Changing Systems the Two People

Changing Systems

The two people from recent history that I probably admire most for their sheer power to change not only individuals, but the very world around them, are the late Mother Teresa and Princess Diana. Both women worked for the well-being of others from their widely divergent worlds, but both achieved what others in those same worlds could only glimpse and dream of. Their deaths were only five days apart, apparently symbolic of the fact that they were, if not in status, connected in terms of the bases of their work: their ability to give without asking for anything in return. As a result they changed the worlds of many, and in return received the adoration of worlds not only in their immediate vicinity, but globally.

Racism in the Western world has been a sensitive issue for years: perpetrators tend to be unwilling to face the injustice of the past, while victims tend to be unwilling to let go of bitterness of the same injustice. A youth group in my community worked to change both these paradigms. Firstly, all races in my community were represented. Secondly, the group worked to help parents accept interracial schooling in our community. By means of creative speeches and performance, parents of all races allowed their children to go to the same schools, to become friends, and even became friends themselves.