There are some things that we must not be too quick to forget...

It is my opinion that long-term sustainable engagement is the only way in which we can really make change in the communities around us. The video above this is close to my heart because typically we push so hard to serve directly after disasters, but years out our we suffer from some sort of short-term memory loss. I have mentioned before that New Orleans is deeply imbedded in my heart. You must understand that New Orleans is still a long way away from being "back to normal." It also reminds me that the short- attention span that we have will also impact the way in which we serve Haiti. It is my job to make sure that we remember our obligations as a community, as a friend, as a member of this United States.
Listening to this man's story and his joy and deep appreciation of the crew that helped him is the exact reason I want to be an advocacte for causes like these. What is your cause? #BETHECHANGE

Don't just talk about it..

..... be about it!
So I know over the last few weeks I have "talked" about being the change. I have blogged about different news worthy material that has sparked me to want to be the change. Yet, I do not think I have fully talked about what ACTION I have taken to be part of the change myself. Today, I would like to take a moment and talk about the things that I have done to "Be the change." Please note that this is not a space for me to post my resume, or to toot my own horn, but this is a space for me to let you know of the ways in which we can all play an active role in our communities.
The last two weeks I was blessed enough to attend two conferences that mean a lot to me as far as the work I will be undertaking in the next couple of months (how do you like me speaking my positive affirmations out loud!)
As my profile will tell you, I am Haitian-American. The American side of me is that I was born in the states, and I cannot speak creole fluently. But I am 100% Haitian as both my parents were born and for the most part raised in Haiti, until their families immigrated to the United States in the late 60's early 70's. I have always known that in some way I was going to invoke change. I had wanted to be a journalist. When I was younger, I was quoted in the paper for some activity that was being done at my elementary school. When the paper came out, I read the quote and the reporter got it all wrong. I vowed, that one day I would be a journalist so that I could "Tell the truth." Well, as I grew older I still had a fantasy of being a journalist, but my eyes started focusing on politics. Bill Clinton had just been elected for his first term in office. I went to the inauguration and I fell in love with this world of politics. Years later, I became enamored with a CNN update that ran 24 hours- it was a story unraveling in Haiti. President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was a victim of a coup. It was the first time that I had seen Haiti on the international screen, and it was my first real look at the long road of reconstruction ahead. I began asking my father questions about Haiti, it's history, it's culture, what Haiti was like when he was a kid. As I grew older I knew that my passion for politics would lead me towards a domestic agenda, seeing poverty in the streets, and injustices all over the country I wanted to change things here. But my long-term goals were to always and in some way assist Haiti in the development that I knew it very much needed. I joked (with some seriousness) in High School that I would become the Ambassador to Haiti, one day.
Given the recent devastating earthquake, my passion for making a difference in Haiti's political development has been pushed forward in my life. I with 4 other students, "rose" together with American University in a Benefit Performance that we organized with 1 week and a half of planning. The five us were able to make the earthquake in Haiti something that we could all impact. In one night, that I will remember forever, we raised $30000. For me, this was something that helped me heal in many ways, because I was able to contribute my time and energy to making sure that Haiti wasn't forgotten. I felt helpless watching CNN again, like that time during the coup, and seeing people who could just as easily be family so disoriented by what was going on. This to me was the least I could do, and something that I pride myself on. I know that I may not have a lot of money, but I have been blessed enough with life and time and if that is all I can give, than that to me is enough.
But my passion for change didn't stop there. I have done my best to stay active in Haiti news, latching on to every news source and media link that has referenced Haiti in some way. Just so that I can keep up to date and stay focused on what is going on now. I currently sit on an Advisory Board with my University's Alternative Break Program. This Board is the think tank for the Program's commitment to a 5-year Alt Break Compact in Haiti. Through this think tank, I have implemented meetings with other organizations as we prepare to send students to Haiti on a service learning trip in the next year. Again, I know that this right now, might not seem big, but to me it is the best use of my time. And meeting with organizations is a great way to keep them engaged in the process as well.
Last week, I mentioned that I attended 2 workshops/conferences. The first was covering the Caribbean Diaspora and their role in the Haiti redevelopment. It was such an honor to be able to attend such an event. And the event reinforced the path that I am on as far as career growth etc. It gave me a real opportunity to put to practice everything that I have learned over the last 2 years here in D.C.
In the beginning it was rough though. Myself and another student leader on the Advisory Board, were the only two "young people" there. We were ignored, by Ambassadors and other officials when we tried to talk to them about our efforts.
Finally after a panel, I stood up to ask a question. My question was in concern to Higher Education and the role of youth engagement in this rebuilding process. I asked the panel " What are you doing as organizers to engage the youth and more specifically the 2nd generation in this process? Had we not stumbled upon this meeting through our other contacts, we would have never known of such an opportunity." Mind you I wasn't calling anyone out, it was directed to the panel itself. Well the response I received from a Congresswoman on the panel was "What are YOU doing to engage yourselves?" Now not to be, pompous, but I really hate this answer from the older generation in the political process, and I will get into that when I discuss the second conference I attended, but it is such a cop-out.
I ended up responding to this Congresswoman, by telling her and the audience all of the great things that American University and students like me are developing on behalf of Haiti. I let her know in response to a statement that she made, that I would be happy to contact her assistant with further information regarding what the University and students like me are doing.
After the question and answer session, we broke for lunch and FINALLY people were coming up to us and asking us, what it is that we are doing? They also asked us how they could assist etc. My concern is that it is always a moment of proving ourselves as young people before we are listened to and actively engaged with.
Needless to say my questions didn't end there. I asked a few more pointed questions and then was asked by one of the Ambassadors of the Program to help facilitate one of the breakout workshops! It was a great day, and I hope that the input I gave gets translated into some other form of engagement for both generations to grow.
And with that, I will lead into the second piece of my wonderful journey. I apologize that this is more like a novel and not a blog, but this is important to get out. I attended a workshop on Monday put together through Campus Progress an extension of The Center for American Progress. This workshop was an all day event that featured many great speakers, members coming out of Rock the Vote, The Obama Election Team, Scott Brown's Election Team, analysts etc. The purpose of this workshop was to come together to discuss ways in which to engage youth in the 2010 election.
To be honest the political arena is waiting to see what we do in 2010. In 2008 we voted in high numbers to elect President Obama, in 2009 we fell off so now our credibility as a voting body is in question. But to be honest I feel that it is always in question. We get the whole, we are young we don't understand politics etc. But yet politicians want to make sure that we vote for them and their issues that they care about. But we don't hear much past the need for us to be "just voters." I am a Democrat, I don't know if that matters that much though. But reflecting back on 2008 and the power we had as youth during the Presidential Elections, I find that the Democratic party lost a lot of our support directly after the election. It was almost as if the party thought it was fine for them to ride high on the momentum of the election without actively engaging the voters to continue in this process. I mean there is so much President Obama can do for his party and that was clear in the results of the 2009 Elections. Organizing America has to be the premise for all politicians and it needs to be something that they all unite on. Basically I am more "Fired Up" to do more work, and find ways to get young people to be taken seriously in this political world. We have a lot of insight to offer and it is going to be my generation that is going to change they way in which politics works, so we need to be allowed to be a part of that change.
#BETHECHANGE is the BOMB.COM!

