TDS Time Machine | Young Activists

Summary

The Daily Show: Ears Edition

Episode: TDS Time Machine | Young Activists
Date: December 7, 2025
Host(s): Jon Stewart, Trevor Noah
Guests: Malala Yousafzai, Greta Thunberg, Emma Gonzalez, Matt Dyche, Xiuhtezcatl Martinez

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Episode Overview

This episode of The Daily Show: Ears Edition spotlights "Young Activists," showcasing youth leaders who have become trailblazers in social, educational, environmental, and political causes. With interviews conducted by Jon Stewart and Trevor Noah, the episode explores the experiences, motivations, and philosophies of figures like Malala Yousafzai (education advocate), Greta Thunberg (climate activist), Emma Gonzalez & Matt Dyche (March for Our Lives anti-gun violence activists), and Xiuhtezcatl Martinez (environmental activist & hip-hop artist). The tone alternates between reflective, earnest, and comedy-tinged, exemplifying The Daily Show’s signature blend of real talk and wit.

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1. Malala Yousafzai: Bravery, Education, and Global Responsibility

Segment Start: 01:17

A Conversation on Humanity and Hope

• Jon Stewart welcomes Malala, remarking on the difficult news of the day, prompting a reflection on hope and humanity.
• Malala emphasizes persistent tragedy:
  • “I have seen these kind of situations in my life when there is no justice, when there is no human feeling... for a second you think that no one has feelings at all.” (01:33)
• She insists on praying for peace and the prosperity of all (01:53).

On the Burden and Choice of Activism

• Stewart notes the burden society places on her as a Nobel laureate, but highlights her ordinariness.
• Malala responds:
  • “Sometimes people do think it has been forced upon me...but the reality is that I have chosen this life...If I wouldn’t have liked it, I could have said no after the attack.” (04:13)
  • She points to the thousands of “ordinary girls” whose courage is equal to hers.

Family Humor and Relatability

• Jon jokes about how Malala’s siblings measure up to a Nobel Peace Prize winner.
• Malala teases her brothers:
  • “He is getting a bit… not the good brother, really.” (06:03)
• Jon: “You enjoy taunting them.” (05:24)

Love for Country and Displacement

• Malala reveals heartbreak about not being able to return to Pakistan after the Nobel Prize:
  • “My mother felt really sad and she even cried that we don't have the opportunity to go back to our country.” (06:32)
  • “Whoever has this opportunity should be thankful.” (06:32)

Frustration and Progress in Education

• Malala recalls meeting girls worldwide, mentioning systemic obstacles to their education—poverty, lack of free education, cultural barriers (09:38).
• “I always encourage…that they should not wait for someone else to speak up for them. Their voices are really powerful...” (08:01)

Speaking Truth to Power

• Stewart points out Malala’s directness with world leaders, referencing her meeting with President Obama about drone strikes and Goodluck Jonathan about the kidnapped Nigerian girls (10:30).
• Malala:
  • “You have to sometimes ignore all the formal stuff and tell the truth.” (11:02)

Closing Call to Action

• Stewart prompts Malala to describe the Malala Fund; she urges continued support for girls’ education (12:43).

Notable Quote:

• “We never realize that [Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela] are normal humans like us. And if we step forward, we can also bring change just like them.” —Malala (04:13)

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2. Greta Thunberg: Climate Panic and Youth Urgency

Segment Start: 14:04

Introducing Greta’s Activism

• Trevor Noah praises the global impact of Greta’s school strike.
• Greta:
  • “I don’t want your hope. I want you to panic. I want you to feel the fear I feel every day. And then I want you to act.” (14:23)

Committing to Climate: A Zero Emissions Journey

• Greta explains her choice to sail, not fly, to New York:
  • “I am one of the very few people...who can actually do such a trip. So I thought, why not?” (15:25)

Changing Behaviors and Family Sacrifice

• Greta’s activism led her opera singer mother to quit flying:
  • “I don’t care, honestly, about how she performs…She had to change career, but it wasn’t that big.” (16:34)

Why Young People Care More

• “Others feel like, ‘I won’t be alive then anyway, so screw it.’ But we...know that these consequences will face us during our lifetime...” (17:18)
• She blames lack of education for insufficient awareness.

