Pretty Southern

Author: Lauren

  • Trinity Combine Returns at Mercedes Benz Stadium

    Trinity Combine Returns at Mercedes Benz Stadium

    Trinity Community Ministries Atlanta’s dedicated mission to help homeless men and veterans reclaim their lives and return to their families and communities as mentors and leaders, is thrilled to announce the return of their annual Trinity Combine. 

    trinity_combine_freddie_falcon

    “After all the challenges with COVID-19, plus having to shift to a virtual format in 2020, we are so excited to announce Trinity’s Combine is back and better than ever at Mercedes-Benz Stadium,” said Anita DeMyers, Executive Director of Trinity Community Ministries.

    “To be on Atlanta’s home field with our men and our community of supporters will be an incredible experience. Trinity is on a mission to change lives in Atlanta and beyond. With your support, we’re making miracles happen together.”

    Like so many non-profit organizations impacted by the pandemic and the economic downturn, fundraising to increase donation revenues is essential for Trinity’s success. Trinity House in downtown Atlanta, just down the block from the historic Ebenezer church, is a 36-bed home that had to reduce capacity and close its doors to visitors over the last year. Now, Trinity is trying to restore operations back to normal to help even more men and families get on the path to healing.

    For the Combine, competitors from across the southeast will show up to perform their best on the field of Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Competitors are able to register and compete either as individuals or as members of a two-to-four-person team. Individual competitors are encouraged to compete in all 10 events such as a 100-yard shuffle, pull-ups, 500-meter row, and (of course) a football throw.
    mercedes_benz_stadium_atlanta

    The 2021 Combine early-bird registration is now open and includes access to a workout plan to prepare for the event, entry ticket into Mercedes-Benz Stadium as well as lululemon apparel, and Combine swag for a discounted registration fee of $125/person ($300 fundraising minimum). 

    For more information and to register, visit the Trinity Combine’s website or on social media. 

    About Trinity Community Ministries

    Trinity Community Ministries, Inc. (TCM) has operated and provided direct services to the Atlanta metropolitan community since 1981 and is officially incorporated as a 501(c)(3) organization. In 2004, TCM entered into a partnership with Big Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, the owners of the former Hanley Building in the Sweet Auburn District of Atlanta, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s body was prepared for his funeral, and where TCM’s administrative offices and Trinity House-Big Bethel program are still housed today. Today, TCM’s mission is to help homeless men reclaim their lives and return to their families and communities as mentors and leaders. Learn more at tcmatlanta.org.

  • If 2020 = The Year of Reckoning, 2021 = The Year of…

    If 2020 = The Year of Reckoning, 2021 = The Year of…

    2020 was a Year of Reckoning

    In the last few years, I started a fun tradition with Michelle Khouri — Founder & CEO / Executive Producer at FRQNCY Media. As we wind down the past year and roll into a new one, Michelle and I catch up to discuss a theme for the coming year.

    In 2017, it was the Year of the Warrior. It followed a year of awakening, kicking off a time to truly start fighting for what we believe in, pursuing our dreams together, and reaching for the highest achievements without fear of failure.

    2018 — it was the Year of the Butterfly, expanding on that Warrior mentality into a beautiful evaluation, followed by the Year of the Reaping in 2019 when the seeds we planted had grown and ready for harvest. Michelle wrote to me saying that our hard work would be manifested into reward.

    For 2020, that theme continued into the Year of the Reckoning, searching for a more profound power and aiming to live in an ever-present harmony, Michelle wrote. Little did we know what 2020 would have in store.

    As a fan of Michelle and her work, it has been amazing to see her words ring true as she’s seen continuous success with FRQNCY Media, taking on producing prodcasts for heroes includingDiane von Furstenberg and Jane Goodall.

    Getting to watch a young business owner like Michelle pursue her dreams, tell stories, and create jobs is just one of the many things I love best about this industry. Learning about company formation in Indonesia is beneficial for an entrepreneur dreaming of starting a business there. On a personal note, for me, 2020 was also a year of professional growth. I took on a new role as VP of Marketing at Curricula helping to scale a startup I mentored through the Atlanta Tech Village.

    There were still happy moments of growth in momentum in 2020 despite being a year of challenges.

    And if 2020 taught us anything, it’s to fix your potential problems before they come a-reckonin’.

