Dear 2020 U.S. president: 

I admit I always say I don’t want another old, white man, but it’s 2019, and we have to compromise. I suppose the best I can hope for is a compassionate human being first, radical decision maker at a close second, and optimist not far behind. 

Now, we are at a crossroads, and this is where things start to get hazy. 

I can’t vote—neither can many of my peers. I won’t be able to vote until the 2022 midterm elections, at which point I hope my generation’s vote changes the colors of the map. Your youth are the future of this country, whether you like it or not. Until these changes occur, I call on you to register the true public interest now, before it is too late. 

Our youth have spoken on topics more demanding than any I have heard from grown people. We have spoken on topics such as climate change, gun violence, and immigration reform. We have fought in courthouses, schools, and at home. We are slowly but surely dismantling years of oppression. But until we can garner the support of adults in the likes of you, 

Listen to America’s children. The March for our Lives was one of the biggest youth protests since the Vietnam War (source: Vox). We don’t have lobbyists, we don’t have lawyers, we don’t have money. But we believe. 

I ask you to believe in us, too. 

You know the facts and the statistics. You don’t need me to tell you that many scientists say we don’t have a lot of time left to begin to reverse the effects of climate change. You don’t need me to tell you that studies show, on average, women, and especially women of color, make significantly less than men. 

I’m concerned. I’m concerned that even if America votes someone into office that is promising, that we think will do well as a leader and a person, our next president will not put into place the efforts that will make real change—we’ll be back to square one. 

I want you to be radical, and I want you to be inspiring.

I get the feeling we are moving sideways. America is stretched like a rubber band—it could spring to the right or to the left if something snaps, but never forward. The elastic is turning white and cracked under the pressure. 

Where are you, then, when America finally snaps in two? What will you do, as the leader of this country? These are the questions I hope you are being pressured to answer. What will you do to make sure no more people die of causes that can be fixed? Will you ignore them because you are getting money? Will you try to appease both sides? Or will you, instead, more forward and take intensive action? 

I hope, not only that you are inspiring, but that you are also inspired by the people. The mothers who work three jobs a day but still can’t afford to send children to school. The black boy who is dead for a crime he didn’t commit. The little girl who walked hundreds of miles to see her mother. 

I want you to tell those people you’ll be there for them, that you want them to succeed in life, like the best teachers. Heal this country, and lift its youth up. Educate and spare no expense investing in colored folk, LGBTQ+, and children. 

At the very least, I hope you listen. 

Regards, 

A girl hopeful for the future.