Multi-ethnic mix: making concrete demands for reform
The clean-up crews have swept all of the confetti from the streets. The ball has dropped and new resolutions have been made.
Some people want to lose weight, others want to quit smoking, save more money or go back to school. With the dawning of a new year comes the desire for many to better their lives, their circumstances.
A new year represents a new beginning, a chance to undo all of the mistakes you’ve made and start fresh with a clean slate. But for many people, old habits die hard. Within a month, most people have already forgotten their resolutions and are back to eating poorly, smoking, spending money unwisely or devoting time to things that they vowed not to.
For people in the social justice movement, the New Year brings new opportunity as well. We renew our commitment to justice – to eradicating and removing systems that keep people locked in a cycle that they have trouble breaking free from. Cycles of over-criminalization, poverty, lack of education and poor health care tear at the fibers of communities, creating stress that causes more problems. At National Action Network, we have reaffirmed our commitment to these issues and more. The next year will be more intense and more focused on creating pathways for people to achieve true equal opportunity.
Unlike some goals, when working to reform systems and eliminate barriers to equality, it doesn’t happen overnight. There is no short cut to getting there and there is just as much resistance as there is desire to change.
Please see Newsone.com
