Make Social Change A Reality

It has already been eight months since Barack Obama won the Presidential election. On that November evening the enormous crowd that had gathered at Grant Park in Chicago listened with anticipation to hear the victory speech of the President Elect. One of the most noteworthy lines of his speech was when he exclaimed: “Tonight, because of what we did on this day in this election at this defining moment, change has come to America.” This is exactly what his fervent supporters wanted to hear. Candidate Obama had promised this many times during the campaign. He promised to bring about real change – social and economic. He promised that there would be a “new kind of government”- open and transparent. A government that would be accessible by and accountable to all the people. Has our new President kept his campaign promises? The answer could be a simple mouse click away by going to the official website of the White House www.whitehouse.gov . This website provides information to the public re...

Social change is a must Not just for humankind But it can stem from just one human mind. With one thought we will find we can do right But imagine if we all join thoughts and unite . There's no limit to the change we can bring Enough to make the whole world sing in such harmony That we don't have to worry bout the next man harming me What a sight we can see But how can this be? My thought would be through philanthropy So our children could inherit a world of humanity That thought moves me fondly Let's follow in the words of Mahatma Gandhi And BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE in the world. Those words he lived and imparted before he died To show that change must come from inside . Don't hide behind the blinds in your mind Reach down in your heart and you'll find that Social change is a beautiful thing Imagine the change it will bring. From a world of poverty and stress To one of literacy wealth and success. Just taking the time to show I care As a people...we have to s...

In 1964, then-President Lyndon Johnson authorized a preschool program as part of his Economic Opportunity Act. That program has evolved into today’s Head Start , which provides not only preschool education to children from low-income families, but also health and social services . Since 1965, the money invested in Head Start programs has been steadily increasing. President Obama allotted an additional $5 billion to the program under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in the hopes of reaching 150,000 more children . The idea is that when education and healthy living start early, children stay in school, stay employed, enrich society and save taxpayer dollars in reduced welfare later on in life. However, in 1997 the Government Accounting Office published a report entitled Head Start: Research Provides Little Information on Impact of Current Program . In response, Congress mandated the Head Start Impact Study . Under the Department of Health and Human Services, the resear...

Naturally, when I saw this title " Lazy Altruism: 6 Super-Easy Ways to Do Good and Help Others ", I was intrigued to read the blog post. After all, it's not too often you see the words lazy and do good in the same sentence. And less often does being lazy result in a positive outcome . Well, not if you're a lazy altruist. After hearing by President Barack Obama's Call to Action for Americans to volunteer more, an Intent.com blogger was inspired to create this short list for "wide-eyed volunteer newbies...to dip your feet into the wonderful world of altruistic love" which include donating your hair and playing Internet trivia. Do you consider "lazy altruism" a method of volunteering? This post was written by Chanelle Carver , acting Editor for Make Social Change A Reality and Executive Director of the Literacy 'n' Poverty Project .

President Barack Obama spoke before the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce on March 10th , offering more details about his plans to improve education. In 2008, American students once again ranked below many of their international peers on standardized tests. The President built his campaign on the idea of change, and it is obvious that the archaic system of American education is in dire need of just that. The question is: what does good change look like? It starts with early childhood education. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act promises an addition $5 billion to Early Head Start and Head Start programs . While the money promised will help states fund new programs and improve those in existence, is it enough ? To make post-secondary education more affordable, President Obama has said he will increase the cap on Pell Grants by $500 . He has also briefly outlined a program that would do away with private lending for student loans, replacing it with a program run by the Educa...

Today’s post marks the last in the series on women and the economy, and while we are now several weeks out in the post- Economic Stimulus Package world of 2009, there has been no decline in the amount of scrutiny on the Package and its implications for women. Reproductive health experts for example, were disheartened that the Package, now known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), succumbed to pressures in Congress and failed to expand national family planning program-funding, which would have served as a major cost-savings measure in the short and long-term. In addition, despite countless studies that have questioned the efficacy of abstinence-only education programs and exposed their inaccuracies and harmful messages on gender and sexuality to young people, Congress still increased abstinence-only education funding in the ARRA. Nevertheless, the public and non-profit sector agencies that serve women and girls in communities across the US are assessing the situatio...

