Podcast introduces the generation that is changing the face of America

You're all familiar with Malala Yousafzai, Greta Thunberg, Billie Eilish and Simone Biles and what they've accomplished. You've heard how they're changing the world. But in reality, the world is being reinvented by the entire post-millennial generation. Generation Z is transforming American culture and identity, and they're only just getting started. From memes to distance learning during a pandemic to anti-racism protests, Gen Z may actually change everything.

In “Hello Gen Z,” a new a nine-part podcast from The San Diego Union-tribune, you'll hear the voices of a new generation: their hopes and their fears, who they are – and who they aren't. Hosts Abby Hamblin and Kristy Totten will introduce the most ethnically and racially diverse American generation yet. Generation Z, born in and after 1997, is like no generation before it.

With the help of expert voices from the Brookings Institution and the Pew Research Center and conversations with dozens of members of Gen Z, you'll hear this generation's thoughts on racial justice, culture, politics, mental health, the virtual reality they keep reinventing and much more. You'll get a deeper understanding of this generation just as it's entering the workforce and coming into power.

“We're not all one thing. We're the Tiktok generation, and we're also the protest generation. We are everything at once,” said Endiya Griffin, a young writer and activist you'll meet and won't soon forget, just like all the other real people in “Hello Gen Z.”

The weekly podcast debuted this week with new episodes on Thursdays. Catch them at sandiegouniontribune.com/hellogenz

The weekly “Hello Gen Z” podcast debuted July 23.