The Future Echoes: A Zine Anthology is an archival project designed to document young people’s thoughts and attitudes about current US political, social, economic, ecological, and cultural issues through a medium popular in art activism – zines.
The views and opinions expressed in the submitted zine pages that follow for The Future Echoes: A Zine Anthology are those of the individual contributors and do not reflect the official stance or views of the ACLU of North Carolina. These zines will serve as a platform for young artists and activists to express their perspectives and lived experiences.
I wrote a poem about my childhood and growing up transgender.
In a world that often depicts transition as a grotesque death of self, I want to depict transition as what it is- an act of freeing, beautiful creation.
This poem was about both my struggles with medical freedom, and my struggles of not being taken seriously in many aspects of my life.
This piece is a meditation on how I felt the criminalization of my abortion intersected with my Indigenous identity.
THIS is what freedom looks like to me; a messy collage of thousands of identities screaming into society- overlapping and collaborating with one another as beautifully and peacefully as the cut-outs do.
Without fair voting and speaking out, personal health and identity are under attack.
When people come together—shaking hands, listening, respecting—we create the kind of freedom that lasts.
To be human is to deserve freedom. It doesn't matter if you're gay, trans disabled or homeless you deserve freedom.
he pretends to care about working people but then turns around and supports things that hurt them.
My piece, Disheveled, is an exploration of vulnerability, duality, and the struggle for self-acceptance in a world that often expects perfection.
My image of trump separating a broken American flag displays the current political climate of the world.
This zine depicts a battle between the mind and the body. A battle to discover a sense of belonging and identity.
Drawing showing different types of women who all have the same belief regarding rights for they’re body.
This piece highlights what parts of your body is restricted by the government, which is just completely crazy, but needs to be talked about.
Themes of care, spirit, and solidarity seek to reflect our experience fighting for the full rights and dignity of our own communities, as well as those we are standing with and constantly learning from.
When viewing this quarter’s prompt: “Crisis: rebuilding in community” I was reminded of the poems I wrote in my final year of undergrad.
My poem is a homage to the 2025 movements “Hands Off” and “MayDay” protesting the current administration. I wanted to honor their meaning and the sheer amount of people who gathered to fight for balance.
I see the creativity and expressiveness of protest signs as a particularly wonderful form of art advocacy where people use their time and creativity to speak their mind.
In our online communities, we must bring authenticity and prioritize our multifaceted characters over conforming to the algorithms designed by large tech companies--that way, we rebuild.
Tell your truth in your own way to not lose hope. We have no choice but to keep telling our truths to learn, grow, and protect our lives, bodies, and futures.