The day has arrived. The time for words has come and gone and now is the time for action. Time to put your money where your mouth is, as they say. If you’ve ever registered for a new semester and you’ve complained that it’s too expensive; if you’ve ever said it’s not fair that students have to suffer the consequences for mistakes made by politicians; if you’ve ever said you wish you could do something to help, to try and make a difference…
Here’s your chance.
In three hours and forty-five minutes, a historic event will link thousands of students and community college supports from Rocklin to San Diego. Where will you stand?
I know where I’ll be. I’ll be checking in at Saddleback Community at 11:00 to get my Line Marshal kit and start organizing my segment of the line.
At 1:59, the countdown will begin and the energy will be unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. Knowing that you’re surrounded by people—total strangers—uniting for the same cause, taking a stand for something bigger than they are and that you’re a part of it as well… It will be absolutely incredible.
I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve never been much of an advocate for anything, really. Hands Across California is my first “fight for the cause”, if you will. I never thought I would feel this passionately about something other than the people I love and my writing. And, to be honest, it always seemed a little too ‘hippie-ish’. You know, fighting the ‘Man’ and all that.
It’s not.
This cause is real and it’s serious and it affects every aspect of your life, whether you’re 5 or 65. Our state will always need educated people and people will always need affordable education. California community colleges educate close to three million students every year and provide the open door that many people need to pursue a higher education who can’t afford a university.
Our state needs teachers, firefighters, police officers, nurses, lawyers, doctors, journalists, politicians (even if we may not like them very much right now), architects, scientists… The list goes on. And every profession on this list requires a college education. What will happen when education becomes inaccessible for us? For your children?
What will you tell your son or daughter if it becomes inaccessible? “Well, honey, if you want to be a doctor, you better a job and start saving for school because Mommy and Daddy can’t afford to send you to college and community colleges don’t exist anymore.”
By not standing up for our education, we’re robbing future generations of the freedom to be anything they want to be. So if you think it doesn’t matter because you already have your degree framed and hanging nicely on your office wall, you’re wrong.
Education touches us all no matter what stage of life we’re in.
So, having said that, I hope I see you all out there this afternoon to stand up for yourselves, stand up for education and stand up for not only our future, but the future of our state.
Visit handsacrosscalifornia.org to see “The Route” and find out where you can go to join the line. It’s not too late to take a stand.
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