A Voice

5-6-7-8, let the people chose their fate. These words rang in my ears like an alarm waiting to be answered-there was no time to snooze. The weather was cold and the stares increased my self-consciousness, but I let the fervor in my heart guide my path. I gripped the poster in my hands and marched on. I let my voice unite with the crowd around me; I let my instincts guide me. Where there is injustice, there is no room for silence. And if there is a chance for hope, I must be there to help grab it. I must be there to make a difference.

It was on the day that I attended a rally in solidarity with the innocent victims of Libya and Syria that I found my voice. I had seen the atrocities committed by Libyan president Maummar Gaddafi and heard the pleas from the many oppressed but began to question how I, a teenager from the United States, could make a difference. There are times in our lives where injustice will arise and overpower the weak, but I realized that we must take the road of change however small it may be. I found my road to change in this rally. Clicking attend on the Facebook event, I discovered that to achieve justice, action was the only way.

The day finally came and before I knew it, I was already on the bus, poster in hand, gazing out the window. Sitting on the bus reminded me of the justice Rosa Parks achieved in 1955, while refusing to give her seat up to a white man. Rosa achieved this noble cause because she had the determination and the passion in her heart. Before looking to change, we must change ourselves. We must carry the power of knowledge and the keys of experience. With this rally, I was hoping to change myself. With that change, I could finally gain the power to do greater things. I could gain the confidence to challenge injustice wherever it may be. Weather demanding equality on a bus or gaining freedom in an oppressive country, courage is the only route.

I took my first steps off the bus only to be greeted by cold wind and large crowds. I could hear the voices chanting in the distance. I slowly found myself merging with the crowd. I hesitated to chant at first, thinking my voice wasn’t going to make a difference next to the thundering sound of the megaphone. But then it hit me. We will always be in large crowds, surrounded by people who agree and disagree with us. There are times where we will feel our voice won’t make a difference, but this is where the courage plays in. The images of the innocent victims played in my mind and I slowly found my voice growing louder and louder. If I wanted to make a difference, I had to take a route and follow it through. I had to let my voice be heard.