Youth Activists Share Their Experiences in Organizing and Activism Spaces
KCET wanted to hear the youth perspective on organizing and the impact its had in their lives. In conjunction with "City Rising: Youth & Democracy," young people were invited to create a piece of art that reflects their experiences in activism spaces. Submissions came from all over California, from Fresno to Northridge, and came in the form of a written poem, visual art and spoken word poetry.
"The Youth" by Alexis
Alexis wrote the poem “The Youth”. She is a student activist from Kerman, California.
The youth
The underestimated and undermined
Constantly being told to hide away
To ignore the world around due to the lack of compresence
Little do they know we are aware of the poison consuming our community
This poison corrupting our school system with limited resources and harsh punishments
Corruption of societal views of discrimination towards the color of each other’s skin
The violence of the streets creating a fear of isolation
The separation of immigrant families establishing forever broken homes
This is only a small portion of what is meant to be kept a secret from the youth
These are ultimately what affect us the most
We should not be silenced or ignored
We are fighting for what we believe in
What we know to be humanly fair and just
Our passion to see change roars louder than generations before us
We fight and do not give up
Even when change occurs we demand it stays in order
We are the youth of America
"We Are the Ones We've Been Waiting For" by Kiera
Kiera is a visual artist from Fresno, California. She created this piece to highlight her experience working with the youth advocacy group, The kNOw.
"We Will Rise" by Rocky
Rocky created the video “We Will Rise”, featuring clips from the film and an original spoken word poem. Rocky is a student from Northridge, California.
