Is the individual more important than the group? Many have asked this. Here’s a debate. No, the individual is not more important than the group. First, many greats have been alone in the beginning of creating change or different ways of solving problems. For example, Martin Luther King Jr. knew he had to stand up for Blacks against racism because everyone else was too scared and not wanting to risk their lives, even if it was to save many. He made the “I Have a Dream” speech so everyone could create a group to end segregation. As a result of his work, he got people to stand up with him and eventually they were successful in ending segregation. Through the years it also helped stop racism from spreading. Though everyone’s fears were seen when Martin Luther King Jr. was shot for speaking up, his message had already been heard. The laws were changed for all people to end racism and segregation.
 
A group can help persuade others. For example, the LGBTQ community started in order to protect them. We have the Gay/Straight Alliance (GSA) at Carey Jr. High. I had an idea to have an assembly to stop the bullying and bring awareness. For instance, we could have people who are comfortable speaking up. They can talk about their preferred pronouns and why they use those pronouns. I have friend who is biologically a girl, but who identifies as a boy. He gets bullied and catcalled (purposely not saying their preferred pronoun) because of being who they are and they’re opinion and why they use their pronouns. We also had a “Day of Silence” with a card to hand the teacher about why we are silent. We did this to change the rules and stop catcalling and learn how to respect them.
 
People need to enforce the rules and how we respect others. We need a group to change how things are dealt. The group is more important than an individual because of their opinions working together and their persuasions and their stories. One person can only have only so many stories in a lifetime, but thousands of people in a group can come together with more stories than can fill a lifetime.
 
“If you can't fly then run, if you can't run walk, if you can't walk crawl, but by all means keep moving.”
-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.