For the first time this year, Carnegies opted out of ritual Carson dinner and went to Ebbert United Methodist Church to help with the Wednesday night “Community Meal” dinner service. It was a great success and a fun way to get out in the community and really do some good. We helped prep, serve, and clean, giving a little break to the dedicated team of volunteers. Several Carnegies also mingled with the people who we were feeding, as there is a coffee half-hour prior to food service. Actually sitting down and talking with people who are homeless or food insecure was an eye-opening experience. These are people in our community, some of whom we recognized from around campus! Humanizing people by hearing their stories was humbling and inspiring. It diversifies the way we see people who are marginalized in our society.

All together, we served meals to 95 people, many of whom rely on this service to get their dinner and would otherwise be struggling to feed themselves and their family. Speaking to the organizers and Pastor, I could tell our energy and youthful faces were much appreciated by both the guests and the volunteers alike.

At the University, it is often easy to forget about the homelessness problem that plagues Eugene and Springfield. But this is a very real situation and there are many in our local community who need our help.

It was great experience to speak to the guests and hear their stories. To see what this service does for them and realize how privileged we are to never have to worry about where our next meal is coming from was something that stayed with all of us.

I look forward to going back soon!

 

“Volunteering with my friends and CGO members at the Ebbert United Methodist Church soup kitchen in Eugene was an awesome experience. It was great to be able to help and interact with people who are so often overlooked and avoided in our society. The atmosphere was warm and inviting and I am happy to say I had a lot of fun and I look forward to going back and being a part of it again.”

-Katrina Schmidt, ‘20

“Feeding the homeless is something I have always wanted to do, and having the opportunity to do it in a new community was an amazing experience. I felt that I was giving back to the Eugene/Springfield community, which had opened its doors to me as an out of state UO student. I hope to do the same once I return home.”

-BriAnna Greene, ‘20

Ebbert United Methodist Church provides meals Monday mornings (8-11 am), sack lunches Tuesday and Thursday (8-1) and the dinner service Wednesdays (5:30, doors open at 4:30)

If you are interested in getting involved or have any questions, you can email the church at ebbert2@comcast.net or call 541-746-3513.

 

 

 

The Common Reading for all incoming freshmen this year at the University of Oregon was Between the World and Me, by Te-Nehisi Coates. This profound book has initiated conversations around campus, particularly in the context of the current political climate. Coate’s UO talk was February 3rd, 2017.

Momo Wilms-Crowe has volunteered some reflections for the CGO as we lead up to what promises to be a profound speaker.

Between The World and Me: A Response

I read Between the World and Me for the first time over summer and I remember myself crying the type of tears that demand recognition. I read it again this past weekend in preparation for Te-Nehisi Coates’ upcoming talk and to no surprise, I cried again. I was reminded of the feeling I felt months ago, and that I feel often enough now after a term and a half in the CGO, that I am not all that surprised by it now. It is a the feeling of intense sadness and despair at the situation of our country and our world. The kind of feeling that grabs you by the shoulders, sits on your chest, and makes you feel small.

This feeling worries me because it implies an inability to act. It means, despite whatever I feel I need to do, I am not doing anything worthwhile. The task of how to best navigate the minefield of processing and moving forward is overwhelming. This is because I cannot imagine a way of moving forward what caused these injustices is so fundamentally wrong, and that is where my logic stops. This acute feeling and the lack of autonomy that ensues is unnerving.

In the racism Coates’ speaks about, like many of the injustices in America, the individual is the victim and “society” the victor, the perpetrator of the violence through its thoughtful machines and institutions. This makes the process of falling into cynicism and hopelessness even easier since the problem (and thus the solution) is seemingly distant and esoteric. It’s intimidating to begin to attack a beast that you do not understand nor can you even fully see. That is, of course, until something happens and you are personally pulled into the narrative and cannot stand still any longer. Often, I believe, we are only thrust into activism when we are personally affected by it and we lose the “privilege of living in ignorance” (Coates, 107). Experiencing injustice helps break the feeling of paralysis and propels one into action. Intense emotions- anger, grief, despair – fuel the fight for justice. And because each day people are suffering and being forced into these emotions, the fight continues as a whole.

In our society of social media and superficiality, it is increasingly easy to feel like you’re doing something when you are really doing nothing at all. Social media offers an amazing platform for spreading messages, and no doubt, change is often made this way. But it also breeds the idea that posting/tweeting/liking/sharing is doing enough. That ally-ship is a one-time duty and a box to check off rather than a constant practice. I am by no means claiming innocent to this crime, nor saying it must be considered a crime for everyone. The facade of passion in the absence of definite, tangible, action simply doesn’t cut it. It brings up the age-old struggle of “walking the talk.” In my mind, lack of action, despite the intentions, constitutes an action in itself. In Coates’ words, “‘Good intentions’ is a hall pass through history, a sleeping pill that ensures the Dream” (33). The Dream Coaets’ refers to here is not an idyllic paradise, but the ignorance of living in a society built up slavery and violent racism.

