For most of the fellowship, I questioned what my role was at The King Arts Complex. I knew the description that the Columbus Foundation gave us and the open-ended expectations that were bestowed upon us, but in practice, my role got lost in the commotion of day to day operations at the camp. It wasn’t until I returned after a few days away that I saw the true impact of my role when someone forgot to order the breakfasts for the kids on Monday.

If you want meals on Monday, you have to order them on Friday from Columbus Park and Recreation and no one did. Usually, my supervisor is around to make the decision to go pick up the meals, but she was out sick. I sprung into action scambling leftover snacks of pop tarts, go-gart tubes, and whatever else I could find. Discombobulated breakfast was created and served in less than 10 minutes. I realize how minor this may seem, but for me, it felt like the most important thing in the world. It showed that I had something to contribute to the flow of the day. I was not just taking up space. I would see just how much I contributed as the day went on and situation after situation occurred and I was asked to step in and help. I realized how much one person’s absence can really hinder a nonprofit that is understaffed and just how many hats one person can wear. Until that moment, I didn’t notice the weight my head had accumulated from my own mini-hats.

Another key part of this week was seeing how much the people around me trusted me as a leader and as an artist. As the weeks dwindle down in the Summer Arts Camp, the campers are preparing for their annual Final Production. This year was one of the most stressful to plan because of last-minute budget issues prior to the start of camp. A small group of us on the camp staff have been taking on script writing and songwriting as we struggled to throw together something beautiful yet feasible. With the script finished and the other elements in motion, the idea of having a rap cipher to start the production was brought to fruition and yours truly was placed at the forefront of making it happen. As a Creative Writing major and self-proclaimed rapper, I should have known this day would come, but I was shocked by the trust the staff had in me to work with their students on something as tedious as this. Assisting in the choosing of the beat and creation of the entire flow of the cipher, it was empowering to do what I love with the kids and see them get excited to participate. Rap often gets a bad name because of the new wave of artists who neglect the activist roots of the genre. Having the opportunity to challenge the negative notions about an art form that I believe to be one of the most empowering for marginalized people was truly the highlight of my week and taught me the power of my own voice in any space.

Here are some photos of the kids jotting down their raps and making art for the final production.

Hey everyone! I cannot believe that I am at the halfway point of the fellowship. The weeks have truly flown by and this week was no different. Week 5 was particularly fascinating as I had the opportunity to shadow at the Columbus Cancer Clinic, which is a service of LifeCare Alliance. The clinic provides free or low-cost mammograms and cancer screenings for colon, prostate, skin, and cervical cancers. Dr. Katherine Cyran is the breast radiologist who reads mammograms and performs ultrasounds and biopsies right in the clinic. This streamlined care is essential to making sure patients do not get lost to follow-up. In this setting, patients can get their mammogram taken, read by Dr. Cyran, and counseled appropriately. Dr. Cyran provided valuable mentorship as a physician who works in the non-profit world. I got to speak with her about how she splits her time between private practice and non-profit work. This is something that I am really interested in pursuing as an aspiring OB/GYN. I would love to have a private practice while also working a couple days a week at the local public health clinic, free clinic, and/or non-profit agency — it would be the best way to combine my passions for clinical care and public health.

On Thursday, the fellows went to the Columbus Commons Concert! I really enjoyed getting to know my peers a little bit better while enjoying good food and even better weather! The fellows are a wonderful group of passionate individuals and I’m so lucky to have gotten to meet them.

On another note, my first piece was posted to the LifeCare Alliance blog this week 🙂 Feel free to take a look and learn more about diabetes! See ya next week!

After having the opportunity to briefly speak with the Columbus Foundation Governing Committee earlier this week, one question has continued to prod at me: “What would you, as a young person, offer as advice (to older generations of leaders)?” 

My answer at the time was lacking. While I told the committee that I hoped that they, as more established leaders, would continue to ask questions and consider different opinions when making decisions, my more thought-out advice is far more direct. An “established” leader has many assets to offer a community. In the case of philanthropists, one common thread is a significant source of funding. Money speaks. Consistent donations and continuous giving speaks CLEARLY. Decisions about where money ought to be awarded directly impacts the integrity of programming a community receives. Leaders must always remain intentional about their decision to give, and more specifically, to which programs they give.

My hope is that leaders will continue to support well-established nonprofits which have a history of making tangible, data-driven impact on their communities. My advice, moving forward, is this: leaders, you have the capability to drive change with dollars. This means you have the ability not only to continue to support institutions which are impactful, but to question the ones which are not meeting the needs they claim to. Ask questions of these organizations. Demand data and reporting which reflects positive change. Most importantly, if interesting alternatives to established nonprofits are offered (startups, smaller or new nonprofits with niche expertise) that you believe in, fund them. Keep an ear other leaders and advocates in the area of need that you fund- the more often you are open to discussion of how to solve these issues, the more innovative solutions will arise.

