OurVoice

Generation Y, the Millennials, Generation Next, the Net Generation, Echo Boomers. These are all terms used to describe our generation.
We are typically born between 1982 and 1995, and we are 60 million strong. We are the children of Baby Boomers, and in some cases the children of Generation X. We have an ease with, and knowledge of technology that far surpasses that of our grandparents and parents; and in the critical views of some, we are the generation that will be the downfall of our nation.
Maybe the technical stuff is correct, but the downfall . . . definitely not.
We grew up watching “Family Matters,” “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” “Martin,” “Sister Sister,” “Hanging with Mr. Cooper,” and “Moesha,” without ever missing an episode. We were the last generation to board the Soul Train, but we made it, and we even got a glimpse of Don Cornelius on the way.
We watch MTV, VH1, and BET these days but our first love was The BOX. It doesn’t get much better than having the videos we chose, to view 24 hours a day.
  We have mad respect for the Isley Brothers, Marvin Gaye, Al Green, Bob Marley, Prince and the whole Winans gospel family, because if they had not all started it, then we couldn’t put our own creative spins on it with Michael Jackson, Jodeci, Boyz II Men, TLC, En Vogue, Biggie, and 2Pac and Kirk Franklin.
  We are the generation of newness. Our politics are liberal with independent tendencies. We are the children of Bill Clinton, and we swear by him. If he said it, we believed it. Money wasn’t quite as funny back then, and families seemed happier.
We are extremely passionate, but we are rebels without a cause. We are semi-removed from the Civil Rights Movement and find our energy sometimes . . . misplaced. We will get behind a cause that moves us, but the generation that preceded us has somewhat dropped the ball, when giving us direction. Without direction, we are walking along a path that leads to nowhere.
We express ourselves through art, music, dance and poetry, but we don’t express ourselves enough with our words. We don’t read enough to be knowledgeable about the issues that truly affect us on a day-to-day basis, and we don’t stand out enough.
This must change. We are the largest age group in America, after the Baby Boomers, and they have had their moment. This is ours.
OurWeekly’s new affiliate OurVoice is the new outlet for our generation. It will be a place where we can report our news, share our stories, our talents and our businesses. It will be a place where we can express, inspire and inform each other. As of now, there is no media/news outlet that caters exclusively to our entire generation. OurVoice is changing that.
Through OurVoice, we can connect with people from all over the county who have something to say, an opinion to share, or a question to ask. We are the driving force that can turn the fate of this country around, not our government, not our president, but us. The time for us to take what is given to us without asking for more has ended. The time for us to speak out is here. The time for OurVoice is now.
Look for our online page March 25.
And if you want to be involved in OurVoice in any way; if you can write, if you are a musician, an athlete, a student, an entrepreneur; if you are making a difference in your community or know someone who is, if you want to see a change in the media or even if you just come across something that you think is newsworthy, contact us at (323) 905-1324. You can also go online at www.ourweekly.com and become a member, view our news or give us your feedback.