Conclusion

Shrager’s story is a great example of this because it shows that although he was one of the thousands at these protests, his voice was impactful and even if you are one in a crowd, the courage and bravery it takes is not forgotten. The few narratives we are familiar with that center around activism and protesting—Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., and Greta Thumburg—are important, but an activist doesn’t have to be nationally known to make a difference or to be heard. Gen Z has shown time and time again, that when faced with challenges, we rise to the occasion and push for change, seen through teenage activists after the Parkland school shooting, and during the 2020 BLM protests where millions gathered in the streets facing Covid-19 to fight for change and during countless other movements and community events where we make out voices heard.

We have the power to enact real change as a generation, but to do this, it’s vital to look back at our predecessors, the ones who we inherited this fight from to learn ways to effectively reach our goals. This generation often feel stuck, hopeless or lacking the actuality to make our wishes reality, through looking at prior activism movements, we can gain inspiration and hope that the fight is worth it and that there’s always hope for what can be.

The future of Shrager’s story is unclear, currently he’s still working for the government in restoration, going on trips out into the desert to refurbish and restore significant buildings to the State of Arizona and dwellings out on the Native American reservations across the American Southwest. With the goal to eventually slow down his commitment to these projects, it is currently hard to find younger people to take on the work. With many of his volunteers leaving to work technology jobs in the city, finding people to take care of these buildings is really what’s keeping Shrager in this work.