A Round of Encouragement

Working toward the goal of living in a more just world can sometimes be a discouraging line of work. We fight against apathy, ignorance, computers, ourselves, and many other barriers on a daily basis. But then every once in a while, there comes that momentary ray of glimmering validating sunlight that reminds us why we do our work and that we really are accomplishing things after all. I have been very blessed to have been given two of those wonderful moments in the last few weeks that are still clearly impressed on me, and that I want to share as a means of encouragement.

The first was more than a moment, it was a whole afternoon of glimmering light. Last weekend, I attended a conference in Ann Arbor at the University of Michigan entitled "A Broken Dream: Human Rights in Urban America" which was put together by the university student organization Human Rights Through Education (HRTE). The conference began on Friday with the screening of a documentary entitled "The Vanishing City" which talked about gentrification issues in New York City. The Saturday portion of the conference featured Chazz Miller (Public Art Workz) speaking on art as means of empowerment in Detroit, Mo Abdollahi (ONEMichigan) speaking on the DREAM Act and immigration issues, and Nusrat Venimiglia (Equality Michigan) speaking on her work against bullying towards the LGBT community. I found out about this conference because one of my good friends from middle school is a part of HRTE and spent the last year working to make this happen. It was like a breath of fresh air to go to another university and hear about work being done in different communities, to hear college students getting hardcore about issues of social justice, to hear them having the same kinds of conversations that we have in our staff meetings at the Service-Learning Center, to be able to get excited and talk with my friend about things that we didn't know we both cared about. It was very much a thing of beauty.

The second glimmering light came at the bi-annual Spanish service-learning agency meeting. As the coordinator for the Literature, Languages, and Arts division of the college, this is something I organize at the beginning of every semester. I create a place where agency partners can come talk about the work they are doing in the community and how students can get involved, and where students can come listen and learn and then talk to agency representatives and get connected. My very favorite part of the meeting every time is after the students have left, when the agency representatives and I stick around and chat for a bit. I love getting to know them as people and seeing them talk to each other and learn about each other's work in the nonprofit sector. This semester, two of the agency representatives turned out to be old friends that had lost contact. When they saw each other, they both got very excited and greeted each other with this huge embrace that was very heartening to see.

These two rays of light beaming into my world have been very instrumental in helping me to see my work through a wider lens. It's very easy to get bogged down on failures or just on the magnitude of the work that remains to be done for the bringing of the kingdom. For those of you feeling overwhelmed by these burdens, let me give you this encouragement: look around you and be stregthened in your resolve by the fortitude and passion of those working for justice in your world, in your country, in your state. Be encouraged by those working right alongside you in your community. Be renewed by the sense of common purpose not only with those who believe the same as you, but also with those who may believe very differently than you, yet who are still carrying on wonderful work. Stretch outside of your normal circles to look for commonality. I tell you now with all confidence, you will surely find it!

Posted by Angela Svaan