Interview with Lyn Jones: The young activist talks advocacy, empowerment and resistance

Could you please introduce yourself for the interview? Ideally your name, pronouns, how you got started and what kind of things you're doing at the moment in the activism space.

Sure. So, my name is Lyn Jones. I use she/her pronouns and I'm a 17-year-old human rights activist and founder of the changemakers diary. How I got my start in activism was actually at the Allen outlet mall shooting. I was on the street at the time that it occurred and Texas lawmakers’ response was you know, thoughts and prayers and proposed legislation to arm teachers with handguns and I knew that we do not solve gun violence with more guns.

So that's when I joined Students Demand Action, who were actually my first organization that really got me into activism. And I led a schoolwide walk out. And following the walk out, I realized how much power I had as a youth activist and how much how powerful, and how valuable youth forces were in activism and politics. That is when I founded The Changemakers Diary around September of 2023. And it initially just started as a blog; I would just write an article once a month and just share it with a couple of readers via an email list and then that was immensely successful. So, then November of 2024 I began making content online, and The Changemakers Diary kind of went from just a small blog to an entire advocacy organization where I work to connect and empower other youth change makers.

Do you have any way to explain how it makes you feel when you know you are involved like that? How would you share it with others; if it’s a good feeling, if it's a proud feeling, how do you feel when you know you're engaged in something that really matters?

This is actually such a perfect question. I have a perfect answer for this and I've actually never been asked this. The one word that I would use to describe youth activism is empowered. And I say empowered because I think that youth voices are often overlooked, especially in spaces as professional and diplomatic as politics and advocacy. So when you are standing up saying, "Hey, I have something to say and it matters," that is nothing short of empowering.

How do your friends and family, react to your activism pursuits? Is it always a positive reaction, are they happy you're involved? Are they happy you've picked something to care about, or are they not as content with how you decided to engage so publicly and so online?

I will say that my parents and I, my moms and I, we share a lot of values. A big part of what I advocate for is racial justice and queer rights. And I do come from a racially diverse two mom family, so they're inherently supportive of my work. I will say that I have faced some backlash with peers at school.

I definitely wouldn't call them friends, especially growing up in Texas. I very recently moved to Richmond and I've actually only gone to school here for a year, but where I lived in Texas was a predominantly conservative area. And I did get a lot of hate. I got slurs in the hallways. I got people, you know, pulling up my videos just to make fun of them in front of me in class and things of that nature compared to Richmond where it's a more progressive I would say even liberal area. I don't face that virtually at all.

“…I have never received hate or negative criticism from someone who I shared values with.”

Something that I always kind of keep in the back of my mind just to keep me motivated when I do face backlash is that I have never received hate or negative criticism from someone who I shared values with. And I think that says a lot about what kind of person is being negative towards my work. I've never wanted to swap places with anyone who has ever given me that sort of negativity. And I think that's a really great thing to remember is that the people that are hating on you are simply haters. They're not supporters or not people you want or need in your corner.

Why did you decide to focus on online activism, starting with your blog that you created originally? The stuff you share online is very Gen Z focused, very easily accessible content. It's very confronting but focused on being inviting to a young audience and I really appreciate that. How do you intentionally make your account and content confronting but still inviting and welcoming to young people?

So, how I got involved in content creation was really because I saw the success of the blog, which was actually just a free Google site up until this past November, which is also when I started making content on Instagram. And it was really just meeting Gen Z where they were at. And that was social media. So, I was kind of like, if I can utilize social media to be a better agent of change, and reach new audiences and expand my advocacy to people who I otherwise would have never interacted with. That's kind of what led me into content creation.

And as far as adhering to my target audience, it's really a formula. There is some of my content that's longer form and more serious and it's like, okay, let me sit down and talk about this policy. But I also kind of couple it with stuff that's a bit easier to watch that kind of reaches new followers and, you know, catches Gen Z’s attention. Like sometimes I'll do dances that have some politics mixed into it or short form videos that are kind of like trendy of just this is who I am. And I think combining, you know, more serious, heavier content with lighter, more inviting content has really led people to come to my page and then stay.

With how online activism and Gen Z are nowadays, do you think social activism as it is now could be more accessible to the average young person online? Or do you think it's still up to the individual to challenge themselves by choice to go out and find the activism content that they want in an accessible format? In considering that your content is particularly Gen Z focused and intentionally accessible to the average social media user, not just the average involved young activist.

I would say that I do believe accessible content is important because politics can feel like a far off realm for many young people who just aren't politically affluent. You know, content such as mine is, like you said, intentionally designed to be easily understood by someone who may be kind of newer to the activism and political realm versus, you know, more mature content that uses complex terms and, you know, names, political figures that aren't as widely understood.

But I will say that I do appreciate more in-depth political and advocacy content even if it is less accessible, because I do believe it is more informative than content such as mine, which is more made to be you know, gateway content targeting younger people. The key takeaway from my account is that I hope people see what I post and see what I do, and then that leads them to get involved and start doing their own research. Kind of take the resources that I provide to further their own knowledge. So, I wouldn't say that I have a particular desire for more people to be creating content like mine.

