For a long time, I wrestled with the question of what am I supposed to do when I want social change to happen ASAP. I’ve asked that question forever and even sometimes wake up in a cold sweat trying to figure it out. This happened quite often during that time when we had a reckless president, highly involved in an seemingly endless war, and an endless roll out of destructive policies and ideology that did so much more harm than good. In fact, I would get discouraged thinking that change wasn’t possible, never realizing the power of my voice and more importantly my vote.
Luckily, I had an A-HA moment. Though I was politically active and engaged prior to joining the Ella Baker Center, I can honestly say I was more focused on the problems rather than the solutions. Looking back, all I did was complain, therefore, devaluing myself and my vote in the process. It was when I got to the Ella Baker Center that I learned the power every one of us has once we get involved in our community, attend city council meetings, and ultimately vote. This became especially clear when I was able to present solutions and not just stand with the problems. By shifting my focus from the problems to a vision of the solutions, I finally saw my worth firsthand.
Justice for anyone requires all of our participation. Understanding the system in which our society functions allows you to realize exactly what needs to happen in order to build the lasting change we want to see.
Being citizens of our great cities is not just a right, but requires a certain level of responsibility. We don’t participate enough. If we are to make informed and sound decisions about issues that affect our communities, we must be aware and engaged. It’s important to encourage civic participation, promote understanding of civic issues as well as the political process, and support the development of sound public policy to help create positive change.
Having made a drastic departure from the pessimistic and paralyzed younger version of myself, I am now a politically active machine. I believe in the need for us to take responsibility for our votes and our political process so strongly that I have pledged to spend at least 10 hours in the next two months, helping to get out the vote to my fellow Oaklanders. Will you join me? If we want to see the change we seek become a reality than we must participate and that can happen right now.
