The African community is growing stronger and stronger by the day but even though it is it still has problems. Africans are fighting against problems still within the community especially with the youth. One of the major obstacles the African youth is facing is figuring out how to contribute to the community. Many youths have challenges expressing themselves within their families and community. Sometimes when the youth try to express themselves, they can be misunderstood. If African youth can find a way to overcome these obstacles, then they will be able to make the future better and fix problems in the African community.
The African youth’s role in nation building is to produce ideas and opinions while remembering their history. The youth must remember their history because if they do not their ideas and opinions might be compromised and their goals may not be achieved.
In order for the African youth to create ideas and opinions they should identify solutions based on their unique situation. It is their mission as African youth to listen to the opinions and worldviews of the Elders in their lives. If they have new or different ideas, the youth must find solutions based on their situations to express themselves. By doing this the Afrikan youth will be able to understand and apply the core values of their parents while creating safer for our generation and the generations of African youth to come.
Amanda Gorman, Zulaikha Patel and James Meredith are all good examples of people that come up with ideas and opinions while still remembering their history. Even though they all have different backgrounds and situations they all make the best of it and inspire others to do the same.
Amanda Gorman
Amanda Gorman is a young Afrikan American poet and activist. She was born March 7, 1998 in Los Angeles, California. Growing up Amanda Gorman had a speech impediment and was diagnosed with an auditory processing disorder in kindergarten which means that she had trouble pronouncing the letter “R” until she was 20 but that did not stop her. She practiced speaking over and over and even participated in speech therapy. She kept working to speak better and in the end her speech impediment helped her speak better than a lot of other people.
In 2021 Amanda Gorman spoke at Joe Biden’s Inauguration. Earlier in 2020 president Joe Bidens wife Mrs. Jill Biden had seen Amanda Gorman’s work and suggested she write a poem for her husband and inauguration. Later in 2020 they invited her to perform and she agreed. To prepare she read speeches from various people like Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King Jr., Abraham Lincon, and Winston Churchill. She also studied the previous inaugural poet Maya Angelou, someone that has inspired her for a long time, and other people too. At the Inauguration she mesmerized the crowd with her amazing speech called “The Hill We Climb.”
Even though Amanda Gorman had a speech impediment she still kept practicing and trying so much she became passionate about writing and speaking in general and had many achievements. This is a good example for youth because it shows them that no matter the obstacle, they can overcome it and might even get something they enjoy out of it. Many people have the tendency to just give up on activities that are too hard convincing themselves that there is no point of doing it so if the African community trains their youth to not be that way with examples like Amanda Gorman, then it will motivate them to find a way to express themselves even if it seems impossible.
Amanda Gorman’s performance/speech is important because it talks about African’s past or just people of color in general and they can rise and make the world a better place for all backgrounds. Amanda Gorman’s performance/speech is a good example of nationbuilding because she is voicing her ideas and opinions about African people in the world while remembering their history and encouraging Africans to pave the way for the next generations to have a better life.
Zulaikha Patel
Zulaikha Patel is a South African anti-racism activist. She was born in 2003. She became the symbol of the fight against Pretoria Girls High School’s policy regarding Black girls’ hair in 2016, at the age of 13. She and her classmates also held a demonstration that led to a change in school policies and an inquiry into allegations of racism at the school.
Pretoria Girls’ High School is in Pretoria republic of South Africa. The school was founded in 1902 and was an all-white school until 1990. Even though they switched to letting all races in the school there were quite a few indirect race rules, one of them against Afros. Zulaikha Patel noticed these rules and found them unfair and ridiculous, which led her to lead the demonstration. Zulaikha and her classmates were threatened with being arrested for this silent protest but that did not stop them. Somehow a video of 3 security guards that the school sent to try and break up the demonstration found its way online which caused immense backlash towards the school. Meanwhile many people were inspired by Zulaikha Patel and how she stood up for what she thought was right.
Zulaikha Patel’s silent protest at her school inspired many other schools in south Africa to do the same. This started to become the youth’s way of fighting for change in the schools they were in and to fix the racist ways. This is another good example of how the youth speaking and expressing their opinions can help make the world a better place. By the youth working together they eventually created change in all the schools and showed other African children out there that even if the situation is unfair and seems like it is going to be like that forever that is not the case. If the African children put their mind to it, they could be able to achieve anything they want despite racism and make the world a better place.
James Meredith
James Meredith was an African American civil rights activist, writer, and air force veteran. He was born June 25th 1933 in Kosciusko Mississippi and his full name was James Howard Meredith. James Meredith grew up on a farm with his siblings not having to experience racism until he was riding the train back home and him and his brother were moved to the back of the train that was crowded to Black people and had to stand up the whole time. After his Experience on the train James Meredith vowed to dedicate his life to give all Afrikan Americans equal rights.
On June 6th 1966 James Meredith started the “March Against Fear.” The March Against Fear took place from Memphis, Tennessee to Jakson, Mississippi and the goal was to encourage African Americans to register and vote after the passage of voting rights act of 1965 and to protest against racial violence. Shortly after the march started James Meredith was shot by a white sniper and taken to the hospital. Even though he was injured and taken to the hospital, major civil rights activists like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. And Stokely Carmichael decided to continue the march for him with protection from the Deacons for Defense and Justice providing armed security. The March continued and many people joined from across the nation. Eventually the march gained more the 15,000 participants making it the largest civil rights protest in Mississippi’s history.
In 1966 it was very dangerous for James Meredith to start this run. It was dangerous because many civil rights activists at that time were being assassinated due to the fact they are seen as a threat to white people or white supremist but even with this information he still chooses to take his chances and stand for what was right. This is a good example of nation building because even though James Meredith was not in the youth when he did this it is a good example for the youth to be brave and try to fight for what’s right even if it is scary. Even though James Meredith was shot on the second day of the march his efforts still left such an impression that 15,000 people wound up finishing the march in honor of him. This is another good example of nation building and can motivate the youth to express their ideas and opinions because even if it seems like what they are saying is for nothing it can have a larger impact on people then they think.
I chose Amanda Gorman, Zulaikha Patel and James Meredith because they are all good examples of nation building and can help inspire the youth to make the world a better place. Another reason I chose Amanda Gorman, Zulaikha Patel and James Meredith is because I wanted to learn about people I had not known about and see how they expressed their ideas and opinions to help the African community. These people inspire me because it shows me that no matter how hard the situation is I can express myself by using my talents.
When I get older, I want to be an artist. I have always liked drawing, painting, and anything like it so I will keep practicing and then use my talents to express myself and better the African community. The youth should also use their passions to help the African community because not only will it help get rid of problems within the community but also enjoying themselves and inspiring others.
If the African youth can manage to express their ideas and opinions to express their ideas and opinion to better the community then this will give an incredibly good example for the next generation, and we will eventually be able to give ourselves the life we deserve.
The Watoto Speak! 