The Religion and Political Views of Yara Shahidi

Honored to be able to rep my generation at the Teen Vogue summit and discuss the importance of civic engagement // investing in our global community// and voting (especially during midterms) with Secretary Clinton. Thank you @elainewelteroth for the ardent support and continuing to provide me and my peers with a beautiful platform to amplify what we care about (also thanks to @lilmanshahidi for letting me borrow your clipboard)

I think we're all in this strange state because it is, not to say unexpected, but with what's happening in Charlottesville is an example and the personification of hate in a way that hasn't been seen in such a long time. We've had these instances throughout the years in which you see unarmed black men being killed, or whatever the situation is, in which we are aware of the racism that already exists.

So many people in this world, continuing now, have felt disenfranchised, and the issue that we have occurring over and over again is that when we give them the right to feel as though to come under the compass of what it means to be American or what it means to be a full citizen. What we’re seeing right now with the current administration is slowly realizing, especially my generation, how important policy is. I think more than the cultural change that has to occur, there’s social change that has to occur. Policy has to change, so that we don’t live under the legal barriers that prevent us from being ourselves. That’s what I mean when I say the great regression that occur prompts progress. Being around those people that are so aware at a young age and figuring out what to do with their platform is what inspires me especially given the current administration — it didn’t take much for us to mobilize. Just to have that support network with what’s happening right now, it seems an inevitable thing that’s going to happen in which there will be change. I feel like what we’re witnessing right now is the amalgamation of multiple movements. We are no longer dealing with the separation of civil rights movement, with the woman’s liberation movement, with the LGBTQ movement, with the labor movement — we’re working with the amalgamation of all of it because what we have come to realize is that identity is what we are fighting for.

Trump said he would never infringe on ‘the right to bear arms’… But not willing to provide healthcare for those dealing with gun violence.