WEEK THE VOICE OF A TEENAGER IS
BEING HEARD.
NOAH ANDERSON IS A RECENT
MADISON WEST HIGH SCHOOL
GRADUATE.
ACTIVE IN ISSUES OF RACE AND
EQUALITY AFTER HIS FATHER MADE
NATIONAL HEADLINES.
MARION ANDERSON WAS A SECURITY
GUARD, NO TOLERANCE AND USED THE
N-WORD, HE TOLD KIDS TO STOP
USING IT AND HE REPEATED IT AND
WAS FIRED.
HE EVENTUALLY GOT HIS JOB BACK.
AND NOAH JOINS US FROM MADISON
WHERE WE TALKED WITH HIM
EARLIER.
NOAH, THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING
HERE.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> SO, AS A MEMBER OF THE BLACK
STUDENT UNION YOU HELPED
ORGANIZE A SCHOOL WALKOUT IN ARE
SUPPORT OF YOUR FATHER AND
AGAINST THE POLICY THAT DID NOT
ALLOW FOR THE NUANCE OF THE
CIRCUMSTANCE.
THAT WALKOUT PROTEST DREW SOME
1500 PARTICIPANTS.
HOW DID THAT EXPERIENCE HELP
SHAPE WHO YOU ARE TODAY?
>> YEAH, NO, YEAH, YOU WERE
ABOUT 1500 PEOPLE HAD WALKED
OUT.
MY EXPERIENCE IN THE SCHOOL WAS
PRETTY IFFY.
THAT REALLY SHOWED ME THAT, YOU
KNOW, I HAD PEOPLE THAT STAND IN
MY LINE, STANDING WITH ME IN
SOLIDARITY.
BUT IT WAS ABOUT, I BELIEVE,
80%, 85% OF THE SCHOOL THAT HAD
WALKED OUT THAT DAY.
REALLY WHAT THAT DAY AND WHAT
THAT EXPERIENCE TAUGHT ME WAS
THIS IS MY CALLING IN LIFE, YOU
KNOW, THIS IS WHAT GOD SET ME ON
THE EARTH FOR BECAUSE OF HOW
EVERYTHING PLAYED OUT.
NO WAY IN THE WORLD WOULD THAT
HAVE, THAT CASE GET THE AMOUNT
OF ATTENTION THAT IT DID.
YOU KNOW, CHER REACTED TO IT,
THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND REACTED TO
IT, THE WHOLE WORLD REACTED TO
IT AND YOU SEE RIGHT NOW WHAT'S
GOING ON WITH BLACK LIVES
MATTER, IT'S LIKE, IT'S LIKE I
HAD AN EXTREME LIKE YOU KNOW,
NOT MARTIN LUTHER KING BUT I HAD
A DREAM, I'M A RELIGIOUS PERSON
AND GOD SHOWED ME THAT THIS IS
THE FINAL WALK TO THE PROMISED
LAND FOR MY PEOPLE.
SO THAT EXPERIENCE REALLY SHAPED
ME AND GOD WAS JUST SHOWING ME
THROUGH THAT LITTLE EXPERIENCE
THAT THIS IS, THIS IS THE
BEGINNING OF, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S
SOON TO COME.
MY DAD LOST HIS JOB AND THAT IS
SAD BUT WITHOUT HIM LOSING HIS
JOB IT WOULD NOT HAVE BROUGHT
LIGHT TO THE PROBLEM IN THE
SCHOOL.
SO, HIM LOSING HIS JOB, HE GOT
HIS JOB BACK WITH EXTRA
BENEFITS.
SO YOU KNOW, HE WAS TAKEN AWAY
FOR A LITTLE BIT BUT THEN IT WAS
GIVEN BACK TO HIM.
PRETTY MUCH A LOT LIKE THE STORY
OF JOB, IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING
ABOUT THAT.
IN THAT EXPERIENCE, GOD SHOWED
ME THIS IS MY CALLING AND IT'S
WHAT HE PUT ME ON THIS EARTH TO
DO.
