because I think it just needs way more attention than it would normally get hidden on the teen pages. Enjoy!
Student Voices – Speaking Up
In the undeniably tempestuous world that we live in today, it’s not surprising that certain groups of people are in a state of protest or disapproval of policies, standards, and situations. Historically, in the United States, two significant examples of this are the civil rights movements for women’s suffrage and racial equality. Whether protected legally by the government or not, citizens of many nations have been fighting for causes in which they believe for decades. Relatively recently, however, came the advent of the student protest: that is, young people, particularly those on high school and college campuses, assembling or speaking out on issues that they are passionate about.
Over the past few months, such cases of protest and raising awareness have been especially prevalent with the situations in Ferguson, Missouri, and Staten Island, New York, regarding the deaths of two unarmed black men at the hands of white police officers.
Among the thousands of people who have spoken up in the name of freedom and equality, many of them have been young people, concerned about their own future and future generations to come. In response to the recent cases in America, many protestors have stepped into the streets armed with posters and their unwavering beliefs. Braving the cold, the wet and the many potential dangers of rioters, these citizens, many of them young black men and women, have raised their voices and subsequently increased awareness about their cause. Even just outside Philadelphia, not 45 minutes away from where I live, major roadways have been closed up as protestors flooded the streets. Without a doubt, the effects of certain political situations — and the nation’s ensuing anger and disappointment — can be felt everywhere around America.
Protesting in streets and neighborhoods is not the only way younger citizens are becoming more involved in social and political issues nowadays. Many have taken to the Internet as a means of reaching out and informing others. Even emerging stories and important correlations and findings that are given very little media attention spread like wildfire throughout Internet communities, a community comprised mainly of young adults.
Tumblr users have continually posted photos, videos, and text regarding assembly, protest, and rioting, even including advice on treating victims of tear gas and providing backstories about viral pictures. Others have shared posters that can be printed out and posted around communities. Countless celebrities, too, have made their opinions clear regarding certain issues via social networks such as Twitter and Instagram.
It has been said that the freedoms of speech and assembly are keys to a smoothly operating government. Whether or not this is true, the method of unconventional political participation has undoubtedly drawn attention to the issues they are concerned with. Citizens across the globe have participated in discussing and protesting issues plaguing the country. These topics rarely go unacknowledged in social studies classes. Most of all, the young people who care about problems in their countries will not let them go unnoticed. Clearly, the adolescent community is a force to be reckoned with in the face of apparent injustices and political unrest.
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