Personal Activism

This week we spent some time looking at activism on a more local level. This discussion was sparked through a letter to the editor that was published in Chips last week regarding some seats of student senate being labeled as diversity representatives. This one letter led to over an hour of discussion in our class. Diversity can have such a broad definition. According to Webster.com diversity is, "1 the condition of being diverse : variety; especially : the inclusion of diverse people (as people of different races or cultures) in a group or organization programs intended to promote diversity in schools 2: an instance of being diverse a diversity of opinion." Diverse is defined as 1: differing from one another : unlike people with diverse interests 2 composed of distinct or unlike elements or qualities. This definition, like we talked about everyone is considered diverse since as people everyone is unique. This gave our class a chance to address activism in more of a local and personal manner. This class has really opened my eyes to how we have the chance to be activist everyday. Small actions can lead to a big difference in society. With this letter simply talking about it and dissecting what it means and why we were upset is a form of activism as we are educating ourselves, just as activism educates. I know that I personally took this issue out of the classroom and talked to my friends about this same letter keeping the discussion on-going. This class had made me incredibly more aware of both how activism is apparent everyday and how I can become more of an activist everyday.

This week I received an incredible opportunity to continue this activism into a year of service this coming year. I am going to be part of Urban Servant Corp in Denver, Colorado. I am not sure what organization I will be working with but according to the website, "The USC works in cooperation with community agencies, churches, and individuals in the city as channels of God's love and concern. USC volunteers bring a variety of gifts to the larger community. USC volunteer positions balance between working with direct service programs to address immediate needs, and advocating or networking with other organizations to work for long-term social change." Clearly, this encompasses all the parts of activism we have been defining in class. There will be education, both of others and myself on issues that I am sure right now I only have minimal understanding of but I know that will change. This is work so there will be the active part of activism that, as a class, we so often return to. Finally, I know there will be the passion that seems to drive so much activism. I can only imagine the people I will meet through this program. I know that their passions will inspire my own. I think this is one of the coolest things about activism I have learned this semester, it is contagious and I have caught it!