My mind was prepared as fertile ground for political dissent by parents skeptical of, if not actively opposing, the status quo political scene in the US. My political consciousness started to develop when I was in high school, first around LGBTQ rights. This was around the time Massachusetts became the first state to legalize same-sex marriage. I joined the “gay-straight alliance” (which we renamed “Spectrum” to be more inclusive), but our activities didn’t seem to have much impact.
The transition from consciousness to action took place after learning about genetically modified organisms in my AP Environmental Science class. I realized GM corn was being grown throughout my county and wrote my first letter to the editor of the local paper, not mentioning my age. My letter appeared as the top letter on the op-ed page a few days later. I was thrilled with my ability to get information and analysis out to a large audience. The next year I became the editor of the school newspaper and authored several articles about environmental and human rights issues.
It’s no secret that I am still enamored of print media as a means of education and activation for important issues.
