It was their privilege to attend.
One of the nation’s oldest social justice institutions brought parents and children together at Cadman Plaza Saturday to teach the younglings about the importance of speaking out.
“This was a way for kids to learn what it means to have their voices heard in a group,” said Scott Chinn. who brought his wife, three-year-old son, and infant child to the Youth Empowerment March hosted by the New York Society of Ethical Culture
Speakers touted the importance of children learning at a young age that they can and should speak out, and that by binding together, they can make the world a better place.
Chinn said he took his son to the event to get him to start flexing the activism muscle at an early age — even if the boy couldn’t quite figure out exactly what was going on.
“For him at his age, it’s just really fun to be around a lot of people, but as he gets older, he’s going to learn more about what it means and as he develops his own ideas about things, he’ll understand the deeper importance of it.”
And one dad, who drove down from Connecticut to attend the March, also believes it will impact his 10-year-old daughter’s life going forward.
“To actually be able to participate in something that was aimed specifically at her. I think could put a little power in her and make her feel like she was part of something that might lead to actual change,” said Oliver Morris. “When kids start doing things like this early, they tend to continue doing things such as being involved and being activists.”
