{"id":393,"date":"2017-03-03T01:55:24","date_gmt":"2017-03-02T22:55:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/yemeniamerican.com\/en\/?p=393"},"modified":"2017-08-08T01:58:07","modified_gmt":"2017-08-07T22:58:07","slug":"the-privilege-of-choice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yemeniamerican.com\/en\/the-privilege-of-choice\/","title":{"rendered":"The Privilege of Choice"},"content":{"rendered":"

By: Georgia\u00a0 ~\u00a0\u00a0 February, 2017<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Funnel your passion and outrage into specific, constructive actions that will change things for the better.\u00a0 Don’t just get mad; change the world.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

T. Anderson, Speak Up for the Poor<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A History of Choices<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Narrowly escaping abortion.\u00a0 Nearly executed by Nazis.\u00a0 Orphaned at the age of two.\u00a0 Immigrating to a new land filled with new hopes and new possibilities.\u00a0 During this current strange and tense political climate\u2014Women\u2019s Marches, Muslim bans, extreme vetting, trolling, and fear mongering\u2014I have been reflecting on the journey that has led my dad to celebrate his 75th<\/sup> birthday just last month.\u00a0 In an intense climate of pro-life and pro-choice, I\u2019m thankful for life.\u00a0 I also realize that I am a product of other people\u2019s choices.\u00a0 I am a product of my grandparents\u2019 decision not to abort my father, by night, in secret, outside a small village in Greece in the 1940s.\u00a0 I had heard the story countless times of my grandmother\u2019s decision not to eliminate the unexpected pregnancy that was my father, long before I ever comprehended what abortion meant.\u00a0 Then, as a toddler, my dad barely escaped Nazi execution.\u00a0 His parents didn\u2019t though.\u00a0 He was orphaned at that time, and were it not for the compassion of one Nazi soldier who didn\u2019t have the heart to open fire on 13 kids hiding in a basement, my dad wouldn\u2019t have survived.\u00a0 I am a result of that soldier\u2019s compassion.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

As a young immigrant to the U.S. from the Old Country<\/em> of Greece, my dad, with my mom, had that hard working, unconquerable, Greek, immigrant spirit. \u00a0My dad worked nights and weekends, and he took on extra jobs to pursue the dream that education in this country would lead to more opportunities for his kids than he or my mom had.\u00a0 I am the product of their choice to believe in the American dream.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Living intentionally cross-culturally in Dearborn for 16 years, I have learned that it is best to approach new and complex situations as a learner.\u00a0 Since the Women\u2019s Marches, I have been carefully reading posts and counter posts in Ping-Pong style about women who marched, women who didn\u2019t, women who wished they did, women who were angry, women who didn\u2019t want to get involved\u2026\u00a0 My heart swelled with the pride for some of those who marched.\u00a0 I also understood why some didn\u2019t.\u00a0 From those who chronicled their marches, I learned to value the privileges of choice we have today, because others fought for our choices in a previous era.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Privilege of Dreaming<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

My kids are privileged with choice.\u00a0 Since they could to talk, my kids have dreamt about what they want to be when they grow up.\u00a0 It was never an option for them not<\/em><\/strong> to dream about their futures.\u00a0 They can even change their minds\u2014archaeologist one week, art teacher the next.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s your dream?\u201d <\/em><\/strong>is the question Troy Anderson, President of Speak Up for the Poor<\/strong>, asks young girls from poor villages in Bangladesh whose options are marriage at a young age, or being sold into prostitution.\u00a0 When he would ask 12-year-old girls that question, they had no answer.\u00a0 No one had ever taught them to imagine an alternative to forced child-marriage.\u00a0 Anderson realized that for things to change, girls needed to dream. As the girls go through the Speak Up for the Poor<\/strong> program, they learn to make a plan to make their dreams of becoming a nurse, or a business owner, or a teacher come true.\u00a0 These girls dare to fight societal norms to make their dreams happen.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Changing the World<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

From the Women\u2019s Marches I\u2019ve learned that many have sacrificed to make things better for another generation and another group of people.\u00a0 When my kids grumble about doing their homework, I tell them stories about Malala\u2014a Pakistani girl whose choice of going to school was taken from her.\u00a0 She fought back and inspired the world.\u00a0 Sometimes my kids roll their eyes at me\u2014not another story!<\/em>\u00a0 But, crazy mom that I am, I hope my kids never have to face the trauma that Malala had to face, just to get an education.\u00a0 On the other hand, I do<\/em> want my kids to learn to fight, and work hard, and have that dare-to-dream-in-the-face-of-adversity kind of spirit.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The choices we make can have global impact.\u00a0 This is my privilege, to help my kids understand that they, too, are the product of other people\u2019s choices.\u00a0 Who could imagine the life-giving impact of one Nazi soldier\u2019s choice back in 1944 in a small Greek village? My kids will hopefully never have to face gunshots on the school bus like Malala did, but they can choose to promote peace on the playground, and stand up against a friend being bullied. We are all connected to a greater historical context, and the choices we make can change the world.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Thanks, Yiaya and Papou, for giving life to my dad.<\/em><\/p>\n

Thanks, United States of America, for letting my dad in.<\/em><\/p>\n

Thanks, brave women through the ages, for making things better for another generation.<\/em><\/p>\n

Thanks, Mom and Dad, for working hard and setting me up to dream big.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Happy 75th<\/sup> birthday, Dad!<\/strong><\/p>\n

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