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ENTITY Young activists

The real change makers are not politicians. They’re not the multi-million dollar corporate donors. They’re regular people facing discrimination and dangerous social realities.

The people creating real change tend to be the people whose lives depend on that change. They cannot afford to be apathetic. They are everyday citizens, marginalized communities and, often, they are young people. These youths are standing up and banding together to better the world.

People say the youth are the future, but these young adults, teens and children are the leaders of today. They are raising awareness of important social justice issues and speaking up for the marginalized.  From Parkland to Pakistan,  these 30 activists under 30 are fighting back, inspiring action and changing their communities for the better.

1 Emma Gonzales

30 activists under 30

Photo via Instagram / @emmawise18

“It should not be easier to purchase a gun than to obtain a driver’s license.”

After the Parkland school shooting, this Parkland student turned to the media to call attention to gun violence. Gonzales became a leader in the March For Our Lives movement. She organizes rallies and delivers speeches advocating for gun reform. Gonzales fights to hold elected officials accountable and pushes to keep the National Rifle Association (NRA) out of politics.

2 Cameron Kasky

Photo Via Instagram/@cameronkasky

“Real change is brought from voting and too often voting is shrugged off as nothing in our country.”

A founder for the March For Our Lives movement, Kasky and other Parkland student activists are spending the summer touring 20 states to speak out against gun violence. Kasky fights for voter turnout, especially for young people. Since the movement began, voter registration trends among young voters in Florida are on the rise. The “Road to Change” tour plans on hitting every congressional district in Florida and advocating for gun control. He speaks out for the victims of the Parkland shooting who cannot speak out for themselves.

3 David Hogg

Photo Via Instagram/@davidmileshogg

Hogg is the director of Parkland Highschool’s TV station. He gained renown for interviewing students about the shooting while they were under lockdown. The video went viral. It is a chilling depiction of the realities of school shootings. Hogg is a strong advocate against gun violence. He uses his media and video skills to raise awareness of this important issue. He continues to fight for reform and now has a regular spot on a cable TV.

4 Alex Wind

Photo Via Youtube/March For Our Lives

Wind is one of the founding members of “Never again MSD.” He is calling to end complacency toward gun violence.  The group is bringing people together to say that enough is enough. He advocated for the need to take tangible steps to end gun violence. Wind will also participate in March for Our Lives’ summer tour.

5 Sofie Whitney

Photo Via Instagram/@sofie_whitney

“This is not a partisan issue, but an issue of lives”.

Whitney, another founding MSD member, speaks out against criticism of the March for Our Lives movement. She champions the fact that young people started and run the movement. She fights for the voice of the youth, which she believes shouldn’t be overshadowed by adults.  Whitney works to keep the issue of gun control of control in the public discourse. She refuses to let anyone disparage or belittle the movement.

6 Amariyanna “Mari” Copeny

Photo Via Instagram/@littlemissflint

Copeny is a young ambassador for the Flint water crises. The 8-year-old  wrote to then-president Barack Obama asking if he could meet on her trip to Washington D.C. to discuss the situation in Flint. She dubbed herself “Little Miss Flint” and continues to fight for clean water. Although she did not get to meet with the president on her trip to D.C., Obama made sure to visit her during his trip to Flint. She told President Obama that what was happening in Flint needed to change.

7 Malala Yousafzai

30 activists under 30

Photo via Instagram / @fingerpuppetmanagementtv

Most people are familiar with Malala’ Yousafadi’s story. In 2012, the Pakistani Taliban shot her in the head for going to school. Since then, she’s been speaking out for girls’ right to education. Now at 20, she continues to advocate for the education of girls and women everywhere. She won the Nobel Peace Prize for her activism in 2014.

8 Yara Shahidi

Photo Via Instagram/@yarashahidi

Known for her role as Zoey Jonson in the show Black-ish, the 18-year-old activist is an advocate for women’s rights, diversity in Hollywood and voter turnout. She launched her campaign Eighteen x ’18 to encourage voting. Shaidi uses her platform to encourage young people to use their voice democratically to create change. She worked with Michelle Obama’s Let Girls Learn Initiative. After working with the former first lady on the project, she got an impressive letter of recommendation from Michelle Obama and is now attending Harvard University.

9 Sophie Cruz

30 activists under 30

Photo via Instagram / @ themujerista

“Let us fight with love, faith and courage so that our families will not be destroyed.”

This outspoken 5-year-old is a strong advocate for immigration reform. Cruz began her fight when she wrote a letter to Pope Francis asking that her undocumented parents not be deported. Since then she has gained prominence and media attention in continuing to speak up for immigrant rights. Recently, she spoke at the Women’s March in Washington DC. Cruz may be little but she sure is mighty!

