America has been busy in the last few years; Civil Rights are at the forefront of conversation, our involvement in the middle east is a source of turmoil, and our election has brought a new wave of action into America. The growth and success of social media has only helped in spreading opinions, news, and information of how one may react appropriately to this seemingly endless confusion within the country. Emerging from this mayhem of American doings and social media is a desire to take actions into one's own hands, and those hands happen to belong to the youth of America.
Millennials have been taking to the streets in protest for a couple of years now, perhaps first becoming active in wake of Ferguson and the question of Civil Rights. Uniting with the help of social media, one can now find millennials starting conversations on important issues in America and defending their opinions to the older generations. For being a generation criticized for laziness and detachment from society because of new technology, the responses to questions of politics has shown a form of union between young adults that silences skeptics.
This awareness of American issues and conflict has translated into a new desire to protest, get involved, and be heard by the world, perhaps now more than ever. In the wake of Trump's election, united millennials have come up with a slogan in the form of a hashtag, #NotOurPresident. Protest groups have been created as a method of combating a Trump-led, fully conservative Congress. These groups have grown with the intention of making their voices heard and showing how the youth may be avidly against any reversal of progress. These new activists may be seen wearing safety pins as well, showing that they represent people who may be considered safe to talk to in regard to the potential threats that Trump's presidency may pose to minorities.
I have already begun seeing the progress of activism as a response to the threat of the reversal of progress. Support and protesting groups are emerging in the face of a newly elected- but not particularly popular- president, increasingly concerning civil rights discussions, and rising international concerns reveal a consciously reflective United States and millennial generation that is engaged with the political scene, and is ready to shout their opinions to the world.