More than ten years after his death, rapper Tupac Shakur's influential track "Changes" is still in rotation. Known for being one of the greatest rappers of all time , it is no surprise that his lyrics carry messages easily relatable to current issues within our society. Tupac rapped in the mid-nineties that; "its war on the streets and the middle east / instead of war on poverty they got a war on drugs ." Those two melodic bars touch upon issues that effect all of our daily lives. However, for a multitude of reasons these problems are often overlooked and devalued. Fortunately, we as a united people, have elected to recognize that these issues need to be addressed. Some have concluded that these problems will not go away without the right leadership. We have elected Barack Obama as our first non-white president. He presents to our nation a change in ideological properties, and breaks down many embedded stereotypes. Sadly, such a momentous part of history is tain...

Taking a cue from President Obama’s speech yesterday , this week’s posting in the series on women and the economy continues its focus on healthcare. Most of President Obama’s fireside-inspired speech which he delivered to Congress and the American public last night centered on the economy, and addressing the labor and economic needs of the 21st Century. A significant portion of the speech however, was geared towards healthcare and the dire need to overhaul the U.S. healthcare system as a critical part of reviving the economy. President Obama pledged reform to the American people in a compelling declaration in which he said that, "Health care reform cannot wait, it must not wait, and it will not wait another year.” Women’s issues were not specifically named in the speech, but hopefully the focus on healthcare and the economy will do some of the greatest good for middle and lower-income women and families. One of the areas of health services in which help is truly needed among women...

On Wednesday evening, the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate came to an agreement about the Economic Stimulus and Recovery Package , which will tally $789 billion dollars in total, and hopefully give much-needed aid to states, local municipalities, working people, families, and some individuals who have been hit hardest by this Great Recession. The bill, which President Obama has been urging members of Congress to agree upon and push through all week long, emerges with much controversy still surrounding it, even among some seasoned Democrats who were unhappy with the outcome of Wednesday’s inter-Congressional talks. Some of these lawmakers feel that too much money was taken from education and social programs as a way to strike a compromise with the Recovery Package’s detractors. Nevertheless, the bill is ostensibly set to move forward in Congress and may even be on the President’s desk - ready to be signed, sealed, and delivered - by as early as Friday. As I described in Par...

Last weekend I was in Philadelphia at the National Constitution Center for a conference and stood in the auditorium where Obama delivered his famous speech on race. I thought that the auditorium didn't do him justice—it was small and ordinary looking, lacking the grandeur of his speech. However, someone pointed out to me that while the auditorium looked inconspicuous it was actually an example of magnificent architecture. Everything from the walls to the number and placement of seats is designed to enhance the quality of sound in addition to overall comfort. Everything in that room was deliberate and well coordinated. When I learned this information I realized how perfect that space was for Obama. The intimacy of the space reflects his desire to build a stronger, closer country while the architecture reflects the effort and coordination necessary to sustain and enhance a strong country. And the Constitution Center , while honoring the past is most remarkable for its ability...

America's had enough. And so have I. Barack has finally articulated his plan for change to America. Tonight, he gave us a blueprint for what this change will look like. Now more than before, I feel connected to him. I feel like he spoke to me and my troubles and the troubles of those I know. An inspirational speaker indeed! So in case you didn't get a chance to hear Barack Obama's speech tonight, check out this clip from MSNBC. You can also read his speech here, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26446638/ . Are you ready for change? Post your comments and tell us how you're going to make change happen. We're waiting... This blog was written by Chanelle N. Carver, founder and Executive Director of Literacy 'n' Poverty Project. Please leave your comments and feel free to email Chanelle at carver@literacyandpovertyproject.com with any questions!