TED Salon Doha Debates
Reniqua Allen: The story we tell about millennials -- and who we leave out
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Millennials are now the largest, most diverse adult population in the US -- but far too often, they're reduced to the worn-out stereotype of lazy, entitled avocado toast lovers, says author Reniqua Allen. In this revealing talk, she shares overlooked stories of millennials of color, offering a broader, more nuanced view of the generation. "Millennials are not a monolith," she says.
Reniqua Allen - Writer, producer, journalist
Reniqua Allen is a journalist who produces and writes for various outlets on issues of race, opportunity, politics and popular culture. Full bio
Reniqua Allen is a journalist who produces and writes for various outlets on issues of race, opportunity, politics and popular culture. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
So on the surface,
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Troy is the kind of millennial
that think pieces are made of.
that think pieces are made of.
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He's arrogant, self-centered
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and convinced that he is smarter
than people give him credit for.
than people give him credit for.
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His favorite topics of conversation
are girls, sneakers and cars --
are girls, sneakers and cars --
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not a surprise for someone
who was a teenager just a few years ago.
who was a teenager just a few years ago.
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But Troy's mannerisms --
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they reveal the patterns
of someone who is scared,
of someone who is scared,
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troubled and unsure of the future.
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Now Troy also embodies
the many positive qualities
the many positive qualities
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his generation is known for.
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An entrepreneurial spirit,
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an independent streak
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and a dedication to his parents.
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He believes in hard work
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and has tried gigs in both the licit
and underground economies,
and underground economies,
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but he hasn't had any luck
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and is just trying to find his way
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and still dances between both worlds.
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When I met Troy a few years ago,
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he had been employed as a golf caddy
at a local country club,
at a local country club,
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carrying bags for rich men and women
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who often never even
acknowledged his existence.
acknowledged his existence.
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Before that, he sold sneakers on Facebook.
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He even tried selling candy bars
and water bottles,
and water bottles,
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but he wasn't making enough money
to help his parents out
to help his parents out
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or save up for a car any time soon.
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So Troy saw how hard his immigrant
mother from Jamaica worked
mother from Jamaica worked
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and how little she got back in return,
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and he vowed --
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Troy vowed to take a different path.
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So he ended up selling drugs.
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And then he got caught,
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and right now, he's trying
to figure out his next steps.
to figure out his next steps.
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In a country where money equals power,
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quick money, at least for a while,
gives young men and women like him
gives young men and women like him
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a sense of control over their lives,
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though he said he mainly did it
because he wanted stability.
because he wanted stability.
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"I wanted a good life," he told me.
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"I got greedy and I got caught."
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Yet the amazing thing about Troy
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is that he still believes
in the American dream.
in the American dream.
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He still believes that with hard work,
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despite being arrested,
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that he can move on up.
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Now, I don't know
if Troy's dreams came true.
if Troy's dreams came true.
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He disappeared from the program
for troubled youth that he was involved in
for troubled youth that he was involved in
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and slipped through the cracks,
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but on that day that we spoke,
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I could tell that more than anything,
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Troy was happy that someone
listened to his dreams
listened to his dreams
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and asked him about his future.
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So I think about Troy and his optimism
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when I think of the reality
that so many young, black millennials face
that so many young, black millennials face
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when it comes to realizing their dreams.
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I think about all the challenges
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that so many black
millennials have to endure
millennials have to endure
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in a world that tells them
they can anything they want to be
they can anything they want to be
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if they work hard,
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but actually doesn't sit down
to listen to their dreams
to listen to their dreams
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or hear stories about their struggle.
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And we really need to listen
to this generation
to this generation
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if we hope to have a healthy
and civil society going forward,
and civil society going forward,
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because millienials of color,
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they make up a fair chunk
of the US and the world population.
of the US and the world population.
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Now when we talk about millennials,
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a group that is often labeled
as entitled, lazy, overeducated,
as entitled, lazy, overeducated,
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noncommittal and narcissistic,
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the conversations often swirl
around avocado toast,
around avocado toast,
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overpriced lattes and fancy jobs abroad --
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you probably have heard
all these things before.
all these things before.
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But millennials are not a monolith.
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Actress Lena Dunham
may be the media's representation
may be the media's representation
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of this generation,
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but Troy and other voices like his
are also part of the story.
are also part of the story.
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In fact, millennials are the largest
and most diverse adult population
and most diverse adult population
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in this country.
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44 percent of all American
millennials are nonwhite,
millennials are nonwhite,
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but often, you wouldn't
even know it at all.
even know it at all.
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Now sure, there are similarities
within this population
within this population
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born between 1981 and 1996.
