Innovation for Social Change

Chapter 12Challenging the Status Quo

During my Peace Corps service some years ago, I was teaching computer literacy at a teachers college in a dangerous part of Kingston, the capital city of Jamaica. The school was administered by a small, determined band of Franciscan nuns.¹ They were hardworking and often had a twinkle in their eye. In addition to the college, they ran several other schools in the area. I noticed right away the respect the students had for the sisters. They were kind, generous, savvy, and strong. They ran a tight ship. They made sure the grounds were beautiful. They raised money for scholarships. They raised money for the sparkling new computer lab where I would be teaching. They did a lot of good, not just for the school but in the community.

When one of the elderly sisters had to run an errand one day, she took me along. I don't recall the errand, but that day will forever be etched in my mind. We drove into a dangerous Kingston community, Trench Town, where Bob Marley was from. Trench Town was run by drug dons, and gunmen were posted every few blocks to keep rival gangs out. It was so dangerous that US marines posted at the embassy nearby received hazard pay.

As our van rounded a street corner, suddenly a gang member with a gun walked into the middle of the road and stopped us, I tried to stay calm. He was a large man with a fierce expression. The sister seemed to know him, and she gave him a lecture about how drugs were destroying the community and urged ...