Every generation is told they’re lazy, entitled, and disengaged. And every generation proves that narrative wrong.
Right now, young activists—overwhelmingly young people of color—are leading movements for climate justice, racial equity, gun control, LGBTQIA+ rights, Palestinian liberation, and more. They’re not waiting for permission. They’re not asking nicely. They’re demanding the world they deserve.
Here are some of the young people carrying the torch in 2026. Learn their names. Support their work.
Climate Justice Leaders
Vanessa Nakate One of the leading voices in climate justice, Nakate founded the Rise Up Movement and advocates specifically for African climate activists who are often erased from global conversations. She’s been challenging wealthy nations to take responsibility for climate change while centering the voices of those most affected.
Why she matters: She’s calling out climate racism and demanding that African voices lead climate solutions.
Xiye Bastida Founder of Re-Earth Initiative, Bastida is a Mexican-Indigenous climate activist fighting for intersectional environmentalism. She connects climate justice with Indigenous rights and social justice.
Why she matters: She’s challenging the white-dominated climate movement to center Indigenous knowledge and leadership.
Jerome Foster II The youngest member of a White House environmental justice advisory council, Foster founded OneMillionOfUs. He’s pushing for Green New Deal policies and environmental justice in communities of color.
Why he matters: He’s bringing youth voices directly to policymakers and demanding they act.
Racial Justice Organizers
Bree Newsome Bass Remember when someone climbed a flagpole and took down the Confederate flag in South Carolina? That was Bree Newsome Bass. She continues organizing against white supremacy and for Black liberation.
Why she matters: She puts her body on the line and models fearless resistance.
Marley Dias Started #1000BlackGirlBooks when she was 11 because she was tired of reading about white boys and their dogs. Now she’s an author, activist, and advocate for representation in education.
Why she matters: She’s been organizing since childhood and shows that young people can create change.
Gun Violence Prevention
David Hogg and X González Parkland survivors who co-founded March for Our Lives. While they’ve received the most media attention, they’ve worked to center students of color who’ve been fighting gun violence in their communities for years.
Maxwell Frost The first Gen Z member of Congress. He was a March for Our Lives organizer before running for office. He’s fighting for gun control, Medicare for All, and climate action.
Why he matters: He’s proving young people of color can win elections and govern.
LGBTQIA+ Rights Advocates
Aaron Philip The first Black, trans, disabled model signed to a major agency. Uses her platform to advocate for intersectional representation and disability justice.
Why she matters: She’s challenging the fashion industry and society to expand definitions of beauty and inclusion.
Raquel Willis Transgender activist, writer, and advocate leading campaigns for trans rights and Black liberation. She was instrumental in organizing protests after multiple Black trans women were murdered.
Why she matters: She’s centering Black trans women in fights for both racial and LGBTQIA+ justice.
Palestinian Liberation and Anti-Imperialism
Mohammed El-Kurd Palestinian poet and activist from Sheikh Jarrah. His writing and organizing have brought international attention to Palestinian displacement and Israeli occupation.
Why he matters: He’s brought international attention to Palestinian families facing displacement.
Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) campus chapters Young organizers—many of them Arab, Muslim, and allied students of color—are demanding their universities divest from companies complicit in Palestinian occupation. They’re facing doxxing, threats, and institutional retaliation. They continue organizing anyway.
Indigenous Rights and Land Defense
Autumn Peltier Clean water advocate who’s been speaking at the UN since she was 13. She’s fighting for Indigenous water rights and environmental protection.
Why she matters: She’s centering Indigenous sovereignty in environmental justice movements.
Dallas Goldtooth Keep It In The Ground campaign organizer, Indigenous rights activist, and comedian. He was at Standing Rock and continues fighting fossil fuel extraction on Indigenous lands.
Why he matters: He uses humor and culture to make activism accessible while never compromising on justice.
Labor Rights and Economic Justice
Christian Smalls Organized Amazon workers in Staten Island to form the first Amazon union in the US. He was fired for organizing and continued anyway.
Why he matters: He’s proving that worker organizing can win against corporate giants.
Kshama Sawant Former Seattle City Council member (2014–2024) who fought for a $15 minimum wage, rent control, and taxing the rich. She showed that democratic socialists can win elections.
Why she matters: She modeled what unapologetic left politics looks like in practice.
Reproductive Justice
Renee Bracey Sherman Reproductive justice activist who had an abortion at 19 and now advocates for abortion access and storytelling. Founded We Testify, centering people who’ve had abortions in policy debates.
Why she matters: She’s fighting stigma and ensuring abortion access is treated as the justice issue it is.
Disability Justice
Imani Barbarin Disability rights activist challenging ableism and racism. Known for her blog Crutches and Spice and viral disability-justice hashtags and advocates for intersectional disability justice.
Why she matters: She’s forcing conversations about how disability, race, and other identities intersect.
What These Activists Have in Common
They’re not waiting for permission. They’re not asking nicely. They’re demanding justice and building the world they want to see.
They’re intersectional. They understand that climate, racial, economic, gender, and disability justice are connected. They’re not single-issue organizers.
They’re facing retaliation. Doxxing. Death threats. Arrest. Job loss. They continue anyway.
They’re building coalitions. They’re not working in silos. They’re connecting movements and building collective power.
They’re using every tool available. Social media. Direct action. Electoral politics. Art. Education. Whatever works.
How to Support Young Activists
Amplify their voices. Share their work. Credit them. Don’t speak over them.
Fund their work. Donate directly to young organizers and organizations they lead.
Show up. Join their protests. Sign their petitions. Support their campaigns.
Protect them. Challenge adults who dismiss young activists. Defend them from harassment. Create space for them to lead.
Learn from them. They understand the current landscape in ways older generations don’t. Listen.
Get out of the way. Sometimes the best support is stepping back and letting young people lead.
The Bottom Line
Young people aren’t the future. They’re the present. They’re organizing now. They’re building power now. They’re changing the world now.
Every movement for justice is being led by young people, disproportionately young people of color, who are refusing to wait for change to trickle down from institutions that were never designed to liberate them.
They’re not asking for a seat at the table. They’re building new tables.
Pay attention. Support them. Follow their lead. The torch is already in their hands.
