This year I injected myself into the political discussion. Me. I didn't care that I lacked an extensive political knowledge base or that I had never really taken the time to engage in productive political discussion before. I felt that it was a resonsibility that must not be passed on. Everyone has a responsibility to at the very least lend their voice to the national will. I have lots of things I would like to see changed in this country. I would like to see civil liberties restored. I'd like to see an administration that does not feel it necessary to shred the constitution in order to torture individuals. I'd like to see immigration reform. I'd like to see discrimination against LGBT folks ended. I'd like to see voting percentages rise. I make no bones about the fact that I'd like to see marijuana legalized.
All of these things fall under the banner of Human Rights. And here in Idaho, this is our banner.
Find out why I fight for Human Rights below the fold.
Boise State University's tradition of MLK/Human Rights Celebration week stems from a 1991 protest on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. There was a large group of students protesting outside the University President's office because they wanted MLK Day off from school. MLK was a nationally recognized holiday by then and Idaho still had not decided to give state workers the day off.
They protested loudly. And so, the University President at that time came down from his office and addressed the crowd. He said that in order to commemorate the works of Martin Luther King, Jr. we would not have a day off, but rather a day "on", because he believed the spirit of MLK would be better served by committing ourselves to community service than simply spending another day off from school or work. He promised from that day forth to have BSU present an annual student lead MLK/Human Rights Celebration and quickly designated funds to the program. A Student committee formed and got to work on the important task of putting this celebration together.
Since then we have had many distinguished speakers such as Martin Luther King III, Ruben "Hurricane" Carter, Cornel West, and last year Rev. Jesse Jackson in the Taco Bell Arena. Every year we have a Rally and March up to the Capitol Building. They have to shut down the streets.
But that is just the tip of the iceberg. We have so many different events scheduled for this years MLK/Human Rights Celebration
Our keynote speaker this year is Nikki Giovanni and we are very excited to have her. Her speech after the Virginia Tech shootings was[and is] simply unforgettable.
I am proud that I will have the honor of introducing her. The reason I get to do this is because this year I am the student chair for the MLK/Human Rights Celebration Committee. Our large and well-rounded group of committee members oversee the largest student-lead event in the annual BSU agenda. We spent a LOT of time this year discussing who was to be this years keynote speaker and what our theme would be.
Not to mention the infinite details that go into ensuring that these events go off without any problems. For example, I walked into the Student Activities office yesterday, and the Faculty Advisor for our committee breaks me some bad news. You see, we had decided this year to bring two keynote speakers[I tried so hard to get Rep. John Lewis as a third, but he couldn't make it], and the second one we had contracted was Wilma Mankiller. Due to some completely unforseeable circumstances, the Factulty Advisor informed me, Wilma Mankiller could not make the Jan. 28th speaking event. Luckily, none of our promotional materials have gone out yet[except for this], but now wehave to reschedule. So I have been spending every spare minute since then, working on last-minute scheduling for another speaker to fill her spot. It's crazy, too, because it is finals week, X-mas break is coming up fast and soon, and we only have a little over a month until the speaking event. Here are the different possibilities we are now trying to choose from:
Kweisi Mfume
Reverend Walter E. Fauntroy
Maria Hinojosa
Ray Suarez
Right now I'm vacillating between Ray Suarez and Kweisi Mfume. You can help me choose in the poll below. I guess it's a blessing in disguise though, because now we get to have two keynote speakers in January and have Wilma Mankiller coming later in the Spring.
There are many reasons to fight for Human Rights. Part of the reason I do is not just because it is morally right to fight for the downtrodden and the oppressed and not just because the standard of Human Rights is so important to uphold and not just because I want to change opinions in Idaho and about Idaho on the issues of Human Rights, though those are all very good reasons. One of the reasons I fight for Human Rights is, in part, because I want to be active in my community. In fact, why should anybody listen to anything I say at all about political issues unless I am going to be willing to put my money where my mouth is by donating my time and energy to causes that are important to the community? I want everyone in Idaho to see that the youth isn't only about partying and innebriation[though, we do like that]. One of the reasons this award-winning celebration is so important to Idaho is because of past problems Idaho has had with racist-types up in Northern Idaho. They used to have KKK parades up there. But you should all know that their headquarters has been torn down, and nowadays when they have their annual parade they are outnumbered by protesters. Idaho is not a safe-haven for that type of racism.
I try to do my best to encourage activism within the community and am glad that I took this position this year. Even though it has been ridiculously hard with my fulltime job and fulltime school hours. I go in to the Student Activities office and sit myself behind a pc for 3 hours every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday because I feel very strongly about the need for younger people to involve themselves within the community. The time that I have spent this year on the MLK/Human Rights Committee has taught me several things. I've developed skills for dealing with conflict management, I've learned just how much goes into these sorts of events and how to make decisions and work in small groups and manage subcommittees. Most importantly, I've realized just how important Human Rights are. For example, joining this committee has sold me completely on the concept of LGBT rights. Not that I was against the idea, but being on the committee made me actually think about it, and after having worked closely with groups in the community I realized how important that singular issue is. I can't go around pushing for issues that only directly affect myself, especially not if I want to see real change.
I hope you all enjoyed this diary. I thought it would be good to make my "Kossacks Under Thirty-Five" diary about personal political involvement. The main point of it was to show how young folks make an impact in the community. Finals are over, but I'll be spending all of tomorrow finishing up loose ends for the Celebration, and then the committee won't be meeting up until January 18th.
Merry Christmas, everyone!
Kossacks Under 35 is a weekly diary series designed to create a community within DailyKos that focuses on young people. Our overall goals are to work on increasing young voters' Democratic majority, and to raise awareness about issues that particularly affect young people, with a potential eye to policy solutions. Kossacks of all ages are welcome to participate (and do!), but the overall framework of each diary will likely be on or from a younger person's perspective. If you would like more information or want to contribute a diary, please email kath25 at kossacksunder35 (at) gmail dot com