Be the Change.

Institutional Change Vital for Social Change.

http://generationwesolve.com/

Recently I participated in a exercise meant to show the great divide amongst our social classes in America. Those classes were lower, middle, and upper--with each class tasked with purchasing buildings for their new community, such as houses, hospitals, and schools. However, the twist was that each group did not know immediately which class they belonged to. The wealthier the social class the more money they received, the poorer the less money obviously. I was a "permit employee", so I was tasked with selling building permits to each class or community. I was told to make it extremely hard for the lower class to purchase building permits, somewhat hard for the middle class, and extremely easy for the upper class. Although it was just a fun experiment that myself and fellow co-workers participated in, it really showed the divide in our social classes, which our nation has been based on since our existence and the powerful effect of institutions on providing or in this case halting social change and class mobility.

We always hear our leaders preach how government is suppose to work for the people, not against them, and even in our Constitution where "all men are created equal." But, sometimes I'm not too sure that is exactly what has happened or is happening today. Our nation has clearly lived by a different set of standards when it comes to reality. Those who live in poor, debilitated neighborhoods, have a much higher chance of engaging in illegal activity and being caught, then those who live in upper-class communities. The chance for economic opportunity and success are greater for those who live in communities that are safe, clean, educated, and modern. However, we should not see that as a means to become angry at those individuals, as most people do not ask or determine their social class. That is why we must do all in our power to create a society in which the lack of social justice and equal opportunity is not just a rallying cry for a couple of election days out of the year, but a long-term fight for the rebuilding of a nation and its people.

I have always believed that the failure of one of us, is a failure for all of us. An uneducated child in the streets of DC or a rural family in the hills of Tennessee deserve the same opportunities that we all have been so greatly blessed with. Creating this vital social change is not just about volunteering or donating to a homeless shelter or building a school here and there, its about changing the fundamental purpose and structure of our institutions here in America. Institutions ranging from our prison systems--which need to focus on rehabilitation, rather than in and out incarceration and our education system, that is too focused on standardized testing, rather than treating each and every child as a human and individual that has his or her own dreams and hopes for life and our health care system, which is sorely unable to provide basic education and health care for all Americans, regardless of race or income--the inequities in our health care system are staggering, considering we spend more than any other industrialized nation, but provide health care that ranks in the middle or close to the bottom compared to other wealthy, developed countries.

I believe that our institutions can be better--does that we mean we need a socialist, government controlled society--NO! However, government's task is to work for the people--to ensure fair and equal treatment in all realms of policy, to protect and defend us, and to seek solutions to national epidemics and problems. We can truly do better than the statistics and realities have shown us--I believe we are a better and stronger people. In order to bring about the social change our people so greatly desire and require for long-term survival, we must first look long and hard at our institutions and get rid of what is not working and strengthen those programs and policies that are working. Change can be very hard for many people, but change is vital for the survival of our nation and all of our futures. The moral compass of America and its leaders has been quite lost over the last decade as far as I'm concerned and I believe has contributed to many issues and problems plaguing us today. How we treat our fellow neighbors is essential to the lives we live today and the lives we hope our children will have down the road.

How do we bring about true institutional change, resulting in real social change?

We now understand that institutions are vital in social change, as they provide the mechanisms in which all people are able to move up in social class and mobility. The bigger question is how can we cut the red tape and simplify/reform the bureaucracy in which we live in today? First and foremost educate yourself. Learn about issues and institutions that are important to you. If you care about reforming our education system and philosophy of teaching, become not just a teacher, but a principal--learn policy in and out, create your ideal school. Later on, become a superintendent so you can then create a bigger model for change. Or if you want to reform health care, don't just become a doctor and treat the symptoms, become a health care policy adviser for a senator--so you can directly effect the laws and policies in which determine the future of health care. I believe that educating ourselves empowers our own thinking and helps to create a foundation of solutions and ideals that will last a lifetime and give us a true means to create true social change, we all know we dearly need. The battle won't be easy, nor will it always be fun--but just remember, your fight, your struggle today for social justice and institutional change will create a new beacon of hope and idealism for a new generation tomorrow.


“No real social change has ever been brought about without a revolution - Revolution is but thought carried into action”
-Emma Goldman

“History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.”
--Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Interdependence is and ought to be as much the ideal of man as self-sufficiency. Man is a social being.”
--Mahatma Gandhi

“Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ from the prejudices of their social environment”
-Albert Einstein

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
--Mahatma Ghandi