    2020 was an arduous 52 weeks. Every problem we had as individuals, in our work, and as a society was exacerbated by the Coronavirus.

    But even before the onslaught of the pandemic, I was taught a very important lesson in the mountains of Jackson Hole. I suffer from weak ankles — a problem I’ve consistently put on the back-burner instead of pursuing physical therapy — and went skiing where instead of pacing myself on the Greens, I took a very icy Blue and sprained an ankle (thankfully it wasn’t worse).

    Instead of moping about the cabin unable to ski, we found other activities which included heading to the top of Jackson Hole resort to Corbet’s Couloir where this photo was taken.

    Year_of_Reckoning

    It felt like I left a piece of my heart in those beautiful mountains. Even with a bum ankle, I wanted to stay longer and keep exploring. Leaving Jackson Hole, we came back to Atlanta on March 8 only days before the whole world went into the Great Lockdown over COVID-19.

    All of the plans we’d made for the year, including my sister’s wedding, were scrapped due to the need for social distancing. March and April were months of so many unknowns while the lockdown continued. Then my job opportunity came about bringing good work to do instead of worrying about the world around us.

    And a busy late spring was followed by a tumultuous summer as COVID cases started rising, then the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery gave rise to a renewed civil rights movement.

    Coming face-to-face with the issue of racism has presented its own moment of reckoning for Pretty Southern as a brand. What we set out to do in questioning ‘What does it mean to be a Southerner in the 21st century?’ means to question everything when it comes to societal norms.

    A fellow member of our Pretty Southern squad, Jenn Ciccarelli (who some of y’all might remember from her Game Day Prayers or when she broke the internet in Charleston when her post went viral) shared these words which summed it up pretty well:

    The death of George Floyd forever changed something inside me. I’m sorry it didn’t happen sooner. I’m working to ensure that guilt is never a burden, and instead is the fuel behind an effort to make up for lost time. In searching for words that might fit the current state of my insides, I thought about settling on altruism. I am trying to live myself as selflessly as possible (probably also to make up for lost time) and giving is the most compelling of good energy…

    2020 was a shitfire year but I’ve repeatedly said it wasn’t without its magic. We have seen what happens when we come together for our communities and we stand up for what’s right. Change just takes one person and few a ripples

    Over here at Pretty Southern, this meant offering support and giving a platform to voices needing to be heard. Both Quay Bowen and Kyiah Oliver published beautiful, heart-breaking editorials about what they’ve faced as black women in the South. Quay’s On the Topic of Equal Opportunity and Kyiah’s testament to how African American women have been treated for quite some time are both worth reading again to remember the mission we’re on as a collective force for good.

    Thinking ahead for this new year, I found these wise words from Stefanie Diaz, who saw her own good work come to fruition in 2020 by becoming a Partner at Zane Ventures (here’s Stef’s feature in Hypepotamus). Stef and I first met in 2017 when she had me on her show, Mastermind Your Launch on Business Radio X (y’all can replay it here).

    Stefanie shared these wise words at the close of 2017…

    Honor your journey. Shift blame to blessings. Shift regret to gratitude. Because the evolution you’re in (however hard it may be) is pointing you towards your next treasure, and love is the key that will unlock the chest.

    Things have really come full circle to 2021

    Working with so many wonderful humans, hearing their thoughts and listening to their wise words has helped me so much on my own journey with its destination unknown. This brings us to the theme for this year.

    2021 will be the Year of Expansion

    When I continued our annual tradition and asked Michelle what the word for 2021 would be, she first reflected back on 2020 and how it was a Year of Reckoning for sure. So many good things happened but there were challenges like we wouldn’t believe. So 2021 will be the Year of Expansion.

    To quote Michelle directly: “What I feel with the word ‘expansion’ is that it’s not going to be altogether comfortable because it represents expanding our minds, our hearts, our definition of things, what we think is good vs. bad, what we feel works and doesn’t.”

    “Ultimately, we need to break out of the prisons we built and expand into a new way of being. It’s going to be magnificent but a journey in-and-of-itself.”

    I am so thankful for these words, for Michelle, Jenn, Stefanie, Kyiah, Quay, and all y’all in the Pretty Southern squad. All of our years to come will have their challenges, but we’re here to get through them together.

