Young Futurists 2018: These Are the Leaders This Country So Desperately Needs

The Root Staff via  https://www.theroot.com

If history has taught us anything, it’s that young people will always lead the way. Whether it’s the young African-American activists marching in the streets to insist that black lives do matter or the students who hit the streets on #NationalWalkoutDay to demand changes to gun laws that will keep their schools safe, it’s clear this generation isn’t waiting around for the so-called grown-ups to do the right thing.

The 25 people who make up this year’s list of Young Futurists also are not content to let adults determine their future. Since 2011, The Root has proudly honored the best and brightest African Americans between the ages of 15 and 22, the brilliant and inspirational leaders who are already charting their own paths in the worlds of business, science and tech, the arts, social justice and the environment. At a time when there is a void in leadership in Washington, D.C., and beyond, these Young Futurists are stepping up to show the world that, regardless of their age, they are ready and willing to lead the way.

Among this year’s honorees: photographers Myles Loftin and Quil Lemons, who are using their creativity to rewrite the prevailing narrative around masculinity and black boys, who are often tossed aside by a society that labels them thugs and criminals.

George Hofstetter is using technology to help black children avoid brutal confrontations with the police, with his app CopStop. The app allows users to record their interactions with police—providing a different …

JOURNI PREWITT

Journi Prewitt is spreading a little #BlackGirlMagic—one box at a time. In June, she created Black Butterfly Box, a monthly subscription service that encourages reading and learning black history, while also promoting self-confidence in young black girls.

“I feel my box is helping better represent people of color by the products we provide, but I also think it helps young girls to see me as a teenage entrepreneur and African-American woman that isn’t doing something typical,” she told Forbes. “I think it’s important for young girls to see other women of color give back to their community and build other people up.”

The box includes books, toys and other accessories designed to inspire black girls and remind them that they can do and be anything they desire. In August, at the request of her little brother, she created bimonthly Black Dragonfly boxes for boys. Journi told The Root that she’s received several requests for a nonbinary box and plans to begin releasing those boxes—called the Black Firefly Box—later this year. She also plans to launch a subscription box for college students, too.

So far, Black Butterfly Box has more than 250 subscribers. The boxes have a range of themes month to month, from black superheroes and black female activists to “black to school” and “nappy holidays.” Within each …

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