A common complaint that almost everyone has is that young people need to be involved in the community. However, that’s not what I see. In fact, I think folks are just not going to where the young people are. In our community, I see young people active everyday. Whether it’s political, or social activism, or it’s just volunteering in the community.
My generation, the millennials, could be a pessimistic bunch. When you look at what we’ve encountered between terrorism, endless wars, a great recession you would think that we would be a pessimistic bunch.
I think the opposite is true. We have optimism and boundless idealism rooted in realism.
We remember the March on Washington and Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Martin Luther King was just one of the many leaders of the civil rights movement who really changed America for the better. However, he is also an example of what young people are capable of. King was one of the leaders of the Montgomery bus boycott at the age of 26.
He and many did not wait for someone to give them the opportunity to change something that was fundamentally unjust in our system. Instead, he and many others seized the opportunity to right a serious wrong in Montgomery.
Young people need to realize the power of their dreams and never be afraid to step up and with the support and with the support of their community and their elders, anything is possible.
Some folks said that my generation has the potential to be the greatest generation, if given the chance. However, I do worry about the educational opportunities to expand and learn for subsequent generations. But, at the same time, I am convinced that my generation will rise to the occasion.
— Matt Hughes
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