My name is Saferino Dour, and I am a first-generation college student from the west side of Buffalo. My family came to the United States as refugees in 1999 after fleeing civil war in Sudan.
Being the only one of my siblings to be born in this country, my family would always tease me about the fact that I met the prerequisites to become President. I never took this joke seriously — all that I was worried about as a kid was which video game I would play when I got home from school. But, of course, whenever I wanted to steal some television time, my aunts and uncles would be huddled around the screen, following the news of what was going on in South Sudan. As angry as I would be about being unable to get a few rounds in on NBA2K, I now realize why they were so zealous about the politics and events affecting their hometowns. They knew that the only way for their country’s citizens to gain freedom and independence from their oppressors in Sudan was to become active participants in their government, learning everything that they could in order to make educated decisions when it was time to vote for new leaders and policies. In 2011 they did just that, voting in a referendum for the creation of a new, free country, South Sudan.
Growing up in the advanced country that is America, we fail to realize the privilege we have in being able to ignore the complex politics of our nation. Part of this privilege of ignorance is our complacency, influenced by the idea that the power to affect change is above us. I frequently hear the phrase, “What will my vote do? I am only one person.” This reasoning leads to situations such as the 2016 presidential election, wherein less than sixty percent of registered voters actually voted.
As much as people may not believe in the power of their individual votes, it is only through exercising our right to vote that we can create a country that is, in the words of Abraham Lincoln, “For the people, by the people, and of the people.” Every single vote matters. This upcoming presidential election, viewed by many as one of the most pivotal elections in American history, is our chance to stand up for what we each believe in and affect the changes that we want to see for the next four years of our lives.
If you have not yet registered to vote, I sincerely ask that you take the time to do so. Take the time to become an active participant of the democracy that was made for you. The power truly is in our hands, so long as we make sure to use it.
