Working Against Injustice
It wasn't until the 2016 election that I became part of a movement. I was extremely frustrated with the political climate and decided that I needed to choose an issue I was passionate about, and focus all my effort on making a difference for that group of people. Cincinnati has a large population of refugees. There was a Students Together Assisting Refugees Club (STAR) at my high school, so I joined. I started tutoring a group of students every week at The Academy of World Languages elementary school. But that wasn't enough.
After the 2016 election, I was shocked to see how little respect people had for refugees. I marched on Washington, attended local rallies and was even on the news a couple of times. Yet after all that work, I went to meet my group of mentees one week and discovered that one of them had been sent back to their native country. The remaining kids in my group were upset. I felt like I needed to do more than protest and rally in order to make a difference. So, when I was President of STAR the next year, I expanded the mentoring program and hosted a toiletry drive for refugees. I partnered with larger organizations and co-sponsored events. I did everything in my power to advocate for, and assist, underserved refugees.
This summer while teaching ESL classes to refugees, I learned that my job is part of the "inescapable network of mutuality." Many of the low-income students in my classes rely on quality affordable housing. They rely on public transportation to come to class every day. They rely on their community for support in a new country. Without the many puzzle pieces coming together, Dhan would not have passed her citizenship test this morning. (Picture of us above!)
In the High Road Fellowship, I feel like we are all in a connected network that only reaches its full potential when everyone is contributing. Without Will and his truck's help, I still wouldn't know how to jump my car. And yes, it is possible for a truck to jump a hybrid, contrary to the Canisius police's belief.
The Prius still lives on, thanks to the help of all my fellow Fellows who helped me out this weekend.