Pushing for Political Change

• “If I were to choose, one thing everyone would do, it would be to inform yourself and to try to understand the situation and try to push for a political movement that doesn’t exist because the politics needed to fix this doesn’t exist today.” (19:10)

Cultural Differences in Climate Discussion

• “Here it feels like it is being discussed as something whether you believe in or not…Where I come from, it’s more like it’s a fact.” (20:11)

The Sensory Shock of New York

• Greta, after her transatlantic sail:
  • “Everything is so much, so big, so loud, and...People talk so loud here...I woke up and suddenly it smelled something. And of course it was pollution, but still something.” (21:00–21:53)

Notable Quote:

• “I don’t want your hope. I want you to panic. I want you to feel the fear I feel every day. And then I want you to act.” —Greta Thunberg (14:23)

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3. Emma Gonzalez and Matt Dyche: Gun Violence, Voting, and Youth Power

Segment Start: 23:03

Turning Outrage into Action

• Trevor Noah discusses their sustained efforts after the Parkland shooting.
• Emma describes influence from Chicago Peace Warriors and MLK’s principles:
  • “Principle number four is accept suffering without retaliation for the sake of the cause to achieve the goal...” (23:47)

The Importance of Voter Mobilization

• Emphasis is placed on not just registration, but actually voting (24:42):
  • “Your vote really, really does count. What if it had been one vote?” (25:19)

Impact of Young Voters

• Matt: “Young people turn out at a rate about 1 in 5. If young people turn out at a rate of 2 out of 5, they can swing any election...convince one person...you can swing this election.” (25:54)
• “Congress does not reflect the wants and needs of the American people.” (26:14)

Practical Advocacy (QR Code Shirts)

• Their shirts have QR codes so anyone can register to vote instantly:
  • “It will get you registered to vote in under two minutes.” (26:41)

The End of “Normalcy”

• Matt:
  • “There is no normality in this country right now...Not a day has passed...where we haven’t seen a day go by where a new news story of someone else shot and killed another young person...It is up to us...to actually stand up and fight for each other.” (27:18)

Notable Quote:

• “There is no normality in this country right now...We have more important things to do.” —Matt Dyche (27:18)

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4. Xiuhtezcatl Martinez: The Beat and the Battle for the Planet

Segment Start: 29:09

From Childhood to Movement Leadership

• Trevor Noah notes Xiuhtezcatl’s long history in activism (since age six).
• Xiuhtezcatl:
  • “I saw a documentary about the destruction of the planet. I was like, this is my destiny, right?...I was really, like, terrified by the thought that my future was gonna be tainted because people all over the world weren’t taking adequate action to protect us from climate disaster.” (29:53)
• His mother was his early manager (29:58).

Youth Mobilization

• Took over Earth Guardians at age 9, led campaigns to ban pesticides and fracking (30:53).
• “There was about maybe 10 of us…we gave our testaments or our speeches as to why we didn’t think that was a good, healthy option for our community.” (31:29)

Activist Opportunity for Young Generations

• “Now more than ever, we have an opportunity to re-approach an issue like climate change...If you see the thousands of lives…due to floods, you know, Hurricane Irma...Harvey that hit Texas...It’s about people’s lives.” (32:26)
• Leading a lawsuit with 20+ young plaintiffs against the U.S. federal government for climate inaction (33:48).

Changing History

• “We’re not gonna allow this era to be defined by Donald Trump.” (32:45)

Notable Quote:

• “Young people all over this country, more than we give them credit for, are actually really interested in being engaged, but don’t really have a platform.” —Xiuhtezcatl Martinez (31:47)
• “We are getting artistic. We are moving into the streets in a way we have never seen.” (32:45)

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Key Memorable Quotes

• Malala Yousafzai:
  “If we step forward, we can also bring change just like [Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela].” (04:13)

• Greta Thunberg:
  “I want you to panic. I want you to feel the fear I feel every day. And then I want you to act.” (14:23)

• Emma Gonzalez:
  “Doesn’t matter what you face as an individual. The goal is much more important than anybody.” (23:47)

• Matt Dyche:
  “There is no normality in this country right now...We have more important things to do.” (27:18)

• Xiuhtezcatl Martinez:
  “Young people...are really interested in being engaged, but don’t really have a platform.” (31:47)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Malala Yousafzai interview: 01:17 – 13:32
• Greta Thunberg interview: 14:04 – 22:30
• Emma Gonzalez & Matt Dyche interview: 23:03 – 28:07
• Xiuhtezcatl Martinez interview: 29:09 – 34:59

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Themes and Insights

• Youth Leadership: Across activism for education, gun control, and climate action, young people are not only involved—they are persistently leading movements and forcing older generations to reckon with urgent realities.
• Global Solidarity: Each guest draws attention to global contexts, from Malala’s advocacy for girls' education worldwide to Greta’s international movement against climate change and Xiuhtezcatl’s global view on environmental justice.
• Directness and Courage: Young activists display a combination of relentless honesty and pragmatic strategy, unafraid to challenge world leaders and entrenched authorities.
• Emphasis on Action: All guests urge their peers—and older listeners—to act: voting, self-education, protest, and direct engagement with leaders.
• Humor and Humanity: The show’s signature comedic banter, especially between hosts and guests, keeps heavy topics accessible and authentic.

