Your teenage years are supposed to be a time for you to figure out who you really are. It’s also a time where you often feel lost and confused. However, with everything that’s been going on (Covid-19, protests for the death of George Floyd, etc..), these influential teenage years have become extremely dense.
Many students haven’t been able to get their prom or graduation. Others are struggling to attend online classes in a home that doesn't have the necessary technological facilities. This is what makes this time so unique; it affects all of us, crossing societal and economic borders. Though it should also be noted that lower income neighborhoods are unfortunately being hit harder by this pandemic. Additionally, with the protests for racial equality and police brutality, we have seen the birth of a movement that unites young people towards a greater cause.
All of this has been incredible on the surface but we’re losing our ’traditional’ teenage years in the same time. Many of our problems have changed from “what should I wear to school tomorrow?” to “will I have a safe and just future?” Though this may be unfortunate, it’s making us aware. Aware of how much work still needs to be done, aware of the struggle that teenagers living in an unstable country have to experience, and aware of the importance of unity and justice.
This period may have ‘messed' with our teenage years, but I am confident that it will further shape us into a generation that fights for justice and never gives up.
