The 2019-2020 Rising Voices Fellows reflect on their time in the Fellowship and on their collaborative zine-making process.

When I think back on mornings spent sitting on a stool in the kitchen before school, pouting as my mother detangled my thick hair, I’m glad she wrestled those knots for me. 

To see everything as holy, to be amazed by the simple, beautiful things in the world, not only brings me happiness; it also inspires me to fight for justice.

With "Since Parkland," I tried to celebrate other kids' lives and acknowledge the failures that ended them.

When I brought up the idea of a protest, teachers and peers alike scoffed at first. I was living in Singapore, where protesting was illegal.

In Austin, lack of housing is a huge, persistent issue. It's not only up to us to choose ethical leaders; we must act individually to fight injustice as well.

My Aunt Tiki inspires my disability rights activism; yet sometimes, I fail to speak up.

It’s our responsibility to be informed consumers; livestock are responsible for 14.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

The bottom line is that as white Jews, we can (and do) perpetuate racism and benefit from white privilege.

In my view, moral courage isn’t really about courage; it’s about gathering up the energy to fight. This looks different for every person.

I hear other teenagers throw around comments about getting rid of “these people.” Thousands of teenagers in New York City are homeless or facing food insecurity.

Our group of youth climate activists clings to the conviction that our activism ceases for nothing. Really, we’re ride or die.

When I asked my mom how she relates to the climate crisis through Judaism, she said, “I’ve never thought about it. I guess I’m the simple child.”

I believed that my anticapitalist views clashed with my other identities until I read the works of Rosa Luxemburg.

Rabbinic ordination was not one of Ray Frank’s goals; yet, she paved the way for other women to become rabbis.

 After looking into the achievements of her extensive career, I see that Bella Abzug is the perfect role model for activists just beginning in their work.

Just as Ruth First did in her work, contemporary feminist activists must prioritize maintaining a united, intersectional movement.

I believe that, if Emma Goldman were alive today, her emphasis on writing and lecturing would reshape the modern feminist movement.

I hope that contemporary feminists can learn from Debbie Friedman and bring people together through interactive art.

The second pin on this road map is moving beyond research to action. I should use my voice to speak up; but I cannot speak for everyone.