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Conclusion

This special episode of The Daily Show: Ears Edition, “Young Activists,” highlights how a new generation is rising to meet some of the world’s most urgent social and political challenges—using their voices, refusing silence, and showing the world that meaningful change doesn’t depend on age, but on courage and tenacity.

Transcript

[Jon Stewart]

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[Trevor Noah]

You're listening to Comedy Central.

[Jon Stewart]

Please welcome back to the program Malala Yousafza. I feel better already.

[Malala Yousafzai]

Aw, thank you. Thank you so much.

[Jon Stewart]

It's been a rough day.

[Trevor Noah]

Where's.

[Jon Stewart]

What's your take on humanity these days? Pro or again, where do you have us?

[Malala Yousafzai]

Well, it is really a tragic news what happened. And I have seen these kind of situations in my life when there is no justice, when there is no human feeling, when there is no humanity. And for a second you think that no one has feelings at all. But.

Our prayers are with the families and we pray for peace. We pray for the prosperity of everyone.

[Jon Stewart]

It's interesting you said something in the film which is one voice and there are many voices. And I think the easy thing to forget is how easy it is for darkness to wreak havoc and to forget. We're really much more surrounded by light and by education now. Are you still in school?

[Malala Yousafzai]

Yes, I had just my exams. GCSE exams. I don't know what you call it.

[Jon Stewart]

The gse. Are you in college? Are you in high school?

[Malala Yousafzai]

I have still two years to college.

[Jon Stewart]

Still two years until college?

[Malala Yousafzai]

Yes.

[Jon Stewart]

You might want to work on your resume because a lot of colleges now are really. You may get very good test scores. I'm not in any way saying that you're not going to get good test scores, but you also need some extracurriculars within that. I mean, the peace prize is going to get you so good. But there is no.

[Malala Yousafzai]

I had thought about it. I'm going to have like work experience for a week and get good grades. I had one month exam and I have worked so hard.

[Jon Stewart]

Wait, how long?

[Malala Yousafzai]

One month.

[Jon Stewart]

The exam was a month long.

[Malala Yousafzai]

One month. Totally. 12th of May till 12th of June.

[Jon Stewart]

For school?

[Malala Yousafzai]

Yes.

[Jon Stewart]

Can I tell you what our schools do here in America?

They take. I think it's like a half a day of tests, and then they show Akilah in the bee the rest of the week, which is just.

[Malala Yousafzai]

I wish I was here. I wish I was here.

[Commercial Narrator]

No.

[Jon Stewart]

It's interesting. When I watched the film.

You can't help, but in some ways, the world has been somewhat unfair to you in that it has placed a burden upon you that I think is.

That you are somehow an ethereal creature that must save us. And I think what's nice about the film is to see you as you see yourself as, look, I'm an ordinary girl, maybe representing thousands and thousands of ordinary girls whose courage is the same in Pakistan and all over the world as they just try for an education. Is that how you feel about it?

[Malala Yousafzai]

I think I have this opportunity to raise my voice, and I believe that it's not just I'm not representing only myself, but I am speaking up for all girls who are deprived of education. There are about 66 million girls, and I think I'm speaking up for them. And sometimes people do think that it has been forced upon me or I haven't chosen this life. But the reality is that I have chosen this life. And if I wouldn't have liked it, I could have said no after the attack and would have said, I don't want to come out and speak again. But I do feel a responsibility, and I do feel that it's my duty to say what's right. And it's not that sometimes we wait for others and think that Martin Luther should raise among us, Anilson Mandela should raise among us and speak up for us. But we never realized that they are normal humans like us. And if we step forward, we can also bring change just like them.

[Jon Stewart]

Right? No, it's inspiring. Although I have to think you have two brothers.

[Trevor Noah]

Yes.

[Jon Stewart]

Are you the oldest?

[Malala Yousafzai]

Yes, I am the oldest.

[Jon Stewart]

And I have to think for them to come home and say, I got in the school play.

And then you could just be like, is it about, I don't know, being awarded a Nobel Peace Prize, this play? And you can taunt them. And it's clear in the film you enjoy taunting them.

[Malala Yousafzai]

I think they should be nice to me.

[Jon Stewart]

Yes, I think that's true.

The little one has a very. There's a very, very funny scene. You two seem to have a Very playful relationship.

[Malala Yousafzai]

Yes. And in the trailer, like I praised him, but I'm kind of regretting why I praised him because.

He is getting a bit kind of not the good brother, really.

[Jon Stewart]

So he's a little naughty. The older brother seemed to be the. He was known as the lazy one.