  • The Future of American Politics Lies in Georgia

    The Future of American Politics Lies in Georgia

    Georgia has always been a battleground state.

    The Revolutionary War started in Georgia when a couple of renegades broke into a powder magazine in Savannah in 1775. Less than 100 years later, in 1861, Georgia would secede from the same Union she helped to form. The Civil War would end with Sherman’s march from Atlanta to Savannah burning almost everything along the way.

    And along that timeline, thousands of Native Americans were butchered with the surviving population driven from Georgia in the name of manifest destiny. Countless slave uprisings would occur with the most notable being a failed revolt in the town of Quitman near the Florida border.

    Georgia has seen more than her fair share of battles.

    There’s a lot of ugliness in this pretty Southern state’s story. All of us who live here today are part of history-in-the-making. What we’re experiencing isn’t necessarily new: violent crime, Americans are threatening each other, causing harm to our fellow Southerners, you name it, we’ve been here before.

    But what is new, however, is this particular flavor of propaganda that’s perpetuated in a global setting with the rise of autocratic populism around the world.

    Over the past four-and-a-half years, I’ve lived in a perpetual state of horror at what’s happened in politics at the most local level among my family and friends. People who I admire bought into this administration’s rhetoric which is disturbing, at the least, and at its worst, murderous.

    At home here in Atlanta, we are at the epicenter of a changing tide. Our diverse population with its insatiable desire to build a better future is fired up and working together to create change. Aghast with the result of the 2018 gubernatorial election where Governor Brian Kemp effectively served as referee of his own election by refusing to step down as Secretary of State, our true leader Stacey Abrams was not awarded the governorship but continued to do what she’s always done best: lead from the outside.

    In Georgia’s 300+ years of existence, now is a defining moment in the next chapter of her story. After not one, not two, but three recounts of the votes cast in the 2020 election, Georgia was the only Southern state besides her sister Virginia to elect a progressive candidate.

    It’s been too damn long with too many wannabe celebrities (and some real ones) defining what it means to be from Georgia. And our battle still wages (for Lord knows how long) leading up to the Senate run-off on Jan. 5, 2021. But all this feels so different than at any other pivotal moment in Georgia’s timeline.

    The difference now is there are millions of people watching.

    Sup_Yall_Georgia_2020_Election_Blue_Wave

     

    On Dec. 14, 2020, under the gold dome of Georgia’s capital, 16 electors, including Stacey Abrams, confirmed President-Elect Joe Biden to be the next leader of the United States.

    Yet, as of writing this post, the sitting President has refused to concede. Georgia’s two current senators, David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, have also not officially recognized the results of this election and instead cozy up to zealots shouting falsehoods.

    There is so much work we have to do to help our fellow Georgians, Southerners, Americans, and the billions of other humans and trillions of species on this planet we call home. Instead of fighting amongst ourselves, we have to come to a common ground to focus on defeating massive problems that plague us all, like COVID-19.

    Why is it that people are so selfish and can’t see that we’re all in this together?

    Our United States of America has always been divided in one way or another. Perhaps why it feels so different this time is due to the ubiquitous technology and infinite amount of information, some true, some false, that’s being thrown at our individual screens.

    While the majority of us believe in a higher power who calls on us to love one another, lots of folks have become so entrenched in their beliefs that they forgot we’re all in this together simply because we are here.

    And when I used the word lies in this featured headline, I meant to use that word intentionally. Because to quote Killer Mike from Run The Jewels in Oh Mama…

    “There are liars on the loose, and if we listen to them we’re all lost.”

    The Future of American Politics Lies in Georgia

    Whatever happens with this Senate run-off will define the success of the first two years of the Biden-Harris administration. It will impact the way we can work together to defeat COVID-19 and help our fellow Americans who have been tragically impacted by the previous administration’s woeful incompetence in this public health crisis.

    Georgians get to decide the future of our country. We flipped to a light blue in November 2020 — here’s hoping it’s a darker blue in January 2021.

    But no matter happens, we’re still all in this together in these United States.

