Activists of all types dare to engage in a conversation which never ends.
Although they may know the fight for social justice is long, they also know that the security of a better life is not something that is arrived at, but is wrenched from those who would take it slowly, and sometimes painfully.
There is another conversation that never ends, though, and it is tied to activism.
There exists an unending political discourse in our world, homes and campus. It’s in the media and even in our social interactions. In all that we do, we contribute, without even trying, to today’s political landscape.
How do men and women interact on campus? This is what gender will mean to us.
What do people of different skin colors and backgrounds really think of one another? This is what race will be for us.
The wars that will create the world of our children are not thousands of miles away, but actually in our own backyard. Recognizing this reality is one of the most important lessons I learned as an undergraduate.
What weapons do you wield? You can do your part by your actions, speech, and thoughts, or you can be more proactive.
Every day on my way to Williams Hall, I pass by a campus mailbox with a sticker on it that says, “Dick Cheney has a gay daughter.” I don’t know who put it there; it was on the mailbox when I first arrived at BGSU. The person may not even be a student here anymore, but nonetheless, their sticker still stands.
The person who put it there saw hypocrisy in the actions of the Bush administration with respect to their stance on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) rights, and they made a statement. The statement affected me, and now I am writing about it.
It affects many individuals now. If anyone ever needed proof that we all have the capability to have our political voices heard, there you have it.
What is your message and how will you be heard?
At the beginning of a new school year, we all have the ability to end the nervous silence that attempts to mitigate the impact of political discourse on our campus.
Paint your world with your voice, your silence or your graffiti. See that which is, and change it in your own way. Make your personal engagement with the world of your children known to all.
Am I suggesting that we all put stickers on mailboxes? No, I am suggesting that we do all we can to affect our political environment in our own unique way.
For some of you, that may be posting graffiti. Others may be asking the question in class that starts a discussion of political import.
Some may start a petition, demonstration or conversation. Yet others still may decide to write something for the newspaper, hoping to incense and inspire.
More political graffiti would be nice, but in all that you do, ask if your actions help or hinder. Will they lead to peace and justice, or inequality and discrimination?
Every day we decide; every day we do our part to create the world in which we exist.
So what have you done to create your tomorrow today?
Send comments to Jason Lamb at [email protected].