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Perhaps many of us do love
avocado toast and lattes --
avocado toast and lattes --
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I know I do, right?
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But there are also extreme differences,
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often between millennials of color
and white millennials.
and white millennials.
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In fact, all too often,
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it seems as though we're virtually
living in different worlds.
living in different worlds.
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Now black millennials,
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a group that I have researched
for a book I recently wrote,
for a book I recently wrote,
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are the perfect example
of the blind spot that we have
of the blind spot that we have
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when it comes to this group.
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For example,
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we have lower rates of homeownership,
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we have higher student debt,
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we get ID'd more
at voter registration booths,
at voter registration booths,
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we are incarcerated at higher rates ...
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we make less money,
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we have higher numbers of unemployment --
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even when we do
go to college, I should say --
go to college, I should say --
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and we get married at lower rates.
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And honestly, that's really
just the beginning.
just the beginning.
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Now, none of these struggles
are particularly new, right?
are particularly new, right?
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Young black people in America
have been fighting,
have been fighting,
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really fighting hard to get
their stories told for centuries.
their stories told for centuries.
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After the Civil War in the 1800s,
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Reconstruction failed
to deliver the equality
to deliver the equality
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that the end of slavery
should have heralded,
should have heralded,
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so young people moved
to the North and the West
to the North and the West
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to escape discriminatory
Jim Crow policies.
Jim Crow policies.
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Then, as segregation raged
in much of the country,
in much of the country,
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young black people helped
spearhead civil rights campaigns
spearhead civil rights campaigns
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in the 1950s and 1960s.
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After that, some people embraced
black power and then became Black Panthers
black power and then became Black Panthers
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and then the next generation,
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they turned to hip-hop to make sure
their voices were heard.
their voices were heard.
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And then Barack Obama,
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hopeful that he, too,
may bring about change.
may bring about change.
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And when that failed,
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when we realized we were still
brutalized and battered,
brutalized and battered,
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we had to let the world know
that our lives still mattered.
that our lives still mattered.
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Now, when technology allows
more video of our pain and struggle
more video of our pain and struggle
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to be broadcast to the world,
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we wonder, like, what is next?
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Our country feels
more polarized than ever,
more polarized than ever,
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yet we are still being told
to pull up our pants,
to pull up our pants,
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be respectable, be less angry,
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smile more and work harder.
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Even the attitudes of millennials
themselves are overdue for an update.
themselves are overdue for an update.
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Research done by the Washington Post
in 2015 about this supposedly "woke" group
in 2015 about this supposedly "woke" group
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found that 31 percent of white millennials
think that blacks are lazier than whites,
think that blacks are lazier than whites,
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and 23 percent say
they're not as intelligent.
they're not as intelligent.
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These are, like, surprising
things to me, and shocking.
things to me, and shocking.
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And these responses
are not that much different
are not that much different
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than generations in the past,
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and it shows that unfortunately,
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this generation is repeating
the same old stereotypes
the same old stereotypes
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and tropes of the past.
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Now, a study conducted by David Binder
Research and MTV in 2014 --
Research and MTV in 2014 --
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it found that 84 percent of young
millennials were taught by their families
millennials were taught by their families
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that everyone should be equal.
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This is a really great thing,
a really positive step.
a really positive step.
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But only 37 percent in that group
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actually talked about race
with their families.
with their families.
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So I could understand
why things may be confusing to some.
why things may be confusing to some.
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There are definitely black millennials
who are succeeding.
who are succeeding.
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Marvel's "Black Panther,"
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directed by black millennial Ryan Coogler
and showcasing many others,
and showcasing many others,
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broke all sorts of records.
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There's a crop of television shows
by creatives like Donald Glover,
by creatives like Donald Glover,
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Lena Waithe and Issa Rae.
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Beyoncé is, like, the queen, right?
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She is, like, everything.
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Young black authors are winning awards,
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Serena Williams is still
dominating on the tennis court
dominating on the tennis court
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despite all her haters,
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and there's a crop of new politicians
and activists running for office.
and activists running for office.
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So I don't want to, like,
kill these moments of black joy
kill these moments of black joy
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that I too revel in,
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but I want to make it clear
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that these wins are too few
and far between
and far between
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for a people that's been here
for over 400 years.
for over 400 years.
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Like, that's insane, right?
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And most people still don't
really understand the full picture, right?
really understand the full picture, right?
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Our stories are still misunderstood,
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our bodies are still taken advantage of,
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and our voices?
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Our voices are silenced
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in a world that still shows little concern
for our everyday struggles.
for our everyday struggles.
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So our stories need to be told
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in a multitude of ways
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by a range of voices
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talking about diverse and nuanced topics,
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and they really need to be listened to.
