BE THE CHANGE
Before we begin, set your devices to the song ‘I was here by Beyonce on the UN World Humanitarian Day’ (Trust me on this one)
Countless are the times we have heard of stories of such great bravery that shake our inner cores. Stories that awaken us to want to embody the spirit of change. I would like us to delve into moments that are so iconic that attempting to write about them feels like a robbery of their gallant glory. That is the beauty of history makers and as we go on the journey of some of these men and women’s lives, it is my great desire that we will all be inspired to remember to have the courage to be the change. On the 22nd of January 2021, on the West Front of the United States Capitol, Amanda Gorman’s voice swept over the grounds and the whole world at large. As the youngest inaugural poet in history, with bated breaths we waited as her words echoed a poem that breathed life to the darkened cities of the United States. With great poise and a strong command of language her eloquence reverberated hope, light, diversity and unity. She called forth a collective understanding that the future is in our hands, but so is the present, for once upon a time, the past looked to our present as its future. How much then do the decisions we choose to make mold the quality of life we shall experience. Her kite flew high that day as she etched her name in history, sparking meaningful conversations about hard topics that can no longer be ignored. So much so, that she will be the first and youngest black poet to ever perform during Super Bowl.
Do you have the courage to change, to be part of a cause that transcends the constraints of race, wars, diversity of beliefs and ideologies? To live a legacy that runs through bloodlines of generations. What is it that you want to be remembered for?
This is a call to courage, to release the haunted looks of fear on our faces and open our arms to the mysteries of change. I could go on and list famous names that evoke emotions of deep loyalty, however true change begins in the most humble and seemingly anti-climatic moments. The moments we decide to be a tad kinder, slightly more generous. The days we escort a young drunk girl safely to her doorstep in the dead of night. The days we say no to ignorant and insensitive comments of race and other ugly evils. Moments we join movements that champion for better and affordable care for the mentally unstable. Days we call the police to take away the physically abusive husband of our next door neighbor. We have become so detached to each others plight that we forget we are in such an interconnected world where one choice ripples on to the next.
May we not be captives of our self-identity, may we break old habits and patterns and live a life that is will count. Be the change you crave to be, be strengthened by the hearts of the legends whose fight shaped the life we can access today. For as James Baldwin stated, ‘People are trapped in history and history is trapped in them.’ Within us lies the power to change absolutely everything.
Lilian Waithaka| Kenya Model United Nation
