Hardin-Simmons University football standout goes pro!

Today, we would like to share with our valued readers, the story of a young man who maintained faith in the midst of adversity and received a blessing of a lifetime. Trei Lewis, a former Hardin-Simmons University Cowboy wide receiver has been selected for the roster of The Abilene Warriors football squad. We had a chance to ask Mr. Lewis about this experience. Check it out below!

The Great Change: What was the feeling that you felt when you learned that you had made the cut?

T. Lewis: When I made the cut, I felt like it was much deserved. It is not because of cockiness, but more so because of my consistent hardwork and dedication I have put in this game. I also kept my faith when it seemed that opportunities to play ball were starting to fade in my mind. I still believed I could play and be effective at the professional level. I'm truly blessed for the opportunity that awaits.

The Great Change: What is the biggest improvement that you want to bring to your game in the pros from the collegiate level?

T. Lewis: I want to become even MORE dominant and come in the locker room and make an immediate impact to show the coaches, and my fellow teammates, how serious I am about making plays and winning. These coaches are professionals and also have strong connections to the NFL, you never know what could happen. So I definitely want to be focused on great technique and the details of my position and playmaking that will happen based on my athletic abilities.

The Great Change: Who would you like to give thanks to for helping you achieve this goal?

Trei Lewis: I definitely want to thank God for helping keep my faith and blessing me through my trials and triumphs. My family; my mom and brother, have been so motivating to my success. I want to be able to take care of them. They keep me going everyday. Lastly, I want to thank my college coach Burleson for teaching me life lessons and giving me the tools to learn how to be a better man, not just a better ball player. 

The Great Change: What are your expectations for yourself this upcoming season?

T. Lewis: My expectations for this next coming season is to have the best season and have the most fun I have ever had while playing this game. I still have so much passion for this game. I am just excited and blessed to get the opportunity to play once more, because nothing is guaranteed. I definitely plan on opening some eyes as well, to people who are not really sure of my talents or are not aware of my talents. I would like to bring it to their attention. I always tell myself to train like the underdog, no matter what others say or what the odds are.

Trei Lewis' determination and hardworking has paid off and his story is an inspiration to everyone that knows this young man. Stay tuned to our blog for more stories!

Anonymous Essay: Must Read

Hello valued readers! We here at The Great Change received an anonymous essay in our inbox yesterday. It address problems that are clearly evident. Check it out below!

The perspective and the reality of the educational system are far from the same. As I experience and observe the education profession, I find it important to share injustices that should be addressed.

The definition of education, in common usage, is that education is the delivery of knowledge, skills and information from teachers to students. However, teachers are not able to deliver knowledge, skills, and information within their full capabilities due to a number of restrictions. Restrictions that are influenced by and include prejudices, people pleasing, preconceived notions of abilities, politics, naïve mindsets, and greed. Therefore, the educational system can be seen more as just another business. This is especially true for the public school system.

The motivation behind this statement comes after a recent popular and controversial occurrence between an African American female student and a Caucasian male campus police officer at a high school in South Carolina. Allegedly the female student was told a number of times to get off her cellphone. An officer, Senior Deputy Ben Fields, was then requested to the classroom and asked the student to stand up to leave the room. Officer Fields responds to the student refusing to stand up, by wrapping his forearm around her neck, pulling her backwards unto the floor, and then tossing her across the floor. Fields then commands that she put her hands behind her back and applies handcuffs to her.

Of course, thanks to the convenience of cellphones and ability to share anything instantly online, a recording of the event spread fast sparking another controversial story and issue.

A few days ago, as I scroll down my Facebook timeline, I notice someone share that they signed a petition for The View to cut Raven Symone from the show. They also make insulting comments about her character and intelligence.

During a conversation with other hosts on the issue, Raven states, “The girl was told multiple times to get off the phone,” She also shares that she believes, “There’s no right or reason for him to be doing this type of harm, that’s ridiculous. But at the same time, you gotta follow the rules in school. . . This shouldn’t even be a problem to begin with, and he shouldn’t have been acting like that on top of it.” Media summarizes her statement by suggesting that Raven “victim blamed” the student for the event. It seems as if the majority of African-Americans active on media were disturbed and infuriated by her comments. Though I understand the agitation of “victim blaming”, I am not a fan of it whatsoever, I do not agree with the condemning of another young minority woman. I get that she probably could have used a different choice of words when delivering her points. At the same time, our African-American community have to put themselves in her shoes for a moment. Raven is a childhood star who has continued to have a successful career over the years.

