I received a text from my cousin Malcolm on May 26, 2020. Hey Cuz, “Did you hear what happened to George Floyd? There’s a video of him being killed by police.” I immediately searched his name and began to watch the first few minutes of his encounter with Derek Chauvin. I knew how the story ended and I felt helpless, much like the bystanders who watched his death. I wanted to do something. However, it was Covid and I hadn’t left my home since the pandemic had begun. After watching the worldwide protests and being convinced that George Floyd’s murder was an inflection point and opportunity for transformation around the globe, I took to the street like so many others across the country. However, I knew that marching and protesting needed to turn into a sustainable movement for change.
Graduate school was on my radar for 20 years, but I never could find a major that I was passionate about. After a random google search and a subsequent email and Zoom meeting, I was introduced to Prescott College by Assistant Director of Graduate Admissions, Tahreemah Middleton. Tahreemah turned my uncertainty into conviction that Prescott would provide me with the tools, temperament and tenacity it takes to change the world.
My journey through the Social Justice and Community Organizing (SJCO) Graduate Program at Prescott College has been a series of Oprah “AHA” moments that began with the SJCO Orientation in January of 2021. I came into the program believing that racial equity as it relates to social justice was my primary interest. However, after listening to the cultural backgrounds, experiences and interests of my fellow cohort participants, I quickly realized that social justice was not exclusively about race. I also began to understand that my interests were multi-faceted and my experiences as a Black gay woman were not one dimensional. On day one of the program, I embraced my “Intersectionality” which has enabled me to expand my knowledge and impact as an educator, poet and activist-athlete.
Every professor has contributed to exposing, expanding, and evolving my knowledge of social justice and my commitment to a revolution of change in my home and school communities. Dr. Saadeh and Dr. Hoffman were the springboard for my transformation. They’re willingness to share their experiences and expertise have been the difference in my evolution through the program. Professor Medina’s Radical Pedagogy class was the perfect way to complete my studies at Prescott. His demeanor of care and delivery of the revolutionary work of Prescott’s Chief Diversity Officer, Anita Fernandez at the Xican@ Institute for Teaching and Organizing has opened my eyes to the politics of education and expanded my vision for the impact I can make toward humanizing the experience.
Lastly, Prescott has given me the opportunity to meet like minded, socially conscious, and brilliant, educators, artists, writers, musicians, leaders and organizers who have shared their platforms, their genius and their hope for a more equitable and just society. The relationships I’ve developed through the SJCO program at Prescott have made all the difference in my transformation through the program. Cynthia, Jen, Parker, Celia, Hope, Matt, Roger and Wendy are not just my classmates, they are my support system and my friends. Their inspiration, their influence, their kindness, their advice and their friendship have helped me navigate graduate school and subsequently find a greater purpose in navigating life.
Original source can be found here.
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