[Malala Yousafzai]

Yes.

[Jon Stewart]

In the clip. But the little one you felt was very good. Little bit naughty. He's going full blown naughty.

[Malala Yousafzai]

Yes.

[Jon Stewart]

And you know what? What I really, what I love about what you do is you love your country and you love your religion and you're not looking to. You're looking to just speak for people who want an education.

[Malala Yousafzai]

Definitely. I have true love for my country. And when I got the Nobel Peace Prize, Kailash Satyati, the core winner, he was going back to his country, India was, while we were going back to the uk. So my mother felt really sad and she even cried that we don't have the opportunity to go back to our country. So I'm hopeful that we will get this chance to see our country, to see our land, to see our people. And I think it's such a precious thing in your life that you are on your land and you are with your people, with your relatives, with your friends. And I think whoever has this opportunity should be thankful and. And we hope to see our land.

[Jon Stewart]

The footage from Swat Valley is beautiful. It looks like a sort of a magical place.

[Malala Yousafzai]

So do you still think it's as beautiful as New Jersey?

[Jon Stewart]

Let me.

You know, I have to say.

I didn't realize you were paying attention during the last interview. So now, now I have to think back to all the terrible things I said. The education fund.

And you talked about the millions of people. There's a lot in the film of you visiting these schools. Education is something that is a generational benefit and will take time. Do you get impatient sometimes with the progress of it or do you see enough that it lifts you enough to keep going?

[Malala Yousafzai]

I do get depressed when I see that There are few, 57 million children who are deprived of education only at the primary level. And then there are girls, brilliant girls who have big dreams, but they don't have the opportunity to get education. So it is disappointing. But when you see brilliant girls who have this courage to stand up for their rights, like Mozun, who is a Syrian refugee and now lives in Jordan. And she is a wonderful girl and I have met her and now she is helping girls and boys in her community, in the camp. She's living to go to school and she's encouraging them. I have Met many girls in Nigeria when I went there to stand, to raise my voice for the kidnappees in Nigeria. So I met brilliant girls there as well and from Pakistan. So it's really nice to see them speaking. And I always encourage, wherever I go, I encourage children and people that they should not wait for someone else to speak up for them. Their voices are really powerful and they should speak up for their rights.

[Jon Stewart]

It's so interesting when you were in, and I can't remember exactly where it was, it might have been in Nigeria where you were talking to a bunch of school girls and schoolboys and you were saying, who wants to be a lawyer? Who wants to be a doctor? And someone raised their hands and a variety of them. And then I think you said, or maybe your father said, and who among you has parents who are educated, who have been to school? No, not one. Not one hand. This is really the first generation in many of these areas that have ever been exposed to this.

[Malala Yousafzai]

Yes. So it was really disappointing when I went to Kenya that these girls, they have this dream to go to school. They wish for nothing else and this ambition to help their community, to help people. But when you look at the problems in the society that are stopping them, it's really disappointing. In some places they don't have enough money. In some places education is not free. In some places there are cultural issues. So that's why we are now kind of telling the world leaders, asking them that 12 years of education should be made free. And this is our or demand for the Sustainable Development Goals. And I hope that when the world leaders, they come together, when they make these goals, they need to think about the education of children. And it's not just their education, it's their future.

[Jon Stewart]

And our future.

[Malala Yousafzai]

Yes, definitely.

[Jon Stewart]

Without them, it doesn't work. And it's so interesting. Boy, you don't hold back. You know, you met with President Barack Obama and told him, man, drone strikes, no bueno. You probably didn't use Spanish, but you said, no, don't do that. And then when you went to Nigeria and you said to good luck Jonathan, you, you have to do more and you have to listen to your people and get these videos. And you can almost see there's the footage in Good luck Jonathan, who is no longer the leader there, looking like, is that. Hey. What? He really was kind of taken aback and it was beautiful. In its very concise honesty.

[Malala Yousafzai]

Yes. I think you have to sometimes ignore all the formal stuff and tell the truth.

[Jon Stewart]

Well, you really are a teenager. That is what they do. I Think.

[Malala Yousafzai]

Yes. So be straightforward and tell the truth that this is going wrong. And I think it's important for the world leaders to think that what their decision, what's the impact of their decisions on common people and who gets affected. And through all these wars, conflicts, innocent people, they get killed, get injured, they become homeless, they become migrants. And it's tragic because they have to suffer for their whole life. And so now I think the world leaders need to be quite serious now.

[Jon Stewart]

And even going and just bearing witness to their. To their despair, I think is important because they do, you know, in Syria they had a life and this conflict, there's millions that have had to flee. They were shopkeepers and accountants and dentists and now they live in a desert and are. They have to know they're not forgotten.

