Rangatahi speak out about social injustice and politics - even though they're too young to vote

Friday, 9 October 2020

16-year old Amirah Barnes says if she’s quiet and reserved, nothing will get done.

Teenagers who are too young to vote have not let age stop them from sharing their political and social beliefs – even when they’re being confronted by adults who oppose their views or actions. Mandy Te reports.

Ahakoa kei te tamariki rawa ki te pōti, e kore ēnei o ngā taiohi e whakakeke ki te tuku i ō rātou whakaaro e pā ana ki ngā tōrangapū me ngā take pāpori – ahakoa whakataringia mai ana e te pakeke e tiro tauaro ana ki ō rātou tirohanga me ā rātou mahi rānei. Kei a Mandy Te te pūrongo.

Amirah Barnes feels she has a duty to speak up, to use her unique voice.

Ki a Amirah Barnes, me whakaputa kōrero ia ka tika, e rangona ai tōna reo ahurei.

She’s Black, African American, Native American, biracial and queer. She’s also just 16 years old.

Amirah Barnes was one of several organisers that led the Black Lives Matter march in Palmerston North earlier this year.

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Thousands of protesters marched in Auckland on June 1 in solidarity after the death of African American George Floyd while in police custody.

He Mangumangu, he Amerikana nō Awherika, he tangata whenua Amerikana, he iwirua, he takatāpui ia. Atu i tēnā, 16 tau noa iho tōna pakeke.

In June, Amirah was one of several organisers who led the Black Lives Matter march in Palmerston North.

I te kaupeka o Pipiri, ko Amirah tētahi o te hunga whakahaere i te hīkoi Mangu Oranga i Papaioea.

Speaking to a crowd of more than 200 people, Amirah said: “I have a lot to say … I stand here as a young African American woman who is not afraid to be Black. I’m afraid of a system that has made me afraid of myself.”

Tāna ki te minenga kō atu i te 200 tāngata, ka paohohia e Amirah: “He nui aku kōrero … anei au e tū nei, te kōtiro Awherikana Amerikana, e kore e wehi ki te kī atu, he Mangumangu ahau. Ka wehi au ki te tikanga whakamataku i a au, ki a au anō.”

“I am the hope of my people. I am the next generation of my people. I will not stop fighting this fight until I draw my last breath on this earth.”

“Ko au te tū manako a tōku iwi. Ko au te reanga e marewa mai nei. E kore e mutu taku whawhai, kia tōmina rā anō i a au taku hā whakamutunga i tēnei āo, mutu rawa ai.”

Growing up in Philadelphia, Amirah’s family made the move to her dad’s hometown, Palmerston North, nearly 10 years ago.

Pakeke rawa ia i Philadelphia, ā, 10 tau ki mua, ka hikipapa te whānau o Amirah ki te tāone tipu o tōna pāpā, ki Papaioea noho ai.

Teenager Amira Barnes believes she was born to speak up about political and societal issues.

But no matter where anyone moves, their roots are with them – and for her, Philadelphia will always be “her place of being”.

Ahakoa anō ki hea hūnuku ai te tangata, ka mauria atu tā rātou tuakiritanga – mōna ake, ko Philadelphia rawa “taku kāinga tūturu”.

Amirah has always been interested in politics and social justice.

Kua roa a Amirah e kaingākau ana ki te ao tōrangapū me te manatika pāpori.

“I come from a long line of teachers and activists … social justice has been instilled me. I have always been vocal since I was child and I’m open with how I feel – I get that from my mom.”

“Ka heke mai au i te rārangi kaiako, rārangi kaiātete hoki … i whakatōkia te mana tangata ki roto ki a au – he momo nō tōku māmā.”

She also goes to different community meetings with her dad and sister. “I just thought, why can’t I get involved because [these discussions] effect me?'

Ka whai atu ia i tana matua rāua ko tana tuahine ki ngā momo hui hapori. “Ka whakaaro ake au, he aha ai kāore au i te whai kanohi, me whai kanohi atu au [ki ngā kōrerorero] e pā mai nei ki a au?”

Amirah believes while the conversations may not be easy, she’s prepared to tackle the issues of Māori land confiscations, the oppression of Māori people and how injustice shapes her own identity.

Even though Oli Morphew has received negative comments for being vocal about her political beliefs, she is not deterred from speaking out.

