It’s no secret that our leaders are failing in protecting and providing adequate resources for children and young people to live and thrive. How can we tell? For starters, the number of children living in poverty throughout the United States is around 12 million while the number of children dying from gun violence is rising annually. The current criminal justice system disproportionately discriminates against young people from BIPOC communities. On school campuses, school police officers heavily target students of color and students with disabilities – contributing to the school-to-prison pipeline. While all of this is happening, our planet is becoming uninhabitable for our current and future generations. In places like CA-34th District, we have one of the highest rates of children living in crowded households due to a lack of affordable and permanent housing. 

Despite listing just a few of these multiple crises happening simultaneously, many politicians lack the urgency and bold commitment to solving these intersectional challenges. Instead of focusing on short-term and incremental fixes, we need to focus on creating long-term and bold solutions that tackle these monumental issues. We also need to refocus our budget priorities to lift children and young people up. If we truly care about their current situations and their future outlooks, why are we investing more in big weapon companies than in our public education? Why are we investing in inhumane juvenile incarceration instead of robust safety net programs to help lift families and children out of poverty? 

Youths in the United States are the future and will inherit our planet and our systems, yet the current status quo clearly does not prioritize them. We have a duty to create bold and thoughtful policy solutions that will set our younger generations up for success, not for failure. In doing so, we must listen to youth voices and elevate them so that they have a say in their own futures. To secure a just and equitable future for our children and young people, we should begin by putting us and our communities first.