Finding hope in the face of hopelessness

At this point, the real loss of society isn’t the injustice, it’s the countless people that won’t do anything about it

The loss of the family in London left three generations gone and an entire community disturbed. The discovery of thousands of unmarked graves didn’t only leave a community disturbed at the time of residential schools. In 2021, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, friends, and grandparents whose children were stolen are facing not only the brutality of what happened, but that fact that since then, they have been tirelessly advocating for things every Canadian deserves: land, clean water, and to feel safe. Targeting children wasn’t a coincidence. Children are the messengers of the next generation to pass on traditions, so targeting them shows more than wanting to strip them of their identity. This group, along with every other minority, is fighting not only for recognition but for accountability.

I’m a youth activist in my community. I’m part of councils and initiatives, and here are some ways you can initiate positive change.

At this point, the real loss of society isn’t the injustice, it’s the countless people that won’t do anything about it. Silence signifies being complicit and that’s equally if not more damaging than hate. The world doesn’t run on laws, it runs on citizens, and I mean all citizens. Every citizen needs to be an ally and an advocate for change or we won’t get change. If this was just an issue for us minorities to solve, we wouldn’t be raising our voices. While a child might need to study to understand politics, human rights are universal, and it comes from unity. Consistency is key, so your advocacy shouldn’t go down with your Instagram story. No one is too young to experience hate, but we’re also not too young to experience love, and we each carry so much love in our hearts that we owe it to our affected communities to show right now. Everyone could, anyone could, and everyone should pitch in.

I know it’s scary, but don’t let your fears control your mind. Let your mind control your fears. Your mind knows we can create positive change because in a world where we can pretty much say anything, say we’re all equal and deserve to feel safe.

This inspired me to create change within my school board by creating https://bit.ly/changestartsintheclassroomtdsb, and you can too. Sign petitions, amplify voices, and attend workshops on how to become a better ally.

I’d rather be accepted for who we are than to live something we’re not; but to do that, we have to accept ourselves. That is the only way to not only survive, but to thrive. The loss of identity is a price no one should have to pay. People say this is politics, but it’s a matter of humanity. We’re just told to take up space, but it’s about time we define ourselves. We may have our own challenges, but no one is impaired from making a difference. This can’t just be done through performative activism as it only spreads awareness, so we shouldn’t only hold others accountable, we should hold ourselves accountable. Getting a “no” is an even bigger reason to continue as you don’t want anyone else to ever have to face that, and while success isn’t final nor is failure fatal, progress is what matters. Change is long overdue, and education is one of the only things that doesn’t have an end. For people like me, this is a call to continue being consistent, and to others, it’s a call to start.