Hero Of The Week: Fifth Grader Braver, Smarter Than Most Adults

Meet Kameron Slade. He's a young writer from Queens who became our hero after delivering a powerful, televised speech explaining why adults should talk to kids about marriage equality. Plus he's only in the fifth grade and much smarter than most of the adults around him.

You see, Slade won a school-wide writing contest and was supposed to deliver his speech to his classmates, except his school's principal forbade him from delivering the talk because he considered marriage equality as "too controversial" to discuss... even in a state where marriage equality is legal. Fittingly, Slade's speech included a section specifically encouraging skittish adults to stop worrying and simply discuss marriage equality with kids:

" I think adults must realize that as children get older, they become aware of these mature issues that are going on in the world. If children read or watch the news, they can learn about things like same-gender marriage, so what’s the point in trying to hide it?... I believe that same-gender marriage should be accepted worldwide and that parents and teachers should start to discuss these issues without shame to their children."

Luckily, the news station NY1 let him read the entirety of his speech on TV (which you can see below) and the school eventually allowed Slade to give his speech in a "special assembly." This little guy took on his school with a common sense speech acknowledging reality, and he challenged those around him to think more about equality, censorship and fairness—which is why he's our hero of the week. You go, Kameron!