Tired of waiting for the older generation to solve global issues, youth activism is gaining momentum at an unprecedented pace. Recent advances in technology have made it much easier for voices of youth to be heard across the globe. In this “Youth in Digital Activism” series, UNAI features young activists taking the world’s most pressing issues into their own hands.
?
“Wherever we see racism, we must condemn it without reservation, without hesitation, without qualification.” António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, made this statement in 2021 on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic could have been a wake-up call for the world to work together, regardless of race, tribe or ethnic group, to tackle this global phenomenon. Unfortunately, as the Secretary General put it, “racism lives on – in all regions and all societies.”
One young woman named Hadeal Abdelatti, who also goes by the name ‘Hadeal Speaks’, is galvanizing youth around the world to put an end to this. She is a racial justice and human rights activist from the United Kingdom with Sudanese background. Through social media, she educates people on racial issues and human rights abuses occurring around the world.
She first realized the potential of activism in 2018, as the revolution in Sudan eventually led to the overthrow of the former President who had ruled for three decades. She became involved with human rights activism for the people in Sudan, and since then her activism has seeped over to other issues including racial justice. Growing up as a black woman in the United Kingdom, she has first-handedly witnessed and experienced the misrepresentation and under-representation of marginalized communities. "When I was younger, I remember wanting to look like anything but myself - straightened hair, blue eyes, white skin, freckles. A major part of this was because I rarely saw people like myself being celebrated. Toy dolls were skinny white girls. TV presenters and actresses in shows were all predominantly of a particular demographic."
To contribute to changing the defining narrative, Hadeal makes use of two digital tools at her disposal – social media and podcast. She has used TikTok, a video-focused social networking service, posting a new video on a weekly basis to educate her followers on racial issues and black history. In one of her series on the platform, "Roots", she travels around and highlights various places in London which is important for black history, such as Parliament Square (where a statue of Nelson Mandela is located). For Hadeal, TikTok has served as a perfect outlet since it “includes the significant proportion of teenagers and young adults who would like to partake in creating change but don’t know how it makes it easier for my videos to reach the right people.” Hadeal currently has over 100,000 followers on the platform.
Another tool she heavily relies on is her podcast called “Missed the point”. Hadeal created the podcast series to discuss not only racial justice but also other controversial issues such as feminism, media bias and colonialism. With her podcast she hopes that “listeners will be able to engage on a range of topics and feel inspired to do more research and have productive conversations when it comes to social issues.” All ten episodes of the podcast series can be found, among others on .
Digital tools such as social media and podcasts helped bring about a more interconnected world where we can easily find out what is happening in other parts of the world, hence giving ‘digital activism’ a central role in galvanizing youth interest in global issues. Sekou Franklin, Professor of Political Science at Middle Tennessee State University in the United States, argues that social media has played a huge role in the fight for racial justice; “Undoubtedly, social media can be used to spread messages and disperse activism, and thus educate the broader public about trigger events that can ignite protests”.
However, digital activism is not without its shortcomings. Though most of Hadeal’s followers are those who want to learn from her, she has also experienced the negative aspect of digital activism – hate speech and backlash. “As with any line or form of work, you do get negative messages and some form of pushback and that becomes even more inevitable when you have a platform where you discuss controversial topics. The saying goes 'equality seems like oppression when you are accustomed to privilege'. Naturally many people feel like this may be an attack on them or what they are used to when really it is about dismantling the systems that are designed to disadvantage and oppress innocent people.” Prof. Franklin adds that social media “exposes activists to bullying and unfair criticisms”, making it all the more important for the international community to stand on the side of the activists striving to make a change regardless of such adversities.
For its part, fighting racism has been one of the top priorities of the United Nations for decades. The twentieth anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, a comprehensive and visionary document that embodies the world’s commitment to tackle the scourge of racism, was commemorated in 2021 with many of the participants echoing the Secretary-General in addressing that more efforts must be made in standing up against racial prejudice and disrespectful attitudes. Today’s youth, together with their technological awareness, play an important part in such a journey.?As stated by Hadeal: “Across every social movement in history, we have seen the importance of the youth in activism and change, whether that has been through fuelling the flames lit by the previous generation or carrying the torch and leading.”
