Chapter 3

you can. Yes, Donald Trump or Ronald Reagan did unpopular things, but Trump also approved a $2 trillion grant for national and public parks across the country, not only did this further fund Shrager’s work but allowed for more hands-on assistance in the Bureau of Land Management. Moving from the private sector to the public, the group got the perspective that however big the federal government is, there’s ways to continue their original activism work, but through working with them instead of against.

The Bay Area has seen it all, it’s been the center for liberal change and societal advancement since its founding. As the Bay grows and the people of my generation, Gen Z, assume the potential power that our parents had, we have to know how to use it. The last few years have seen a dramatic increase in political interest and social movements, from the BLM movement, and the Women’s marches of 2019 to the March for our Lives protests against gun laws, especially from the youngest members of our generation. As a result of the instant connection and organization through the internet, our generation has the potential to enact the change we want, evident in the Trump rally that was shut down due to organization through TikTok, largely by Gen Z representatives. Although we have shown interest in nationwide issues and the power that we hold, we have to know how to effectively and efficiently use it. To succeed in the future, it’s vital to look back- to see the activists like Chis Shrager and thousands of others that took initiative to fight for the change they wanted to see.

“ I used to be someone they were afraid of. Now they pay me. They let me adopt children. They let me teach other people children it. And I sort of looked at it in that light. You know, I’m fighting within the belly of the beast. I’m part of this. I think I’ve been able to have a broader, more beneficial effect on my little tiny slice of that pie, which is keeping these old places alive.”