Another day of police brutality...

I heard about this story by a friend last night at dinner. However, I didn't see the video until this morning after another friend posted it on FB. Although, the story begins with an Officer addressing a "jaywalking" incident, I don't think that it needed to end like this at all. However, we do not know what sparked the start of this footage. Whether it was something that was started because the girls were being "verbally antagonistic" or whatever the case may be. I definitely do not agree with the actions taken. If someone is being "verbally antagonistic" to an officer does that mean that the officer has the right to arrest the young ladies? And the way it seems, the officer didn't try at all to explain to these young girls what they were being arrested for. And secondly where was backup, if this was an arrest shouldn't there have been another officer present or something. I think it got way to out of hand. From what I hear from the video, the officer never explained why he was arresting the girl, or that he had intended to arrest the girl until after he had slugged her cousin. And is it necessary to hit the cousin like that, I mean the young girl is screaming for him to let her go and instead of taking better control of the situation he gets more aggressive and violent.
Juvenile Justice is an issue that really gets a rise out of me, and the way in which our police officers act towards certain individuals also bothers me. There are better ways to handle this situation. I would like to see what comes out about this in the next couple of weeks. Regardless the girls were taken into custody and the charge might be "resisting arrest" which was never clear that that was what the officer intended to do in the first place.
But don't take my word for it, look at this video:

Remember your history...

