From Juvenile Justice Information Exchange:
In America we are young, tired and traumatized. We are tired of validating our space, our existence and the reason why we should have a seat at the table. Youth are continuously ignored, dismissed and unheard. Stereotyping youth as “too young” or “not experienced enough” has been a consistent strategy to devalue the movements that we create.
Youth are dying. Bullets are piercing our skin, the hands of our “protectors” bruise us, while the weight of our own communities burden us with expectations that we, as a future generation, are expected to embrace.
Not only do we confront our internalized trauma while witnessing the oppressive realities of our world, we also resist the tendency to reduce youth experiences into pure statistics, devoid of sociopolitical meaning. We know that if we die at the hands of police, justice will not be served within the “justice” system and we will be left as a number to the added list of black and brown bodies whose blood is stained in our streets at the root of America’s issue: racism. We should not have to experience the moments that are supposed to be the cornerstone of our lives in fear and uncertainty. Continue reading >>>
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