    Editor’s note — the Georgia graphic was designed by Abby Westcott Likens

  • The Atlantans – A Sketch Comedy

    The Atlantans – A Sketch Comedy

    Check out our first Pretty Southern script

    In this pandemic time when COVID has closed all the local theatres and comedy clubs, I took a virtual sketch comedy writing class with Laugh Lab. Comedian Lace Larrabee started this enterprise (check out my first standup from her inaugural class in 2017) with fellow comic and writer Hillary Heath.

    One of the reasons I pursued this class was to sharpen my writing skills. Over the years, I’ve written skits and dabbled in playwriting but had never written an actual script before. And as a lifelong fan of Saturday Night Live and other sketch comedies, I was interested to know just what the writing process was like for creating ‘a game’.

    If you watch SNL and are familiar with the popular sketch, The Californians this scene from The Atlantans was inspired by that hilarious work. However, the characters are all my own, originals who are tangential with the whole Pretty Southern fictional world around the Cunningham family, specifically Macy’s friends.

    The scene is set in circa summer of 2008, when Facebook was still considered ‘new media’. There was no Instagram or dating apps (which let’s be honest really killed the Buckhead party scene) when girls had Blackberry Messengers and Coach bags instead of giant iPhones in fanny packs.

    Pretty_Southern_Atlanta_2008
    This photo was from JEZEBEL Magazine’s Most Eligible Party in 2008. Note the Blackberry.

    We’d love your thoughts on this scene and what you’d like for us to share next. Because let’s be honest y’all, we could all use more throwbacks to the party days pre-COVID.

    So we present to you, dear reader, The Atlantans

    INT. A YOUNG WOMAN’S APARTMENT IN ATLANTA
    Madison sits primping in front of her bedroom mirror, all dressed up for a night out. There’s a knock on the door. She flips her hair before turning away from the mirror, prancing across the room. It’s her sorority sisters, Jordanne and Shannon. Shannon is carrying a big duffle bag.

    Jordanne: Hey girl, haaay!

    Madison: Sup ladies! Happy Friday! How was your week?

    Jordanne: Oh my god, Maddison. It was such a long one. I’m so ready to party tonight. I called James and told him to pick us up in like ten minutes.

    Madison crosses into the kitchen where a bottle of vodka is sitting on the counter and hands them both red solo cups.

    Madison: Then it’s time to pregame! Jordanne, here you go, it’s vodka-soda-lime. And so glad you could come up for the weekend, Shannon!

    Shannon: Oh my god, y’all, I forgot what a clusterfuck Atlanta traffic is during rush hour.

    Shannon drops her Vera Bradley duffle bag on the couch.

    Shannon: I took I-20 from Augusta, but then I missed my exit on 285, so
    instead of coming down 400, I had to crawl up Peachtree Industrial to Peachtree to Piedmont and got stuck at like every light.

    Jordanne: Why didn’t you just take the connector? You could have picked up I-85 through Downtown and taken 400, or have come up West Peachtree to Peachtree.

    Shannon: Girl, you know there’s always traffic on Peachtree.

    Jordanne: Well, at least you don’t have to be DD tonight because James will be here soon.

    Shannon: Who’s James?

    Madison: He’s a limo driver that we met leavin’ Johnny’s Hideaway. Whenever we need a ride, we just call James and give him like twenty bucks then he takes us anywhere between Buckhead and Piedmont Park.

    Shannon: Oh my god y’all, that’s so awesome.

    Jordanne’s cell phone vibrates and she smiles.

    Madison: Is that the new boy blowing you up on BBM?

    Jordanne: Yes, it’s Caleb. He wanted to see if he and his guys should meet up with us for dinner at Tin Lizzy’s, or later at Five Paces.

    Shannon: Wait, did you get a new boyfriend?

    Jordanne: Well, not exactly. I’ve been talking to this guy Caleb for weeks. He’s everything I want in a guy: hot, smart, comes from a good family.

    Shannon:  Hold up. Are you talking about Caleb Roberts?

    Jordanne: Yeah… Do you know him?

    Shannon: Um, yeah! His brother was in my grade at Magnolia Academy. Their Daddy owns country clubs across the South. They live in Tuxedo Park off West Paces Ferry.

    Madison: Shut the front door! That’s the Caleb you’ve been talking to? His family is loaded but he’s such a trainwreck. I heard his parents brought him home from UGA ‘cuz he had a cocaine problem.

    Jordanne: Well, I’ve never seen him do lines.

