Dear Denieris,
I love this piece and the way you wrote it! I have always wanted to write a personal or an open letter to my representatives and other legislators. Also, I am a huge fan of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez! I was not aware that AOC had made these inspiring comments prior to reading your open letter and I couldn’t agree more with your analysis of her comments! I too believe that the youth hold so much power and have so much potential. Your statement, “Young people are the future of this country, not because young people are young, but because young people enrolled in society,” really caught my attention because I had not previously considered this angle when thinking about why young are revered as valuable in today’s society. As you mentioned, young people are involved in political and social activism more than ever before. Young Representatives, such as AOC, are living proof. In your letter, you mentioned a young anti-violence activist named Edna Chavez. If you are interested in researching more young activists, here is a link to a video containing some of Greta Thunberg’s most powerful speeches: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwakaSwqTEo. Greta Thunberg is a young, dedicated climate change activist from Sweden. She too believes in the power of the youth and special role we play in determining the future. Another powerful example I think you would be interested in that also demonstrates just how much power the youth has is the March For Our Lives Movement (https://marchforourlives.com/). I hope to hear more from you on this topic Denieris. I have a feeling once COVID-19 slows down, there will be a political upheaval that the youth will undoubtedly play a role in. I would love to read more open letters to Representatives and other government officials as well! You are very well-spoken!
Best,
Amaia

Few figures represent the future of liberal politics like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. I think this letter in and of itself is representative of her impact both on individuals and the political landscape at larger; if a junior congresswoman from New York can inspire young people nationwide to political action, what’s stopping us from doing the same? I love the idea of open letters to our Representatives… we often forget, I think, that their very purpose is to be held accountable to the people they represent. That being said, young people and young politicians remind us that this is still the case, and that perhaps there is a glimmer of hope for the future of American politics after all.
Best, Sam