Reflections of a Student Cast Member: "Ripples of Hope" THE ROOTS
"Our dreams are actions that are started at home."
-Carl Wilkens
Home, for us, is Springville, New York. Half a world away from the genocide in Darfur, nowhere near the femicide in the Congo. We’re led by a democracy, not a dictatorship like in Burma, and our people are free, unlike the millions of slaves in Southeast Asia.
But does that mean we shouldn’t care? And does that mean, even if we do care, that we can’t make a difference?
Mahatma Gandhi said, “You must BE the change you want to see in the world!” So we’re starting right here, at home.
“Ripples of Hope” began as just an idea. We want to spread the word about injustice, because people need to know. As students, we want to open the eyes of our generation, and we want to help them realize how important it is that we have compassion for our fellow humans, even on the other side of the globe. And more importantly, we want to be part of a revolution. Let’s show people that they can do something, and they can change the world.
Among many other sources, we were educated and immensely inspired by Kerry Kennedy’s book, Speak Truth to Power, as well as the play adaptation by Ariel Dorfman. It profiled individuals who had stood up to oppression in their own countries. Each story was an incredible testimony of both kindness and courage, proving that anyone can become a human rights defender.
When we decided that we were going to write and produce a play, we followed a similar approach, except that we decided to look at defenders who had motivated us, personally. We selected human rights advocates from various time periods and parts of the world, each who dealt with a unique struggle and dedicated their life to what they believed in. Within the group, we have blended our strengths and passions to create an entirely student-produced play, composed of readings, poetry, music, and dance.
We would like to thank everyone who has helped us to create “Ripples of Hope”, for their wonderful effort and encouragement. The group has had an amazing journey, and we have learned so much by working with our roles and with each other. Our goal is to motivate you, our friends and audience, to take a stand and repair the world.
-Springville Students for Human Rights