Anyone Can Change the World

Ani 'vAta N'shaneh Et HaOlam;

Anyone Can Change the World

Social Justice lessons come in many forms. I learned one lesson from my son, a reminder that the most basic act of making this world a better place is opening up your eyes, just seeing or noticing that something is wrong, and then trying to fix it!

My son Benjamin turned 16 in October of 2012. As it does, in theory, for most 16-year olds in the United States, this opened up for him the possibility of a new form of freedom -- of getting his driver's license.

But then he noticed something. Benjamin knew, from me, that when I took Driver's Ed in Maryland it was offered through the school, and was either free or had a small fee. Now he knows that we paid almost $700 for his Driver's Ed Class. He also knows what the benefits of taking Driver's Ed are in our state: if you have taken an official class, you can get your license at an earlier age, and insurance rates are lower.

But Benjamin also realized that this is a social justice issue. There are many lower income people who need a licence (public transportation is problematic in terms of geography and reliability). But because they cannot afford Driver's Ed, they will have to wait longer and pay more than people who can more easily afford it.

Most people would shrug or nod at having noticed a big structural problem like this. But Benjamin did something we did not expect. He held a meeting with politicians he knew, and then he spoke before a gathering of all of the state-level county-based officials from Montgomery County as a first step. And now there is now a bill before the Maryland House of Delegates which he basically drafted (with the help of adults with law degrees and legislative aides at the state capital), with seven co-sponsors so far, calling for an increase in drunk driver fees, to create a fund which families who qualify for free or reduced priced lunches at public schools can use, for a subsidy towards Driver's Ed.

If it gets through the House it would face the Senate, of course. But whether this passes or not, his parents are very proud of him -- and impressed. A lot of kids run for various offices -- Benjamin also won election as one of two nominees to serve as the student member of the State Board of Education; the governor will make the final selection soon. But how many 16-year olds actually draft legislation? And, more importantly, how many teenagers teach everyone else in their lives that changing the world is necessary, is possible -- and that any of us can do our part?