Every issue, GRAZIA USA highlights Game Changers, who inspire, educate, and celebrate individuality, beauty, and style. Meet activist Anya Dillard who’s leading the way with her organization, The Next Gen Come Up.
From the point where I started The Next Gen Come Up to organizing my first climate strike, getting involved in so many other leadership programs, and speaking at huge protests, I have been able to meet so many other young change makers and young revolutionaries. I always tell people that no matter what you want to be, you can be an activist within that.
Whether you want to be a doctor who completely dismantles the distrust that the communities of color have in Big Pharma, or whether you want to be the first Black astronaut to come out of a certain university, or whether you want to be a straight-up Al Sharpton-level activist, whatever you want to do, if you want to make change, you can do it through any avenue you choose.
The world is so vast and there’s no shortage of problems in our country. But one of the major issues that we as a human race need to work on is the problem of making everything political. So many people have adopted the mindset of not getting involved because something’s “political.” Even though politics is such a huge part of how we live our everyday lives, so many of the issues that people label “political” are human issues. Regardless of your party, regardless of your affiliation, they’re human rights issues. They’re humanity issues.
People need to stop associating fighting for human rights and fighting for equality with fighting for a political party or a political agenda. Ultimately, we’re all just fighting to live and fighting for the freedom to live freely and to succeed and to be happy.
Hate is not something that we just have to cope with along the way; it’s a weapon. Of course everyone has biases. But when you recognize that you have hate towards something or someone, you really have to treat that as an illness. That has nothing to do with politics. It’s as simple as “I should not be wishing bad things upon this person simply because of what I was raised to believe, or because I don’t look like that.”
This is such a time of re-education, of unity building, of community uprising. So many different things that can bring so much life and so much connection are happening right now. People need to start being more open about remedying their own biases and remedying their own hatred in order for progress to happen.
That’s what makes Gen Z really unique. We are a generation of people that are very up front and we’ll call you on your BS. We’re always trying to invoke the conversation, regardless of whether or not people agree with us. We understand that even just starting that dialogue is making progress. So much comes out of those conversations.
Whether it’s performative or whether it’s hardcore boots on the ground, I think all activism is important to make progress. The more you see something, the more you believe it. So, regardless of whether a corporation wants to put a Pride flag up for just 30 days or whether a company wants to donate money to an HBCU or Black business for 28 days a year, it’s still pushing the envelope. It’s still encouraging people to normalize the existence of groups of people that were not accepted 100 years ago. I recognize the importance of all activism, all levels of representation.
Still, you have to be someone that’s dedicated to constant conversation or constant education. How dedicated are you really to progress, to pushing the envelope, and to encouraging change? Because that’s what really makes an activist.