    Shannon: Seriously, girl. His mom, Birdie, is best friends with Macy’s mama, Caroline, and Macy has shared some stories. Call Macy if you don’t believe us.

    Jordanne: Maybe he’s changed. He seems to like me. We’ve been talking and meeting up for happy hour at Tavern at Phipps, and there was one time we had coffee in Virginia Highlands, and he pays for everything so I’m holding out for a date night at Chops.

    Madison: I wouldn’t hold out too long. He’s texting you, wanting to go out, but he is not asking you on a date. He’s such a frat bro. This is about sex.

    Jordanne: Even if I do shack with him tonight, I got new sticky boobs at Target just for the occasion.

    Shannon: I thought your tits looked bigger! You’re popping out in that dress.

    Madison’s phone vibrates in her Coach bag on the counter.

    Madison: That’s my condo gate. James must be here to get us.

    Shannon: Ok. I need a refill then let’s go. Whatever you decide to do Jordanne, just be careful.

    Jordanne: Girl, please!

    MONTAGE

    James is waiting in the condo parking lot. Madison, Jordanne, and Shannon pile in. Their solo cups match the red leather of the limo’s interior. They toast together. The limo pulls up to the tiny parking lot of Tin Lizzy’s and the girls spill out. They get margaritas at the bar before moving out to the patio beneath the trees. A Three Amigos is placed before them and they dive into the cheese dip.

    Jordanne is on her phone, texting and smiling. They leave Tin Lizzy’s where James and his limo are waiting behind the restaurant next to Hal’s. He takes them all of 1 mile up to Five Paces Inn and drops them off.

    Caleb is waiting inside. He’s your typical frat bro in a white polo shirt, although nearly 6’3” to his credit. Next to him are two other bros, Linton and Foster. They give the girls shots. Jordanne falls into Caleb, smiling hard; Madison and Shannon give each other the side-eye.

    Jordanne immediately runs to the bathroom where Madison and Shannon hold her hair back. She pukes and rallies.

    The group decides to move on, Linton gets a taxi, and all the girls and guys pile in to head to Johnny’s Hideaway.

    Arriving at Johnny’s, they cut the line and Linton gives the bouncer a $20 so they all get in.
    On the loudspeaker, the DJ reminds everyone ‘No drinks on the dance floor’. Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” blares. The girls dance together like they’re reliving their college days.

    Jordanne makes out with Caleb despite having puke breath, but he’s too drunk to care. At some point, he sneaks away to the bathroom to do blow with his buddies. They shut down Johnny’s at 3 a.m.

    The group walks to Waffle House, chows down, then takes a taxi back to Madison’s condo. And then… 🙂

    Want to read more of The Atlantans and The Pretty Southern Stories?

    Let us know in the comments section below!

  • Inaugural Atlanta SHERO Awards to Honor Five Women Leaders

    Inaugural Atlanta SHERO Awards to Honor Five Women Leaders

    Five dynamic women leaders from the Metro Atlanta area will be honored at the first annual SHERO Awards by the Greater Atlanta Democratic Women (GADW). Originally planned as an in-person celebration, the event will be held virtually on Friday, Aug. 28 at 7 p.m. EST.

    “Throughout their careers in business and government, these women leaders have made important contributions to make our world safer and more just. They continue to influence and affect change to ensure a better world now, and in the future for our children, and for generations to follow,” said Mindy Boggs, President of the GADW.

    atlanta democrat women hero SHERO awards

    The GADW is proud to announce the first SHERO honorees are:

    • U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath – Trailblazer Award
    • State Senator Jen Jordan – Super Influencer Award
    • Melita Easters – Foundation Builder Award
    • Pat Mitchell – ‘Dangerous Woman’ Award
    • Laura Turner Seydel – Global Impact Award

    Atlanta_Shero_Democratic_Women
    All five honorees are scheduled to appear live.

    To celebrate these incredible women, the GADW has commissioned Pulitzer Prize-winning political cartoonist Mike Luckovich to create an original drawing of the five “Super Sheroes.” The popular artist will make a special appearance during the program to unveil this tribute to the honorees.

    The annual event will also celebrate the first anniversary of GADW’s founding. Additional plans are being made to make the event unique, informative, and entertaining to support the re-election of both Congresswoman McBath and State Senator Jordan — a donation of $100 will be split evenly for their campaigns.

