11 Young Black Activists Changing the World

Every day we are inspired by young people all around the world. Young people have been speaking up and getting involved when it comes to the issues that matter most to them. The great thing about activism is that there are so many different ways to go about it.

These eleven young activists are using their voices and talents to make a difference and activate other young people to start changing the world. There are activists who protest, lead, and organize marches, while others use art and writing to inspire others to take action. These young Black activists are making substantial impacts in their communities all year round despite their age. Their personal experiences and stories have encouraged them to take action and it’s necessary that we listen and amplify their voices and stories. It’s never too late or too early to use your voice and make a difference!

1. Martese Johnson (he/him)

Martese Johnson first became involved in the fight for racial justice following his personal experience with police violence in 2015. The encounter was caught on video and the next day #JusticeforMartese was trending and sparked protests. Johnson spoke out on his college campus and continues to speak out about the importance of racial justice and why the fight for Black lives is so important. He recently graduated from the University of Michigan Law School and is working to support civil rights cases.

2. Haile Thomas (she/her)

Check out Haile Thomas, a wellness & compassion activist! At the age of twelve, she founded HAPPY, a youth-led nonprofit organization working to empower youth with a holistic education (Healthy, Active, Positive, Purposeful, Youth). Thomas’ goal is to address the need for free and affordable plant-based nutrition and education in underserved and at-risk communities. In 2021, Thomas and her family opened Matcha Thomas, a wellness teahouse in Beacon, New York. We’re definitely adding Matcha Thomas to our list of places to visit in New York!

3. Chelsea Miller (she/her)

Chelsea Miller may be young, but she has already established herself as a leader in the world of activism. Miller served as one of Barack Obama’s youngest interns working on domestic policy issues such as criminal justice reform. She started her own nonprofit called Women Everywhere Believe, with the goal of empowering and creating opportunities for women and girls of color to become leaders. In addition to all of this, she co-founded Freedom March NYC which is one of the largest youth-led civil rights organizations in New York! Her work is helping to change the lives of millions of Americans as she activates changemakers and advocates for policy reform.

4. Vanessa Nakate (she/her)

Climate activist Vanessa Nakate is using her voice to speak up about the issues affecting young people while also addressing broken promises made at COP26. Vanessa is from Uganda and founded Rise Up Movement Africa, which aims to amplify activist voices from Africa. She also helped found the Fridays For Future chapter in Uganda and has worked on issues like raising climate change awareness and the campaign to save Congo’s rainforest from mass deforestation.

5. Thandiwe Abdullah (she/her)

Thandiwe Abdullah is no stranger to protests or activism. Since she was two years old her parents took her with them to protests and Black Lives Matters meetings. She and her siblings created the BLM Youth Vanguard and, later, the Black Lives Matter in schools program which was adopted by the National Education Association (NEA). Since then, she has been working to protect Los Angeles students. Her biggest victory was successfully removing random searches from the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and is now working on removing school police from all campuses.

6. Jerome Foster (he/him)

Climate activist Jerome Foster is making a name for himself! He founded a youth media website called The Climate Reporter, he’s the executive director of youth voting advocacy group, OneMillionOfUs, and the youngest member of the White House’s Environmental Justice Advisory Council. Despite all of these incredible achievements, Foster says that’s not what he really wants. He says,“I wanted to do astrophysics and coding. But there's no future to plan for when you're seeing the climate get worse, and nothing's being done.” Foster knows that climate inaction is necessary so he is taking action and calling on other young people to join him!

7. Danielle Coke (she/her)

Danielle Coke took a leap of faith by quitting her day job to build a social media and design agency and to use digital illustration as a way to speak up about social justice. She combined her hobby of graphic design to make complex social justice issues a bit easier to understand all around the world. Her beautiful graphics and words help guide thoughtful conversations, reflections, and actions, while her Instagram account creates space for compassion and learning. You can check out some of her beautiful graphics on her Instagram or her new collection at Target! We are obsessed!

8. Anya Dillard (she/her)

Activist Anya Dillard understands that young people are powerful changemakers so she founded a nonprofit organization called The Next Gen Come Up to encourage youth involvement in activism, organizing, community service, and visual arts. Dillard became involved in social justice activism after noticing she was only one of a few Black girls in a gifted student STEM program in high school. Her first action as an activist was to organize a community event after the death of George Floyd and more than 3,000 people showed up! This became the largest civil rights protest in her hometown’s history and, since then, she has organized other events, formed a youth caucus to empower young Black women and girls, and spoken out on gun violence, school shootings, climate change awareness, and period poverty.

9. Sophie Ming (she/her)

Sophie Ming is not one to shy away from speaking up about the issues that matter most to her! She’s from New York City and has helped to organize some of the largest Black Lives Matter protests including marches for teens and adults and a chalk art event for younger kids. When asked what advice she has for young activists she said, “Demand that your voice is heard. Don’t ask.” She also founded the New York City Youth Collective and is currently studying to become a doctor, with hopes of incorporating social justice into her work.

10. Genesis Butler (she/her)

Even though she is 15 years old, Genesis Butler has been working as an activist for almost ten years! She became a vegan at the age of six, and, at the age of ten, she became one of the youngest individuals to ever give a TEDx talk, where she discussed the impacts of animal agriculture on the environment. She has received many awards for her activism and work, and was recently featured in an episode of Marvel’s Hero Project on Disney+. Butler also launched and is leading a branch of the Climate Save Movement called Youth Climate Save - the first youth-led environmental organization focusing on the impact of animal agriculture on climate change while aiming to give young voices a platform. Go, Genesis!

11. Marley Dias (she/her)

Marley Dias is the 16-year-old founder of #1000BlackGirlBooks and the author of Marley Dias Gets It Done: And So Can You! She was also the 2021 Ambassador of National Educational Association (NEA) Read Across America and the host and executive producer of Netflix’s Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices. She launched #1000BlackGirlBooks in hopes of finding more books featuring main characters that are Black girls. Since then, Dias has collected more than 13,000 books! In the past few years, she has been working to get a message across: include young people in important decisions. She has spoken up about racial injustice at rallies and in her community but also continues to push for more representation in books and in schools’ curricula.

With so many inspiring activists, the future- and present- looks very bright! If you’re feeling inspired by these young people and want to do something about the issues that matter to you, you can! Check out DoSomething’s collection of campaigns all designed to help you make a difference in your local community!