19th amendment

At just 13 years old, Carolyn Deol is proving that age is no barrier to making a difference. As the founder of The Yellow Roses, a Maryland-based youth advocacy and service-learning nonprofit, Carolyn has already established her place as a changemaker.

 

Her journey began at just six years old when her mother and grandmother took her to phone bank for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. That experience ignited her passion for activism.

 

“I felt so empowered and inspired, and I wanted to continue to pursue activism outside of the election, but when I asked other organizations if I could join, they told me they were all for highschoolers, and no one was willing to make an exception. So, I founded The Yellow Roses in 2020.”

 

The name and founding year of The Yellow Roses are deeply symbolic. The organization’s creation in 2020 coincided with the centennial of the 19th Amendment, which extended voting rights to women. The yellow rose, a historic symbol of support for women’s suffrage in 1920, now represents courage, equality, and social justice—a mission Carolyn embraces wholeheartedly.

 

 

Carolyn’s vision for The Yellow Roses centers on making activism inclusive for youth of all ages.

 

One initiative that the organization offers is the School Year of Service where youth take on a different service project each month of the school year.

 

“We have organized voter registration drives. We do social justice storytime, where we read a story about a social justice movement such as women’s suffrage movement or the civil rights movement and then do a craft to go along with it,” Carolyn explained.

 

Currently, Carolyn is leading the charge to educate young people about the Equal Rights Amendment and empower them to take action to support it as part of the 12 days for the ERA initiative.

 

After high school, she plans to attend law school and one day step into the political arena.

 

For this young changemaker, activism isn’t just a passion—it’s a lifelong mission. Kudos to Carolyn for empowering a generation of young leaders!

 

Follow The Yellow Roses via Instagram.