"Our Next Generation- Representing"

By Jael Myrick, Chief Executive Officer of STRONG

John Lewis, now a U.S. Congressman, was barely 21 years old when he organized the sit-ins at segregated lunch counters in Tennessee.  At 22, with one suit and little money, Lewis moved to Alabama in order to lead the efforts of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). 

Throughout history, young people have played a critical role in movements for social change, though never as pronounced as in the 1960’s.  The death of a young President, an unjust war in Southeast Asia, and almost 100 years of Jim Crow laws, all instilled a sense of urgency in a generation of young people to take action in order to transform the status quo.

Today that feeling of urgency is resurging among American youth.  Some may believe it is the result of eight years of President Bush’s extreme policies, while others attribute it to the celebrity status of this year’s Presidential candidates.  But regardless of the cause, a resurgence of youth activism has never been more necessary than it is in our day. 

Roadblocks remain to many in pursuit of higher education, our broken health care system leaves out millions of young people who cannot afford to buy into a corporate plan, and the warming and deterioration of our planet may have many unforeseen effects on our generation and future generations.  All this is happening, of course, with the backdrop of an unnecessary war that has taken the lives of over 3,000 young people since 2003.

It is because of these issues that myself and a few other 20-something activists that I know decided to create STRONG, Standing To Represent Our Next Generation, in 2006.  STRONG has been working ever since to get young people more politically active and to advocate on their behalf.  We have participated in electoral campaigns,  used campus organizing, and various online mediums to promote positive reforms on the issues outlined above.

  There is obviously much more work that needs to be done.  Even with the reemergence of activism among young people, we are still viewed by many in society as apathetic, and not taken into account when critical policy decisions are made about issues that primarily affect us.  This is why STRONG is extremely necessary right now.

For more information on STRONG, or how to get involved, please visit our website at www.wearestrong.org.  Thank You.

"We, the poor, jobless, downsized, uninsured victims of welfare reform and others abused by the institutions of domination are no longer silent. We are moving forward with the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Fannie Lou Hamer, and so many freedom fighters to improve the lives of Americans."

-Portia Anderson, WEAP

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