[Malala Yousafzai]

Definitely. Like in some countries, they are not even given identity. They are not even. They are not even accepted as refugees. So it's really tragic. And I think.

Rather than we thinking that there should be help, I think we ourselves should come forward and we should help them. And we should also ask the world leaders, all the countries, that they should take it serious.

[Jon Stewart]

Normally this is the part where I would turn to the camera and I would promote whatever installment of Jurassic World you were promoting. But I'm just going to say the name of your organization is the Malala Fund. The Malala Fund. And people can get involved.

[Malala Yousafzai]

Yes, definitely. And I would ask all my friends, all my sisters and brothers that you have already supported us a lot and support us more so we can help more children and girls like Mozun, girls like Amina in Nigeria so they can go forward, they can get their education and they can raise their voice.

[Jon Stewart]

I have to tell you that you were a wonderful tonic for. I felt somewhat despairing today. But I think your single mindedness has helped lift a bit of that fog for me. And I really thank you for that, even though that is not your responsibility to do that. But thank you. He named me Malala. It's gonna be in theaters on October 2nd. And if you want to donate Malala funding and learn more about the film, you www.malala.org Malala ISOF sign at Capella University.

[Commercial Narrator]

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[Trevor Noah]

My guest tonight is an amazing 16 year old climate activist whose solitary school strike for climate outside the Swedish Parliament inspired a global youth movement.

[Greta Thunberg]

Adults keep saying we owe it to the young people to give them hope.

But I don't want your hope. I don't want you to be hopeful. I want you to panic. I want you to feel the fear I feel every day. And then I want you to act.

[Trevor Noah]

Yeah. She recently sailed.

She recently sailed from Britain to New York City in a zero emissions racing boat to participate in the upcoming global climate strike and UN Climate Action Summit. So, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the Daily Show. Greta Thunberry. Welcome to the Daily Show. Thank you so much and welcome to New York City. You came here on a zero emissions boat and part of me thinks that's because you love the climate. The other part of me wonders if that's just your Viking heritage.

[Malala Yousafzai]

Maybe it is.

[Trevor Noah]

It might be, yeah. Tell me why you did that. Why didn't you fly to New York City to come and, you know, speak at the UN and, you know, inspire people to move forward in the climate change movement?

[Greta Thunberg]

I did it because I have since a few years stopped flying because of the enormous impact aviation has on the climate individually and just to make a stand. And I am one of the very few people in the world who can actually do such a trip. So I thought, why not?

[Trevor Noah]

Wow.

[Xiuhtezcatl Martinez]

Yeah, I.

[Trevor Noah]

I mean, I know I wouldn't do that as a kid and I wouldn't do it now. Um, but what, what is inspiring is your determination. And what's inspiring is that it doesn't just affect other young people and it started to affect older generations in Sweden, in Germany, people are starting to call it the Greta Effect, where people are taking more trains. Since you started this movement, they've said they feel ashamed to fly unnecessarily in Europe. Your mom is an opera singer and she stopped flying, which means she couldn't perform the way she used to. Do you sometimes feel bad that she can't perform? Or are you more excited that she's not part of, I guess, polluting the planet?

[Greta Thunberg]

I don't care, honestly, about how she performs. She, she.

[Malala Yousafzai]

She'S.

[Greta Thunberg]

She's doing musicals now, so, I mean, it. She had to change career, but it wasn't that big.

[Trevor Noah]

And the planet is the most important thing for you?

[Greta Thunberg]

Yeah, I mean, for all of us. I think it should be.

[Trevor Noah]

Why?

Why do you think?

Why do you think young people are so focused on climate change. Now, there's a definite disconnect between older generations and younger generations when talking about the climate. Why do you think that is?

[Greta Thunberg]

I mean, I think it is because we, in a way, feel like it is more a direct threat. Others feel like I won't be alive then anyway, so screw it. But we, but we actually know that these consequences will face us during our lifetime. And it is already happening now and it will get worse.

I think that is why so many young people, especially care about this. And of course, the awareness is not as it needs to be. It's not as much as it needs to be. People are still very unaware. It's my experience. And so we need to continue. But you can see that among young people, the concern is bigger.

[Trevor Noah]

What do you think people need to learn about climate change? Many people have heard of the climate warming up. Some people have a small understanding of what it means. But what do you think is lacking in the understanding of this issue?

[Greta Thunberg]

I think pretty much everything, because, I mean, we know that something is wrong, that the planet is warming because of increased greenhouse gas emissions, and that might lead to. That the ice caps will melt and the global temperature will rise and there will be more extreme weather events and so on. But they don't understand how significant this crisis actually is. And it is because they have not been informed. I mean, we are right now in the beginning of the sixth mass extinction, and people don't know these things.

