Sunday, November 23, 2008

Tienen Cambio?

November 4th, 2008.

MLK probably didn't see it coming.

I'm certain Malcolm X didn't see it either.

Hell, I still can't believe it happened.

But it happened. A man who just happened to be Black became President of the United States of America.

Now as awesome as that sounds, I can't help but wonder...will we really get to see change? I'd like to think that we will but not because we elected a Black man as President. Nor because he says he's going to change things in Washington and throughout the country.

No, I'd say that the change that will happen will only happen once the people of this world wake up. As citizens of the world, we are faced with the gravest of situations: our global economy is in shambles, poverty, famine, disease, and war are realities for billions of people across the globe. No single man or womyn can change the world. BUT collectively, all people can strive together to make change in the world around them.

Gandhi once proclaimed that we should all "Be the change we want to see in the world" and I firmly believe that. It's not a matter of looking towards our leaders for change but more of us taking action to make that change a reality. Working within your community, whether that's in East LA or Sierra Leone, is key to making any sort of dent in the problems that humanity faces.

Personally, my own ambitions and goals lie within the realm of creating change in my side of the world: Los Angeles. Gender, Immigration, Class, Sexual Orientation, under-funded Public Schools; all of these are issues that many people face in Los Angeles. It's one thing to learn about these injustices and be outraged. It's an entirely other thing to actually do something about them.

I plan on taking my life in a direction where as a teacher, I can try to restore some academic substance to a school system that fails thousands of students. As a future lawyer, I plan on tackling the System that has so far failed to provide people with the right to live their lives as they see fit.

As we reach the end of our time here on Earth, the best thing any of us can hope for is to leave this planet a little better than it was when we came in.

So don't just sit here in front of your computer reading about change.

Get the hell out of your room/office and DO SOMETHING!

---Luis "El que tiene cambio en su Corazon" Gallegos







1 comment:

Barbara Lorraine said...

Luis, you're gonna be such a great teacher! I wish ALL teachers actually cared about their students and making a difference... Kudos on being change!