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Editorial
Editorial Archives
Friday, February 18, 2005; Page 14
Make Them Hear You
During the 34th Annual Congressional Black Caucus Legislative Conference, Congressman Harold E. Ford, Jr., (TN-09) poignantly said in a forum about voting, “Members of Congress and I have always said that we wish that that we could pass an amendment that says that if you don’t vote, you lose the right to complain.”
This statement recently came to mind as an apartment building manager discussed the ineffectiveness of tenants discussing their concerns with one another without ever bringing them to a higher authority. Like voting, sometimes a letter, an e-mail, a phone call or a visit can make a lasting difference. Taking the initiative to confront the source of your frustration may lead to a solution for what seems to be an impossible situation.
Recently, the D.C. Education Compact, a group of more than 100 organizations and individuals who have formed a partnership with the D.C. Public Schools, held a series of public forums to improve student achievement. The first, which was held at Savoy Elementary School in Southeast, was very poorly attended. A photo in the Education section of this newspaper reveals this as Superintendent Dr. Clifford Janey and Mayor Anthony Williams are pictured sitting amongst rows of empty seats. The condition of D.C.P.S. is one of the most highly discussed topics in this city so when given the opportunity, why didn’t parents come out to voice their concerns?
A large part of this problem is due to the fact that individuals often tend to react to an escalated problem rather than making efforts to prevent it from happing in the first place. In order to see the improvements and changes that we desire, we must begin to be more proactive rather than always being reactive. It is up to us to make efforts to improve our quality of life.
We must never forget the words of Frederick Douglas: "Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress." |
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