    Register here to attend the 1st SHERO awards

    About Our SHERO Award Winners

    U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath pulled the biggest Georgia Democratic upset of the 2018 midterm elections when she unseated Republican Karen Handel to represent Georgia’s 6th Congressional District. McBath co-sponsored the HAVEN Act, and important legislation to support Pell Grant recipients. She serves on the Judiciary and Education & Labor Committees in Congress, and is campaigning for re-election this year.
    More info at www.lucyforcongress.com.

    State Senator Jen Jordan has built a reputation for keeping public servants accountable, and corporations honest. She used the power of public pressure via social media to insist that the Kemp Administration and federal officials publicly meet with residents whose health was affected by ethylene oxide, a known carcinogen emitted by the SteriGenics plant in Smyrna. Although the town halls were attended by hundreds of concerned community members, Governor Kemp refused to close the plant to mitigate the issue. Senator Jordan continued the pressure via social media until county officials used their power to temporarily close the plant until the issue was addressed. The Senator has been a leader in providing information to her constituents in real-time via Twitter, and to stimulate public dialog to uphold transparency and accountability in our state government. She has also been encouraged to run for higher office, but is seeking re-election to continue her service in the state Senate. More info at www.jen4ga.com.

    Melita Easters is the founding Chair and currently Executive Director of Georgia WIN List, the state’s leading PAC for electing Democratic women. Georgia leads the south for its percentage of women legislators and the nation of its percentage of Black Women legislators. WIN List recruits, trains and supports women in their bids for elected office and Melita spends hours helping women chart their political careers. In addition to her visionary work with WIN List, Easters is also a community leader and successful playwright, who has written and produced plays on notable southerners. More info at www.gawinlist.com.

    Pat Mitchell is the co-founder, curator, and host of TEDWomen. Throughout her career as a journalist, Emmy-winning producer, and groundbreaking executive, Pat focused on elevating women’s stories and increasing their representation everywhere. She is chair of the Sundance Institute and the Women’s Media Center boards, and a trustee of the VDAY movement. She is the author of Becoming a Dangerous Woman: Embracing Risk to Change the World. More info at patmitchellmedia.com.

    Laura Turner Seydel is a passionate conservationist, activist, and eco-living expert, Seydel also serves as a member of the United Nations Foundation and the Nuclear Threat Initiative. More info at lauraseydel.com.

    About the Greater Atlanta Democratic Women (GADW)
    The Greater Atlanta Democratic Women is a 501(c) 4 political organization chartered in 2019 by the Georgia Federation of Democratic Women, an affiliate of the Democratic Party of Georgia. Registered voters in Fulton County and the surrounding counties who support GADW’s mission are eligible for membership. For more information, please visit www.gadw.us and the GADW Facebook page.

    Want to attend the first Atlanta SHERO awards?

    Please let us know in the comments section below and we’ll email you more details!

  • A Message from Congressman John Lewis

    A Message from Congressman John Lewis

    Our friends at Consume Media shared this footage from John Lewis filmed at the Davis Academy in 2017.

    John_Lewis_Quote

    The Atlanta-based production company posted this to Instagram and thanks to founder, Leo Falkenstein, for allowing us to share it with our community here on Pretty Southern.

    Congressman John Lewis was a true American hero and warrior for justice. It was an honor to work with him back in 2017 for The Davis Academy’s “Rise Up” video. His words ring truer now than ever. May we all speak up, speak out, and make a little noise. Rest in Power #johnlewis

    “When you feel something, you have to act. You have to speak up, speak out, and make a little noise.”

    We are all feeling the loss of this great man in a time where there is still so much work to be done. His legacy will always be with us. America, and especially the South, are better because of his work.

    The Davis Academy / 'Rise Up' / Music Video from Consume Media on Vimeo.

    Here’s the full transcript of this meaningful message from Congressman John Lewis:

    “It meant everything to me that I grew up as a young child, seeing things that I didn’t like, that I thought were wrong, and that I wanted to do something about it.”

    “It gave me this feeling that when you feel something, you have to act. You have to speak up, speak out, and make a little noise.”

    “I’ve always felt for many, many years, that the children will lead us. The young will lead us. The young will teach us, and show us a better way…”