SO -- YEAH, I MEAN, I'M REALLY
EXCITED FOR WHAT'S COMING UP
NEXT.
>> SO ALL OF THAT SAID, WHAT WAS
IT LIKE FOR YOU TO SEE THE DEATH
OF GEORGE FLOYD AND NOW TO SEE
THE GLOBAL PROTESTS OVER HIS
KILLING?
>> SO I ACTUALLY, I CHOSE NOT TO
WATCH THAT VIDEO.
I KNOW ABOUT IT, I KNOW ABOUT
EVERYTHING.
I COULDN'T SEE A MAN LOSE HIS
LIFE THROUGH A TEN-MINUTE VIDEO.
REALLY LIKE MY MIND, YOU KNOW,
LIBERATION OF MY PEOPLE, THAT'S
BEEN SET IN MY HEART FOR, SINCE
I WOULD SAY SOPHOMORE YEAR.
I WAS NOT ALWAYS, YOU KNOW,
CONSCIOUS IN MY BLACK HISTORY
AND CONSCIOUS OF WHO I WAS, BUT
ACTUALLY AHMAUD ARBERY STRUCK
ME, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THEM,
AHMAUD WAS KILLED BY CIVILIANS
AND GEORGE FLOYD WAS KILLED BY A
COP.
AND WE KNOW POLICE BRUTALITY HAS
BEEN GOING ON FAR BEFORE I WAS
BORN, FAR BEFORE ANY OF US WAS
BORN THAT'S LIVING TODAY, BUT
AHMAUD ARBERY WAS KILLED BY A
CIVILIAN, LATER FOUND OUT WAS AN
ACTIVE MEMBER OF THE K.K.K.
THAT IS WHAT REALLY SCARED ME.
BECAUSE YOU KNOW, FOR THEM TO
GET AWAY WITH THAT FOR THREE
MONTHS UNTIL A VIDEO HAD CAME
OUT, THAT SCARED ME AND MADE ME
THINK HOW MANY PEOPLE THAT LOOK
LIKE ME ARE DYING AND I CAN'T
SEE IT.
YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T SEE JUST
BECAUSE THERE'S NO MEDIA
ATTENTION.
>> WHAT WAS THAT MOMENT THAT YOU
REALIZED THAT YOU COULD MAKE
CHANGE THROUGH ACTIVISM?
>> THE MOMENT I REALIZED I COULD
MAKE CHANGE THROUGH ACTIVISM WAS
DEFINITELY WHAT HAPPENED WITH MY
DAD.
AND NOT TO BE MISTAKEN, THAT WAS
NOT JUST ME, THAT WAS EVERYBODY,
YOU KNOW.
MY ENTIRE B.S.U. AND THE SCHOOL
COULD NOT HAVE BEEN DONE WITHOUT
EVERYBODY BECAUSE CHANGE COMES
WITH NUMBERS.
BUT THAT WAS A TIME SHOWING ME
HOW MUCH CHANGE MADE, HOW MUCH
MEDIA ATTENTION IT GOT WITHIN,
LEGIT, A COUPLE OF DAYS.
THAT SHOWED ME THAT THIS COULD
ACTUALLY, WE COULD ACTUALLY
CHANGE, ESPECIALLY THAT IT WAS A
BIG CASE, YOU KNOW, MY FATHER
LOSING HIS JOB OVER SOMETHING
LIKE THAT, YOU KNOW WHAT I'M
SAYING, BUT REALLY FOR IT TO GET
THAT MUCH ATTENTION SHOWED ME
THAT I COULD MAKE CHANGE, OR WE
CAN MAKE CHANGE THROUGH
ACTIVISM.
>> NOAH, WE LEAVE IT THERE.
WE WISH YOU WELL IN YOUR FUTURE
ENDEAVORS.
THANKS VERY MUCH.
>> OH, NO, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
HAVING ME.
>> THAT'S