For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fed a healthy diet of fiction. From the Three Samurai Cats to the Magic Tree House series to Harry Potter to a Wrinkle in Time, I consumed any and all books I could get my hands on and spent my afternoons and weekends in these magical worlds. The characters in my favorite stories lived in vastly different universes, but they all faced hardships and overcame them. A common theme between them were strong characters that left me feeling empowered. These characters may be in part why myself, and many of my peers, feel a sense of urgency to stand up against injustice and President Trump, a classic villain.

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During the 2016 election season I read a study explaining that people who read Harry Potter were less likely to vote for Trump because he had many parallels with Voldemort. He uses hate as a way to put people against each other, like Voldemort. He wants absolute control and disregards rules, like Voldemort. He manipulates people to get what he wants, like Voldemort. His little cronies, like Pence, DeVos, other members of his cabinet, and those in Congress that support Trump are like Death Eaters.

As a proud member of Dumbledore’s Army since I first read the books in fourth grade, I have been dedicated to fighting the good fight like my fictional heroes. Much like the members of Dumbledore’s Army who committed themselves to learning spells to fight the opposition, people my age are teaching themselves about government and laws in order to try and make a difference in their communities.

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I also see the parallels between myself and many of the characters I read about. Like Hermione, I have brown, somewhat frizzy hair, and have always been a nerd. Maybe not to the same extent, but I have always related to her. Hermione uses her intelligence to fight the Death Eaters and also works on a campaign to give house elves rights. Now as I try to fight against the injustices I see, I use similar tactics through strong arguments based in fact. Subconsciously I am trying to be a Hermione.

I am also trying to be a Meg. My favorite novel is a Wrinkle in Time, and I related to the main character as an awkward thirteen year old trying to navigate myself and the world. Meg, her friend, Calvin, and her little brother, Charles Wallace, embark on a journey to go rescue her father. He is being held captive by IT, an evil force. In order to defeat IT, they must use the power of love. This message of love being the power used to defeat evil has stuck with me. This is also how Harry Potter defeats evil in that series. Through love, hope and determination, my favorite characters were able to be triumphant.

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I also read the Hunger Games and related to Katniss as a teenager. Katniss fought against the greed of the privileged in the Capitol. Her and her friends were able to take down this force through intelligence, will, and doing what is right. Similarly, Tris in Divergent fought against the powerful elite with her strength and the support of her friends and lover. These characters are strong role models: they fought for what is right without regard for what happened to them as individuals. The causes they were fighting for was bigger than themselves, but they threw themselves in head first anyways.

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Young people now are emulating these characters and their friends. They see the greed, incompetence, and corruptness of the people who are supposed to be leading the U.S. and associate that with villains in these stories. The people of the world are facing many of the same issues that our favorite characters faced, such as vast inequality, oppression based on heritage, censorship and disregard for the humanity of others.

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Although many of the characters I cited are new, young people have been fighting the good fight for generations. Before us was the anti-Vietnam War movement, the Civil Rights movement, and more before that. The young people of today are filled with a similar motivation and resolve to change things. Like Bob Dylan sings in the song, “The Times They are A-Changin’,” “Come mothers and father throughout the land. And don’t criticize what you can’t understand, your sons and your daughters are beyond your command. Your old road is rapidly agin’. Please get out of the new one if you can’t lend your hand, for the times they are a-changin’.”

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The young people of today are fighting for what they believe is right alongside their fictional heroes. And like their heroes, young people are throwing themselves into the fray and are tired of being at the whim of their superiors.