By Jen SifferlenCOLUMNIST
When’s the last time you wrote to your congressperson? Your senator? I never have. A 9-year-old girl from Massachusetts took that one step further and sent a letter to the Oval Office.
Last summer, Sofia, whose last name was blocked out to respect her privacy, wrote to President Barack Obama to suggest putting a woman’s face on American currency. Obama wrote back in February to tell her that she’s “pretty impressive,” and while he didn’t comment on the suggestion, other than to say it is a “good idea,” supporters of the cause have taken note of her contribution.
Women On the 20s is a group trying to replace Andrew Jackson on the 20 dollar bill with a several female leaders, including Eleanor Roosevelt and Rosa Parks. On their website’s About page, they “applaud President Obama for acknowledging that it’s time to put a woman’s face on our paper currency,” which he did in his letter to Sofia.
This fourth grader has been recognized by the president for her political activism. Meanwhile, my biggest political accomplishment to date is binge-watching an entire season of House of Cards in just a few days.
Only 32 percent of Millennials think that the U.S. is the greatest country in the world, and fewer young adults than ever before believe that the government is meeting their personal needs, according to studies from the Pew Research Center.
Yet, young adults continue to be disengaged from the political process. Only about 21 percent of Millennials voted in the 2014 midterm election, according to a report from Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement based on National Exit Polls data.
Millennials are largely unhappy with the politics and policies of our country, but very few of us are working to fix it. Our generation needs to take a page from Sofia’s book and reach out to those making the policy decisions we don’t support.
Some Hofstra students are already working towards change. Last semester, students wrote articles, signed petitions and worked with University administrators to change the dining services on campus, resulting in a switch from Lackmann Culinary Services to Compass Group. And just this week, student groups, in partnership with OSLA, are continuing their movement against sexual assault with [clotheslines project] and a demonstration on Thursday.
Still, we need to step up if we want the decisions made in Washington to reflect our views.
American author Margaret Mead said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” People like Sofia are making a difference, but things won’t change if we don’t change them.
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