It is 2010, the world sits watching as the World Cup takes place for the first time on the continent of Africa and with that in South Africa. But as we experience one of the greatest moments in history, we must also be reminded of the past.
South Africa, much like the United States was ridden with segregationist and colonial policies known as "apartheid." Apartheid lasted well into the early 90's with ending with the release of one of the most prolific and notable leaders the world over, Nelson Mandela after being held for 27 years in prison. Not to mention was he released but then had served as the first freely elected African President of the country.
The times of apartheid were violent and brutal. Africans throughout the continent were fighting for their voice in a post-colonial environment. It caused a lot of damage to the people and to the heart of the continent as well.
South Africa was no different than the rest of the continent. Like the children of Birmingham, Alabama did in the 1960s so did the children of a province called Soweto in 1976. They (the children) protested the apartheid and the effect it had on their education system. Similar to the students who protested Vietnam at Kent State in Ohio, the police in Soweto answered these children's protests with guns- killing 23 students and sparking civil unrest.
I was supposed to travel to South Africa for the World Cup. But I really wanted to immerse myself in the history, as much as I wanted to catch a game or two. Soweto is one of the places, that when I am able to go to South Africa, I plan on seeing.

Know the history:

Have we gone too far? And when will it end?

(CNN) -- A proposed Arizona law would deny birth certificates to children born in the United States to illegal immigrant parents.

The bill comes on the heels of Arizona passing the nation's toughest immigration law.

John Kavanagh, a Republican state representative from Arizona who supports the proposed law aimed at so-called "anchor babies," said that the concept does not conflict with the U.S. Constitution.

"If you go back to the original intent of the drafters ... it was never intended to bestow citizenship upon (illegal) aliens," said Kavanagh, who also supported Senate Bill 1070 -- the law that gave Arizona authorities expanded immigration enforcement powers.

Under federal law, children born in the United States are automatically granted citizenship, regardless of their parents' residency status.

Kyrsten Sinema, a Democratic state representative, strongly opposes the bill.

"Unlike (Senate Bill) 1070, it is clear this bill runs immediately afoul of the U.S. Constitution," she said.

"While I understand that folks in Arizona and across the country support S.B. 1070, they do so because we have seen no action from the federal government," said Sinema. "Unfortunately, the so-called 'anchor baby' bill does nothing to solve the real problems we are facing in Arizona."

Arizona Republicans are expected to introduce the legislation this fall.

CNN's Ethan Harp contributed to this report



Months ago Arizona was under a fire storm because of a Law they put on the table that would make "racial profiling" less of a discriminatory act. Basically the law stated that police officers could use whatever discretion they wanted and ask anybody they wanted for valid I.D. There is already a federal law in the books that states that you must have a valid I.D. on you at all times. So this law brought many to ask if there was a more specific reason why Arizona would want to push for this. As I stated a fire storm broke out, because for many Arizona was targeting people of Latin/Hispanic dicsent and even more specifically undocumented citizens.
I have had many concerns over the language being placed in this conversation and conversations like the one I posted above. The term "illegal alien," has only been directed at one particular group, those members who have been of Latin/Hispanic descent. This is extremely problematic. To underly issues of race, or discrimination under the premise of "homeland security," infuriates me. It annoys me even more that this isn't the conversation that is being had. Much like my post on Race via Obama, I have to wonder if this is yet another example of how far we have fallen from the direction we were meant to follow.
There was only one comment that I agreed with during this whole clip and that was by Rep Semina, when she mentioned that the reason for Arizona's backlash, was lack of control by the Federal government. Yes, we have a problem with controling our borders and we need to do a better job and come up with better solutions before idiots like the legislators in Arizona continue to come up with these crazy ways to sneak in legislation that goes against everything that this country has stood for at least in this century. It also irritates me to argue on behalf of "original intent" to suit your own needs when clearly the Constitution was written to ensure that only a few privileged people were able to support their own power.
Do I fault Arizona for trying to correct something they feel needs to be corrected? No, I think Arizona is trying to make something work for them within a system that isn't working. But I think that there are better ways to go about it and I still think that we are missing the bigger picture- we have an opportunity to have a greater conversation about cultures and race, but yet we are so flustered at least from Rep. Kavanagh's view with the idea of securing the many lifestyles that vote for him- I wonder too, what category a majority of his voting base comes from. Ah ha!

