How can we be more effective?

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As you all know, today is Inauguration day. It’s been looming in the back of my mind since November, and today it hit me like a splash of cold water in my face. So long Obama. So long to the ignorance I once had about the extremely polarized state of our governing system. 

Upon reflection, after this past election, I think my knowledge and interest in the world has actually grown and I wonder if this would have happened had Hillary Clinton been elected. But now’s not a time to look back, progress can only be made when you move forward and focus on now; in the words of Ne-Yo, “It's not about what you've done/It's about what you doing.” 

So that begs the question, what can I do about the issues I care about? How do I help make change? 

By now, I’m sure you know that I’m very passionate about helping increase funding for Pediatric Cancer research since it is so underfunded and there’s so much need for new treatments. I’ve tried a lot of stuff, fundraising, having guest speakers, calling our representatives, etc, but no matter how many hours I’ve spent trying to make change, I feel like I’m barely even making a crack. I still see kids suffering, having to put their life on hold to fight a disease that we still don’t completely understand and it’s so frustrating. So what about all the other things I care about? Equality for women, immigration reform, the list goes on. 

I want to help create change, but sometimes I have no clue where to start. How do I utilize my first amendment rights to make a difference, especially when our government holds steadfast to their beliefs. The Affordable Care Act is already being disassembled, when our government officials still have no concrete plan of what to put in its place even though an overwhelming majority of citizens said it shouldn’t be dissolved without a firm policy to take its place. Going back even further, you’ve probably already heard about the Women’s march on Washington on Saturday; but did you know, a woman named Alice Paul planned almost the exact same thing when Woodrow Wilson became president in 1912. Later the equal rights amendment, guaranteeing the equal treatment of women in all facets of life, was presented to congress? Over 100 years later, it still hasn’t been passed and we are still rallying for the same cause. 


So how can we start making change, when change is so hard? 

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