Young people continuing to fight for social justice

On Saturday, several thousand people gathered in Montreal to march for climate justice, all while respecting social distancing and wearing masks. A large portion of protestors were young people, who have continued to demand social justice despite pandemic restrictions.
This is just one of many demonstrations demanding justice for Black Lives Matter and the Climate Crisis that have continued despite the global pandemic this year. Georgia LaPierre, a local youth activist living in Lennoxville, stated that the passion among young people is derived from fear and uncertainty.
“We’re angry and honestly we feel like we can’t strive for anything because our futures are so uncertain,” she said. “We are so passionate because it’s not for our children or our grandchildren anymore, it’s our futures at stake.”
According to LaPierre. The first stages of the pandemic proved to be difficult for young activists, as protesting fell under restricted activities due to the large crowds.
“Finding ways to be vocal was very difficult in the beginning of quarantine,” the young activist said. “No matter how much we post on social media it didn’t feel like the same level of action we’re used to taking. We were very discouraged especially since we felt that our governments were taking advantage of the fact that we couldn’t use our voices.”
With restrictions still in place, young people returned to protesting, as they continued to feel unheard. LaPierre said that she and many other young people felt that it came to a point where being at home was not benefitting anyone, and social media fell flat once again.
“Not being able to use our voices was quite disheartening but, when protests started happening again, it was exciting to see everyone standing in solidarity,” recounted LaPierre. “I attended most of the Black Lives Matter protests in Montreal. I felt I needed to show my support for BIPOC (Black/Indigenous People of Colour) because the injustices they’re facing should be protested and challenged, pandemic or not.”
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