Issues of Race, where do we draw the line?

I am sure that we could go on and on and on about the role that race plays in the backdrop of US history. But we must not be fooled to think that race issues are dead and gone now that we have a MULTI-Racial President, who is deemed Black in America.
I am hoping the lesson that can be learned from the experience of having a Multi-racial president is that int eh future we begin to engage more in these conversations of race etc. But I feel that there is a time and a place.
If you haven't really been following the news lately we are in day 52 (I believe) of a regional crisis. Oil giant BP had a pipe burst in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico that is causing an unknown amount of oil to be pumped into the ocean. Did I mention that we are 52 days in and this thing is still leaking with no end in sight?! Now, if you have followed my other blogs, I briefly mentioned my new found love of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast due to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. I have spent to Alternative Breaks in New Orleans rebuilding, I plan to spend my next Spring Break in New Orleans going to Mardi Gras and rebuilding as well. It is my goal that after grad school I would love to live in New Orleans for a little bit and play a more active role in the rebuilding process. Needless to say hearing about New Orleans warms my heart, it was the birthplace of my indoctrination into social justice and I will always be a champion for that city. With that, this recent tragedy has had me up in arms about how long it is taking. Mainly because no one understand the magnitude of what is going on, and it will be months before we can move into cleanup. Right now we can't even contain this oil spill which is a HUGE problem.
On the political side of this BP and the oil industry are going to take a much deserved hit! I think it is good for them and about time. I also hope that in light of all of this we are able to reevaluate our regulation standards and create a better system for change in the future. However, the problem was BP's to fix, after day 10 we should have had another solution: I.E. the government. I am a huge OBAMA supporter, I think he is just the person we need in office to change the negatives in politics. I think the momentum he gained over the campaign is definitely lost, over no fault of his own. The Democratic party needed to unite and stand behind their champion and instead they went back to "politics as usual" and thought that they could just ride high on the momentum without doing the work. But now is the time that Obama needs to pull experts and step in and fix this. Yes, BP needs to be held accountable for their damage. Financially they need to foot the entire bill to house volunteers, experts, cleanup technicians etc. They need to be putting money into estuaries and into the oceanic research etc. I do not care if BP goes under from this, it was their blunder and now they have to deal with it. But all of this can be taken care of after the initial problem is fixed. PLUG THE DAMN HOLE!!
But instead of coming up with these solutions, the media (I love them for highlighting it) but some within the media are deciding to take frustrations from Obama as a way to argue a race issue. Which I think if the country is going to change, we need to have a serious conversation on race and get everything out in the open, slowly we are doing that. But to make comments that Obama is getting "street" over this oil spill distracts from the real problem- THE OIL SPILL. People are losing their livelihood, this is sweeping through many different states, the long term effects of this tragedy have yet to be determined and we are arguing about Obama's temperament. What solutions are we coming up with to figure this out?
But this is two-fold, I am glad that we are having a conversation about race, despite the fact that I think the timing is off. If you haven't figured it out I am "Black in America" which means that I also face these issues. I think that race is a big factor in the way we play or don't play our politics; it is a long term advantage when people are suffering to still break things up along the color line and it is extremely problematic.
John Blake from CNN created a very well written article shown below. Tell me what you think...

(CNN) -- Here's proof that President Obama has indeed ushered in a new era in race relations.

