Get Involved
By ANN RICHARDSUntil she was defeated by George W. Bush in 1994, Ann Richards was the very model of a progressive governor ( a tireless champion of gender equity, civil rights, and social and economic justice. She left office in January 1995. In August, the former Texas governor visited Colorado College as the capstone speaker during orientation week. What follows is an excerpt of her speech to first-year students and others in the standing room-only crowd at Shove Chapel.
any organizations can provide people with a sense of pride, accomplishment, belonging or direction ( a job, church, neighborhood or a college. All of these give us a sense of place. But in a democracy, the government is the institution to which we must turn to shape our future as a community of the whole.
We, as citizens, belong to it. We all have a voice and should exercise our rights and responsibilities. Government is our common vehicle. It touches every part of our lives.
I'm amazed by people who say they have nothing to do with government. There is no aspect of your life that is not in some way influenced by government, or government policy or laws established by government. The quality of the education that is available to us, what we pay at the grocery store, access to medical care ( everything from garbage pickup to the most profound questions of life and death.
There is no aspect of our lives that is shielded from the influence of public policy. And yet, many Americans chose to yield their powers to others by failing to participate in the politics of government.
There are a whole lot of reasons for staying out. We tell ourselves that one person can't make a difference, that politics is messy stuff best left to others. I've always said two things you never want to see made is sausage or legislation.
Lately it seems that politics has become a shouting match where no sooner does one advance an idea than someone else is ready to tell you that it is a ridiculously stupid idea that will destroy civilized life as we know it.
We have a Congress right now that always looks as though it is about to erupt in a fist fight. And we have a media that is more than ready to cover it. And they want to provide the blow by blow descriptions of when Newt Gingrich shoves that blueberry pie in Bill Clinton's face.
It's getting harder and harder to tell where the mainstream stops and the lunatic fringe begins. There are people in this country who actually believe that the bar codes on products in grocery stores are part of a satanic plot to establish one-rule government. And that the scanners are part of a conspiracy to keep track of everyone on earth. This is just one more conspiracy theory in a country where the air is thick with them.
You're amused because you think anyone who thinks things like that can't possibly be taken seriously. But this is a free society and these people are electing members of school boards to determine the direction of public school teaching in this country.
It makes you wonder if Lily Tomlin's character, "Trudy the Bag Lady," wasn't right when she said, "I worry that no matter how cynical you become, it's never enough to keep up."
My oldest daughter, Cecile, has a strong belief that you can't wait for somebody else to do your job. If you see a problem in your hometown, if you see something going on that is wrong, you have to take it on. You have to take it on where you find it.
Fact is, if people believe in the perfectibility ( not the perfection but the perfectibility ( of a system and take on a cause, they can accomplish good things. Sure it's hard work. But if we work hard, we can change things to our liking.
When I was in school, we got grades for citizenship. My mother used to say there was never any excuse for getting anything less than an A in citizenship. And she was right.
To you, a democratic society probably means freedom ( a legal right to make your own decisions, to come and go as you please, to do what you want to do. You take for granted that the CC library will offer all the books necessary to broaden your experience and challenge your mind. But there are active groups working to remove books that do not fit their notion of what you ought to know. Will you speak up to preserve your freedom or will you retire into the corner because you fear you might lose some of your popularity?
Your opinion is as valid of anyone's. I often hear people say they don't know enough about an issue to speak out. You can be certain, though, that there are values in your gut and in your heart that tell you what is right. This polyglot of society that we call America is successful because of our insistence of inclusion of everyone in the decision-making process.
Because you live in a democracy, you also take on responsibility for your society and your community, whether you decide to accept it or not. At 18, you become a full citizen of these United States and, as part payment, we ask each of you to render services. One of these services is voting. It may seem ordinary and many can't find time to do it ( about one-third of American citizens are not even registered. But look around the world and you'll see plenty of examples of people your age who risk everything to have the responsibility that some of you take for granted.
The Chinese student who stood alone in front of a column of tanks in Tiananmen Square was about your age. He and thousands more like him were arrested, tried by secret courts, deprived of their freedom and even their lives ... all because they wanted a say in their government. To him it would be absolutely incredible to hear others say they are just too busy to vote, or that they're not voting because their vote doesn't mean anything.
When you get down to it, for all of our faults and all of our problems, this country really is incredibly fortunate. We begin every day with the premise that we are all equal, under the law, and that power comes from the people. There are few countries in this world as privileged as this.
You were chosen by this college because you represent the best of young people in this country. A trust has been placed in you. We need your youth and your energy and your fresh ideas and your belief in the possible.
I want to urge you to make waves. I want to urge you to rock the boat. I want to urge you to get off your duff. I want you to speak out at whatever cost if it comes from your heart. You're going to build this country in which my six grandchildren will grow up. And when you see what you have done, I hope that you are proud of it.