Age of Revolution

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The election of Donald Trump, and the year and a half since his victory, have brought with it a whole lot of backlash: Women took to the streets of DC and cities throughout the nation to fight for their rights. A progressive and diverse group of politicians, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have been underestimated and then victorious. We’ve witnessed battles, both online and on streets, against climate change, student debt, and immigration. And, perhaps most notably, we’ve watched a generation of young people—Generation Z (many of whom can’t even vote yet)—rise up and lead the charge. Whether it be the Parkland students and their fight against gun violence (organizing March for Our Lives rallies across the country), or artists like Sonita Alizadeh, the Afghan rapper who went viral last year with her song protesting arranged marriages, teenagers are taking things seriously—and should also, clearly, be taken seriously themselves. We wanted to examine the motivations and work of teens on social media, a place where in the past few years they’ve gathered to share injustices and fight them. We wanted to see what inspires them to keep on going. So we asked seven young activists and community members on Instagram to take a photo of what gives each of them hope for a better future. The approach, we told them, could be either literal or conceptual; they were to use a digital camera or a smartphone. What they sent back—a snapshot of bell hooks’s Salvation: Black People and Love, an image of a school-wide walkout, a self-portrait—were varied and unique. And yet, despite the tense political situation we find ourselves in, all of them were equally optimistic. —VICE STAFF

Tamir Harper
@tamirdharper

Tamir D. Harper, 18, is a college student and a Frederick Douglass Distinguished Scholar at American University, studying secondary education, public relations, and strategic communications. At 17, he cofounded UrbEd Inc., a nonprofit that advocates for high-quality and efficient urban education by working to disband the school-to-prison pipeline, increase teacher diversity, improve building conditions, and advocate for local control of schools.

“Students at SLA [Science Leadership Academy] participated in the National Walkout this year. They were given little notice and worked to make signs. We had over 100 students, elected officials, district admins, and the actor Sheryl Lee Ralph.”

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