What motivates you to want to engage in social justice work?
When I turned 18 years old in 2008, I became wrapped up in the Obama for America Presidential campaign. At 18, with the power to vote, I suddenly felt as if I had a duty to become an informed and engaged citizen. Every weekend for 9 months I would phone bank for the Obama campaign in a park near my house. I must have talked to over a thousand people during that time; I heard stories from all over the country of people living their lives paycheck to paycheck, on a day-to-day basis. I have never had to think about where my next meal is coming from, or whether or not I am going to have enough money to pay my rent for the month. But every weekend I listened to people who battled those problems every single day, and yet, despite these problems, so many of them were hopeful for the future. Furthermore, these people were not looking for handouts, but rather for ways to work with one another to help each other up. There are some who get dealt a better hand in life than others – but with those privileges comes a responsibility to do right by those less fortunate. Growing up my parents instilled in me the importance of knowing what was going on in the world around me. It was important to them that I received an education from not only within the halls of my school, but also from the world around me. I was brought to museums, art galleries, concerts, and told to read the newspaper. It is easy to get sucked into all of the negativity in the world, but I think that ones true strength of character occurs when you refuse to believe in the status quo. What motivates me most to engage in social justice work is the fundamental belief I hold that people want to do right by each other, and that we are stronger together than apart.