My Voice. Won’t be heard. Because I am a young, Caucasian, religious female. They won’t want to hear my opinion once I say I’m independent in the political world. They won’t listen because I’m not “old enough” to have an opinion. They won’t listen because they think it’s all a bunch of nothing, since it’s coming from my mouth, my thoughts. They won’t listen because it won’t benefit them. They won’t listen because I’m just a college student “not experiencing the real world.” They won’t listen because I am not a democrat. They won’t listen because I don’t claim republican. They don’t listen because I am not ONE OF THEM. All they see is my pink pouted lips and 12-year-old looking body. “She’s too young to have a say.” “She’s a woman.” “She’s a ‘white’ young lady with her heads in the clouds thinking things will ever change.”
Things won’t change until they hear us.
Her voice won’t be heard. Because she is a young, African American, religious female. They won’t hear her once she addresses the fact that she’s independent in the political world. They won’t listen because she’s not “old enough” to have an opinion. Even though she’s in the puddle of all this madness. They won’t listen because they have “heard it all before.” They won’t listen since it doesn’t benefit them. They don’t listen even though she has the right to freedom of speech and peaceful protest. All they see is her velvet lips and her mature looking body not like mine. “She’s too young to have a say.” “She’s a woman.” “She’s a ‘black’ young lady with her heads in the clouds thinking things will ever change.”
Things won’t change until they hear us.
His voice won’t be heard. He is a young ‘white’ athletic male. They won’t hear him due to the lack of money. Lack of nice apparel. Lack of all things “necessary” to fit into social standards. They won’t hear him because they don’t “feel like it.”
His voice won’t be heard. He is a young ‘black’ unathletic male. They won’t hear him because he too lacks money, and a closet fit for someone fortunate enough. Lack of all things “necessary” to fit into the social norms. They won’t hear him due to the fact that they’re stereotyping. Due to the fact that he can’t play ‘ball’.
Things won’t change until they hear us. It’s that simple.
He’s gay, she’s bisexual, they’re straight, he’s a white democrat, he’s a black republican, she’s loud, she’s quiet, he’s arrogant. She’s annoying. He’s too young. She’s too young. Did any of those negative words stand out? Maybe. But the colours mentioned stood out the most because that’s all we hear and see now. ALL THESE LABELS but two in particular. Black and white.
Things won’t change until you hear us behind these labels. If we would all forget about these labels and LOOK PAST COLOUR, and start looking at PEOPLE for who they are and what good they’ve brought. No one will listen. Nothing will change.
Things won’t change until our voices are heard.
Things won’t change until they choose to listen.
Until they choose to think about someone other than themselves or another people group they’re unfamiliar with, the future of our nation. Don’t they realize that it’s us? We the “young, gay, straight, black, white, unprofessional, straight, impolitically correct, millennials” are the future.
And yet they don’t want to listen. Things won’t ever change until they hear us.
But how can we get them to hear us? Should we just sit back and watch? Will they ever ask us how we feel? Do They even understand? After analyzing this, let’s ask ourselves, “does the change, start with us?” If so, it’s not too late. The only real problem here is the question of, “when will they hear us?” Do our voices even matter in this so-called “free” world?
By Caitie Perry