How I was introduced to human rights and social justice issues

From a very young age, I was always interested in learning about helping others. I also loved to learn about different cultures from all around the world. I remember watching middle eastern news such as Al-Jazeera and Press TV with my parents and pestering them with questions to the point where they would sigh in exhaustion and send me to my room to read a book or do something more elementary school girl-like. Not that my parents forced their political beliefs down my throat or brainwashed me into believing certain things, because they definitely didn't. I just often overheard their political conversations and watched the news with them, only half paying attention because I honestly couldn't keep up with the dense issues they often talked about. 

My interest in social justice didn't come until later around 8th grade and freshmen year when I joined a social blogging platform called Tumblr. Tumblr and I became inseperable. I spent almost every day on Tumblr reading about others' lives, reblogging pleasing pictures, and liking hilarious posts. Naturally, I also came to learn a lot about the world especially many oppressed people in the America, including women, LGBTQ+ advocates, and other minorities. I at first thought that these people were making a big deal out of it and complained about very minuscule things. But after a while, I came to realize that when thought about, these issues are actually very significant in affecting the bigger picture. I slowly became introduced into the world of progressivism, feminism, and LGBTQ+ rights. 

Learning about the flaws of the world often made me angry, sad, and upset that changes in the world aren't happening fast enough. I will admit that I still sometimes get angry and upset about the realities of the world. But it is important to know that change comes very slowly, and that it also comes with many people making the effort, instead of sitting around waiting for others to do it. If you are just being introduced to social justice issues and human rights, you should be reminded that you should always stick up for what you believe in, and fight for it too. While we may think we are just one average human in the world of billions of humans, it is also important to remember this quote by Libba Bray, "And that is how change happens. One gesture. One person. One moment at a time."