African American Civic Responsibility

The Late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?” To the average American citizen civic responsibility can be defined as doing for others. Others being the community you live in, your family and friends, or even the rest of the society. Growing up in a Southern Baptist household, civic responsibility was explained to me as “being an active participant in the Black Church, and only performing societal duties that benefited the African American community” For example, my grandmother only went to vote if one of the local counsel men were black, or if the local issues directly affected the black community. The only time I’ve ever seen my parents vote was when Obama was

Effective citizenship means contributing to the entire American population at all times, not when its beneficial to you or the social groups you identify with. Also in order to be an effective citizen you must me become an active citizen. It is important to become an active citizen in society because active citizenship is how change is evoked on the local, state, and national level. Furthermore, America is run by a democratic government system. In order for a democracy to work it needs active citizens. There are many ways to become active in your local community, such as small campaigns to clean up the neighborhood, or holding classes to educate the community you reside in about democratic values and

The leadership role does not have to be on a grand scale. A civically engaged leader is a person who volunteers their time, knowledge, and skills to promote the betterment of the of their community. I am a civically engaged leader through the organizations I am involved with on campus and in the greater Columbus community. On campus, I am apart of NAACP (The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People). Through NAACP I encourage all citizens to vote, participate in equal rights marches around Ohio, and fight for equal treatment of all minority students on campus. The next organization I am apart of is Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated. One of our key principles is service. Through my sorority, I volunteer around campus and the Columbus community putting on events like sleep out for the homeless, and toiletry drives for the veterans. Lastly through organizations such as Switch, and “The Stories Behind Their Eyes” human trafficking coalition, I help to combat human trafficking in the greater Columbus area as well as help the victims get back on their feet. Lastly I make sure to vote in every election both local and national and work the voting polls as a part of my political civic