Change Starts Here

I saw a photo once of two women carrying another women. The woman being carried was old and frail, but the women carrying her could have only been about ten years younger. But they took on the burden because she had to do something very important—vote for Nelson Mandela for President of South Africa.

I was only 16 or 17 years old at the time, but I remembering thinking that we should be doing that. I was volunteering on a political campaign at the time and I just remember wishing people of color in the U.S. put that much energy into things that mattered most, like politics and education. Sure, we showed up to get a Black president, but when it was time for midterm elections, people of color opted to stay home and complain instead of voting. Especially young people.

When you don’t vote or when you don’t take an active role in your education, your voice becomes silent. You can complain about policies that make you pay back money for dropping classes, but if you were one of the numerous people who had to drop them because you didn’t study, then your voice isn’t credible. If you are angry about Republicans taking over the House, but you didn’t take the numerous opportunities to vote, then your voice isn’t really being heard (same things goes for anyone angry about Democrats keeping majority in the Senate).

So many people fought and died just so we can walk into a classroom and get the same education as everyone else; so we could vote and have our voices heard in government.

After seeing that image of South Africa, I’ve seen several others from the country that give me the same feeling. We forget how lucky we are, so we take things for granted that people in countries all over the world would kill for—like the chance to become an educated woman of color.

I read an article once that said women in South Africa are more likely to get raped than learn how to read. Think about that the next time you’re skipping class for some reason other than illness or taking a nap instead of voting.

The picture above is by South African photographer Ernest Cole. He was exiled from South Africa because of his images depicting the realities of being black in South Africa. He moved to New York City, where he was homeless during the 1970s and 1980s. He died a week after Nelson Mandela was freed from prison. You can read more about him and learn see some of his artwork here.