Archive for the ‘UPA’ Category
December 19th, 2007 at 3:14 pm
At long last, the Xth (can you do that with roman numerals?) edition of “What’s an ROA”!
Hello my name is Gelila Asnake and I am a sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania. I was born and raised in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia, where I attended an international French school. My move to the US in 2003 was a surprising one, but also one that opened doors to many of my dreams. I started activism work at Westchester High School in Los Angeles, taking part in a union that I am passionate about: the Bus Riders’
Union, a project of the Labor/Community Strategy Center, promotes environmentally sustainable public transportation for the entire Los Angeles population, on the premise that affordable, efficient, and environmentally sound mass transit is a human right.
BRU members fight for the expansion of social, political and economic rights of historically oppressed communities in the struggle for economic democracy and redistribution of wealth. We all know LA is the most polluted city in the US and less accessible public transportation system in the country. If you live/study in the LA area, check out the BRU. Here is a link to their site: http://www.busridersunion.org/engli/index.html. I also did door to door voter registration and education in South Central.
Although I am not an American, I feel obliged to tell Americans how privileged they are to live in a country that holds presidential candidate debates that airs on public television, and to write to their senators to voice their concerns. Where I come from, these privileges are nonexistent or corrupt. I always believed that to create change you need to be in an environment where people are willing to hear what you have to say. The US did just that.
At the ONE Campaign, I am able to join other Americans who believe extreme poverty, malaria, fair trade, to name a few, are important issues of our generation.
The truth is that we are at a time in history, where countries such as the USA who benefited greatly from globalization have the tools to end poverty in third world countries. How willing are we as Americans is the only question remaining. I believe I have a moral obligation to promote this cause as an young Ethiopian woman who has witnessed these conditions at first hand. If you want to know more about my experience growing up in Addis, please contact me. I love talking about my people, my culture and my history, so don’t hesitate. If you are a Upenn student, please join our facebook group at http://upenn.facebook.com/group.php?gid=13807675098.
November 1st, 2007 at 5:11 pm
Tucker Eskew is talking about how to approach others, both peers and politicians, on the issue of extreme poverty.
He comments that if you go in and attack people because you don’t think they are doing enough, you might just offend them. Rather, focus on the good. Focus on what we can do moving forward. Ask for something small, and spend time to show them the impact their action has.
The candidates really love seeing ONE and getting ONE bands at their events. But we need to get beyond that band and into the policy. Republicans and Democrats will focus on different things in terms of fighting poverty, but that’s ok. We just need to focus on the ways that everyone wants to help, and then encourage them to do more.
November 1st, 2007 at 5:00 pm
Tricia Enright is talking about the impact that individuals can have on the political process.
Tricia is starting out by talking about just how massive our generation is, we are a larger generation than the Baby Boomers, and by 2016 we will be 30% of all voters.
But voting is just a fraction of what it means to impact campaigns. Campaigns really do rise and fall on the backs of young people. From volunteers to field staffers, we are the ones getting the leg work of campaigns done. If we start to work for candidates that want to do something about debt, aid, clean water, etc., we can send these people to represent us in Washington or our state capitols.
We may not be able to give big-bucks, but we can give long-hours, and when we give our time to the candidates to will do the most to fight poverty, we can put them in office.
November 1st, 2007 at 4:44 pm
We are underway for a very intimate ONE Student | ONE Vote here at UPenn. Mike Allen from the Politico is moderating our panel that includes: Tucker Eskew, Former Deputy Assistant to President George W. Bush, Tricia Enright, Democratic Political strategist, Harvey M. Friedman, Prodessor of Medicine, Todd Anders Johnson, for the band Salem, and Penn students Gelela Asnake and Jennifer Cohn.
ONE Student | ONE Vote is a conversation that we should all be having; how can we impact the electoral process so whoever is elected in 2008 is committed to fighting extreme poverty.
November 1st, 2007 at 1:45 pm
A couple of us have been helping table in advance of the ONE Student | ONE Vote event here at U Penn today, and I am reminded how tabling can be rough times.
It’s hard to look someone in the eye, ask, “do you want to help fight extreme poverty?” and have them either mutter “no”, or just walk on by. It breaks my heart, but so it goes. Some people don’t realize just how desperate the crisis is, or how little it takes for them to make a difference.
But a fair number of people take a flyer, and a cheerful handful sign the ONE Declaration and ask for more information. And that is certainly worth the frustrations of asking strangers for a moment of their time.
Table on! It’s one of the first small steps to making a big difference.
October 31st, 2007 at 3:14 pm
I’m at UPenn right now for the second ONE Student | ONE Vote (OSOV)
Tomorrow, at 4 P.M., we’ll hear from Tucker Eskew, former Deputy Assistant to President George W. Bush; political strategist Tricia Enright; global health expert Josh Lozman; singer-songwriter and Salem band member Todd Anders Johnson; and Penn student activist Gelila Asnake in a panel moderated by Mike Allen, chief political correspondent for Politico.
As if that weren’t enough, U.S. Senator Arlen Specter, R-Pa., also sent a special message for Penn students via video.
If you are in the area, the event is in Irvine Hall at 4 P.M. tomorrow.
Check back here for more on the event as I cover it live on the blog tomorrow.
TAGS: ROA, UPA