Who would have ever expected some white Americans to demand that an African-American man show more rage?

If you've followed the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster, you've heard the complaints that Obama isn't showing enough emotion.

But scholars say Obama's critics ignore a lesson from American history: Many white Americans don't like angry black men.

It's the lesson Obama absorbed from his upbringing, and from an impromptu remark he delivered last summer. Yet it's a lesson he may now have to jettison, they say, as public outrage spreads.

"Folks are waiting for a Samuel Jackson 'Snakes on the Plane' moment from this president as in: 'We gotta' get this $#@!!* oil back in the $#!!* rig!' But that's just not who Obama is,'' says Saladin Ambar, a political science professor at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Some of the same people crying for Obama to show more emotion would have voted against him if he had displayed anger during his presidential run, says William Jelani Cobb, author of "The Substance of Hope: Barack Obama and the Paradox of Progress."

"It would have fed deeply into a pre-existing set of narratives about the angry black man," Cobb says. "The anger would have gotten in the way. He would have frightened off white voters who were interested in him because he seemed to be like the black guy they worked with or went to graduate school with -- not a black guy who is threatening."

****Obama ready to kick butt?*****

Now some critics say that Obama should be a little bit more threatening.

On Monday, Matt Lauer on NBC's "Today" told Obama that critics don't want him to react to the oil disaster by meeting with experts and being calm. They want him to "kick some butt."Obama's tough talk comes after criticism mounted over his response to the oil fiasco. During a White House press briefing last week, a reporter told Obama's press secretary that most people haven't seen rage from the president. (That led Obama's press secretary to say he had seen an enraged Obama's "clenched jaws" in meetings.)Obama's cool temperament even prompted black filmmaker Spike Lee to tell CNN that for at least one time, Obama should "go off."

But Obama has "gone off" before and that didn't work too well for him, says Ambar. During a news conference last summer, Obama casually said that police acted "stupidly" when they arrested Harvard professor Henry Louis "Skip" Gates in his home for disorderly conduct after a confrontation with a white police officer. Obama's comments infuriated many white people, and even some black supporters. Obama had to have a Beer Summit to calm the public uproar."He flashed genuine anger," says Ambar. "At that moment, when he touched on the issue of race, he spoke frankly and passionately about what he felt and it got him into a big deal of trouble."Evoking the specter of the angry black man almost cost Obama his shot at the White House, says Paul Street, an author and political activist who worked with Obama in Chicago.


Street says videos of Obama's former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, angrily condemning America were so dangerous to Obama's campaign because it hinted that Obama may have been an angry black man behind closed doors."Rev. Wright almost cost him his run for the presidency because of fears of the angry black man," says Street, author of the upcoming book "The Empire's New Clothes: Barack Obama in the Real World of Power." "What was Rev. Wright but the ultimate symbol of the angry black man who is going to take revenge," Street says. That symbol is hardwired into American history and popular culture. It's Nat Turner, the slave who inspired a bloody 19th-century uprising. It's Malcolm X, the black militant who denounced "blue-eyed devils." It's the hip-hop and rap artists who populate contemporary radio.

***Why Obama can't get angry if he tried****

Obama, though, has spent a lifetime trying to rewrite that script, says Street, who says he worked with Obama in Chicago.

"He is Mr. Equanimity and Mr. Consolation," says Street. "That's how he negotiated his way through multiple worlds, and reached out across bridges."

In his 1995 memoir, "Dreams of My Father," Obama explained why he thought such negotiation was necessary when he met white people as a young man growing up in Hawaii.

"People were satisfied so long as you were courteous and smiled and made no sudden moves. Such a pleasant surprise to find a well-mannered young black man who didn't seem angry."

If Obama wants to go down as a great president, though, he may have to discover the political value of rage, others say.

Franklin Roosevelt was such a president, historians say. During the Great Depression, he went after business leaders who opposed his New Deal policies. Roosevelt once said that he "welcomed the hatred" of the economic elites.

Could Obama become a 21st-century version of Roosevelt, not only in taking on the oil companies but big bankers as well?

