The Role of Young People in the Black Lives Matter Movement

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: And there’s sort of a cross movement, isn’t there? Because you know, it started with the shoo tinging and it then, I guess not morphed, but added the Black Lives Movement.

AALAYAH EASTMOND, PARKLAND SURVIVOR, EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEMBER, TEAM ENOUGH: Absolutely. And I think it’s really important that people recognize that when we talk about gun violence, police violence is also a part of that conversation as well. It goes into the fact that black lives are also being killed by police and that goes hand in hand with gun violence as well. So, when we talk about what change we want to see, it goes hand in hand with the change that we want to see in gun violence because police violence is also directly impacted into that as well.

AMANPOUR: So, let me turn to you, Alicia, because, you know, you obviously started Black Lives Matter along with others, and this was you know, in reaction to the, to the shooting of Trayvon Martin and exoneration of George Zimmerman. So, tell me what you are hearing from, from Aalayah right now, in terms of the generational, young people’s movement on the street and is it because there’s just been a failure of political leadership to address these issues.

ALICIA GARZA, CO-FOUNDER, BLACK LIVES MATTER: Well, absolutely. And it’s so great to be on this program with Aalayah because I think, you know, the March For Our Lives and the Black Lives Matter movement and the movement for black lives, really represents a growing, right, of not only dissatisfaction with the way that things are organized now, but it also represents a vision for this country and frankly, for this world, that everyone has the access that we need and that we deserve to being safe, to being able to live in communities that are nourished with the things we need to live well. And for me, I think that one of the major things that we have to pay attention to in this moment is that there has been an incredible failure of leadership. There’s been a failure of leadership to address what keeps communities safe. What keeps young people safe in their schools and their places of learning. And what keeps black people safe in our communities.