The youth won’t be silenced.
On the ultimate Sunday earlier than Election Day, November 3, the youth are elevating their voices once more via the downtown streets of San Francisco marching up Market Street from the Financial District to the Phillip Burton Federal Building and Courthouse encouraging everybody to let their voices be heard by casting their ballots.
The march was organized by Tiana Day, an 18 yr previous hailing from San Ramon. Day is a newly rising activist for the Black Lives Movement and is most notably identified for initiating the iconic first ever BLM march throughout the San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge with an attendance of roughly 50,000 in response to the loss of life of George Floyd. She can be the founder of a nonprofit group known as “Youth Advocates for Change” aimed “to amplify youth voices in social justice issues and inspire students to get involved in being a changemaker in their communities.”
Tiana Day additionally had assist from a core group of college students from Danville and Menlo Park together with Henry Shane who had simply turned 18 based on a report by The San Francisco Chronicles.
This was not the first time that the youth are marching against Trump. Four years in the past, 1000’s of faculty children from the Bay Area left the consolation of their school rooms to come back collectively and protest against the election of a president they noticed as “uniquely ill-suited to tackle the pressing issues of the day, from climate change to gun violence to inequality and racism.”
Now, they discovered themselves tramping up once more in hopes of pushing Trump out of workplace. Shane stated that he’s “more hopeful than fearful” about what’s going to occur at this time.
“We are going to have the highest youth turnout ever this election,” he stated. “I feel it. We — youth between 18 and 25 — are the ones who are going to change the outcome. We have the most to lose. That is the only way we can preserve our democracy.”
The college students marched collectively whereas sporting their masks with the phrases “Be The Change” and gathered round the BAAHS bus (Big-Ass Amazingly Awesome Homosexual Sheep) which has a small stage and sound system and had been a monument for demonstrations at the Bay Area. The program began with speeches from high-school and school college students.
“The microphone is always being passed around, that is the way we do it,” Day stated. “It’s about sharing the mike, amplifying our voices because we all have different stories to tell.”
Day was supported not solely by the college students she had helped collect but in addition by her father, Tiayadi Day, and her 14 yr previous sister who stood along with her in protest. According to Tiayadi, he was not shocked to see his daughters grow to be politically lively and embracing protest. Growing up in Richmond, he was additionally introduced into civil rights marches.
“It’s in the blood. I never had to teach my kids about the struggle — growing up Black in America you are going to feel the struggle no matter what,” he stated. He additionally added how deeply empowered this era who are getting concerned at a younger age.
He stated, “It’s needed more than ever.”
Some who had joined the protest are not but eligible to vote like senior Sydney Wanguhu of Danville who should wait till the subsequent presidential elections in 2024. Nevertheless, she feels that her fixed presence on this youth motion is “getting several reluctant voters to the ballot box.”
“It is a very big bummer I couldn’t vote, but I encouraged a lot of my friends and family members to get out there,” she stated. “I have faith in us.”
While the protest is bringing consideration to casting out President Trump, the audio system made it very clear that the issues confronted by America won’t magically disappear with a brand new administration.
The battle will not be over after November third.
Shane stated, “It’s just the beginning.”
