by Radiyah Nouman
Our stories have been passed down from generation to generation for centuries. The words are woven into our hair, skin, and hearts. Our ancestry exists within our cultures and beliefs. Yet as the years go by, we eventually become a part of someone’s past and history. For the moment, we are the present.
Today’s youth are rising to become the next leaders, teachers, and social advocates. Our theme “Voices of Tomorrow” is an admonishment to this BIPOC generation to live their stories to their fullest. You should boldly put your mark on the earth for coming generations to look upon with pride.
Many of us come from different backgrounds and find ourselves in environments where people’s upbringings and lifestyles differ from our own. As an example, a white parent might use gentle parenting, a South Asian parent might use ‘tough love’ (Desi children, if you know, you know). In educational institutions especially, you find yourself thrust into a building where you have to navigate and discover how to fit in, while also standing out. When race, religion, and culture are put into the mix, it can unfortunately become more complicated and may even feel a bit lonely.
Allow me to paint you a picture. A quiet girl from South Asia was obsessed with books about American teenagers and their adventures in a mythological Greek universe, or about a British boy fighting through his new life as a wizard. This girl grew up reading fantasy books with twists and turns and happy endings, but once the pages finished and the books closed, her surrounding reality was vastly different. She wasn’t descended from any Greek gods, nor would she be told by a half-giant, “Yer a wizard.” Rather, she came from a line of Pashtuns and Hazaras, each of whom had a long-forgotten history and unspoken present. The little girl often wondered, “Where’s our story?”
It may not be a conscious choice, but you’ll find that we all try to find someone we can relate to. If I speak about the young generation, particularly post-COVID, these people tend to slip into introverted worlds. Most don’t leave the house unless they need to, remaining glued to their phones. Myself included. Movies, K-dramas, anime. Let’s not lie to ourselves. We’re all hooked. Media is our primary form of entertainment, and we lean towards finding something to relate to. By relating to, I really mean, we want to see representation.
You may ask, why is representation so important? Why do we have this hidden desire to see someone like us? I think the answer lies less towards wanting to see and more towards wanting to be seen. We want to know that there’s someone out there who has a similar experience to us. We want to know we are not alone.
People choose to write as a form of expression, whether to reflect on their experiences or to pen their emotions for others to read and feel. We live in the 21st century, where social media has become the platform for expression. Yes, it’s fun to post selfies and memes, but this technology has much more potential. Networks can now share stories from diverse perspectives, which often reach out and unite groups of people. Social media platforms like Kinsman Quarterly share quality books by upcoming and established BIPOC authors.
“Voices of Tomorrow” encapsulates and encourages you as the young generation to speak out of your realities. Some ethnicities are erroneously considered dominant, and when you don’t fall under that category, you may feel confused. But young people in the BIPOC community, particularly those who are surrounded by different races, cultures, and religions, have to push back against stereotypes, while keeping intact the cultural pride that runs through their veins.
Culture, race, religion, and ethnicity do not define us, but they are a part of us and influence our identity in their own way. Strive to make your mark, write your stories, express your truths and, most importantly, be tomorrow’s leaders, tomorrow’s future, and tomorrow’s voices.
Radiyah Nouman lives in Pakistan and is currently an intern on Kinsman Quarterly’s editing team. Her short story, “Away the Water Drains” won the grand prize for last year’s Native Voices Award for indigenous authors and poets.
Radiyah is also pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Biotechnology from Pak-Austria Fachhochschule: Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology. While her passion lies in applied sciences, she is an avid reader and writer, and hopes to use her writing platform for societal change.
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