A Different Lens of Perspective
“Let’ focus on food justice!” “But homelessness is also a big issue and I think we should focus on that.” During the summer of 2016, I was part of CORO, a summer leadership program that not only taught me to network but my passion for social justice issues stemmed from it. I have to say that yes, my mom did force me to apply for this program and in the beginning I resented it, but I’m so glad that I had the opportunity to go through it. It opened my eyes to my own community and as a result, I am more aware and involved in its issues. I would say that the turning point in my switch from a woman who was indifferent to current events to a woman who is invested in society happened when I had to work on a community action project. In CORO, each person in my cohort had different passions that he or she wanted to focus on for the project. Some people wanted to tackle food justice, others sexual harassment, and one specific person had a special connection to police accountability. We grudgingly ended up choosing police accountability as our issue for the community action project, but I would say that we do not have any regrets selecting that as our topic. After we chose to focus on police accountability, my cohort and I quickly delved into planning. We all had to choose a venue, create an agenda, gather supplies, and reach out to others to speak at our event as well as attend it. As the weeks passed, I began to see how important my project was and the potential impact it could have on the attendees. During the time I researched about the topic and collaborated with others, I started to personally connect with the issue. It brought up memories of small but powerful anecdotes that I read from books like The Hate You Give. I had conversations with my friends about Alex Nieto and Trayvon Martin. Even though I initially did not inform myself about the Black Lives Matter movement, this project truly ignited a spark in me and I put passion into making this project a success. The day I had to execute my project, my palms were sweaty but I was ready. My cohort planned a “know your rights” workshop and a discussion between police officers and the community at MLK Civic Center in Berkeley. The discussion in particular brought together people of all different stances on the issue and it helped them understand one another and think about how to move forward. The officers kept an open mind and provided great insights. The event helped attendees put themselves into officers’ shoes instead of antagonizing them. They told me that because of the project, they felt closer to the officers and they were willing to start relationships because of them. The events’ success motivated me to stay educated in current events and to at least address these issues on a smaller scale. I don’t really know how to explain how this event and the program as a whole resulted in a better me, but it did throw me in the water and taught me how to swim and persevere. Everyone has some event that is unforgettable, and CORO definitely is a journey that I will always remember. Before I joined the program, I was solely focused on school, and I thought that social issues such as the BLM Movement and the housing crisis were irrelevant to my life. I now take it all back. Before, I would read an article about some incident and quickly moved on to a lighthearted article without much thought. But now, whenever I read up about some injustice that occurred, I feel my passion arise. I feel motivated to do what I can to address it or help out, whether that means donating money to natural disaster causes or signing a petition and spreading the word. I feel more self aware and fulfilled than I did before. I’m glad that I get to be part of a community where I can constantly be educated about social justice, and I hope that my passion for these issues grow.