I hear the call of resistance echoing through the fissures of American cities’ cracked pavements as Black and Brown people march hand in hand against frequent police brutality, where hope’s concrete rose blooms amidst the ashes of hate.

I hear that same call in Palestine when the same nation that trains American police burns a Palestinian grandmother’s ancient olive farm that’s stood from the fall of Rome to today, where olives defiantly thrive despite the flame’s greedy embrace.

I hear that same call in America once more as the same bulldozers that destroy homes in Palestine to build settlements then destroy Native American land to build pipelines, where people line up together to protect their homes from impending doom.

I hear that same call of resistance in the Congo as big corporations come in and take adults and young children to unsafe mines without an ounce of remorse for the daily deaths and painful pay, where people unveil the tape, revealing the massacre to a world that seeks to bury truth’s light.

I hear that same call in Yemen as people become greedy and begin bombing the land to allow their goods to come through and to make a profit at the cost of life, where people block the weapons of war from murdering another people and despite those same weapons bombing their homes, they still offered help in a world of ignorance.

I hear that same call of resistance in Xinjiang as the Uygur people are placed into internment camps and have their culture erased, where defiant people flood the streets, facing tear gas and batons with unwavering resolve, they still see light through the darkness.

I hear that same call on America’s southern border where migrants are rounded up and sent to internment camps to be held in tents and not homes in the hostile heat of the day and the frightful and frozen bitter nights, where people are housing them even when the government deems them “illegal.”

I hear that same call of resistance in Iran where women and girls are treated like property and freedom of expression is an act of treason punishable by death, where people still march through the streets and share their voices online in the hope that their fellow countrymen and the world hear their cry.

I hear that same call from journalists all over the world from Julian Assange on trial in America to Evan Gershkovich in Russia both charged with the crime of curiosity, where their journalism still shines bright even when governments attempt to block the light.

I hear that same call of resistance from the emptiness of Tiananmen Square and the sense of dread and fear in Hong Kong, where despite the rusty prison bars, the window of the outside reveals a road to freedom someday.

I hear that same call on American college campuses where American youth were assaulted and arrested for speaking up against injustice from Vietnam to the Gaza Genocide, where lawyers have heard their cry and hope endures that freedom of speech will be restored.

From China to America, everyday people are put on blacklists and surveilled for standing up for truth and justice and for continuing their constant calls of resistance.

Though the call for resistance has been silenced by powerful governments and corporations, regular people continue it despite being silenced.

The call of resistance never ends and as the calls around the world unite, the call will be so loud that no one can silence it.

Adam Tlaib is a member of The School at Marygrove’s high school graduating class of 2024 and in his free time he likes to read and write fictional novels.

Part of our 2024 Fiction Issue.