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And it is not just here in America, right?
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It's all around the world.
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Millennials make up 27 percent
of the world's population.
of the world's population.
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That's around two billion people.
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And with countries like India,
China, Indonesia and Brazil,
China, Indonesia and Brazil,
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along with the United States,
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accounting for 50 percent
of the world's millennials,
of the world's millennials,
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it's clear that the white, often male,
heterosexual narrative of the millennial
heterosexual narrative of the millennial
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is only telling half the story.
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Now, there's many people
trying to broaden the palette.
trying to broaden the palette.
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They're fighting to get their stories told
and bust the millennial stereotype.
and bust the millennial stereotype.
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Whether it's students in South Africa
protesting statues of Cecil Rhodes,
protesting statues of Cecil Rhodes,
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Michaela Coel making us laugh from the UK,
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or Uche Eze, who's framing views
about Nigerian life, online.
about Nigerian life, online.
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But I want to make it clear --
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I want to make it really clear to everyone
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that just because things look
more equal than they did
more equal than they did
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in the 20th century,
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doesn't mean that things
are equitable at all.
are equitable at all.
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It doesn't mean
our experiences are equitable,
our experiences are equitable,
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and it certainly doesn't mean
that a post-racial society,
that a post-racial society,
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that thing that we talked about so much,
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ever became close to being a reality.
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I think of Joelle,
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a middle-class 20-something
who did everything the "right way,"
who did everything the "right way,"
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but she couldn't go to her dream school,
because it was simply too expensive.
because it was simply too expensive.
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Or Jalessa,
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who knows she can't be mediocre at her job
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the same way that her white peers can.
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Or Trina, who knows that people judge
her unconventional family choices
her unconventional family choices
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in a different way
than if she were a white woman.
than if she were a white woman.
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Or actor AB,
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who knows that the roles he takes
and gets in Hollywood are different
and gets in Hollywood are different
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because of his skin color.
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And then there's Simon.
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So Simon, by all means, would be
an example of someone who's made it.
an example of someone who's made it.
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He's a CFO at a tech company
in San Francisco,
in San Francisco,
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he has a degree from MIT
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and he's worked at some of the hottest
tech companies in the world.
tech companies in the world.
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But when I asked Simon
if he had achieved the American dream,
if he had achieved the American dream,
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it took him a while to respond.
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While acknowledging
that he had a really comfortable life,
that he had a really comfortable life,
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he admitted that under
different circumstances,
different circumstances,
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he might have chosen a different path.
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Simon really loves photography,
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but that was never a real option for him.
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"My parents weren't able to subsidize me
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through that sort of thing," Simon said.
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"Maybe that's something
my children could do."
my children could do."
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So it's these kinds of stories --
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the quieter, more subtle ones --
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that reveal the often unique
and untold stories of black millennials
and untold stories of black millennials
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that show how even dreaming
may differ between communities.
may differ between communities.
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So we really need to listen
and hear the stories of this generation,
and hear the stories of this generation,
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now more than ever,
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as the baby boomers age
and millennials come to prominence.
and millennials come to prominence.
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We can talk all we want to
about pickling businesses in Brooklyn
about pickling businesses in Brooklyn
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or avocado toast,
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but leaving out the stories
and the voices of black millennials,
and the voices of black millennials,
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large swaths of the population --
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it will only increase divisions.
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So stories of black millennials,
brown millennials
brown millennials
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and all millennials of color
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really need to be told,
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and they also need to be listened to.
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We'd be a far better-off
country and world.
country and world.
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Thank you.
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(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Reniqua Allen - Writer, producer, journalistReniqua Allen is a journalist who produces and writes for various outlets on issues of race, opportunity, politics and popular culture.
Why you should listen
Reniqua Allen's first book, It Was All a Dream: A New Generation Confronts the Broken Promise to Black America, about black millennials and upward mobility was released in 2019. The Washington Post called the work a "a vital book" and "a necessary reminder that this post-racial generation is anything but."
Allen has written for the New York Times, Washington Post, Guardian, BuzzFeed, Quartz, The New Republic, Teen Vogue, Glamour and more, and she has produced a range of films, vide, and radio for PBS, MSNBC, WYNC, the American Museum of Natural History and HBO. She has also appeared as a commentator on CNN, MSNBC, NPR, the CBC and C-SPAN.
In the fall of 2019, Allen will be a Visiting Scholar at the City University of New York while she completes a Ph.D in American Studies from Rutgers University. Her dissertation looks at how black culture has and continues to engage with the idea of the American Dream. She lives in the South Bronx.
Reniqua Allen | Speaker | TED.com