The media is so focused on Biden’s age, that I’m more conscious of generation gaps now than I’ve ever been in my life. But I’m not alone. Today in America our personal relationships can be as polarized as our politics.
For example, the gap between a slightly pre-Baby Boomer senior like me and a Gen-Xer born between 1965 and 1980, seems to come from the different worlds we grew up in.
The popular view is that the Vietnam War made my generation politically motivated, but that our children in the Gen X, or MTV/Latchkey, Generation grew up more independent-minded.
Then comes the Millennial Generation. They grew up with 9/11, the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and the 2008 recession.
They are said to be more liberal than the generation before them, and more comfortable with voting. That might be so. I met a young Millennial recently who welcomes the chance to tell people of all ages, “Vote for your rights!”
Chaz Beasley is a graduate of Harvard and of Georgetown Universities, an attorney in Charlotte, NC, and very involved in his community. Recently he spoke to Democrats here in our rural mountain county.
To me, one of our local issues is especially alarming. After many years of Republican leadership, our school buildings are in desperate need of repair. How can we even begin to build a climate for change?
I asked Beasley for his views. He told me,
Democrats must continue to show up in every community - before and after an election. People need to feel our presence and realize that they have a real choice at the ballot box.
We must be sure our message reaches our friends and neighbors - this election is about the future and who we want leading us, come what may, tough or easy. We need strong, competent leadership for our state and our country.
I feel that Chaz speaks to me, but he also connects with his and other generations. I wish every young voter could hear what he said last January. He’s talking not just about voting, but about how to live your life. He said,
Every day ordinary people do extraordinary things. We have to remember: Martin Luther King had the same blood running through his veins as you have. Rosa Parks could sit and stand just as well as you can sit and stand. She sat for what was right and she stood for justice.
2024 is a year for answers. Are you going to be one of those people providing solutions? We must all decide when it becomes more important that we do what is right than what is convenient. Make this community what you want it to be. Don’t rely on politicians and elected officials; hold them accountable.
The work is yours. Take it up, and keep on fighting.
Something Chaz said makes me think again about those generational labels I’ve used. They’re convenient, but are they right? I might be missing the real people behind the labels, and my chance to know them better.
As a member of The Silent Generation, I know that times change and people act and react to their own times. In the 1970's I was involved in the feminist movement and was HIGHLY motivated by the abortion issue. Fifty years later, it remains an issue, and again I am hopeful that those who realize the importance of their vote will get to the booth and VOTE BLUE!
Hi, Deda, I am reminded about when we were relocated to Slidell, LA in 1973-74 finding ourselves in an environment that was not acceptable. That is when you, I, and many other young mothers galvanized to make the change we thought was necessary for us to raise our children in that location. We moved governments by diligent, relentless work. We did not protest but quietly attended council and committee meetings absorbing information. Then we acted by pointing out corruption in the government and demanding change. Ultimately, every governing body that we were part of changed - city council, parish government, school board, and even the library board. We were powerful women!