In 1984, when Lorde wrote that “the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house”, there was so much to deconstruct in that statement. Who knew how powerful nine words could be?
For me, the reckoning occurred back in January. After I had read those words, I realized how relevant they were in raising awareness - not just for feminism, but for other movements, such as racism, climate change and ableism. I had realized that all these movements were still being run by the majority, and often, the majority will not be the ones who want to enact change.
As a teenager who is female, African-American, muslim and half-deaf, I never see myself or the groups I associate myself with as the majority. This is why I have to speak for myself and get my side of politics out there. For me, the political IS personal. Although my identity has shaped my beliefs and thoughts, I still realize how many other forms of minorities there are who still struggle to get THEIR voice out there. I chose to create “polistalk” on Instagram for this reason.
The inspiration behind this account was to create a space for GenZ and the youth to be HEARD. I wanted this space to be for ALL OF US, regardless of our gender, race, sexuality, religion or political affiliations. I have realized that if we form alliances now and start educating ourselves on politics and society, we will have created something special that has yet to be implemented on the American political arena: unity. This is not about having the same political party and agreeing on the same policies: this is about making sure that there is no minority. There is no unheard person in the crowd and finding a basis for us all to get our opinions across and make sure basic human rights are not things that become politicized.
Going back to Lorde’s quote now, the master’s house: the institution and laws and rights dictated around three hundred years ago, is crumbling and its foundations are broken and unsteady.
The master’s tools: the older generations which refuse to acknowledge us and our future, is rusty and uninvested in us. They are too cautious to change the ways of the master’s house and that is the tragic flaw of the American government today.
If we don’t begin to act now and become invested in the political world at a young age, we will eventually morph into new tools which uphold the same old regime.
Our generation is the woke one. We are the ones who in the United Kingdom, managed to convince the government to change the grading system for A-Levels and GCSEs; worldwide, with Greta Thunberg, we have been carrying out the #FridaysfortheFuture protests. This has encouraged school boards and communities to become more conscious on issues. There is nothing we cannot do if we simply put our 110% into it, and this mentality is what should forever be at the front of our minds. We are a confident, headstrong generation and we will get what we want when it is our time to lead.
Until then, let’s start learning - learning about history’s political mistakes, learning about what needs to be done for society, learning about how we are going to go harder for social justice and learning how to become more aware. Let us make the decision today to bulldoze the master’s house when we get the chance. Let us realize that we do not have the choice on whether we are going to be political or not: we need to be, and that is something our generation needs to realize.
We need to realize that there are so many problems going on right now, both in the United States and all over the world, and it is both us and our future being put in jeopardy here - I am not saying that we need to be worried. We can do even better than that. We need to get our voices heard - but not just heard, but louder than anybody else in the room. Because we are no longer fighting to improve the quality of our lives as GenZ Politicians and Activists, we are fighting to be respected and acknowledged so that in twenty years, we can wake up knowing that we have a solid future to look forward to after that.
Finally, let us make the conscious decision today that we are going to become the new tools. We are going to build our own house. A house we do not have to dismantle entirely - only one we need to renovate to make even more perfect.
Signed, the Political Princess, on behalf of the Polis Talk Space.
Go follow their insta @polistalk
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