10 Marley Dias

30 activists under 30

Photo via Instagram / @iammarleydias

Dias is the founder of #1000 Black Girl Books, an organization that collects and donates books with black female lead characters. Advocating for more representation of young girls of color, she collected more than 10,000 books. She spoke at the “State of Women” summit and released a book called “Marley Dias gets it done: And So Can You.” Dias continues to fight for improved education and more black representation. She provides young black girls with role models and characters that they can look up to. While she may be young, she is a role model we all look up to!

11 Xiuhtezcatl Martinez

Photo Via Instagram/@rollingstone

“What’s at stake right now is the existence of my generation.”

Martinez is an environmental activist. He fights against climate change and for implementing large-scale solutions. Martinez served on  President Obama’s youth council. He also founded and served as Youth Director of Earth Guardian, an environmental rights group. He also sued the federal government and Donald Trump for failing to act on climate change. In 2013 he received the United States Community Service Award. In 2015 he spoke at the United Nations on the need for climate action.

12 Bana Alabed

Bana Alabed

Photo via Twitter / @AlabedBana

“The world has forgotten us”

Alabed is a young Syrian activist that speaks up against the war and advocates for refugee rights. She gained public attention by posting on Twitter about her experience living in Aleppo. She and her family escaped to Turkey, where she wrote a book on the turmoil in Aleppo and her experiences as a refugee entitled “Dear World: A Syrian Girl’s Story of War and Plea for Peace”.

13 Sonita Alizadeh

Photo Via Instagram/@sonitalizadeh

Alizadeh is an Afghan activist speaking up against forced marriage. She was almost forced to marry at the ages of 10 and 16. In response, she is speaking up against the issue of child marriage. She released a popular rap video called “brides for sale.” Releasing the video was both risky and illegal since women can’t sing publically in Iran where she was living at the time. It paid off, however, as her video went viral and Alizadeh received a scholarship to finish high school in the U.S. She continues to fight oppressive systems through her music.

14 Gavin Grimm

ENTITY young activists

Photo Via Instagram/@newnownext

“I’m not really sure how using the bathroom became national news.”

This young transgender activist sued his Virginia high school for banning him from using the boy’s bathroom. His case went all the way to the Supreme Court. He continues to fight for equality for trans students and to amplify trans voice. His story is inspiring and sheds light on the difficulties trans students face.

15 Darius Weems

Photo Via Instagram/@georgiapriester

Weems was an advocate for muscular dystrophy.  He took an 11,000 km road trip across America at the age of 15 to raise money for the condition back in 2005. Darius sadly passed away in 2016 at 27. But his story and activism continue to inspire.  His life also inspired the popular documentary Darius Goes West about his battle with muscular dystrophy and his mission to raise awareness of the condition.

16 Elyse Fox

30 activists under 30

Photo via Instagram / @elyse.fox

An advocate for mental health awareness, Fox is the founder of the Sad Girls Club. It is an online and in-person platform built on promoting mental health awareness among young women. She also released a documentary about her struggle with mental health called Conversations with Friends. Fox fights to raise awareness of mental health problems and to promote healthy and open conversations. She pushes to make mental health conversations commonplace and to break the taboo.

17 Hebh Jamal

Photo Via Instagram/@hebzter101

“Although it’s really great that I’m able to have a platform that a lot of Muslim women are not able to have I really want to use it to emphasize that it needs to be a movement.”

Speaking out against Islamophobia, Hebh combats anti-Muslim sentiments, including fighting against the travel ban. The New York Times wrote a feature article on her, that discussed Islamophobic rhetoric in the 2016 presidential elections. Jamal organized a mass student walk-out in New York City to protest Trump’s travel ban. She is responsible for mobilizing huge groups of students to stand up. She speaks at schools and organized rallies for her cause. After graduating she became the Director of Public Relations at “Integrate NYC,” a group that fights for diversity in public schools.

18 Jasilyn Charger

Photo Via Instagram/@glblctzn

Charger is a vocal advocate against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). She is a uniting force in protests among Sioux youth, as well as an environmental advocate and leader. She co-founded the One Mind Youth movement to raise awareness of indigenous suicide among adolescents. The group was created to petition for-safe houses but has since banded together to protest the Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipelines. Charger continues to lead the fight for indigenous and environmental rights.

19 Liza Yaroshenko

Young Activists

Photo Via BBC

“I hate it when people spread false information. I can’t keep quiet.”

An activist working to fight the stigma of the AIDS virus, Liza lost her mother to AIDS when she was six years old. She carries the HIV virus and speaks out for reforming healthcare and treatment options for those living with HIV.

20 Mohammed Manan Ansari

Photo Via Asianews

At eight years old, Ansari was forced into the mica mining industry in India where he worked eight hours a day for two years. He managed to leave the workforce when he was sent to school. Today he fights for children’s rights and against the use of child labor. He spoke at the International Labor Organization Conference in Geneva.