Now... let’s consider all of the Disney stars over the years who have had chaotic circumstances broadcasted for the world to see... Also, consider the fact that Raven is one of the younger co-hosts on a very popular live broadcasted show. From the look of comments and posts I have seen, many do not know the difference between their, they’re, and there... do those same people think they could go on a live show and not make misconstrued statements? Let’s state the obvious...Raven has made a few statements regarding race that can come off condescending. Although, the media suggests that “Raven is against her own race”, I am sure she knows firsthand that people are treated differently based on their appearance. She is a 29 year old woman with brown skin, not a size 3, and who dresses in a bizarre way at times....  I am positive she has felt discriminated against in her career.

Conflict is a commodity in the media industry. If the show a certain conflict and get people tuned in, (to websites, news stations, etc.), the more money they will make. The job of media is to get you tuned-in, and sometimes that conflict is created if it’s not actually present. This has occurred in Raven’s case as well as many other public minority figures who make statements that are not necessarily “people pleasing”. I applaud the actions of, The Talk co-host, Sheryl Underwood, who spoke up against the backlash that Aisha Tyler underwent for expressing her point of view of the Spring Valley High School incident.  (Please see video- http://youtu.be/w-jypMvf2il ) I respect the women such as Raven Symone, Sheryl Underwood, and Aisha Tyler. There is no doubt that they have experienced many trails to earn the positions they have. Despite their abilities to achieve so much as women of color, they are still crucified for any opinion that might become misunderstood or small mistake they might make. I just wonder if anyone ever stops to think about how they must feel... To receive such criticism from the same race of people that experience the same challenges you do and

you would think would be more supportive... Instead of focusing on what the media has promoted, I wonder if anyone has took a moment to realize a valid point that she made. The notion that Raven is “victim blaming” comes from her pointing out that there is more than one issue that should be addressed with what was going on in the classroom. Her two points include: 1) There is indeed an issue of misuse of power and procedure by the school and officer. 2) There is also an issue of inappropriate use of technology in classrooms.

Not only are those valid points, there are additional concerns that should be addressed that trickle all the way down to the superintendent of the school district. The other students present in the video watching the actions of Fields, known as “Officer Slam”, have seen this happen times before. And now the district wants to make statements suggesting that they will do an in-depth investigation. Why now? Because mass media has caught a glimpse of internal issues that the school has swept under the rug? As I continue to work in education, I witness countless occurrences similar to these. I have witnessed Caucasian teachers roughing up students with no limitation or consequence. I have witnessed students walking out of classrooms in front of principals, while taking a test, to take a phone call. I have witnessed so many discrepancies at a high ranked school in Texas....that I hope to become someone who can help to make changes.

Along with the points Raven made, issues of ignoring faults such as misuse of power, prejudice, procedures, and policies in a school all need to be addressed.

I love my culture. I love our people. On countless occasions, I have experienced and witnessed injustice that has occurred because of a person’s appearance, so I hope my points are not misconstrued into “victim blaming”.

The most accurate summery of my points would be that the reality of education has many broken pieces that need to be acknowledged and fixed.

- Just another voice

Abundant Love

Love is the most abundant resource we are given in this life. A person can literally love everyone in the world and no limit exist to the love that a person can give or receive. Love can be expressed through life, words, actions, silence and even death. Love is everywhere. It is actually harder to hold on to hate than it is to love. Love is the only thing that can give us the inner strength to overcome and situation we happen to experience. Are you loving your life experience? Are you waiting to start loving your life? Is love a word that you use for special occasions? Start loving your life now. There is nothing keeping you from emitting lovely vibrations. Love is a word that should be said often to many people. Spread love, receive love. I love you is a verbal hug. A hug is a physical I love you. So… reader I love you. Take the love I just gave you and give it to someone else… if you ever feel like love has disappeared, come back to this post and read it again. Because with love, everyone wins.