Changing the World, One 3x5 Card at a Time

By Tunya Griffin

David Ranzino and his wife Lauren are changing the world, one 3x5 card at a time. You see, they are educating hundreds of thousands of young people about the value and need of social justice in the world today. No, I didn’t say socialism, I said social justice, like helping the poor, feeding the hungry and caring for the homeless and sick. They started an organization called The Love Alliance focused on educating and bringing awareness to these issues and others and one of the main ways of spreading their message is through 3x5 cards full of stats on issues like poverty and other social issues.

 “We traveled all the way from Brooklyn NY to attend the event (Kingdom Bound) each year so that we can bring awareness to social justice issues,” says David Ranzino. The Love Alliance is a 501c3 that works to educate individuals on social justice issues such as: world poverty, aids epidemic, human trafficking, homelessness, environment and oppression. As David spoke, I was curious to know how he defined social justice and why he was so passionate about getting the message of social justice out.  He pointed me directly to one of the 50,000 cards that are distributed by Love Alliance which stated that ‘social justice’ is defined as:  feeding the poor, caring for the sick, providing clean water, abolishing slavery, protecting the earth, housing the homeless, and giving a voice to the oppressed. “My wife and I wanted to give a voice to those who were being overlooked,” explained David. We observed that social justice for many had become a fashionable term used in today’s society. However The Love Alliance’s goal is to take social justice beyond just being a fashionable trend. What this means specifically is that their aim is to integrate justice into who an individual is instead of what he or she does for a short period of time. They believe that each individual has the ability to use their gifting, ability, and resources to substantially impact the world. “Education is the key,” said David, who took it upon himself to give more than just lip service by putting actions to his words. “I couldn’t in good conscience take a salary of any sort for this work,” he added. David wasn’t satisfied with helping just one organization. Currently The Love Alliance helps over 60 organizations in 4 different countries. “We believe in being the hands and the feet in the earth,” added David. 

David grabbed another one of the cards that they distribute to thousands yearly and he gently read the facts to me, “Families with children make up 40% of the U.S. homeless population. 23% of cities homeless suffer helplessly from mental illness. Lack of affordable housing is identified as a main cause of homelessness. As an agency that is fighting these several issues one should never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world: indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. David sees potential in every person who would come along side The Love Alliance and help with these various issues, but he believes that many may ask the question, “I’m just one person. What can I do?” David reiterated on one of the distribution cards that we must continue to educate ourselves on the issues. Don’t let your knowledge of homelessness stop here. Secondly, he pointed out on the card, “There are many different reasons why individuals are homeless. Recognize homeless people as individuals and recognize what their specific needs are.”

“Think in these terms regarding the poor, there are over 30,000 children that die each day. This death toll is equivalent to the World Trade Center attacks occurring over 11 times a day,” explained Ranzino. David progressed to giving me the hard facts; he pulled out another card that stated, “It is poverty to decide that a [person] must die so that you may live as you wish,” a quote by Mother Teresa. As David spoke about the poor, I noticed his expressions on his face were expressions of compassion. His voice never sounded forceful, but gentle; insomuch that his expressions and his voice drew me into the world of social justice, and helped transformed my mind to move from education, community and now to action. The more we sat and talked, I observed the continual influx of attention his table was receiving.  There were people of all ages, interesting in knowing how to act. People were purchasing t-shirts that read, “Remember the Poor,” and bracelets that stated the same.  “It’s all about awakening people consciousness so that they can act,” explained David. “We all have a responsibility and we all can do something about It;” while the Love Alliance is responsible for creating a curriculum of education that works, and that can be utilized in the school systems and in other community groups. Again David suggested that many people may not act because they are saying, “But I am one person. What can I do?”

David further went on to add that I should think in terms of the enslaved. David grabbed another one of the cards that stated, “Today over 27 million people worldwide are living as slaves.  This is more than double the number of slaves deported in the 400-year transatlantic slave trade to the Americas.” These statistics as David was speaking left my mouth opened and literally in a state of shock, as he progressed in talking my eyes widened. In particular when David pointed out that “Slavery is happening right now in our communities, insomuch each year the U.S. reports a high occurrence of slavery in the form of forced labor and sexual exploitation within its borders.” Again David suggested that many people may not act because they say, “But I am one person. What can I do?” 

Another issue The Love Alliance is addressing is lack of water in various countries. “Every 15 seconds, someone dies of a waterborne illness.” In addition “there are currently over 1 billion people in the world do not have access to an improved drinking water source.” One of the most interesting facts that I learned from The Love Alliance is $1 can provide one year of clean water for a person in Africa.

The good news is, there is hope that change is being made. “We are living proof of it,” exclaimed David. The Love Alliance has partnered with other non-for-profit organizations that are making an impact in the world and 24% of their profits from their Remember the Poor merchandise goes toward sponsoring a child in Haiti, through Compassion International. Additionally on www.thelovealliance.net you can find numerous ways people can get involved. As Margaret Mead stated, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world, indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”