Heart

I want to talk about my friend, the beautiful and wonderful Showgofa.

The first time I met her, I was sitting at rush overnight for Johnny's last in SA. I was just laying there wrapped in my blankets and inside of my sleeping bag and a girl came up to me asking if I was Stef. I said yes and the lovely Showgofa then told me who she was and she thanked me for posting on TGO about Invisible Children because it made her want to get involved and want to help. She had told me about how she wanted to set up something at her school even though her principal is against supporting any causes.
I spend a lot of time talking to people about causes such as Invisible Children and Save Darfur, and I always feel as if my attempts to get people involved and make them care fail. It gets so discouraging knowing there are horrible things going on in the world and I constantly fail at making others want to get involved and make a difference. In the end, it isn't governments who will make the changes. It isn't politicians. It is just us. Regular people like us need to care and come together and do something. That is what Invisible Children has done. Three regular guys took a trip to Africa with video cameras and came across night commuters in Northern Uganda. They came home with their footage and told the story of the invisible children. Three regular people started this organization and they toured high schools and college campuses across the country showing this film to young people like us, and the people responded. IC has raised so much money and done so much because of young people caring. We are change. We are the future.
I try to make people care and do my part in spreading the word, and most people listen and remark on how terrible it is, but in the end they do nothing at all. That night I met Showgofa, her words touched me so much. All the work I've done trying to get people involved paid off because one person cared. That one person wanted to make a difference. All it takes is for us to convince one person to get involved and that leads to change. Showgofa gave me so much faith in people. She makes me so proud. I saved something that she told me awhile back on AIM because it just made me so proud that not only are there people like her, but I am blessed enough to know her.

Showgofa: guess what!
Showgofa: your girl almost got suspended today for supporting invisible children!
Showgofa: lol I wrote this article for our newspaper basically outraged that our principal refused to allow the school to participate in it's program and made a point to point out some of the ridiculous causes the district spends its time on (ANNUAL FUNDRAISER FOR VARIETY SHOW?????? seriously. it's a fundraiser. to get decorations and food...for a talent show.) and was threatened with suspension if I didn't retract what I wrote!
Showgofa: lol I walked out of his office and was like FUCK THE MAN.
Showgofa: it felt good and I thought of you lol
Showgofa: ...but then I was stopped by his secretary and I threatened to call our local news hahaha I lied and was like I HAVE THEM ON SPEED DIAL BC I KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN...we negotiated. i.e. I WON.
Showgofa: IT'S CALLED ROCK N' ROLL IF YOU CAN'T SWALLOW IT CHOKE.<333333333


She has recently touched my heart in another way by something she wrote on my facebook wall.

Showgofa H. (Mineola High School) wrote
at 4:26pm yesterday
so today in my music and the media class (basically my favorite class ever) our task was to write about the last time we gave a fuck about music and I instead wrote about my friend Stef who gives the biggest fuck about music out of everyone I know. Lots of folk references in it lol.



I miss this girl!!!! <3333