becoming engaged -- in the community
Well! Well!!
Last night there was a community event at this funky co-op/business incubator space wherein you got free soup & salad & bread and then people from the community presented ideas on how they are, or would like to, enrich life in this town, and at the end everyone could vote for their favorite idea and the winner got $250. The idea I voted for was to install benches at the bus stops around town, but I think it came in second, after the two young girls and their mom who were making care-bags for the kids who arrive at the local women’s shelter. That won. It was a good idea, but they were already doing it, and there are almost no benches at the bus stops around here.
Anyway! It was actually really fun, and a lot of people showed up, I had some cool conversations, and the food was actually excellent. I’m glad i went.
Then today there was an anti-slimebucket rally on campus, a walk-out actually, organized by students; about 300 people showed up for that. (Maybe more, I’m bad at crowd-estimation and it was hard to see everyone.) I’m the sort of person who’s most comfortable walking around and keeping an eye on things during rallies & protests, and I ended up talking with a faculty member wearing a “Witness” badge. She explained that some of the faculty were here to observe, I think in case asshats showed up; I got the impression they were prepared to intervene should that happen. But she told me about a teach-in that was happening on campus this evening, which I never would’ve found out about if I hadn’t wandered over and asked, “What does ‘Witness’ mean?”
So I went to the teach-in panel discussion thing this evening, and no one asked if I was a student or a faculty member so I didn’t say I’m neither one of those (it wouldn’t’ve been a problem, just a longer explanation), but I’m really really glad I went to that. About a hundred people showed up, and most of them were people of color (something I found both relieving and energizing; man if it had been mostly white folks showing up to a “Where do we go from here?” discussion … listen I would’ve been disappointed and frustrated and I probably would’ve spoken up, probably to disagree with what they were saying, and I didn’t feel the need to do that at all here). (Well no, actually, the there was one white guy who stood up and basically did his best to reenact a rationalist internet troll and I sure did almost cut him off but then the facilitator beat me to it, whew.) I didn’t share anything, but a lot of people did; I clapped and vigorously nodded my head many times, instead.
I’m trying to figure out ways I could contribute that wouldn’t be me taking unnecessary space. But I think I will email some of the panelists and just … explain a bit about my experiences … and that I’m ready & willing to show up, and go from there.
Last night there was a community event at this funky co-op/business incubator space wherein you got free soup & salad & bread and then people from the community presented ideas on how they are, or would like to, enrich life in this town, and at the end everyone could vote for their favorite idea and the winner got $250. The idea I voted for was to install benches at the bus stops around town, but I think it came in second, after the two young girls and their mom who were making care-bags for the kids who arrive at the local women’s shelter. That won. It was a good idea, but they were already doing it, and there are almost no benches at the bus stops around here.
Anyway! It was actually really fun, and a lot of people showed up, I had some cool conversations, and the food was actually excellent. I’m glad i went.
Then today there was an anti-slimebucket rally on campus, a walk-out actually, organized by students; about 300 people showed up for that. (Maybe more, I’m bad at crowd-estimation and it was hard to see everyone.) I’m the sort of person who’s most comfortable walking around and keeping an eye on things during rallies & protests, and I ended up talking with a faculty member wearing a “Witness” badge. She explained that some of the faculty were here to observe, I think in case asshats showed up; I got the impression they were prepared to intervene should that happen. But she told me about a teach-in that was happening on campus this evening, which I never would’ve found out about if I hadn’t wandered over and asked, “What does ‘Witness’ mean?”
So I went to the teach-in panel discussion thing this evening, and no one asked if I was a student or a faculty member so I didn’t say I’m neither one of those (it wouldn’t’ve been a problem, just a longer explanation), but I’m really really glad I went to that. About a hundred people showed up, and most of them were people of color (something I found both relieving and energizing; man if it had been mostly white folks showing up to a “Where do we go from here?” discussion … listen I would’ve been disappointed and frustrated and I probably would’ve spoken up, probably to disagree with what they were saying, and I didn’t feel the need to do that at all here). (Well no, actually, the there was one white guy who stood up and basically did his best to reenact a rationalist internet troll and I sure did almost cut him off but then the facilitator beat me to it, whew.) I didn’t share anything, but a lot of people did; I clapped and vigorously nodded my head many times, instead.
I’m trying to figure out ways I could contribute that wouldn’t be me taking unnecessary space. But I think I will email some of the panelists and just … explain a bit about my experiences … and that I’m ready & willing to show up, and go from there.