Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “A riot is the language of the unheard.” The same unheard that are portrayed as these violent and lawless people, when in reality, they’re the only ones putting up a fight against the very things that work to oppress them.

Protesting has been part of societies around the world for hundreds of years. Civil wars, presidential elections, equal rights, slavery, terrorism, women’s rights, hunger strikes, school strikes, equal pay, the right to vote, black lives matter, life, death and injustice; each and every one of these are the cause of protest. Simple things that every person is entitled to, yet end up fighting to have. Without protesting, there would be no change.
“Stand up for what you believe in, even if it means standing alone,” Andy Biersack said.

“We are the voice of change, and it’s our duty to make the world a better place,” Elie Wiesel once said. “There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.”

Some would argue that protesting only leads to violence, nothing more. But protest can be the beginning of a revolution. On Aug. 28, 1963, countless people took to the streets for freedom and Senator Bernie Sanders, the very man that is running for the 2016 presidential election, walked with Martin Luther King, Jr. during the March on Washington.
Neither man sat back; they were there to fight for change. Sanders was taken away in handcuffs, and King was later assassinated. They didn’t let the hatred stop them from fighting for the rights that every living and breathing human should have.

“Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drining from the cup of bitterness and hatred,” King said.
Everywhere we look, there is some form of protest. Art, street art, music, books, signs, social media; each and every one of these is its own form of social change.

Banksy, a well-known street artist, prides himself on creating unconventional art that stands for the people. Making an impact and change is what motivates him to create. Sometimes, a piece of art on a wall is what the world needs in order to change, but it won’t change unless people speak out.

“There are things you can’t back down on, things you gotta take a stand on. But it’s up to you to decide what them things are. You have to demand respect in this world. Ain’t nobody just gonna hand it to you. How you carry yourself, what you stand for—that’s how you gain respect. But, little one, ain’t nobody’s respect worth more than your own,” Mildred D. Taylor said.

Taking a stand and speaking out for what you believe in may take courage, but you might be the voice that makes major change.