By: Travis L. McGee Sr.
Do we want Systematic Change, Temporary Change, Conditional Change, Spare Change, Seasonal Change, or Chicken Change?
Systematic change starts locally by simply being involved and informed in our own communities. It’s great to vote as long as it’s an EDUCATED vote versus JUST voting because that’s what we’ve been taught to do. You shouldn’t “Just Vote,” but rather research then vote. Systematic change will begin and end with politics. It’s very important to know who and what you are voting for. Temporary change is exactly that! Changes only made to pacify the people or changes made to satisfy temporary outrage after an injustice or a disservice until the next injustice or disservice. Conditional change includes words and phrases such as IF and the NEXT TIME IT HAPPENS. Even though, each and every is the next time. Spare change includes all the FREE things that evade our communities around election time and the holidays. It’s the change known to buy people’s votes, providing turkeys, barbecue plates and fish dinners. Seasonal change only occurs during the Holiday Season, Election Season, Hurricane Season, you get the point. It’s the change that is the opposite of proactivity, 365/24/7. Only some days and months of the year. Chicken change is what we are sold out for, pennies on the dollar. People GETTING PAID while we’re not PAYING ATTENTION. You know, the crumbs from the tables at which we’re not invited to sit. But, as long as we ACCEPT the crumbs, we can’t EXPECT an invitation to be seated at the table nor the full course meal any time soon.
In order to get the change, we deserve, it has to be demanded by We the People. Homecomings, Homegoings and Free Giveaways, cannot be the only things we show up for. You know the saying, “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.” The question is, how far will we fall or how long and what will we stand for?
As the late great Dr. King said, “Our lives began to end the day we become silent about the things that matter.” For change to happen, change must matter.
