So much has changed so quickly. And if any of you are confused or scared or angry—or just plain overwhelmed—I just want you to know that you aren’t alone. I am feeling all that, too. And I have a few things I want to say about it.
To anyone who’s feeling invisible: Know that your story matters. Your ideas, your experiences, your vision for our world all matter.
Your anger—that matters too. But left on its own, it will only corrode, destroy, and sow chaos—on the inside and out.
Your anger—that matters too. But left on its own, it will only corrode, destroy, and sow chaos—on the inside and out.
Dr. King was angry. Sojourner Truth was angry. Lucretia Mott, Cesar Chavez, the folks at Stonewall—they were all angry.
But they were also driven by compassion, by principle—by hope.
But they were also driven by compassion, by principle—by hope.
And if you hold strong with the same faith that carried all those giants before you toward real, measurable progress—you will change the course of history.
So if you’re spending a lot of time hashtagging and posting right now, that’s useful, especially during a pandemic. But it’s only a beginning. Go further.
Text everybody you know to join you in exercising their constitutional right to protest. Send all your friends a link to register to vote at WhenWeAllVote.org/register. And show up to vote in every election.
This is how you can finish the work that the generations before you started. By staying open and hopeful, even through tough times. Even through discomfort and pain. Channel your feelings into activism and into this democracy that was designed to respond to those who vote.
#Classof2020, and every one of you out there using your voice to fight for justice, you all are exactly what we need right now—and for the years and decades to come. I love you all. I believe in you all. This is your time. @reachhigher
