Young Activists Join Forces in Iran and America

The crowds may be thinning, but some streets in Iran are still flush with young protesters, who are fighting the state over the results of the June 12, 2009, presidential election. It may seem like a distant news item, but young Americans and Iranians have more in common, and more at stake, than you may know. First, brush up on the who’s who of Iran, and find out just what exactly has been going on in Iran since the election. Then, read on to find out how the protests in Iran are sparking a universal youth movement…and it’s not to late to join in!

Not so different

President Obama has the young people of America to thank for his perch in the Oval Office these days. The Do Something generation took Facebook, Twitter, and the polls by storm and three-quarters of us voted for Barack Obama, the candidate who ran on change.

The presidential election in Iran called more Iranians to the polls than ever before, and as in the U.S., young people showed up ready to rock the vote. In Iran, young people are more than a social force, they’re a numerical majority: 70% of the population is under the age of 30. The opposition candidate, Mousavi, ran against Ahmadinejad, with promises of reform and a campaign that called for change. Hmm…sounds familiar.

In the recent elections in the U.S. and Iran, young people have typically gone for the more moderate or liberal candidate over the conservative candidate. The number of young people who actually exercised their right to vote was brought to a whole new level, igniting an era of political activism and engagement.

So what is the difference between our elections? Well, in the U.S. we can rest easy knowing that our votes are counted in a free and fair democratic election. Not so for the young activists in Iran, who are left to wonder, “Where is my vote?”

Stepping up in the U.S. to show support

A green wave has hit America and it’s got nothing to do with the environment. Mousavi’s face and name are becoming popular symbols in America, and his campaign color, green, is splashed across American college campuses.

Some are simply choosing to sport a green armband, and others are signing on to the tried and true social networks – Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook – to stay glued to any news coming out of Iran.

Protests and rallies are also taking hold stateside, as young people are looking for ways to show their support of their peers halfway across the world.

On June 17th, just five days after the election, hundreds of people marched through our nation’s capital, from Georgetown to the National Mall, shouting, “Where’s my vote?” and “Democracy.”

Californians were out with armbands and signs of protest on June 13th, 19th, and the 23rd. The first protest in San Francisco was bustling with protesters carrying signs with photographs of dead and dying Iranian protesters and demanding that the Iranian government "stop the killing."

These protesters returned to the streets days later for Neda Agha Soltan, a 26-year-old young woman whose bloody death was captured on video and has become a rallying cry around the world. The latest protest in the Bay Area ended in front of city hall where the rally waited for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to vote on a resolution in a show of solidarity with Iran’s protest movement. It passed.

Americans are once against counting themselves lucky, because their protests and rallies are being carried out in a truly democratic environment. In Iran, peaceful protests have turned violent as Iranian authorities have confronted the protesters armed with tear gas, threats of imprisonment, and in some cases death.

Want to hear from the young people in the U.S. who are taking to the streets too? Check out what American protesters are saying.