21 Jazz Jennings

Young activists ENTITY

Photo Via Instagram/@jazzjennings_

A 17-year-old trans activist, Jazz is using her media presence to bring awareness to trans rights and issues. The young LGBTQ activist now has her own show called “I am Jazz.” The show highlights her life as a trans girl. She is vocal and openly advocates against discrimination against the trans community. She also has a strong social media presence and uses her platforms to facilitate conversation.

22 Schuyler Bailar

Photo Via Insagram/@pinkmantara

Bailar is the first openly transgender NCAA Division I swimmer. He came out as trans at the beginning of his swimming career at Harvard and began competing for the men’s team. He continues to be an advocate for trans inclusion in sports, as well as being an accomplished swimmer. He’s a strong force in the fight for trans inclusion in sports and society.

23 Ryan Jacobs Flores

Photo Via Instagram/@capturedking

“If I can make someone who is questioning their gender identity feel a little less scared, confused, or alone, then putting myself out in the open is worth it.”

This trans Youtuber uses his channel to raise awareness of some of the realities of being a transgender teenager today. With more than 75 000 subscribers, Flores is a prominent voice for the transgender community. He also uses his channel to create an inclusive community for other trans youth.

24 Sameer Jha

Photo Via Go Fund Me/Sameer Jha

“As a queer person of color who traces my heritage to a country in which homosexuality is punishable by death, I want to use my privilege as an American citizen with a supportive family to raise awareness and fight for the people who can’t.”

The queer, gender non-conforming 15-year old founded the Empathy Alliance. An organization dedicated to creating a more LGBTQ inclusive community in schools. They work with more than 50 schools and advocate for safer and more welcoming environments. Jha’s organization raises the important issue of LGBTQ inclusion and safety in the school community.

25 Grace Dolan-Sandrino

Photo Via the Aspen Institute

The transgender teen is a 16-year-old LGBTQ activist. Dolan-Sandrino is an ambassador for the Educational Excellence Initiative for African-Americans in the White House. She co-founded two different organizations working to build a strong community for LGBTQ youth,  Youth blackout DC and Gender and the Orientation Alliance. Both organizations advocate for the rights of queer youth. She serves on the Gender Spectrum National Youth Council. She’s also written articles for Teen Vogue, The Washington Post, and Common Dreams.

26 Mo ne Davis

Photo Via Philadelphia Magazine

“I never thought at the age of 13 I’d be a role model, but having young girls look up to me is pretty cool. If I can inspire them to reach their goals, that would be even cooler.”

Davis is a driving force in bridging the gender gap for students in sports. At 13 years-old she became an advocate for girls’ participation in sports. In 2015 she became the first African-American girl to play in the little league world series and the first girl in the world series to pitch a winning game. She was also featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated, making her the youngest athlete ever to be featured on the cover. She also launched a sneaker line and donates the proceeds to the “Because I Am a Girl” Initiative.

27 Payal Jangid

Photo Via World’s Children’s Prize

“In our society education is not given much importance but it is my duty to explain to the older generation how schooling is very much needed.”

At just 14 years old she escaped from child slavery and became an advocate for education for girls. She works with communities in India as the leader of her town’s Child Parliament to make communities safer. Jangid also fights against domestic violence and child marriage and won a World’s Children’s prize for her work.

28 Melati and Isabel Wijsen

Photo Via Instagram/@melatiwijsen

The young environmental advocates are looking to get rid of plastic bags and the environmental harm they cause. They founded the “Bye Bye Plastic Bags” initiative in 2013 in Bali, Indonesia. It has since become a large youth-led organization that lobbies at the Bali Airport. These two young activists were instrumental in pushing Bali to declare themselves a plastic bag free island. The girls continue to fight for plastic bag regulations. Indonesia has since announced plans to go plastic bag free by 2021.

29 Yolanda Renee King

Photo Via Instagram/@yolandareneeking

“I have a dream that enough is enough. And that this should be a gun-free world, period.”

The 9-year-old granddaughter of Martin Luther King Jr. is following in her grandfather’s activist footsteps. Recently, she spoke at the March for Our Lives rally in Washington D.C. with a speech she wrote herself about the importance of creating a gun-free world. The young activist has been fighting against gun violence since 2016 when she asked President Obama what his plans were to address the problem of gun violence in the United States.

30 Shamma bint Suhail Faris Mazrui

Young Activists

Photo Via Instagram/@Shamma

Appointed Minister of State for Youth Affairs in the United Arab Emirates at just 22 years old, Mazuri is the youngest government minister in the world. She fights for the civic engagement of young people, and to find ways to allow younger groups to become more democratically active. She also has a bachelor’s degree from New York University in Abu Dhabi and a master’s degree from Oxford as UAE’s first Rhodes scholar. Mazrui is a youth activist that also happens to push a fight for increased youth activism.

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