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A small change in a big
system can affect everything
As we start the new school year, I would like to reacquaint you with the story of South Central Los Angeles Ministry Project’s inception. South Central LAMP was started by sisters representing eight congregations of women religious. Their mission was to support an historically underrepresented and underserved community that often went unnoticed. The civil unrest of 1992 only proved there was a community that continued to be ignored. The sisters saw this outcry and responded in a way few had done before--they took action. The sisters understood that often things were different for people who lived in certain parts of the city. They brought light to the fact that systems that were unfair and racist, often left the most vulnerable community members, especially women and children, with limited opportunities and resources. The most powerful act of system disruption was their understanding that a small change in the system can affect everything. Their belief in this is evidenced in the causes they have fought for, in the programs they established, and in the many, many ways they show up for the most vulnerable.
In the almost 16 years I have been at South Central LAMP, I have had the pleasure to meet many of the sisters and their associates from various orders. Every sister and associate I have met, no matter the order, has had a deep love for social justice, equity, and desire to support communities like ours to meet their potential. But their commitment to these values isn’t just local; it is global.
Their support for important causes highlights the values they hold, among them that a small change in the system can affect everything. The sisters, as well as associates to the various orders, remind us that every time we contribute to a person’s life, we affect the system on a whole. They remind us that every action has consequences, no matter the size of the action. For me, they really remind me that I can be part of these small acts of optimism. It reminds me of the power each person has to change the world, one small act at a time.
I know this is true because my life was formed by many people who did just this for me. In school I had very kind teachers who saw my potential, even when the adults around me didn’t. And when I say school, I mean every year of my school life I was blessed with teachers who kept me on track. I also see this in the work we do at South Central LAMP, an organization that was birthed by this frame of thought and continues to uphold that value. Every time we provide a workshop, I see the women learn something new and take that home. Every time they leave their parenting classes, I see how it has affected them. I know this not only because I can see it in them, but because they have told me. They tell me that they are no longer the same women who came into the program. Something has changed in them. I also see it in the children we serve, in the confidence they build as they learn to master the world around them.
South Central LAMP is a small agency with a big impact on our local community. The belief that started our agency 31 years ago still lives in the work we do today. So as the new school year starts, I invite you to join us in continuing to bring this idea to life every day at South Central LAMP.
Diana Z. Pinto
Executive Director
Want to learn more about our heritage? Click the box below and under Our Founders click LEARN MORE, to view a document that was originally created by Liam Mennis, former Board Member and Society of the Holy Child Jesus Associate:
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