Passing the torch of democracy

I saw an 11-year-old black girl speaking to thousands at the Capital Mall with a clear voice and sparkling eyes about the voiceless girls and women who were victims of gun violence.

In Spokane, I marched with 5,000 people of every generation, led by high school students, for the right to live without fear of gun violence in schools, all these children stating clearly “Listen, because one day soon we will vote.”

Two young organizers of the Washington, D.C., march said that they were impatient with the older generation who had not accomplished all they had dreamed and now were politicians mired in inaction. But remember, pioneers in those prior generations — from Rosa Parks to Angela Davis to Michelle Obama — made a difference by being visible role models that allowed the young black girl to find her powerful voice today.

We did one thing right though: We raised these impatient revolutionaries, our children and grandchildren who still believe the world can change, as we did in the Civil Rights Movement and the Peace Movement. It is our job now to pass our torch and, with grace and pride, get out of their way.

Steven Schneider

Spokane