#shatter expectations

[thegoodmorningman]

The only thing holding you back is your attachment to objective reality!!! Good Morning!!!

[potatotomato]

Over the next four years, don't cower. Don't hide your identity. Be unapologetically you. Be queer. Be loud. Be loud when you pray to your God(s). Wear your turbans; your hijab. Be promiscuous. Wear whatever you want as long as it makes you feel good. Be black. Wear your natural hair. Wear tribal regalia. Don't cut your hair. Dress in drag. Flaunt yourself. If you hide, they win. If you assimilate, they win. They want less of you, so give them more. Be kind to them. Shatter their expectations.

[fddsknowbetter]

David Curtiss an Initiator of Change

        I firmly believe that no matter how advanced humanity progresses in realms of technology, philosophy, society and all of the many other facets we hold dearly, our work and efforts will always be undermined by our lack of awareness and empathy for others. When I was young, I did not always see life in such a selfless way, but was rather consumed with living in a world where I was the main subject. But in 2012, my life was forever changed; I was invited to go to Uganda. Many would describe a summer trip to Africa as one filled with excitement and adventure, but I am sadly not among that group. My visit to Uganda was nothing short of nightmarish. Witnessing hundreds of individuals helpless to the suffering of HIV/AIDS, mourning mothers who hovered over lifeless infants in their arms, and being berated by crowds of street- orphans who cried for someone to feed them were a few of the many things that haunted me while in Uganda. Why hadn’t anyone told me this side of the story before? I could not understand how one could travel to such a beautiful place and see such unspeakable pain, but only remark on the beauty.

         When I returned home from Uganda, I had decided that I was not to be one of those people. I began valiantly searching for a cause to support or a fight to join, but I soon realized that I needed to be the initiator of the change I now desired more than anything to see. From this place of passion, Building Hope Project was created. Building Hope Project is an organization and student sponsorship that sends disadvantaged youth in Uganda to Primary School, the biggest stop-out portion of the Ugandan education system. Building Hope Project ensures that each sponsored child not only attends but finishes their primary education debt-free: tuition, uniform, school materials, and meal fees are all covered within the sponsorship package. We currently sponsor over 45 school children each year, and at the end of our last academic year, Building Hope Project successfully graduated 12 students who are all pursuing further education. These youth represent the most marginalized students in their school and their communities. Many of them are orphans who are living without both of their parents, and some are even a part of the HIV/AIDS community. Without Building Hope Project, these youth would be unable to afford the fees required for their schooling and would be subjected to the brutal survival practices of the street community: such as prostitution, drug involvement, gang violence, and human trafficking. Building Hope Project empowers youth with seemingly insurmountable circumstances to aspire and ultimately achieve greatness.

         Too often people tend to use the word “dream” to describe their feelings toward whatever it may be that they want. But to see a world completely free of poverty and injustice, I must fuel my goals with a more active approach to change. The only dreams that have ever changed the world are the ones that refused to stay a dream. I believe that Building Hope Project will only be the gateway to what will be accomplished through my life for the world. I will use my life to radically change the disposition of our world’s developing countries; specifically in the areas of youth intervention, mental health, and human rights law. I believe these three pinnacle areas are among the few that are often overlooked in the area of development and lead to many of the perpetual cycles that nations become engaged in. Instead of combating effects, I want to dismantle causes.  I want to bring restitution to the individuals and communities who have been oppressed by exploitive and subjugating institutions. I want to shift the paradigm of the “industry of development” by engaging impoverished groups to not be wealth-pursuers, but wealth producers. When that becomes accomplished, people can be efficient in a way that is inevitably sustainable.

         When I think of legacy, there are two people that instantly come to my mind. The first is Lou Dantzler. His name is not known by most, but because of him there are thousands of at-risk children who will live that were destined to be lost. Lou Dantzler chartered one of the first Boys And Girls Club in Los Angeles, and has helped and healed thousands of vulnerable children. The second person that comes to my mind is Ertharin Cousin, a notable figure in international development. Ertharin Cousin was responsible for feeding over ninety seven million people in the year of 2013 alone; she serves as the chief Programme Director for the United Nations World Food Program. Although these people may not be known widely, they are known deeply. It is through their work that the very fabric of the world has been altered. I want to be remembered in that way. I do not hold the answers to how to solve the pressing and complex issues of our world, and I do not pretend to do so. However, I know that through the education and resources provided to me through the Frederick Douglass Distinguished Scholars program, there is nothing I can’t accomplish. I want to be remembered in a way where not only what I have done precedes who I am, but my life makes such a profound impact that what I have done and who I am are inseparably the same.