Opinion

BURLEY: It’s never too late to speak out, stand up for what’s right

Joshua Burley is a senior mass communication major from Corinth, Tx.

There have been so many curious incidents that have been going on this campus, one of them being the issues with money. 

Some of the students on this campus cannot afford to get jobs off-campus because some of them have the limitation of transportation. And for those students, that lack of transportation meant they had to use the alternative of finding jobs on campus Because what else are they going to go? 

Where else can we find jobs that are going to help cover our financial needs to pay off the remaining balance for college here at Grambling State University? 

It is always curious that paychecks and everything always seem to get delayed, and I understand it is because people have different bank accounts or have a bank with a different company, but there’s also the possibility that somebody could be possibly taking money from the budget. 

I am not gonna drop names of any specific organization or workforce on campus, but I am pretty sure you all know what I’m talking about as well as who I am referring to. It is one thing to see the trauma and ignorance of the students, but I mean is it just the students though?

Some of those shady people on campus are in the faculty. Some of them have been working for a long time and the question is why take advantage of those students of their workforce putting in the time and effort of trying to be great, trying to pursue a future for themselves and they take advantage of the students’ pay. 

When you really think about it, a part of it is actually the fault of the students. We do not do enough to stand up for ourselves and speak up when something is wrong. When you look at places like Dillard, Howard or any other HBCU you can think of, those students at those universities took the time out of their busy lives to stand up and speak out that something was wrong. 

Take, for example, Samuel L. Jackson, back when he was at Morehouse. He was there when there were issues going on at their university. The students protested by means of taking a chain and wrapping it around the president’s house and keeping those inside confined for 24 hours until they got what they wanted.

On one hand they received what they have been petitioning for, but on the other hand, Samuel L Jackson was kicked out of Morehouse as a result. Now he is one of the most well known actors in Hollywood. 

My point is: Don’t sit around and not do anything. We are all blessed to wake up and see another day, and it is up to us to make each day count. If you see something that is wrong and you know you got the guts to stand up and correct it, do it. Never hold back thanks for making a wrong or right. 

The more we continue to come together stand up for what’s right, the more we achieve progress.