Teen Talk: Teens share their perspectives on No Kings protests

It’s not a secret that teens were raised in a digital world. By age 2, many toddlers have used technology. Teens spend their lives online, communicating, scrolling on social media, even paying for things with just a tap of a phone. Despite those major differences, we do appear to be united with prior generations in valuing democracy.

A typical teen has familiarity with major demonstrations including Black Lives Matter, Anti-Ice and No Kings. Some teens have participated in the demonstration, others have protested the protest, and yet others have remained deliberately unengaged. Democracy is at the heart of all options.

Readers of My Neighborhood News have indicated an interest in learning more about why teens are demonstrating and how they learned about local protests. No Kings demonstrations occurred across the U.S. Saturday, so it was a great opportunity to ask. Though many attendees at the No Kings demonstration in Edmonds were adults, passionate teens were peppered throughout the crowd and their voices were heard.

A few points might be surprising.

– Lukas Lynch attends Scriber Lake High School and felt compelled to show up and speak out. Lukas identifies as transgender and is very concerned about the safety of all marginalized populations. Lukas said, “I care about everyone. My neighbors. My friends. And the trans community.” Lukas’ parents — also socially active — found the event and shared the information. “Of course I’m afraid of going public, but someone has to. I’m more afraid of how people will be treated if everyone remains silent,” Lukas said.

– Alex Anderson attends Edmonds Heights K-12. Alex was walking by the Civic Park, saw the signs and decided to join. Alex didn’t know about the protest prior to seeing the signs but felt like standing with similar-minded people was a good outlet for expressing dissent with political views. It can be difficult for teens who have different political views than their family members, and peaceful outlets such as the Edmonds demonstration felt empowering.

– Owen Greene, 13 years old and a student at Madrona K-8, was there with his grandparents. Owen said he was worried about rising gas prices and ICE raids. Owen first heard about the protest scrolling through his local news feed on his Chromebook.

– Eleanor Klein attends Edmonds Heights K-12. This is Eleanor’s second time attending a No Kings demonstration and was there with a parent. “There are no kings in America. I disagree with Trump and I believe that everyone should have the same opportunity for a quality life. Equality is important,” Eleanor said.

– Friends Cory Frank of Edmonds-Woodway High School and 18-year-old Elanor Sansburn, a before- and after-school caregiver, found out about the demonstration through friends. Frank noted how amazing it was to see the community coming together “with love rather than hatred.” Sansburn talked about how powerful it was to see the local community in action. “It’s so great to see so many people from my community here.”

In a world of high tech, only one of the people interviewed learned of the event through social media. While all of the teens interviewed expressed dissatisfaction with the current administration, and several expressed personal fear due to the existing political environments, no one made blanket comments about political parties. All expressed joy in seeing the community come together peacefully to demand change and justice.

Amelie LaPorte-Manahan is grateful to live in Edmonds. She is a junior at Seattle Prep High School where she is a part of the journalism club and Black Student Union. Amelie has also played varsity basketball and is currently playing on the varsity flag football and softball teams.