E whakapono ana a Amirah ahakoa e uaua ana ngā kaupapa kōrero, e rite ana ia ki te rutu i ngā take raupatu whenua a te Māori, te pēhitanga o te iwi Māori, me te ahunga mai o tōna tuakiri i te tūkino.

Amirah said it’s frustrating not being able to vote in either the US elections in November and in Aotearoa on October 17.

E mea ana ia, he tino hōhā te kore āhei ki te pōti ki ngā kōwhiringa pōti o Amerika hei te Whiringa-ā-nuku, me te kōwhiringa o Aotearoa hei te 17 o ngā rā o Whiringa-ā-nuku.

It hasn’t stopped her from speaking up and making sure she can bring political and societal issues to the forefront of people’s minds.

Heoi e kore e mutu tana whakaputa whakaaro ki ngā take e pā ana ki te tōrangapū me te pāpori, kua tāmokotia ērā kaupapa ki te kūrae o mahara.

“There came a point in time during the last election in the US where I made a promise to say what I felt without fear or judgement of others,” Amirah said. “If I’m quiet and reserved nothing is going to get done.”

“Nō tērā o ngā kōwhiringa i Amerika, ka huri aku tai mahara kia taurangitia e au ki te whakapuaki i ōku whakaaro, me te kore aro ki ngā wehi me ngā whakamataku rānei a ētahi,” te kī a Amirah. “Ki te noho wahangū, e kore e pahawa te paku aha.”

“It can be incredibly exhausting and can take a lot out of you but it’s what I’m meant to do. I was born to do this but I take it in stride, I’m always wanting more and I’m always wanting to be the best I can be.”

“He wā kua pakaru te hamuti i ngā taumaha engari i tohua au mō tēnei mahi. I whānau ai au mō tēnei mahi, engari he āta haere te mahi, ā, ka ngana tonu ki te whakapiki, otirā kia eke ai au ki tōku tino āhua.”

‘I have never been used to the idea that I don’t deserve a voice – Kāore anō au kia waia ki te whakaaro, tērā kāore ōku reo.’

Oli Morphew said she will continue to use her voice despite opposition from adults.

Oli Morphew, 15, has always been outspoken. She likes to question ideas and talk to different people about their views.

Mai anō, he nui te māngai o Oli Morphew, e 15 tau te pakeke. He kino kē ki a ia ki te werowero i ngā whakaaro, tae atu ki te rapu i ngā whakaaro a te hunga e tauhou ana ki a ia.

The teenager has spoken on national television about lowering the voting age to 16 and is a Wellington organiser for the School Strike 4 Climate NZ.

Kua kauhau ia ki te pouaka whakaata ā-motu, ki te whakaheke i te tau pōti ki te 16 tau, ā, ko ia tētahi o ngā kaiwhakahaere o Te Whanganui-a-Tara mō te Mautohe a Ngā Kura o Aotearoa mō te Āhuarangi.

“I’ve never been used to the idea that I don’t deserve a voice,” she said.

Kore rawa i taunga te whakaaro, tērā kāore ōku reo,” tāna kī mai.

Morphew has strong views about climate change and the environment – topics, she said, that nearly all young people seem to care about no matter where they stood on the political spectrum.

Kua tino māro ngā whakaaro a Morphew ki ngā huringa i te āhuarangi me te taiao – e ai ki a ia koia anō ngā take e aronuitia ana e te rangatahi, ahakoa kei hea anō i te tūāwhiorangi o te ao tōrangapū o rātou whakaaro.

She also advocates for women’s rights, indigenous rights and LGBT+ rights.

Ka tohe anō ia i te mana o te wahine, te mana tangata whenua me ngā mōtika o ngā hunga Takatāpui.

Rosa Crawford, 15, advocates strongly for minorities. She reads widely and uses Instagram as a platform to share her views.

Morphew won’t be deterred from speaking out or against people or parties who wanted to limit those rights, even if she’s on the receiving end of hateful comments from adults.

E kore a Morphew e tahuri kē, ka tae mai ana ki te whakapuaki whakaaro, mō ētahi tāngata, rōpū rānei, i ngana ki te whakahāwea i ērā mōtika, ahakoa anō ka noho ko ia te papa o ngā hahani a te hunga pakeke.

Oli uses Tiktok, a video-sharing platform, to make content for her friends. While her videos had political undertones – one of them was watched more than 500,000 times – she had made them for her followers to have a laugh.

