I’m a 17 year old junior in high school, so I can’t vote, and neither can most of my friends. But I work with the Sunrise Movement to fight for a Green New Deal and spent the past few months organizing for Bernie Sanders’s campaign in Michigan for one simple reason: another four years of incremental change beholden to corporate interests is a death sentence for my generation. We are facing down the climate crisis, skyrocketing economic and racial injustice, and now, a global pandemic. Leading up to the primary, dozens of teenagers from my hometown of Ann Arbor messaged me on social media with a simple plea: “How do I convince my parents not to vote for Joe Biden?” When I asked teens why their parents were leaning Biden, I was often met with the same answer: “They really like Bernie’s policies, but they’re scared he can’t beat Trump.” In historically progressive communities like Ann Arbor, we must examine the role that fear played in Biden’s appeal.

The evening before the primaries, I found myself sobbing in my kitchen, angry about the utter betrayal of young people that was about to play out in my home state and about the deeply uncertain future we face. And then, the next night, it happened. Biden won. The texts quickly started rolling in: “My mom voted for Biden. I’m losing my sh*t.” “I’m on the verge of tears. How could they do this?” “I thought they would do the right thing for my future. They voted for Bernie in 2016.” CNN Michigan exit polling data corroborates what we witnessed firsthand that night: 76% of voters under 30 chose Bernie, while 71% of voters over 65 chose Biden. This generational divide has shown up in state after state during this primary, even in more conservative states like Alabama and Tennessee. Now, the young progressives I know are responding in two main ways. Some feel utterly demoralized and powerless. Others are righteously angry at the Democrats for expecting youth to show up in force at the polls and vote blue, while actively de-prioritizing the generational issues that Bernie champions, like bold climate action and eliminating student debt. Many are not quite sure what to do next.

What I have realized over the past few days is that regardless of what happens next in this race, we must move forward, not back. Bernie is still in this race and pushing Biden left on the issues, and youth should join him in that fight. Bernie’s ideas are popular, even among Biden voters. In Missouri, voters favored “a complete overhaul” of our economy over “small changes.” Voters across the country are supportive of a “government plan for all instead of private insurance.” In Super Tuesday states, socialism was viewed favorably not just in California, but also in Tennessee and Texas. To capitalize on these ideological victories, it’s crucial that young voters mobilize our communities to the polls. We must show Democrats that we are a powerful asset, and present a unified front as a generation. If Biden becomes the nominee, we must demand that he integrate progressive policies into his platform and pick a progressive running mate to earn our votes and help him win where Hillary Clinton lost. If he’s elected, having shown up for him in the general gives youth leverage to further hold him accountable in office, using tactics like moral protest to demand the future that we deserve.

As for immediate next steps, the first charge for progressives of all ages is to pay close attention to primary races across the country where progressives are facing off against establishment Democrats. Not only do we have to keep the House and flip the Senate in 2020, we also have to fill them with progressive candidates. Key races include Marie Newman for IL-03, Ed Markey for Massachusetts Senate, and Andrew Romanoff for Colorado Senate. These are races in which we can and must make a difference.