“Subway Takes” is a TikTok series, hosted by artist and comedian Kareem Rahma, in which he asks fellow New Yorkers what their “hot takes” are while riding on the subway.
The things he’s heard run the gambit: Comedians advocating for the retirement of group chats, popular politicians espousing tips for homeowners, and even beloved celebrities calling for the end to self-checkouts.
But today, he welcomed an unlikely guest to join him on the train: Animal researcher and climate activist Jane Goodall.
And the 90-year-old icon came prepared.
“What’s your take?” Rahma asked, as he always does at the top of his videos.
Goodall delivers a zinger: “Young people have such an important role, and they don’t know how to play it.”
“100% agree,” Rahma responds, hands in the air in an amen gesture.
He went on to add that a lot of young people seem to feel “helpless and hopeless” amid the current state of the world.
“They’re depressed, they’re fed up, they’re angry,” Goodall continued, with compassion, “so they don’t want to vote.”
Goodall joined this under two-minute episode of the video series to advocate on behalf of her organization, The Jane Goodall Institute, and her new campaign: Vote For Nature.
“What I’m trying to say to them is, you know, ‘you do care about your future,’” Goodall added, before revealing a sign she kept next to her on the subway, which directs viewers to the landing page for the Vote for Nature initiative.
On the website, Goodall continues her call to action.
“As I enter my 90th year, one thing is clear: we are the stewards of our planet, and we haven’t done enough. Elections around the world are not just about policies — they’re about our survival,” she writes.
“The leaders we choose will shape the future of our planet. My birthday wish is simple: VOTE! Vote for leaders who protect our natural world, fight for clean air, water, and a stable climate.”
In the “Subway Takes” video, Rahma asks Goodall how young people can use all of their (valid, passionate) energy to mobilize.
In addition to the voting initiative, she promoted her project Roots & Shoots, which enables young people to take on projects to help people, animals, and the planet.
She jokes: “Maybe it’s cleaning up the subway. This looks very clean to me, by the way,” pointing to the floor beneath her.
After a brief lesson on New York’s subway rats, she made it clear: Even the smallest actions can make a noticeable difference.
“Vote like our planet’s future depends on it,” Goodall’s outreach website states, “because it does.”
Header image by Jordan Quellman