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Hi John,
With the protests we’re seeing against systemic racism and white supremacy across the country, I wanted to introduce myself. I’m Thandiwe, a member of the March For Our Lives’ Youth Congress and co-founder of the Black Lives Matter Youth Vanguard -- and I’ve been an organizer and activist since I was in elementary school.
Yes, really.
My mom has always fought for justice, so organizing came naturally to me. I tried starting a lot of different groups and movements as a kid, but none of the other kids really wanted to join me. But then the police murder of Michael Brown happened when I was in middle school, and my mom took me to Ferguson to protest. This was a defining moment for me -- my life was forever changed.
I saw firsthand the pain and outrage of the community. I stood side by side with them as we demanded justice. I was tear gassed and shot at with rubber bullets while playing hopscotch with other kids. It was inhumane and cruel. But after everything, one thing was clear: I would always be an activist.
The next year, I helped start the Black Lives Matter Youth Vanguard to fight for justice for Black children in schools, and give young people a bigger voice in the movement. Through this work, I was asked to speak at March For Our Lives’ Road to Change tour in Los Angeles. After doing a panel with David, Bria, and Emma on the tour, we stayed in touch and kept talking about how to put community gun violence front and center. It isn’t in the news as much, but this is what most gun violence looks like. Mass shootings are vile and tragic, but so are the shootings that happen in our neighborhoods. Gun violence is gun violence, no matter where it happens, who it happens to, or why it happens.
Remember, you don’t have to be an activist in the traditional sense. You can be an artist, a dancer, a producer, whatever you feel like is your calling, but you have to be about something. This moment in our country is giving us a great opportunity to make lasting change that can save lives and shape our future. I know you can’t vote your way out of oppression, but voting goes hand in hand with a lot of organizing work on the ground. If we keep creating spaces for young people to organize, we’ll be more likely to show up at protests AND voting booths. We can’t create change lasting without doing both.
Join your local March For Our Lives chapter today to join the fight against gun violence by protesting injustice and mobilizing young voters across the country. [[link removed]]
Find your calling and use it for good. Practice self care so you don’t get too burned out to fight. Fight injustice at every turn. We can make lasting change -- together.
In solidarity,
Thandiwe Abdullah
Youth Congress Member
March For Our Lives
P.S. A lot of the work we’ve accomplished so far is because of grassroots supporters (the average March For Our Lives donation is less than $30) -- could you donate today to help support our youth organizing efforts? [[link removed]]

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