The stereotype of college students as apathetic, uninvolved individuals is simply not accurate, Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., declared Wednesday at an event held by College Democrats of Madison in the Wisconsin Union Theater.
Edwards came to Madison representing Opportunity Rocks, whose goal is to get more college students involved in their communities and governments in order to expand opportunities for the poor.
'The people who live in poverty are looking for a champion,' Edwards said. 'These students can be their champions.'
Grassroots efforts, including the 20 hours of community service a semester recommended by Opportunity Rocks, are necessary to defeat poverty, according to Edwards.
'Our job is to speak for them, because they have nobody to speak for them. We have to fight for them,' Edwards said of the poverty-stricken in the United States.
Although Opportunity Rocks mainly focuses on the war on poverty, Edwards also spoke out against inequality in education.
Quality public education at elementary, secondary and higher education levels is imperative for today's youth to succeed and break the cycle of poverty caused by a lack of education, whether the deficiency stems from dropping out or being unable to afford school, Edwards stressed.
'I could have never afforded to go to college without a great taxpayer-supported public education system like you have here in Wisconsin, like in North Carolina,' Edwards said of his own working-class background.
Racial and economic segregation and housing inequality are other deficiencies in the United States' social system caused by poverty, according to Edwards.
'Do we really believe that we all have equal worth'? Edwards asked the crowd. 'I believe it to my soul.'
'If we believe that we all have equal worth, when are we going to start living together'? Edwards said, referring to the 'white flight' phenomenon of Caucasian residents moving to the suburbs as their economic levels increase, and other consequences of the racial and economic de facto segregation he believes is inherent to the United States.
One-half of the world population'some three billion people'lives on less than $2 a day, Edwards emphasized. He condemned the lack of political leadership in the war on poverty.
'Where are we? Where is America? Where is our voice'? Edwards said. 'We need to fill this void of moral leadership.'
Students must take an active role in improving American society and cannot rely on political leaders to create infallible solutions, according to Edwards.
'We can't wait for the politicians to see what the polls say,' Edwards told the crowd of UW-Madison students. 'This is your moment. Seize it.'
