“changemakers are those who see an injustice and are willing to stand up against it”…
When I think of changemakers, the first people that come to mind are politicians. Now I realize they are often full of it, but I just have to continue to believe that politicians go into politics because they want to make a difference; or maybe better said, politicians stay in politics because they want to make a difference — or they’ve made too many deals with others to move onto something else. This also may be because I just finished watching a documentary on First Ladies. Anyway, the thought of changemakers gives me hope.
In reality, though, changemakers are really those who see an injustice and are willing (or just fed up enough) to stand up against it. With all of the travesties around our world, countless have tried successfully or not to stand up to make a change… Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Cesar Chavez, Greta Thunburg, Emma Gonzalez, Bruce Lee, Harvey Milk… were all individuals who found passion in an injustice and could not stand by watching it continue to fester and grow.
Don’t we all want to be changemakers of some sort? Whether it be to save some aspect of humanity, those without a voice, those who have been hurt, or something we see that needs improvement. Most want our surroundings to be better than they were when we first arrived.
Yet, wanting change and following through with what is required for change are two totally different stories. We may find the passion we’d like to fight for, even research and think of ways to make a change, but doing so takes immense dedication and patience.
The true changemakers dedicate their lives to making that change. Is everyone cut out for this though?
We try to encourage our children to stand for what’s right from a young age. Mottos like: “See Something, Say Something”or “Stand Up for What’s Right, Even if You Stand Alone” are just a couple examples our children hear, and they often do at a young age.
It’s sometimes when children turn towards the teenage years that they start to second guess doing the right thing. What will be the consequences? Who will find out? Is it easier to just stay silent?
I recently had a young lady in my office who had a small piece of paper stuck to her forehead. I’d seen several students in the hallway with something similar, but I had no idea what it represented or what type of statement they were making. When I asked her I thought I’d hear some impressive statement about equality, or justice, or the like. Instead she simply explained she (and probably the others I’d seen in the halls) were covering a pimple so it could stay cleaner and heal faster. They weren’t hiding it with makeup, or taking off school in shame, or trying to avoid any and all until it had healed. They were acknowledging it and dealing with it. It had been a challenging work day for me and I knew it would be at home that night with drama my daughter was working through, but…
This honesty helped me see that our children are going to be ok. They haven’t had an easy go the last few years, but that minor action of acceptance is a change I hope to see continue in our youth. It also gave me optimism that no matter how big or small, any one of us can be a changemaker and take a stand in the face of wrongs.
– Beth H, NEW BOOK JOY Guest Contributor
Conversation
How do YOU & your family (or close friends) prompt positive changes?
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