Podcast link: https://soundcloud.com/user-110817248/tcf-blog-week-7/s-TOrnU

Podcast transcript:

I have implicit bias.

You have implicit bias.

We all have implicit bias.

And we all can learn from it.

On Tuesday of this week, the Fellows took on the Board. We paraded in, smiled for a bit, introduced ourselves (which I completely botched)…then they fired a few questions at us. One of the board members asked us a question along the lines of what we would think about or say to a CEO top businessman executive like himself if we were seated next to him on a plane.

Cue the fellows side-glancing, no one knowing quite how to answer.

To paraphrase my answer, I said something like “because of the way I was raised and grew up, I have some predisposed notions and judgements about the big corporates, but I would do my best to save my assumptions and really get to know them because they may be doing good for the community with their money, and I would encourage them to make sure they’re creating space at the table for all voices to be heard.”

And I stand by that answer, but I think I felt pressured not to say how I really feel, which would have been a lot more harsh.

My gut reaction is to think “you’re part of the problem!” But I don’t know that. I don’t know where they came from, who they are, what they do…but I do know that regardless of all that, I do believe if you have a lot of money, you should be helping people.

I think the reason why were uncomfortable answering this question was twofold:

One side is that it felt like a test, and we don’t want to be disrespectful. I mean, this is the Board of the Columbus Foundation, and we are the fellows! It’s hard to respectfully say “well as long as you’re trying to be a good person than it’s fine to be rich.” But obviously, these people are working on a board for an amazing cause, so we can assume that they are putting their money where it matters.

On the other hand, we were in the room for all of 5 minutes. I think if we had been given more time to warm up, mingle, sit in a smaller room around a table and chat, we would have been much more inclined to give honest and insightful responses.

Me, on the job, behind the camera, at Per Scholas, Per Usual. 

Bringing this conversation back to my original theme of bias, this event really just got me thinking about my implicit bias, and how I do automatically judge rich people. I believe that as long as we are cognizant of our biases, that is the first step to getting over them. If we pretend like they do not exist, we’re erasing any chance of growing beyond them. And all I’m trying to do in this life is grow. 

See you next week.

Guess what!! The Columbus Foundation Fellowship Outings are the most fun ever!!

Since the CIT program ended last Friday, I was assigned every day of this week to help around with different groups of kids in Camp Chaverim (K-3rd grade camp). Prior to the program ending, one CIT told me that he would be staying until the end of camp to volunteer. However when I came in this past Monday, I saw two additional CITs volunteering. They all loved their experience at camp as a CIT and therefore have decided to remain until the end of summer as well! As the CIT coordinator it was very rewarding for me to see three out of nine CITs choose to spend the rest of their summer with the campers that they began their summer with.

As a counselor floating from bunk to bunk, I have been able to watch the differences between each counselor’s leadership style. Each bunk consists of 8-18 children and two counselors. The director of camp has assigned me to begin talking to each counselor to see what changes we can make for next year’s summer camp and CIT program. When speaking to one counselor who began as a CIT two summers ago, he said that he would like to see more responsibility being given to the CITs. I also completely agree with this; I noticed that the CITs were a lot more likely to be on their phones when there was an uneven ration of counselors and CITs per bunk. Typically, there was two counselors and one CIT per bunk; therefore, CITs mostly watched rather than leading activities. I would like to see CITs more involved because as of now it seems as if they are only observing and assisting with little tasks instead of really stepping into a counselor’s shoes. I have yet to talk with more counselors about their opinions of camp and the CIT program but I am excited to hear their feedback.

My seventh week at CXC is coming to a close and my work with them will be looking different in the remaining time. After some administrative movement last week, my focus has shifted from social media marketing and outreach strategies to database implementation and management. The executive committee of CXC decided on Salesforce for nonprofits as the best database option and purchased it for me to use.

This week has been spent exclusively reading and watching tutorials on Salesforce. I am familiar with programs like Excel, but this is my first time using a formal database interface like Salesforce, so it’s been a slower process than expected. I was given my first excel sheets of data this week, but I haven’t even had the opportunity to add those to our database yet because I need to ensure that it’s done right so that CXC and whoever they hire after me will feel equipped to continue my work.

I’m grateful to be getting experience in both the front and back offices of a nonprofit (so to speak) because I think that that makes my time at CXC that much more valuable. This is the first time I have been able to apply the computer science skills I acquired from research and classes to a legitimate job and it’s been really exciting.

Aside from my CXC work, I had the opportunity to meet the governing committee of The Columbus Foundation this week. Admittedly, the experience was a bit intimidating because the committee is such an accomplished group of locals, but they were extremely humble and repeatedly referred to the group of fellows as future leaders. It was such a great experience to feel such respect and so listened to by a group of powerful people. This fellowship reminds me each week that it’s just that: a fellowship. We are not treated as interns or students, but rather young adults with agency and good ideas and I think that is truly the most valuable part of this entire program.

