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In Our Hands
By Rida Rangoonwala
“This world demands the qualities of youth: not a time of life, but a state of mind,
a temper of the will, a quality of imagination, a predominance of courage over timidity,
of the appetite for adventure over the love of ease (NUSAS).” These words, from a 1966
speech by Robert Kennedy, identify what is generally best about youth. If they lack the
wisdom of age, they possess the wisdom of changing times; what they are wanting in
practicality, they more than suffice with idealism.
And today, we are the youth of America. We represent what the youth of America
nearly half a century ago stood for and, today, we stand for our own beliefs as well. We
are the inheritors of a nation’s ideals- the inheritors of the values forming the bedrock of
America. And so, we wonder, “What can today’s youth do?”
The fact is, in 1971, a mere five years after Kennedy’s speech, it was made
explicit in the Constitution exactly what we can do. Section 1 of Amendment 26 reads:
“The right of citizens of the United States, who are 18 years of age or older, to vote, shall
not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of age” (26th
Amendment). And therein lies the civic duty we are capable of performing, the means by
which our voice can reach an influential ear. We can vote.
This amendment carries a good deal more significance than we ever assign to it.
To be sure, it signifies an equality in responsibilty as the youth of the time so logically
argued : “Old enough to fight, old enough to vote.” If we are capable of serving our
nation’s military, it stands to reason that we have some say in the leaders and
policymakers serving our nation. But aside from that, this amendment carries so much
meaning. The voting age might have been lowered only three years, but what is present in
this amendment is an acknowledgemnt of what Kennedy spoke of- the importance of
youth. It is a measure of trust in our judgment, as adults and as individuals partaking of
the responsibilty our country appoints to us. And it is a measure of faith in the collective
power of youth- the power to make a positive change, that we are granted by the 26th
Amendment to the Constitution.
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Works Cited
1) "26th Amendment." Legal Information Institute. Cornell University Law School,
n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2015.
2) "NUSAS Speech 1966." NUSAS Day of Affirmation. South Africa, Cape Town.
6 June 1966. RFK in the Land of Apartheid. Web. 10 Sept. 2015.