[Trevor Noah]

What do you think people could do and what do you think governments should be doing?

[Greta Thunberg]

I think people should do. Should do everything. But I think right now, if I were to choose, one thing everyone would do, it would be to inform yourself and to try to understand the situation and try to push for a political movement that doesn't exist because the politics needed to fix this doesn't exist today.

So I think what we should do as individuals is to use the power of democracy that, to make our voices heard and to make sure that the people in power actually cannot continue to ignore this.

[Trevor Noah]

That's powerful.

[Xiuhtezcatl Martinez]

Wow.

[Jon Stewart]

Do you.

[Trevor Noah]

Do you feel a difference in the conversation? Traveling from Sweden to America? Is there a different feeling around climate change?

[Greta Thunberg]

I would say yes, because here it feels like it is being discussed as something whether you believe in or not believe in. And.

Where I come from, it's more like it's a fact.

[Trevor Noah]

So then I have to ask you this. You sail from Europe to New York City. Um, New York City is quite an assault on the senses. Um, when you come from anywhere else, what is the biggest thing that has stuck out to you in New York City?

[Greta Thunberg]

Uh, I mean, just everything, all the impressions, everything is so much, so big, so loud, and.

People talk so loud here.

Because when you are on that boat, when I was on that boat, there is nothing. There's just the ocean and of course, the sound of the waves crashing. But that's it. No, no smells.

Apart from sweet.

[Trevor Noah]

Right?

[Greta Thunberg]

So I remember the first thing I noticed.

When we came into the harbor was I woke up and suddenly it smelled something. And of course it was pollution, but still something.

And that was.

It was indescribable.

To go from this extreme environment, you're disconnected from everything and everyone. You only have yourself in the ocean and the boat, of course, to New York.

[Trevor Noah]

That is an accurate and brilliant description of New York. It is indescribable and it smells.

I think that is fantastic. I'm excited for your journey. I can't wait to see what else you're going to do. Thank you for making time for us.

[Commercial Narrator]

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[Trevor Noah]

My guests tonight are helping lead a movement to end gun violence following a mass shooting at their high school in Parkland, Florida. Please welcome March for Our Lives activists Emma Gonzalez and Matt Dyche. Welcome to the show.

[Commercial Narrator]

Hello.

[Trevor Noah]

So good to have you here. Is that the first thing you're gonna do? Go straight to my water? You're just gonna check if it's water?

[Emma Gonzalez]

No, it's the mug.

[Trevor Noah]

What if it was just, like a fake mug and now you would have exposed the fact that I don't have any real things in my cups. While. Welcome to the show. Thank you so much for being here. Um, you know what's been fascinating for me in watching your journey is that many people get angry when something bad happens in. In their world. Not just in America, anywhere. Uh, many people are outraged. Many people say something, some people do something. But you continue to work at it to make change. What do you think keeps driving you?

[Emma Gonzalez]

I definitely know that in the very beginning of all this, we met with a bunch of kids from Chicago who. The peace warriors, mainly, who we are still friends with today. And they told us about the six principles of nonviolence of Martin Luther King's. And principle number five is no. Principle number four is accept suffering without retaliation for the sake of the cause to achieve the goal. Which means, basically, doesn't matter what you face as an individual. The goal is much more important than anybody. Which is kind of the main principle that, you know, we went to see the CID encounters in North Carolina.

[Trevor Noah]

Right.

[Emma Gonzalez]

That was the methods that were used then. Doesn't matter if somebody hits me. Doesn't matter if somebody pours something over my head, try to get me off of this seat. I need to sit here. Because this is for everybody.

[Trevor Noah]

And the main thing you're trying to do is get young people to register to vote. Mm. Which is.

[Emma Gonzalez]

And actually show up for the.

[Trevor Noah]

And actually show up. Like, that's an important part. Why? Why is that the key to what you're doing? Because, I mean, people say, like, register to vote, but you're going like, no, we want you to show up. Why is there a difference?

[Emma Gonzalez]

Because people say, my vote doesn't count. So if somebody's in your face saying, register to vote, you can say, ah, sure. But nobody's gonna go up to you the day of the polls and say, get out there and vote. You know, like, there's. We're gonna try to do offwards of ride sharing and stuff like that. Or, you know, we encourage people to say, like, you know, try to carpool everybody that you know and try to get everybody at the polls at the same time to offer the transportation to those who don't have it. But if, you know, if a million people say, my vote doesn't count, that's a million votes that could have either swung a district or made an impact. You know, in the Ohio special election, it was under 2,000 votes. That, like, was the difference between the two people.

[Trevor Noah]

Right.

