21 Under 21: Naomi Wadler Is Still Fighting for Black Girls Even Though She's Been Underestimated

Naomi Wadler is part of Teen Vogue’s 21 Under 21 Class of 2018, which spotlights extraordinary young women, girls, and femmes making waves in their industries or passions of choice.

When I ask Naomi Wadler if she’s ever felt underestimated because of her age, she laughs. The 12-year-old, who rocketed to activist superstardom after her table-shaking March for Our Lives speech, has a good sense of humor about what she’s up against when it comes to her work.

“That’s kind of every time I speak,” she says of the underestimation. “Every time I go and speak and every time I do something, I feel underestimated or I see that I am being underestimated.” But Naomi doesn’t make time for the doubters.

“There are always going to be people that don’t believe I know what I’m talking about, but they’re not really my priority at this moment,” she explains.

Naomi’s priorities were laid out quite clearly at that massive gun control march earlier this year, just as they were again in her powerful Elle interview with 13-year-old Marley Dias, and during her appearances at the Tribeca Film Festival and the Teen Vogue summit. For Naomi, the priority is lifting up black girls like herself.

“We know life isn't equal for everyone,” she told the March for Our Lives crowd, giving special shoutouts to Courtlin Arrington, Hadiya Pendleton, and Tiana Thompson — all young black women whose stories, she pointed out, “don’t make the front page of every national newspaper” or “don’t lead on the evening news.”

For Naomi, the fight for black girls is personal: “Not only am I fighting for other black girls, I’m fighting for myself as a black girl,” she says. “If you don't fight for yourself, nobody else is gonna fight for you.”

“I’m fighting for this platform and I’m so blessed to have this platform,” she adds. “And I don’t want to lose the opportunity to be able to fight for what I believe in.”

Naomi is more than just a newsmaker; she’s an avid news consumer, too. As she chats with me on the phone, it’s the day after then-nominee for the Supreme Court Brett Kavanaugh and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who accused him of sexual assault, both testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee. When I ask her what she hopes her world will look like in the future, the answer is a simple one:

“In 21 years, I hope to see a black female chairperson of the Judiciary Committee,” she says. “Got a bunch of old white men there.”

Naomi has a levity to her that demonstrates she’s not just a serious activist with a long future fighting for change ahead of her, she’s young woman with an easy laugh, as well. That duality — of her no-nonsense advocacy and her lighthearted sense of humor — comes together when I ask if she has any final thoughts for Teen Vogue readers.

At that moment, with the confirmation of Kavanaugh seeming likely, Naomi tells me, “Ain’t nobody got time for misogyny.”

Want more from Teen Vogue? Check this out: The 21 Under 21 Class of 2018

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