Well we have heard the word "change" a million times in the past year, and it is exhilarating, motivating and inspirational when you actually see our new President putting that word into action. Some people in this country were motivated by the election in 2008 and some voted for the first time in their entire lives to produce this "change" that we had been seeking for so long. It is refreshing to know that there are people out there who are willing to do more than just cast their vote or wear a t-shirt bearing Obama's name. As I believe my generation (the 20 and 30 somethings) all across this country have endless energy, pride and motivation within them, it takes having a real reason to use it, to make it seem possible. As an active member in youth politics in Los Angeles and a proud member of the Young Democrats of America, I have seen "change" with my own eyes. As a girl who has volunteered her time endlessly to presidential campaigns since Michael Dukakis ran in 1988, I am constantly inspired by the youth activism around me and am always wondering what was the missing key to motivate millions of more youth voters to get out there and fund raise, phone bank, travel door to door, and make their voices heard within their own community.
I believe the missing link finally arrived on the scene in August of 2004, when a young senator named Barack Obama made his first televised speech, in front of the entire country and world and spoke these following words:
"People don't expect government to solve all their problems. But they sense, deep in their bones, that with just a slight change in priorities, we can make sure that every child in America has a decent shot at life, and that the doors of opportunity remain open to all.
They know we can do better. And they want that choice."
As I go out in my community and look for examples of the "Yes We Can" mantra so vividly declared in Obama's campaign, I am inspired and want to share what I have seen.
Meet Philip Gilpin, a young graduate from Boston College, who left his full-time, impressive job at HBO to develop a wonderful organization called, "The International Green Shield." The vision Philip had in the spring of 2008 when he decided to take the leap from dreaming to action, was to "develop a non-profit organization whose mission is to protect people affected by harsh climates ad natural disasters through the completion of preventative construction projects that utilize green technologies." He left his corporate job, emptied out his savings and began fundraising immediately for the organizations first volunteer drive. After the devastating Hurricanes Katrina, Ike and Rita, parts of the US Gulf coast and the Caribbean were left in ruins. Seeing the need for immediate aid, his mission was changed from research to service. Imagine an organization that could gather volunteers from all over the country and provide eco-friendly materials, for complete construction and building of new homes, schools that can help prevent this devastation from occurring at the levels it has in the past. I think Philip said it best when he said, "We need to be standing on Barack's shoulders to build our own world," and he, like millions of others, are realizing our possibilities are truly endless.
Imagine this team realizing that there needed to be a different kind of organization whose purpose was to protect, instead of just providing relief. And also knowing that the exact materials needed to protect against the devastation existed, but sadly, they were sitting in warehouses and laboratories. Imagine them having very successful fund raising events all over Los Angeles and trying to raise money from local organizations, youth activists, entertainment companies, and anyone who believed in the cause. Now Imagine that the one person from every street in Los Angeles got involved in an organization like this.
We would have potential to change not only our communities, but our nation. While I do believe "change," is an important word to believe in and carry out as a message, I believe it's a collective effort and we cannot sit back and expect our leader to do all the "changing" for us. It is up to us, the time is now and it's time to take different approaches to life and think of your neighbor before yourself. I applaud Philip Gilpin for having the drive, motivation and skill to put this organization to action and I applaud anyone in our communities who are trying to make a difference. You can watch CNN all day and wear your Obama buttons too, but you need to be part of the movement he has now given us a platform to move forward with. Thank you Obama for being a portal into this new future this generation now has! Let's keep it alive and growing.
I think Obama ended his speech in the best way possible that night at the memorable DNC, when he closed with:
"It is that fundamental belief -- it is that fundamental belief -- I am my brother's keeper, I am my sisters' keeper -- that makes this country work.
It's what allows us to pursue our individual dreams, yet still come together as a single American family: "E pluribus unum," out of many, one.
Now even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters and negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes.
Well, I say to them tonight, there's not a liberal America and a conservative America; there's the United States of America."