~Nelson Mandela
Today would have been Nelson Mandela's 96th birthday. His life, one of toil and triumph, is celebrated throughout the country with music festivals, ceremonies, tributes, and moments spent at memorials to his work. I won't pretend to understand what this man means to South Africans, because I cannot begin to imagine the hope (or perhaps anger, in some cases) he inspired during his time as both a prisoner and a president. But, to an outsider, he seemed to be a man with a beautiful soul, with kindness pouring out of his heart and a deep passion for his people. On this day (or during this week), people worldwide are encouraged to spend 67 minutes volunteering in their community to commemorate the 67 years that Mandela spent fighting for social justice. I would love to say that I participated in (or even knew about) this call to action, but I ashamedly admit that I failed to do so. It's not because I hate volunteering, because I have invested time in collecting, boxing, and shipping books to libraries, schools, and colleges in Sierra Leone over the past couple of years (and sometimes my friend, Missy).
(She was returned, unfortunately. They didn't like her sass in Sierra Leone.)
So while I punked out on this international day of celebration for our friend, Nelson, I have been ruminating over something I read about last week. The Street Store (thestreetstore.org/) was an idea launched in January of this year, with a concept so incredibly simple and ingenious that I'm jealous I didn't think about it myself! The idea is this: collect clothes and shoes, obtain permission and permits, and then hold a pop-up "store" where homeless or needy folks can come and pick out an outfit for free. While the idea originated in South Africa, pop-up stores have also been held in Sao Paolo, Brussels, Kentucky, San Diego, and Vancouver. The reason I love this idea is because it takes the middle-man out of the relationship between those who donate and those who need these materials the most. Additionally, it is something that can be community/neighborhood driven and benefit many throughout the area. Books have been my life for the past few years, but now that the project is being taken over by someone else, I think this might be a new and interesting project.
Beyond curating my own research and teaching, I hope that my actions will continually make a difference in the lives of others. More important than publications, more important than chasing a high-profile position in academia is the call to invest in others. So today, get out and make a difference in someone else's life! Cheers!
No comments:
Post a Comment