So you’re saying your content is important and necessary for young people, but as a stepping stone to more informative and more dense content. As a necessary part for the average young person to see, but then there's an expectation that they go further and get more involved and read more heavier content.

Yes, for sure. I would say I do enjoy creating accessible content because I think that it gets a lot of young people involved because it is so easily understood. But the intention behind that is that they do take the initiative with my account and then that they go off and they start diving deeper and doing their own research, and following creators who are a little more in depth.

Do you have any advice for the average young activist on how to balance activism and your daily life? How would you say you; you know, go to school, have a job, and still be involved in these sorts of things and not get overwhelmed or stress yourself out with the state of the things you're trying to aid.

For sure. Activism, just like any other niche, is a network. There are multiple people involved. So, it's okay when you need to take a step back because someone will pick up the slack and someone will fill in. Sometimes I will take just kind of breaks. I won't read the news. I won't go online and I'll just, you know, run or bake or feed into my creative outlets. And I can trust that there are other people who aren't on their breaks, if you will, that will fill that space for me until I'm ready to come back to it. And I know that I'll do the same for others as well. So, really understanding that breaks as needed are perfectly fine.

And also, there is no small act of activism. If your activism is showing up to a democratic meeting, your town's democratic meeting once a month, that is just fine. If it is protesting every single weekend and posting content nearly every day like I do, that is also great. And no one is shaming you for your involvement. They're appreciative of whatever you are willing and able to do. Yeah. So, any step is a step in the right direction.

“…there is no small act of activism.”

Do you have any advice on how to enter the youth activism space for young people who are interested in getting involved, past following accounts like yours? Would there be a first step that you'd recommend, or any ideas for first things to try, and then of course any stepping stones to further involvement and further engagement?

For sure. My first step for those for young people who want to get involved in activism and don't know where to start I say start where things have already been started and that means joining a pre-existing group. I know Students Demand Action, that's who I started with, and that organization is very widespread but there are also more regional centric groups. Like I believe Richmond has a climate justice advocacy group and a liberal women of Chesterfield and Richmond County group and things of that nature. Get involved, start attending your town's town hall meetings. Go to a local protest. You don't have to start from scratch. I think a lot of youth activists think that to be a youth activist, you have to kind of do what I did and start a whole organization or start making all this content and have all these followers, but that's really not what it's about. And there are pre-existing organizations ready to take on new members and provide you with new opportunities.

“…You don't have to start from scratch.”

I think what I even recommend is even if your passion is climate activism and climate justice, start a gardening club at school. That right there is activism. And while you're out, you know, planting flowers at your school and whatnot, incorporate, hey, here's what's going on with climate justice. Here's legislation that's on the table. Here's what we can do about it. It can be as simple as that.

Yeah, that's a really great example of well as well of how getting involved in such a small way is equally as important, and then how important education is as a part of that. You're doing things and you’re involved, but you have to also understand why you're doing them, how important they are, the people that have come before you and then what more you can do. A couple more uh future-wise questions, where do you think your change makers diary or you as an activist is going?

You're really making me think with this one. I will say that when I started this, I was just a freshman and I didn't anticipate it even, you know, graduating from a free Google site to where the organization is now. I think the future of the changemakers diary is less about taking a next step and more just sharing content. My what I'm doing now is working. So I can definitely see myself continuing up into my professional career just making content and posting to the blog and continuing to do what I'm doing now.

That is me done with the questions that I have planned out, but I wanted to finish off with if you have any last words per say, or any calls to action or current projects you'd like to spotlight?

I will say I I'm a firm believer in the power of a protest and the 50501 movement has recently gained a lot of traction and I think that is a great movement to get involved with. I would almost call them a gateway organization because I know that 50501 Virginia to be specific has partnered with Black Lives Matter Virginia and Richmond Indivisible and other partner organizations and I'm sure that happens in other states as well. So even when you show up to a protest such as 50501, you're really showing up to a coalition of many organizations who are ready to get you involved and they have their signup sheets and they're looking for new members.

So, I think even putting yourself in a space with other activists and other people who share your values is going to inherently unlock many doors for you. I'm not specifically a part of any other advocacy group outside of course, you know, founding the change makers diary besides Students Demand Action. I think that is the only organization that I'm formally involved in right now. My kind of like sound bite that I give everyone in my organization slogan is don't wait, be the change maker.

Ok perfect! I can use your phrase as your parting words, thanks so much for being here!

Thank you so much for what you guys do in your organization. I'm really looking forward to being able to recommend you guys when people reach out asking how they can get more involved.

That'd be amazing. And again, thanks so much for meeting with me. This has been very informative, and we very much appreciate it! Good luck with everything in the future!

You can find Lyn Jones at @the_changemakers_diary and on her website

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Interview by Emerson Lawrence with Students Stand Up