The kids are alright: Speaking to a Jewish Day School about activism and social justice
Last week I had the distinct pleasure of getting to speak to a local Jewish high school’s class about activism. I spoke a bit about my journey to Judaism and social justice and being a young activist. We had a really great discussion about how they can get involved in movements they care about. These juniors were awesome: they asked a ton of questions, let me pester them with questions, and had a ton to say about how young folks are treated in social justice movements. These young people know how important they are to the world and I can’t wait to see where they go.
Yesterday, I was surprised with some amazing thank-you notes! I’m really touched that they took the time to write such thoughtful responses. These are some of my favorites:
“Thank you for taking the time to speak to our class about activism and feminism. It was really interesting to learn about your experiences and how you came to be an activist after having almost no political background. It was also pretty intriguing to hear about how you were able to quickly shift your major and make a career out of being an activist author after being inspired by attending a protest. I liked hearing your encouragement about how all of us can be activists for causes we care about, and just generally hearing about what a protester does from the perspective of a real activist, as opposed to from the media. I found it inspiring to hear your faith in young people, as well as to learn about how you are continuing your humanitarian efforts as both an activist and an author, despite the COVID-19 crisis and us all being stuck at home. Thanks again for speaking to us and for your valuable contributions to the world!”
“Thank you for taking time to educate us and share what it is you are passionate about. I think your activism and efforts to make the change you want to see is very empowering and incredible. Thank you for teaching us how we as well can take those steps to make change and spread awareness and also giving words of encouragement and comfort to fight for what we believe, but also feel okay if we are not yet sure what that is. I enjoyed hearing about your journey.”
“Thank you so much for taking the time to speak to our class about activism. I think it is awesome what you are doing, fighting for the things that you most believe in and taking action to make your voice heard. After you spoke to our class, I realized that I should focus on certain issues that are important to me and work to make a difference. Thanks again for speaking to us, I learned a lot.”
“Thank you so much for “coming” to speak to our class. I think you are doing great work and I hope you keep it up! I really learned a lot from your talk. I hope you come back to talk to next year’s class because I think they can learn a lot and be inspired by you, like I was.”
Anyways, these made me cry on a Wednesday afternoon. If you’re interested in having me speak to your class about activism and social justice, contact me below.
