In the Summer of 2017, I had the privilege of interning at the American Civil Liberties Union of the San Diego and Imperial Counties! It was an amazing experience where I got to see what community empowerment and organization are really about. I worked closely with the ACLU's Advocacy Branch, specifically Gracie Uriarte, Gaia Croston, Gerrlyn Gacao, and Cassie Purdy, to observe one on one meetings with potential volunteers, learn about current ACLU campaigns, help with organization of volunteer nights and the San Diego Pride march, create a more clean and efficient workspace for the community organizers, and much more!
On Site Experience
One of my most memorable experiences was shadowing Gracie at a "town hall" type meeting where locals were able to voice their personal encounters with police brutality. The meeting began with a discussion between local officials, San Diego County police department higher-ups, and other advocates against police brutality where they broke down the issue and the effectiveness of measures that have been taken in order to prevent it. Afterward, the conversation was opened up to community members to voice their concerns or opinions on the subject. Here, I heard many of my neighbors speak about how they have been profiled and abused by police officers. Many of these people I recognized or saw after the event at marches, protests, and rallies. Any time I hear these types of stories, whether it be about police brutality specifically or any one of the many other issues prominently talked about in my community today, I am reawakened to the urgency of our action.
Rapid Response Network
While working, I also compiled a list of almost 2000 organizations that offer resources to immigrant and refugee families. This was done as a part of the multifaceted project to create a Rapid Response Network for ICE raids and deportation in San Diego County so as to give undocumented folks the proper legal representation, media coverage, and education on their rights as human beings with the eventual goal of getting them home safely with their family and life as uninterrupted as possible. Another aspect of this project was overall organization of the community to help prevent these situations in the first place. Getting to be a part of this was extremely empowering and has given me a new perspective on what it means to be an "activist".
Personal Impact
The environment was calm and enjoyable, but there was some badass work being done all around me to defend the rights of “the people”. Contrary to what many assume, I am not at all interested in going into government. I don’t think that it is set up in a way that would allow me to see the revolution I am looking for. I believe that this country and its institutions were founded on principles that only allow certain people to succeed and have power, power that often goes unchecked. I like that when I was working at the ACLU, a lot of my “coworkers”/”bosses” believed the same thing. I love getting to be a part of an organization that challenges authority and makes sure the there is an even playing field for real social, institutional, and political change.