Couple of friends sitting on a sidewalk cafe enjoying a break in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Getty Images Stock Photo
(TriceEdneyWire.com)—Nine years ago, millennials reached a major milestone. Based on population estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau, 2016 was the year millennials officially surpassed baby boomers in becoming America’s largest living generation. Born between 1981 and 1996, the millennial generation includes anyone aged 29 to 44 in 2025. While Gen Z is now the second largest generation, by natural progression, they will become the largest generation in the coming years.
This population shift will have major political and social implications, as today’s digital natives will gain a greater influence in how our future society is shaped. Social activism has long been associated with young people, as evidenced by demonstrations against the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Movement during the 1960s, and the Black Lives Matter protests triggered by the murder of George Floyd in 2020.
Gen Z will not only be a rising influence in future elections, but in the age of smartphones and social media, young people have been given a louder voice than ever before. Due to core issues such as climate change, racial and gender justice, mass shootings, economic inequality, healthcare access, and LGBTQ+ issues, along with unprecedented access to digital tools, many Gen Zers are motivated to start social activism at an earlier age. Generation Z’s early and passionate embrace of activism reflects both a reaction to the challenges of their era and a proactive commitment to making a tangible impact. As a young gun control activist and Parkland, Florida, mass-shooting survivor, David Hogg tweeted: “I’m not powered by hope. I’m powered by the fact I have no other choice.”
Generation Z is the ideological battleground, and groups like the Proud Boys know it. The Southern Poverty Law Center has called the all-male neo-fascist group an “alt-right fight club” and a hate group that uses persuasive devices to obscure its true motives. The group was tied to the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) describes the Proud Boys as “extremist conservative” and “all too willing to embrace racists, antisemites and bigots of all kinds” and cites the group’s promotion and use of violence as a core tactic. The nations of Canada and New Zealand have designated the Proud Boys as a terrorist group. Yet, there will be teens and young adults who are drawn to its anti-feminism, antisemitism, White supremacy, neo-Nazism, and its version of Trumpism.
Several months ago, a roadside billboard was placed in Clinton County, Illinois, as an attempt by the Proud Boys to recruit teenagers. The billboard, using the words “faith, family, freedom, and brotherhood,” was located 1,000 feet from the entrance to Central Community High School. The billboard listed a local recruiting phone number. By targeting 16-, 17-, and 18-year-old students on their way to school, the Proud Boys are fully aware of the influence Gen Z has on the future of this nation. Parents, local officials, and state leaders condemned the sign, saying the extremist group has no place in Illinois communities.
David Cunningham, a Washington University professor who studies White supremacy, said extremist groups often use billboards to try to normalize their presence. “They’re sort of using phrases related to freedom, faith, these kinds of things,” Cunningham said. “This was never in the Proud Boys lexicon prior to the current presidential administration…This is really an attempt to rebrand themselves in a more mainstream way.”
After strong community opposition, the sign was removed after a few days. But one has to wonder how many young people were persuaded to call in those few days. The Proud Boys are organizing at the grassroots level, as is Turning Point USA. Turning Point USA is an organization, founded by the late Charlie Kirk, that advocates for conservative politics on high school, college, and university campuses. Turning Point USA is a political organization that aims to elect conservative leaders.
According to its website, they are a movement rooted in faith, freedom, and love of country. They built a well-organized infrastructure of over 900 college chapters dedicated to defending America’s future. I admit that I admire how Turning Point USA has strategically built a nationwide movement focused on young people and America’s future. While I am impressed with the grassroots machine, I know this is another organization that uses persuasive devices to obscure its true motives (White supremacy). Behind the powerful words of “faith, freedom, and love of country” is a national network that promotes anti-Blackness, anti-diversity, anti-equity, and anti-inclusion under the umbrella of Christianity.
The organization is impressive, but the true message is not Christ-like. In their separate ways, the Proud Boys and Turning Point USA will draw support, loyalty, and commitment from the Gen Z population, with a long-term influence on future generations. This is the goal of both organizations. I believe communities of color committed to inclusion, justice, and fairness need a similar Turning Point network, focused exclusively on young people. The battleground is Gen Z, and we may be losing the battle.
(David W. Marshall is the founder of the faith-based organization, TRB: The Reconciled Body, and author of the book “God Bless Our Divided America.”)
