If you are reading this blog entry, then I’m probably “preaching to the choir.” However, I want to encourage everyone to include in their New Year’s Resolutions a commitment to take some action for the benefit of our community and the greater good. In our busy lives, it’s so easy to get lost in the day to day challenges we all face with school, work, and home life and to become self-absorbed. We are in the dawn of a new decade and while we have made some great strides toward achieving equality in the last ten years, there is so much more work to be done. Here are some ideas…
We have inclusive federal hate crimes legislation, but no law is going to stop hate crimes from occurring. The only way to stop hate is to prevent it from happening in the first place through education and awareness. The “NOH8″ campaign offers a unique way for you to get involved individually by creating an image to start a conversation around hate and equality. Celebrities and many every day people like me have jumped in to create a visual commitment to stop hate. Check it out at www.noh8campaign.com. It costs you nothing to get involved. You can take a picture by yourself or with a group.
There are several incredible non-profit organizations that are working to promote equality day and to provide the kind of education and awareness I spoke of above. Take a look at one of these organizations and consider getting involved as a volunteer. These organizations work hard every day to make this world a better place for all of us. If you’d rather let them do the actual work, consider becoming a regular donor. There are many organizations worthy of your commitment, but theses are the ones I recommend.
Human Rights Campaign
Matthew Shepard Foundation
Stop the Hate
One way you can make your own community a safer place is bring an educational program from one of these organizations to a local school or community center. For example, Stop the Hate provides a 3-day training for trainers program for colleges and universities that provides training for administrators, faculty members, staff, and students on how to make their campuses a safer place for students to learn and for staff to work. How about helping a college raise some money to bring this program to the campus in your own community? These are only a couple of many possibilities out there. All I am asking is that you do something, take some action, and make one commitment to benefit the greater good.
Share your commitment with us by posting a comment here. Let the world be witness to your good work.