Ka whakamahi a Oli i te Tiktok, hei paparewa tuari kiriata, hei hanga ihirangi hoki mā ōna hoa. Ahakoa he kōrero tōrangapū ō roto i ana kiriata – ko tētahi kiriata, neke atu i te 500,000 ngā wā i mātakihia – he mea hanga e ia hei kata mā ana hikuroa.

The videos caught the attention of New Conservative Party supporters – some of them taking to Facebook to write hateful comments and others began contacting her family members.

Ka kitea te kiriata e te hunga tautoko i te Rōpū Penapena Hou – ko ētahi i tahuri ki te Pukamata ki te whiuwhiu kōrero, ā, i whakapā ētahi ki ētahi o tōna whānau.

Rosa Crawford, 15, reads widely and uses Instagram as a platform to share her views.

While she expected some backlash, she said the videos should not have been a trigger to harass her friends and family.

Ahakoa tana whakaaro ka paku whakawhiua ia, kāore i whakaaetia kia pērā rawa ngā whakaweti i ōna hoa me tōna whānau.

“It's taught me that I have a platform – I’m representing a young demographic … going forward, this experience has taught me how to do it even better and in a more respectful way,” she said.

Ko te ako nui, he paparewa tōku – ā, e whakakanohi ana ahau i te hunga rangatahi … i roto i te ahu whakamua, nā tēnei whēako kua ako au kia pai ake, otirā kia tau ake taku mahi,” tana kōrero mai.

“I will continue to use my voice. I’m open to criticism, and open to debate with people who are respectful.”

‘I think I’ve always been a social justice warrior – Ki ōku whakaaro, mai anō, he toa mana hapori au’

Rosa Crawford, 15, said she always thinks of the person who has the “weakest” position in society.

E mea ana a Rosa Crawford, e 15 tau te pakeke, ka whai whakaaro ia ki te tangata “ngoikore rawa” o te pāpori.

“I think I’ve always been a social justice warrior, even when I was little … it’s always been in me but seeing how politics have effected me and the people around me, it has influenced my political beliefs,” she said.

Students and parents show their support for the Black Lives Matter protest outside Auckland’s Marist College after posters supporting the movement at the school were ripped down.

“Ki a au nei, kua roa nei au e tū ana hei toa mana pāpori, tae atu i a au e tamariki ana … he momo tērā kei roto i a au, engari, i taku mātaki atu i te pānga mai o te tōrangapū ki a mātou ko tōku whānau, he mea ērā i whakaawe i ōku whakapono tōrangapū,” te kōrero mai āna.

Her mother’s grandparents were refugees from Hungary and Rosa is part of the LGBT+ community.

Ko ōna kaumātua, he rerenga nō Hiakai, ā, kei roto a Rosa i te hapori Takatāpui.

She is vocal in her opposition to conversion therapy and upholding Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

He wahine whakatumatuma ki te haumanu panoni, me te whakamana i Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Crawford said lately, she’s been thinking about the need to increase the refugee quota after reading the autobiography from the country’s first refugee elected to Parliament, Golriz Gharaman.

Nō mua tata nei ka huaina e Crawford ōna whakaaro kia whakapikihia te rahinga rerenga, whai muri rawa ake i te pānui i te puka haukiri a te rerenga tuatahi kia pōtihia ki te Paremata, a Golriz Gharaman.

“I do take a lot of information from social media but I’m aware it’s not the most reliable place, so I like to read articles and books – I’m lucky to live in Wellington, so I can go watch MPs debate when I can.”

“He nui taku tōmina i ngā pāpāho pāpori, engari e mataara ana au, ēhara koirā te tino wāhi, nō reira he pai ki a au te pānui i ngā hautaka me ngā pukapuka – e waimarie ana e noho ana au ki Te Whanganui-a-Tara, i te āhei ki te tirotiro ki ngā māngai paremata e tautohetohe ana.”

Crawford uses Instagram to repost quotes from politicians she admires and links to petitions. “It’s really good to know about social issues but it’s even better to change them,” she said.

Ka whakamahi hoki a Crawford i te Instagram, hei tukurua atu i ngā whakatauākī a ōna kaitōrangapū makau, me ngā hononga petihana.

“He rawe te mōhio ki ngā take pāpori, engari he rawe ake ki te nanati i ērā take,” tana kī mai.

“They say ignorance is bliss but that’s not for me. I always feel like I have to be doing something to make the world a better place.”

“E meatia ana, ko te kuare te mutunga mai o te rawe. Engari rawa mōku, me whakatinana rawa, e pai ake tēnei ao.”