Thank you all for coming out to join us today. My name Michael Zhang and I am here to speak to you as a parent of the school district of Philadelphia.

There is a dark cloud that hangs over our city.

The plague of violence and rampant out-of-control crimes and gun violence on SEPTA and our streets have thrust our city into the national spotlight.

Our public transportation system is like the arteries in our body that keeps the heart of our city’s life and economy flowing.

We must recognize that we have a problem that demands a solution. As Nelson Mandela once said: “There is nothing that makes people more appreciative of a government than that it should be able to deliver services.”

It is time for the City of Philadelphia to deliver the services!

We demand in solidarity with every community in Philadelphia that our city officials come to a resolution to serve all people of Philadelphia.

It was said in the ancient proverb of the Chinese that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. The hope of change must come from the heart of every individual that ripples out into every community.

Change must come from the courage of strangers to stand up for their neighbors in the presence of any injustice. It may be a long road ahead, but in order to change the world, one must change oneself.

It was the courage of a young girl that refused to remain silent and stood up against injustice that has brought us here today. It is the failure of the system that failed to protect her and her friends that has brought us here today.

As Nelson Mandela once said: “Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.” We must inspire our young children to value education and embrace the joy of learning that they may store up treasures of knowledge and wisdom.

Dr. Martin Luther King had a dream that one day all of our children can live in a nation that will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

Unfortunately, that is still just a dream today.

It is the slogan of the United Negro College Fund that a “Mind is a terrible thing to waste.” It is the duty of every parent and educator to bestow upon the mind of our young children knowledge and wisdom by planting a seed of love that produces the fruit of joy and compassion.

Each individual is endowed by their unique gift and talent they possess to render their service in hope of one day uniting humanity.

It is the dream of every parent that the spirit of love, joy, and peace will sit upon the throne of every child’s heart. We dream that one day we will live up to our city’s namesake, “The City of Brotherly Love.”