The world is undergoing tremendous change. The pandemic has devastated our communities. Now, our community and allies are demanding change to protect ourselves from the violence and inequality that we face every day. In the face of hardship, we have historically turned inward to lean on family and friends and express ourselves through art, music, or not at all for fear of retribution.

These are challenging times. But it is not time to turn inward. It is time to let your voice be heard.

We have been fighting for a long time. And the elders in our community have fought to get us as far as we have come. In these difficult times, as we grow weary, we need only look to young people to re-energize.

Here are a few examples of some of the young voices who are being heard loud and clear as part of the Black Lives Matter movement:

• Teens for Equality founders Nya Collins, Jade Fuller, Kennedy Green, Emma Rose Smith, Mikayla Smith and Zee Thomas (ages 14 – 16) organized a march with 10,000 people in Nashville, Tennessee.
• Anuva Shah, a 6-year-old from Montreal, Canada, wanted to get involved so, with the help of her mother, created a socially-distanced protest driven by social media.
• Tiana Day and Mimi Zoila, 17 & 19, who had never met before, organized a protest march of thousands across the Golden Gate Bridge. Since the march, Tiana started a non-profit called Youth Advocates for Change to create scholarship opportunities for youth.

These are just three examples, but we would love to hear more. Reply to this email to share your stories or tag us on social media (Instagram: @supportblackcharities | Twitter: @supblkcharities)!