[Emma Gonzalez]

Like, your vote really, really does count. What if it had been one vote? That person's one vote would have made the difference.

[Trevor Noah]

Right. We saw a story where in one election, it was had to be decided by basically a coin flip. And it's starting to show you that elections are getting closer and closer. People's votes are counting more than they ever thought before. Young people in particular haven't been good at turning up when it comes to the midterms. In this election, it feels different. We're seeing research that says more and more people are registering. More and more people who are young are inclined to vote. Do you feel like gun violence and mass shootings are a big driving Factor in this.

[Matt Dyche]

Well, young people are more educated now than they've ever been before. And young people turn out at a rate about 1 in 5. If young people turn out in a rate of 2 out of 5, they can swing any election that they turn out in. And so that's what it's really about, is about showing that young people, if you can just convince one person in your proximity and that to vote that wasn't planning on voting, you can swing this election.

[Trevor Noah]

Right.

[Matt Dyche]

And actually obtain morally just leaders. Because right now, Congress does not reflect the wants and needs of the American people.

[Trevor Noah]

Let's talk about the shirts that you're wearing. All right. Clearly, you didn't talk about it before you left the house. You're wearing the same thing. Um, you're not just talking, you're doing. You're not just doing. You're helping others do. Getting people out to vote always seems tedious. Your shirts have a purpose. Tell me about them.

[Emma Gonzalez]

The QR code, if you scan it with your camera, very simple. Don't even need an app. It will get you registered to vote in under two minutes.

[Commercial Narrator]

So can we.

[Trevor Noah]

Can we. Can we zoom in on that right now? So if you're watching this at home. Yeah, if you're watching this at home right now and you zoom in, like, you can take a picture of this right now on your phone and you can join this movement. You can register to vote. You can get out there, you can have your voice heard.

[Emma Gonzalez]

You don't even have to agree with us in policy. You can just get registered to vote. Get out there and vote.

[Trevor Noah]

I like that. So how do you go back to your normal lives? Like, you guys know you have the right to be kids as well, right? Like, what do you go back to after this?

[Matt Dyche]

There is no normality in this country right now. And so having to understand that.

[Xiuhtezcatl Martinez]

We.

[Matt Dyche]

Need to continue building these coalitions with people and continue educating people what's going on day to day. Because not a day has passed on this tour where we haven't heard a new name, a new story. We haven't seen a day go by where a new news story of someone else shot and killed another young person shot and killed in this country happens. This doesn't happen anywhere else except America. And it is up to us as Americans to actually stand up and fight for each other. And so there is no normality until we can continue to come together and actually change this. So I know you want us to be kids, but we have more important things to do.

[Trevor Noah]

Oh, thank you so much. For being on the show.

[Commercial Narrator]

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[Trevor Noah]

My guest tonight is a climate activist, hip hop artist, and author whose new book is called we the Earth Guardian's Guide to Building a Movement that Restores the Planet. Please welcome Shuhtezh Cott Martinez. Welcome to the show, sir.

[Xiuhtezcatl Martinez]

Pleasure to be here, man.

[Trevor Noah]

You are a young man doing amazing things, and you have been working hard at this for a very long time. If you ask most people when they got into working to help with climate change, they would be like, they haven't started.

You started when you were six?

[Xiuhtezcatl Martinez]

Yeah, I could probably barely see over this table.

[Trevor Noah]

Like, how does that start? I know you talk about it in the book, but. And your mom was really someone who was passionate about, you know, fighting for the environment. But what are you doing at 6? Is that. That you go like, yeah, this is. This is what I'm gonna do. Lego's enough for me, man.

[Xiuhtezcatl Martinez]

Really? I play with Lego so much. Um.

Really, I got. I. I took myself really seriously when I was little. You know, I saw a documentary about the destruction of the planet. I was like, this is my destiny, right? And I was really, like, terrified by the thought that my future was gonna be tainted because people all over the world weren't taking adequate action to protect us from climate disaster. And that inspired me to do something about it. I told mom, I need to talk to people, help me, you know, so she became my publicist and my manager and my agent, age six, you know, so that was pretty dope. And I got involved. And since then it's just been, you know, more opportunities to Use my voice to make a difference in the world. It's. It's been quite the journey. You.

[Trevor Noah]

You've really been working hard at this. You're not just speaking about it, but you're an activist.

[Xiuhtezcatl Martinez]

Mm.

[Trevor Noah]

Uh, you. You went on to take over from your sister fighting against threats to global warming and climate change in Colorado at the age of nine. Please explain to me how you take over any operation that doesn't involve cookies at the age of nine.