This week at Equality Ohio, I’ve been finishing up LGBTQ+ sensitivity training that can be used for shelters and drop-in centers. Moving onto other tasks, I’ve been making myself available to learn all that I can while I’m here. As a non-profit nerd, I was able to attend a training on how to bulk upload data into Every Action which is a non-profit CRM (customer relationship management) platform. A huge shout-out to my fellow intern pal, Liz, who put it all together for us. If you have ever signed in support of a bill, an organization or just a mailing list then you very well may be in this system. It is the most effective way for non-profits to keep track of voters, supporters, and donors.

If I learned anything from data entry, it is that people have terrible handwriting. If you have ever scribbled your name or email on a sign-up sheet, just know you have caused someone stress. Your support is important to non-profit organizations – so make sure they can read that support! This really echoes the rhetoric that was used in the 2016 election for voter mobilization. People too often think that their voice is not heard amidst the crowd but when I’m sitting here at my desk entering signatures, that is the only voice that I hear. There is a point to all that we do as voters, organizers and citizens and if I could spend the rest of my life working to tell people why their voice matters, I’d do just that.

In the office with Beth, our wonderful legal fellow (and my new best friend).

My current work with Equality Ohio has me thinking more about the 2018 elections. Equality Ohio does not specifically endorse candidates but it also seems that LGBTQ+ rights are not at the forefront of current politicians minds. Ohio still does not have a statewide anti-discrimination law, making it perfectly legal for someone to be fired on the basis of their gender identity of sexual orientation. Several places in Ohio do have these protections but that only makes up about twenty-one percent of the state. I wonder if those casting a vote this election season will understand the weight it holds, the effect it has on my life, and how it will affect the future of so many.

There just really isn’t enough iced coffee for all of this.

Mobility is a strange thing. I consider moving one of my favorite hobbies. Dancing, itching, biking, shifting in my seat. I feel in control. I have the luxury of mobility because I was born within the Western womb. My passport claims it so.

This past week I have been thinking about the realities of immigrants. We are in an alarming point in history in which people are being separated by borders and at borders. This has always been a part of our history, but complicity has never been so visible and shocking to neoliberal western eyes. It makes me think of my own mobility and how I flash my driver’s license between state lines or wave my US passport to skip the heavy lines of immigration that are labeled “NON-US CITIZENS.” Borders are physical acts against mobility. Yet, they have been congealed in nationalist rhetoric and today many of us can’t imagine a world without borders to call our own. They offer a sense of identity but at what cost?

Mobility is subject to power. I think about the foundations of our own system based on the capitalist nation state. If we are to be critical about how mobility is constructed, it’s important to understand who is controlling what. Capital itself is inherently dynamic and requires movement. It is built on this and feeds off of never-ending growth. Yet labor is subject to capital rather than the other way around. We are at the mercy of mobility of capital.

I feel very disillusioned by what mobility has to offer today. Our clients at MFS are some of the most resilient folks I am coming to know, yet many are tied to single A4 sheets that outline their limits of mobility. This week I’m left thinking how we can reimagine what mobility looks like.

Re: This is a great paper I’ve been thinking a lot about. Discusses Europe, Modernity, and Eurocentrism (i.e. conceptions of modernity, othering, and how borders were first imagined).  Shouts out Enrique Dussel. http://www.unc.edu/~aescobar/wan/wandussel.pdf

This past week I invited to support the youth employment program in providing professional development to the teens in the program.  In the program, there are about 60 teens employed.  They have jobs all over Columbus; for many of them this is their first job.  What the BGCC attempts to do is not only provide the teens opportunities to save money, but also provide them with the soft skills to be successful in life.  This brings us to the topic of the professional development session I helped present— resumes and interviews.

Interview and resume skills are two skills that youth will need throughout their lives.  We spoke about the importance of respect, eye-contact, confidence, and friendliness.  I did a mock interview with another facilitator, and then we had the teens conduct mock interviews in groups.

If I were to design this PD (I was just helping out), I would have included a group conversation about discriminatory employment practices.  I did speak with a couple students individually.  As Black people, some employers won’t let us get away with actions our white counterparts can get a pass on.  Although hiring discrimination is not legal, this does not stop de jure discrimination.  For example, in a recent study white potential employees got callbacks from employees an astounding average rate of 36% more than Black potential employees (Quillian et al., 2017).  Given this reality, I told the individual students, “In our capitalistic society we are measured by how much money we make.  Those who do not have a job are considered lesser by society.  However, in order to get a job, we have to “play the game.”  Meaning do what is necessary so we can further our goals and support our families.”  I continued, “In playing the games of society, do not lose sight of who you are and continuously strive to change this system.”  This touches on the concept of “double consciousness.”  Black folk are consistently finding themselves in positions where their identities are divided between what society expects and our  identity as Black people.

Although I wasn’t able to have this conversation with the whole group, I thought the students I did speak with were engaged in the conversation.