Being a leader isn’t an easy job. The task is in the description, lead, but you can’t lead everyone. Some people are always going to disagree with you, and you have to live with that. Sometimes you’re not going to be right, but sometimes doing what’s best is not what’s right. Being a leader is hard.
It’s hard to look up to people and see them in a bad light. You want to imagine that they have your best interests at heart and the second they don’t, it becomes quite an eye-opening situation. Those who have to be selfless for others have to be selfish to some; you can’t please everyone.
I got involved in a student organization called the PA Student Power Network recently, and learning about the progress for social issues that they had been tackling has been very interesting. Their mission statement is the fight against all types of oppression, and they are actually making a difference. But more than that. They sought a world far, far away, and yet somewhat palpable, where people could be open and honest and come together when they had every reason to be apart. A safe space.
The organization protests for real peace and freedom for all, and I learned to understand that. So when they told me that they were protesting on Drexel University’s campus I was a tad more than eager to get involved.
But when I uncovered the reason behind it I was taken aback. Social issues most often stem from the lack of equity that exists in the world.
For forever, people have been begging to be treated fairly, because in this world there exists a vast disparity among how people are treated. And for all the ideals that the United States aspires to, they are nothing less and nothing more than what they are: things that exist beyond what we are and what we can comprehend and achieve at this point in time.
It may be an ideal, but we can try. It’s the one thing that makes me still believe in humanity, that tomorrow we can at least try to do better.
The city of Philadelphia dared to try, and I commend them for it. Mayor Kenny signed a law that essentially eradicates the wage gap between men, women and minorities. It also disallows businesses from any type of inquiry about previous salaries with new employees.
Wow, to think there would be a day where women could stand tall and earn an even dollar to their male counterpart, and could move equally up the corporate ladder.
The Chamber of Commerce filed a lawsuit to get rid of this law, and unfortunately, our very own John Fry is a chairman to this cause.
Being in a position like this means that every single action you take sends a message, and this is one that absolutely does not correlate with what makes Drexel University a great place.
To disqualify women and minorities the right to earn a fair wage is ludicrous and disgraceful. And while I want to say that this is a situation where I know a tough call has to be made, it shouldn’t be one backed by greed, monetary gain or possession of status.
Sure, businesses might be affected by this move, and of the many big businesses connected to the Chamber, they all have their reasons. But no reason is significant enough to deny the morality in the situation.
Are you not human? To deny your mother, your daughter, your wife the right to make the same as you, and to discriminate against those deemed different than you by race or religion, is deplorable to say the least.
It’s quite a pickle, especially in the sense that Fry has signed on this with Drexel University in his backing. How are we, the students, the faculty, the workers on this campus supposed to support this?
This isn’t the great man that we all support, the man who has made this school what it is now. The school that looks for a different type of student, that serves a different type of education. We are strong, determined and most importantly supportive, open-minded and righteous.
Ambition Can’t Wait, and neither can equity for all.