Ambar, from Lehigh University, doesn't think so. Obama doesn't share Roosevelt's elite background, which inoculated him from charges of being anti-American. Roosevelt came from a prominent, and wealthy, American family.

"It's easier to do it if your name is Roosevelt," Ambar says. "No one questions your love of capitalism or your patriotism."


**** Obama Challenges Ahead****
The BP oil spill, though, goes beyond race. It is so egregious that Obama now has permission to stoke some "pitchfork, populist" anger, says Street.

"He's now in danger of being perceived as being too soft and conciliatory and too much in the bed of corporations," he says.

Some forms of rage remain a potent political weapon, says John Baick, an associate professor of history at Western New England College in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Tea Party organizers; Democratic leader Howard Dean; former presidential candidate Ron Paul -- all used rage as a powerful organizing tool, Baick says.

"Rage can provide answers to murky questions, rage can provide passion for the dispirited, rage can provide focus," Baick says.

But race-specific anger is off-limits, Street says.

"He would be politically dead; it would be over," Street says.

Yet the call for a black man to show more emotion on subjects outside of race is still a healthy development, says Ambar, from Lehigh University.

"I take it as a sign of progress that people are calling for Obama to be angry, an almost impossible sentiment a decade ago," he says.

Still, Obama must be careful about getting in touch with his inner-Samuel Jackson, others say.

Just as gushing oil lurks below the Gulf's surface, all sorts of ugly, racial undercurrents exist beneath the surface of American politics, Baick says.

"Our commander in chief has many burdens, and among them is our history and culture," Baick says. "Compared to the weight of that, the current BP crisis and the years of environmental damage and cleanup must seem transient."

Welcome to the first Edition of my "Be The Change" blog

Mahatma Ghandhi once said, " Be the change you want to see in the world." This is the motto of my life. If we expect to "solve the world's" problems and really put the world into the path of greatness, we as individuals have to sort of start with ourselves, check ourselves and change ourselves in order to implement change around us.
If you have followed my other blog, you know that I mentioned my love of Politics. I have been told that people could see me running for Office. It has never been my goal to run for a political office, however, I find that if we want to make changes in the world, we have to be active citizens and engage in the process. Which means being as knowledgeable as we can about what is going on around us etc.
I met this gentleman the other day who said he doesn't vote because he's not into politics and it doesn't effect him. HELLO?! It doesn't affect you, politics is personal. Which means that even when you think you aren't apart of it, you really are. Does this gentleman not get taxed everywhere he goes? Does the current economic state not effect him? Does he not know anyone who is fighting in these wars? To say that politics doesn't affect you to me is asinine, I mean of course it affects you, it is all around you.
Needless to say, this is not my life. I am very aware of the way in which the government and politics plays in my life. I am also not one to sit by and let choices be made without me exercising my right to express disdain or dislike, or even agreement with these changes.
More importantly I live my life to serve others who are unable to have access to this process. I think that is where my political engagement lies. The world isn't balance, there are too few people who have a certain amount of power and too many people who don't. Ultimately the future of our world is suffering if we do not create a balanced field. With that I am a human being, and I think before anything else we NEED, no, we MUST take care of those around us. I live fully aware that one day I might need assistance and I want someone to be there to support me.
My life goal is to live that change, to fix problems at the root of the problem and hope that in some small way I am able to change the imbalance. I am extremely passionate about social justice and more specifically about community empowerment. I think that when we look to serve others, we often want to create the solution and move on, we have no real sustainable methods to uplift the community. If we want to empower a community, we have to give them opportunities to learn and grow for themselves, so that when the "help" pulls out they will be able to stand on their own two feet.
I believe that we need to invest in our future, through the legacy that we leave behind. I know that I might not have much, but I have my health, my time and a willingness and passion to serve others. I want to create solutions and not add to the problems.
So with that, welcome to this blog. A place where I might vent about political topics of the day, but also a place where I highlight the solutions to these problems. So follow me as I continue my journey in being the change, I hope that you to can add to my thoughts about the small steps that you are taking to build a sustainable community around the world.