As he stumped across the country, Barack Obama often said:
‘If one voice can change a room it can change a city, if it can change a city than it can change a state, if it can change a state than it can change a country, if it can change a country than it can change the world.’
The cynics heard this sentiment and dismissed it as foolish. Yet, across the country, in classrooms and on street corners, young people brought truth to these words. We took our frustration with a system that left us out to Facebook and Myspace. We discussed the issues with friends and strangers, and eventually, we made our voices heard at the polls. Barack Obama told us that “nothing can stand in the way of millions of voices calling for change,” and on Election Day, we proved him right.
I will never forget the feelings that accompanied being told that Barack Obama would be the 44th President of the United States. Above all else, it was a moment of vindication that made me feel like we were unstoppable, and as such, that nothing would be the same.
I don’t believe that we were ever apathetic, we were simply inundated with a mentality that urged us to ask questions, and just wait for a response. It was reflected in our culture, in our music. From Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On,” to The Blacked Eye Peas “Where Is The Love,” to John Mayer’s “Waiting on the World to Change,” we internalized the belief that while we’re young, we must watch and wait. We saw injustice and believed that we couldn’t do anything about it until it was our turn.
Well guess what, that’s not the case anymore. After November 4th, after we’ve proven what we’re capable of–defying the odds, and our history, to achieve what we were told was impossible–there is no longer room to doubt our own potential. You hear the shift, once again in our music- John Legend’s “If You’re Out There,” Will I Am’s “It’s A New Day.” You hear the sound of a generation tired of complacency and yet unsure of what we do next. Well, for starters, we can come to the aid of the young Iranians who are attempting to defy even greater odds.
This past weekend, a young woman died, you’ve probably already seen the video.
Her name was Neda. Believing in the power of her one voice, she attended a rally to contest the results of the Iranian election. She was taken by one bullet, and as she died, one camera brought her fateful ending to millions. That one video reverberated through her city, and with the aid of technology, has confronted the conscious of the world. One person changed everything.
Iran seems like it’s a world away, but because of technology, it’s not. There are two things that you can do, right now, to help.
If you have Twitter, change your location to “Tehran” and your time zone to +3.0. Reports indicate that the Iranian Government is tracking down protesters using these settings, and yet if we come together as one world, we can take that away from them.
Then, go to this link and sign the International Protest. Send it to everyone you know and remind them that we’re not done yet.
Tell them, that Barack Obama said one voice could make a difference, we believed him then, and we believe him now. Tell them that we’re just getting started and despite what they’ve heard, no, we’re not done yet.
