When Trump was elected, I called my mom immediately. She told me she was sorry that my coming of age was surrounded by hate and anger. I told her that’s not fair to say because she grew up during a time where people were silenced for their identities: LGBTQ, Hispanic, Black, Feminist. I was scared that Trump would give an unfair voice and dominion to people who had been itching to oppress all that I was and all that I stood for. But I could tell that she was also scared, that this would diminish my voice and rid me of my hopeful confidence.
I think what my mom meant to apologize for is the lack of growth in America as a united nation because I’ve learned that there is a huge difference between change and growth. No matter how many changes are added to policies, no matter how many events shake and reform our worldview, America really hasn’t seen communal growth. You can get rid of malicious flags and statues but you can’t take away hate from groups whose ancestors embedded it into their being. At the age of 19, I’m starting to accept that there has been very little growth in America. And it is terrifying.
The worst part of this realization is that I know people who truly want to grow. I go to a mostly liberal college that has nurtured my beliefs in equality and liberty and justice for all. It has led me to others who embrace who I am and, like me, don’t judge the color of my skin or my culture or anything that really doesn’t matter. People recognize my character and not my race, and I do the same for them. When I’m in this bubble of acceptance, it’s easy to forget that prejudice still exists.
But I’m reminded that biased hatred is still alive when I see videos on Twitter of racial profiling, or when I scroll through #MeToo horror stories, or when I hear news of shootings still happening in school. Children are dying in places of growth and education and no adults with power are doing anything to stop it. These keep the fire of fear alive in me; I am scared that one day while in my acceptance bubble, something detrimental will happen that will corrupt my hope for me and GenZ. I am scared that our passion and bravery will be met with bullets.
Despite the lack of growth in our nation in the past and present, I still believe that growth in the future is possible. It’s not just GenZ’s responsibility to stand for love and justice: it’s on our parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, our role models. We are all the contributors to our peaceful future. We all need to do better, America. Fighting racism with racism is no longer the only option. Going undercover in fear of rejection should not be a reality. Using bullets to emphasize points should not even be considered.
No more using tolerance to stall equality. No more endangering lives of innocent children to avoid heavy debates or objections to the law. No more fear of speaking out to avoid “punishments.” No more using history to justify hate. America has had enough delays in its journey towards growth.
It’s 2018. We all need to accept that certain things should remain in the past while we embrace what the possibilities the future holds.
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