[Xiuhtezcatl Martinez]

Yo. So we got involved with this organization called Earth Guardians. Zip. My mom started it as a accredited high school in Maui, Hawaii. My sister was running it. She passed it on to me when I was like nine. Me and my friends went into our local county commissioners and we banned the use of pesticides. We continued to work in our community to ban fracking for five years.

[Trevor Noah]

Let's back up, let's back. Cause you just said you were nine and then you went into offices and you got them to ban using pesticides. Yeah.

[Commercial Narrator]

Yeah.

[Trevor Noah]

Like, how do you. How do you even begin this as a 9 year old?

[Xiuhtezcatl Martinez]

There was a whole squad of us, man. We mobbed them, you know.

[Trevor Noah]

No, for real. Just a squad of nine year olds.

[Xiuhtezcatl Martinez]

Yeah, there was about. There was about maybe 10 of us that spoke at a press conference, and then we went in and we gave our testaments or our speeches as to why we didn't think that was a good, healthy option for our community.

[Trevor Noah]

And you're writing speeches about this at the age of nine? A squad of nine year. Where do you find the other nine year olds?

[Xiuhtezcatl Martinez]

You know, I think that young people all over this country, more than we give them credit for, are actually really interested in being engaged, but don't really have a platform. I was really lucky to have a supportive family and a community. So we just reached out to these youth that did care, and all of a sudden we were all over.

[Trevor Noah]

You talk about that in the book as well, which I really appreciate, because in many ways this is like an activist guide. Yeah. You know, you talk about mobilizing, you talk about getting out there, you talk about spreading the message, you talk about doing, which is really important. You know, you're optimistic, but you're. But you're a doer as well. There was a quote in the book that really stuck with me, and that was speaking about how we may be in a really horrible time right now, but this generation has the opportunity to rewrite history. What do you mean by that?

[Xiuhtezcatl Martinez]

I think that now more than ever, we have an opportunity to re. Approach an issue like climate Change where it's traditionally been seen as like, politicians and activists care about this issue, but truly, it's so much bigger than that. If you see the thousands of lives that are being lost across South Asia, Africa, the Middle east, due to floods, you know, Hurricane Irma that is now brewing, Hurricane Harvey that hit Texas.

[Trevor Noah]

Right.

[Xiuhtezcatl Martinez]

You know, it's about people's lives. It's about people's families, their homes, their community. That is the issue that we are facing. And as a member of the younger generation, I believe that we have this opportunity now to face this crisis and to change the way we are acting and we are doing something about it. I'm in a lawsuit against the federal government suing the Trump administration for violating our constitutional rights to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness for failing to act on climate change. We are changing the way that we are taking action. We are getting artistic. We are moving into the streets in a way we have never seen. So now this generation is reshaping the way that we address an issue as big as climate change. It is. We're not gonna allow this era to be defined by Donald Trump.

[Trevor Noah]

Wow.

[Xiuhtezcatl Martinez]

Yeah.

So.

[Trevor Noah]

So just so we're on the same page, you just said you're gonna sue Donald Trump. You're suing him right now.

[Xiuhtezcatl Martinez]

Yeah.

[Trevor Noah]

Which, I mean, that's. That's pretty, like, asshole ish of you. I'm just gonna put out there. No, because suing is his thing. And you, like, that's like, going up against Daenerys with her dragons. That's like, going up, like, that's pretty mean. What do you hope to achieve with this? Do you actually hope that he'll see his day in court?

[Xiuhtezcatl Martinez]

So myself and 20 other young people are actually already plaintiffs in the lawsuit that has been in place since 2015 against the Obama administration. We were then transferred over to Trump when he was elected, which we were kind of stoked about. Like, it was way more satisfying to say we're suing Trump than a way to say we're suing Obama.

[Trevor Noah]

But you suing no matter what.

[Xiuhtezcatl Martinez]

Yeah. In going regardless, we believe that our federal government is violating our constitutional rights.

[Trevor Noah]

Right.

[Xiuhtezcatl Martinez]

They are infringing upon our rights by colluding with the fossil fuel industry to. To create this crisis, supporting the very industries that are creating climate change. So in February 5th, we actually have our date and trial. So there was motions to dismiss that were filed from the most powerful government or one of the most powerful governments on the planet. And the fossil fuel industry. They were trying to get a lawsuit thrown out of court. After two different judges reviewed this motion to dismiss, they said we do have the right to take this to trial. So February 5th is our trial date. We are hoping that what will happen is that the courts will force the federal government to to enforce massive climate recovery plans that have been put together by the top climate scientists in the world to reduce our greenhouse gas footprint as a nation back down to a safe level for our generation.

[Trevor Noah]

You just made me feel like the biggest underachiever ever, man. Thank you so much for being on the show. You're doing this amazing.

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