The text from my teenager left me cold.

“Someone in the lunchroom just said the n-word.”

Yes, that n-word. One of the worst words in the English language, a word that carries with it centuries of hate and injustice, a word that in its utterance shows just how far it is our nation still has to go to root out intolerance.

They didn't know who had said it. It was at another lunch table, in another conversation.

They were angry though, and the texts after that were fast and furious.

There was another kid standing up, another kid making clear that the word was never to be said.

Then one more kid stood up, backing up the first to speak out against the hate.

This part was the good part. This part was the hopeful part.

It's not hard to be pessimistic in a world where white teenagers are still dropping the n-word into casual conversation.

But there are the other kids out there, the kids who speak up.

There are kids speaking up about the safety of their schools and the college debt load that weighs heavily on American shoulders.

There are kids speaking up about the future of the planet.

There are kids speaking up. Everywhere.

They are the future. And they're ready for it.