Author: Alex Koroknay-Palicz
Date: April 16, 2001

Washington, DC -- When the Declaration of Independence was written over 200 years ago, we called ourselves free. But African-Americans stood helpless is the shackles of slavery. When Abraham Lincoln signed the emancipation proclamation, again we called ourselves free. But women were barred from the voting booths and belittled in the shadows of men. African-Americans and woman now stand equal in the steps of liberty, but is the struggle for justice really over? The answer is no. A group that has long been ignored must take the foreground in the seemingly endless struggle for justice, and that group is youth.

Activists from around the country are coming together this summer in Washington, DC, with the goal of advancing the cause of youth rights. "I am sick and tired of being treated as a second-class citizen," 18-year-old Libertarian activist and YPA member Aaron Biterman of Wisconsin. "That's why we have decided to take action."

The action Biterman and others are taking is moving their lives to Washington, DC, to live in a house filled with youth rights activists. The goals of the house include raising awareness of the youth rights movement, advancing pro-youth legislation, and creating a unified body of resistance against the government's chained treatment of its young people.

"There isn't a country more anti-youth in the world than the United States," Biterman says. "In America, youth can't vote, can't get an abortion without asking their parents, can't legally run away from home, can't drop out of school, and can't stay in certain places past certain times." These status offenses are allowable for those who have reached the magical age of 18 or 21. Why? Because the government decided that until you reach the magical age of 18, you are not competent enough to make these decisions.

"I believe that you know best what time you should come home from a party, whether you are 14, 25, or 78," says Biterman. "If you believe like me and want to take action, I urge you to join the cause of youth rights this summer in D.C." For further information, visit http://youthrights.freeyellow.com or e-mail JewishCo1@aol.com.