Redirecting the Conversation

Social justice has become an increasingly popular topic of general conversation in the United States, especially in the wake of shocking events like the Black Lives Matter protests and the overturn of Roe v. Wade (1973). The words “racism,” “sexism,” and “homophobia” have made their appearance at the dinner table more in recent years than they ever have before. These conversations have been instrumental in spreading awareness of social justice issues, but the way in which we spark these conversations has proven, thus far, ineffective in actually working toward solving them. Discussing these issues and their solutions with legislators three generations older than us, who are set in their ways and are not looking to budge, has not had the effect we hoped for. Though, unfortunately, we cannot look to our current legislative or judicial leaders for effort in creating further anti-discriminatory, regulatory, or otherwise reformative policy, we can look to our future leaders. The way to approach the reformation of any societal issue begins with conversation, but to achieve the most effective and efficient reform, that conversation must be directed, instead, toward the nation’s youth.

The first step of inciting beneficial social dialogue in younger generations is ensuring that the wrong messages are not instilled in this conversation. Past experiences in facing any sort of discrimination or, on the other hand, in exacerbating the issue, must be reevaluated before focusing on solving societal issues on a large scale. Adults—parents, teachers, older siblings—must first look inward and begin to resolve their trauma after having faced the issue or to reconcile themselves with their own guilt in participating in the issue. “It’s important to take the time to unpack your own socialization and beliefs,” argues Raina Elyse Anderson, assistant professor of health behavior and health education. “Thinking about where you grew up, how you were taught about race as a child, and your experiences with discrimination can help you evaluate your own point of view.” This will ascertain that the message we impart is unprejudiced and the environment we create in having these conversations is vulnerable, yet safe. In better understanding the flaws in our own perceptions we protect our youth from inheriting them and aid them as they confront their own: “Then you can open yourself to hear the perspective of the young people in your life without putting your baggage on their shoulders. A frank discussion of identities—race and culture and context, in all their complexity—is healthy for you, children, and society at large.” Enabling ourselves to have open dialogue with both ourselves and the youths in our lives begins with introspection and ushers in the opportunity for real acceptance, and therefore, effective reform.

Further, the movement for most any social justice reform has foundations in genuine compassion for others. While compassion is largely human nature—and should not require teaching—it is a skill that takes practice and technique. We must teach our youth not only to feel empathy for their peers, regardless of their station in life, but to express it in constructive ways. An important way to begin reform is to regularly check in on the people, and especially the children, in one’s life and provide an exerted effort to support them in any way they can, teaching them to, in turn, do the same for their peers. In regard to the immense emotional consequences of the sharp escalation of Asian American violence that began in 2020-21, Jennifer Liu posits that, in order to help, “Non-Asian American friends and colleagues can show support by checking in with AAPI peers [and] demonstrating care for their wellbeing and offering specific forms of help.” Exemplifying empathy and understanding, especially toward victims of discrimination that we may not face ourselves, will provide a role model for the young people around us. They will learn both that expressing emotion is socially acceptable—a hard lesson for many young men to learn, after they’ve been taught the opposite—and how to do it in the most beneficial way. However, “asking someone an open-ended question can create an emotional burden for the recipient.” Instead, “be explicit in your offer of support based on what they need,” showing our peers in pain that we genuinely want to find a way to help them, and showing those younger than us the best way to offer ourselves up as emotional support. In doing so, we teach the younger generation how to attack similar issues in their future, and how companionship may help resolve them, instilling in them a softness for such issues that is rare to find today, as well as a mindset for solution that will lead to reform as they grow older and begin taking leadership roles.

Finally, in enacting reform and change, we must remember how much the youth passively absorb and learn from society. They are much more aware than we think, which explains how easily young kids adopt the problematic ideas held by society at large (gender roles, racial profiles, stereotypes) even if no one explicitly teaches them. Reformation can begin at their age, but they need role models and support, and it’s important that the adults surrounding them provide beneficial inspiration and motivation to make change happen. Specifically regarding the difference in treatment between children who participate in sports and those who participate in debate club, LZ Granderson asserts that children “see the hypocrisy, and we can't expect society to correct itself. If we want to have any lasting influence on the way our kids approach education -- the way future generations approach education -- then we have to grab our pom-poms and paint our faces and celebrate intellectual curiosity with the same vigor we do their athletic achievements.” Granderson makes a very important point about the way our behavior today will affect generations further into the future than we can imagine. Though it may feel fruitless to exert so much effort for change and receive a dismissive hand from legislators, employers, and our parents, it is important that we continue to make that effort. Our youth will see the way we approach reform, learn from it, and form a habit of action rather than complacence—a gift that will have compounding benefits as each following generation learns from its predecessors.

In sum, yes, any conversation is good conversation regarding social justice issues. However, the direction in which to target that conversation shouldn’t be solely lateral, between our peers who have similar views, nor can we have that conversation, as we have found, with those older than us, who have made their opinions and do not plan to change them. Instead, the dialogue must begin with our children. By teaching them in their youth to have an open perspective, to exert effort and empathy in helping others, and to take action against the discrimination they see in their everyday lives, we are setting them up to become the most educated, compassionate, reform-minded generation yet. These traits will become more ingrained in our societal thinking the younger we begin teaching them, until, in many generations, the fight for discrimination reform and social justice will finally end. Though we may never see the fruits of our labor, we must begin now to create better lives for future generations of the oppressed.

Works Cited

Anderson, Riana Elyse. “How to Have Constructive Conversations About Race (Opinion).” Education Week, 16 February 2022, https://www.edweek.org/leadership/opinion-how-to-have-constructive-conversations-about-race/2022/02. Accessed 30 November 2023.

Granderson, LZ. “Why I'm raising my son to be a nerd.” CNN, 28 June 2011, http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/06/28/granderson.raising.nerd/index.html. Accessed 30 November 2023.

Liu, Jennifer. “How to support Asian American colleagues amid anti-Asian violence.” CNBC, 19 February 2021, https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/19/how-to-support-asian-american-colleagues-amid-anti-asian-violence.html. Accessed 30 November 2023.