Buzzwords

The word change is all around us—on bumper stickers, t-shirts and in stirring speeches. But for Freedom Foundation volunteers, it is more than just something we say—it is something we make. We’ve been busy creating change every day for the last two years in Selma, Alabama, the same Selma where Civil Rights workers and foot soldiers created a new future by marching for the right to vote. The legislative changes are clear and powerful, but opportunity, prosperity, and unity still elude this rural city in the Deep South. It is hard to imagine that a town with such a rich history could still have segregated institutions and organizations. But in Selma, it is a reality. Neo-confederate hate groups are deeply rooted in the community. Over half of the families in Selma’s Dallas County made less than $30,000 in 2006 and the county has the second highest teenage pregnancy rate in the state. Change is still needed in Selma, Alabama.

Hope drove marchers to face a sea of men in blue uniforms on Bloody Sunday. And they changed the future forever. Change is happening in Selma through hope, one life at a time. Hope isn’t just a word that we use carelessly. It is what drives volunteers to serve the community. Freedom Foundation volunteers have painted local classrooms, playground equipment and churches. They’ve volunteered countless hours to labor in the Tepper’s building, working in hope at the future community center and youth institute. The hours are long and the labor is hard.

But ask the young people who have been changed by their involvement in the youth activities with the Freedom Foundation if the work has been in vain. Ask the local high school senior who recently received his acceptance letter to Samford University, when just over a year ago he said he was “too poor and too black” to go to college.

Hope is that still small voice that rises above cynicism and tells you that change is possible, that we CAN make a difference. Yes, we can. And at the Freedom Foundation, we do. Hope is what inspires our volunteers to give, serve, love and sacrifice. And, as Obama said, “There is nothing false about hope.”

Facing Fear

At a recent work day at the Tepper’s Building, I had a chance to face one of my fears head on when the site supervisor for the day asked me if I wanted to learn how to use the table saw. A friend had just told me a horror story about her father nearly cutting his thumb off with exactly such a tool so I felt that funny feeling in my stomach and I’m sure my heart rate doubled—I have always stayed away from power tools. My stomach starts to turn when I hear a saw going as my mind conjures up all sorts of images of accidents just waiting to happen. But that day, something inside of me pushed me to answer, and I surprised myself by saying, “Sure!”

After a thorough introduction and safety briefing, I made the first cut. With the site supervisor standing by my side encouraging me, I went through the steps in my head to place the board accurately, check the safety guard on the saw, line the board up accurately and make sure my fingers were out of the way before turning it on. Zzzzziinnngg. I did it! I was using a power tool!

I gained confidence throughout the day and loved being able to say, “Yeah, I got that” when someone had a special request for a two by four. While I cut boards to build the temporary window plugs, I thought about how I would have missed an opportunity if I did not say “yes” to the power tools. How it would have been easier to follow that fear rather than step into an uncomfortable situation. Yet, it was the un-comfort that led to the growth–-the confidence came by going through a trial.

As I continued to use the saw, I imagined the young people who will one day gather for the Youth Leadership Institute on the 2nd floor of the Tepper’s building. I thought about the fears they may have. I felt excitement about the ways they will overcome their own fears and gain confidence as they grow into leaders. I hope that they too will be able to say “no” to the fear and “yes” to tackling the power tools in their lives.