As many mothers do, my mom always told me that I was creative. No matter how much I tried to disagree, eventually I came to the conclusion that she was right. I’m not necessarily creative in that I excel at painting or playing an instrument, no matter how much I love the arts I am no prodigy, but I am creative in the way that I think. I am able to come up with grand concepts very quickly and I get very passionate about them. Creativity, however, is useful in more ways than painting. Just because I cannot build sculptures like Michaelangelo does not mean that my ideas always go to waste. This skill makes me an amazing planner! When my group of organizers and I began formulating ideas for our walkout, I immediately bubbled with ideas about how we could make the event more engaging. I brought up the fact that we should have an area full of art for people to look at while speeches go on, that we should connect with the ACLU to help ourselves better understand student protesting rights, and many more along the way. When teaching Ethnic Studies, I often came up with ideas for new units or lessons. This would help me at my internship because these are the exact skills that a community organizer needs in order to be able to connect the people that they work with to the issue they hope to change. I could definitely see myself planning an event for the ACLU, and now that I have finished my organizing of HTHCV’s anti-gun violence walkout, I feel much more equipped in doing so. Organizing is primarily creating ideas from scratch about new, interesting, and informative ways of revealing injustice to society, therefore paving a way for change. People are starting to get tired of the same old protests and picket lines, many of my peers told me that they didn’t feel like a walkout was going to accomplish anything because no matter how many happen, change never follows. I think that persistence is important, but a movement cannot persist unless a large amount of people stay empowered. Activism now has all sorts of new terrain to explore in order to keep our progress from halting. I would love to do behind the scenes work for an event around immigration, criminal justice reform, or racial justice. I think my ideas could bring a different perspective to the table.
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I am an activist. It is sad to say, but the many issues that threaten my community have become so ingrained into my life that I know I have to be an activist. Contrary to popular belief, this does not mean that I am destined for sadness. Fighting for your rights is empowering for the self and the community. My dream is to work for a non-profit organization dealing with racial justice, immigration reform, and/or criminal justice reform. I know that in order to take on a strenuous job like this, I need to set high standards for my enjoyment of every day at the office or in the field. Here is my declaration:
I will work with people who make me laugh, teach me things about the world and myself, and have been enlightened to the truths about oppression in our society. I will make helping people face to face a staple in my everyday life; I will be a part of my community by being with my community and not (always) stuck behind a desk. I will have some form of autonomy, but still work collaboratively; we are strongest when we are equal and together. I will be treated with respect and respect those around me. I will find ways to be creative and express myself through my work. I will have fun and focus every day on celebrating achievements, learning from failures, and making baby steps toward specific goals. I know that I will never be happy about the issues, but I will always be happy about the progress. I often struggle with balancing between bettering the world for future lives and enjoying my own present life. In the future, even though it is something I hold very close to my heart, I will keep my activism within the workday and devote the rest to myself, family, and friends. If either one ever takes over too much, the other will weaken. I am strongest when I include myself in the long list of those that I will take care of. So lastly, I will have a loving partner, two children, a home with character, a savings account for travel, and make sure that fun is always a priority. |
What is this?Hi everyone! This is my junior year blog. Here you will find weekly reflections up until the completion of my junior internship. I hope you enjoy this inside look on my learning! Archives
June 2018
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