Black Teens Have Been Fighting for Gun Reform for Years, never got the support that the FL kids did [View all]

https://www.teenvogue.com/story/black-teens-have-been-fighting-for-gun-reform-for-years

In response to Winfrey's tweet, Charlene Carruthers, the national director at Black Youth Project 100, an activist organization focused on "creating justice and freedom for all Black people," tweeted, "Gosh. This is amazing. And I'm not being sarcastic. I have to be honest and say that I'm a bit taken aback (and a bit hurt) that those of us who were in the streets in the past five years for Black lives didn't receive this type of reception or public support."

Her point was expounded upon by others, who explained that young black people have been fighting to save lives through gun reform laws for years without the support and energy given to the Stoneman Douglas students. In fact, black youth, who've been passionately advocating for gun control measures, have been demonized, obfuscated, and overlooked. In 2015, Winfrey said in an interview with People, “I think it’s wonderful to march and to protest, and it’s wonderful to see all across the country, people doing it. What I’m looking for is some kind of leadership to come out of this to say, ‘This is what we want. This is what has to change, and these are the steps that we need to take to make these changes, and this is what we’re willing to do to get it.’

Young black activists have been in the streets advocating for gun reform for decades without much attention or mass appeal, but that doesn't mean they don't exist, or that they work without leadership, or that their demands are unclear. While we celebrate the success of the Stoneman Douglas teens, it's crucial to examine which progressive movements are embraced and legitimized — considered worthy of a passionate public response and united steely resolve — and which are received with skepticism, restraint, and apprehension. And why that might be