I have no will to live a life in the Dream and have already had my share of experiences that have shattered that dream. In my high school, with enough students of color that I could count them on one hand, I was only passively taught about race and racism, and looked at it from a very academic viewpoint. I read personal monologues from slaves and analytically connected that to the differential incarceration rates of today’s America. I, however, never really experienced race in the way that Coates writes about.

I have never witnessed the full horrors that racism can cause nor the incredible strength that makes people continue forward despite the pain. Perhaps this is partly why it is I am so obviously affected by their stories.

 

 

The CGO was excited to attend a talk on  “Numbers and Nerves: Addressing the Arithmetic of Compassion and the World’s Most Urgent Issues” by Paul Slovic (Professor Psychology at UO and President of Decision Research) and Scott Slovic (Professor of Literature and Environment in the Department of English at the University of Idaho). The talk, which was held in association with the Global Justice Initiative, explored how information about political, economic, and environmental crises is presented and perceived, from the current refugee crisis in Europe, to climate change, to genocide, and more. Our inability to comprehend the numbers of people involved in these crises and our desire to avoid dealing with their suffering limits our response; yet when we hear the stories of individuals we tend to feel more compassion and are more likely to act. The Slovics explore this contradiction in their new book, and the CGO was invited to engage the authors in Q & A after their remarks to a standing room only crowd in the Knight Library.  Carnegies impressed the authors and the audience with their insightful and probing questions.

 

University of Oregon Police Department’s chief of police, Carolyn McDermed, served as a police officer for about 30 years.  She originally wanted to be a veterinarian and got a degree in animal tech.  However, she changed her mind when she followed through with a “dare” from her ex-husband to join the police.  She as surprised when she was accepted and subsequently earned a job. She grew to love working as an officer, first in Sand Diego and then here in Eugene.

One of the first topics of discussion was about the realities of being a woman on the force, and subsequently a chief. Chief McDermed was forthright in saying that she was treated differently, and she was not seen as an “equal” among male peers and partners.  She shared a few stories of early partners who left her in very vulnerable situations on the job, and how they had to deal with those in a time when talking openly about sexism could get you in trouble.

There was also a discussion of racial profiling, both with regards to the UO campus, but also questions about how this topic is playing out in departments in response to the high-profile shootings and protests in Ferguson and Baltimore (among other places). Chief McDermed is a trainer for the State of Oregon in racial profiling, and how to recognize it and avoid it. She said that it’s rare for someone to see a person of color and say “That person is black. I was to shoot them.’ Instead, we need to recognize the unconscious ways that racism operates in our society. Only then can we address the issues raised by these recent and tragic events.

This led to a discussion of the important of treating people with respect and trying to take individual situations at face value. At times, police are constrained by the law, but in some situations, they can give leeway for people in difficult situations. She emphasized repeatedly that people should be treated respectfully, and anybosy, but espcially the police, should resist making quick judgement about people. It is important to recognize power and how it effects different people, both those who have it, and those who don’t.

 

As chief, she felt that the police department was supposed to value the different cultures on campus and where people are from. She also felt that suggestions and open-mindedness from the students were good ways to better the police department so everyone could feel safer. She seemed very excited about the prospect of having more of her department visit with student groups, and we made some connections with her to hopefully bring them in as guests. Some of the challenges she faced were with her own officers.  She wanted them to interact with the students, but also hold themselves accountable and to know their authority.

UPDATE:

On February 29, 2016, the UO announced on the police department’s page  that Carolyn McDermed had retired.  As the article says, “UOPD has evolved significantly in recent years, and Chief McDermed has played a significant role in managing that change.” One subject that was not covered in the talk with former Chrief McDermed was the controversy in her department about the late-night joke where the police officers had a list of people they didn’t like (bike-riders, the mayor, etc.). There were accusations of harassment and retaliation by the whistle-blower who made this public. Chief McDermed had been under fire for not having good management of her officers, and there is much speculation on her sudden retirement and the settlement with the plaintiff in the case.

As we prepare for this year’s PeaceJam, we have a reflection from Namratha Somayajula about last year’s guest, 1992 Nobel Peace Laureate Rigoberta Menchú Tum.
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“What I treasure most in life is being able to dream. During my most difficult moments and most complex situations I have been able to dream of a more beautiful future.”

Rigoberta Menchú Tum

On April 17, 18, and 19^th of 2015, several Carnegies had the exciting opportunity to act as mentors to middle and high school students participating in the annual PeaceJam conference, held for the first time that year at the University of Oregon. Speaking at the conference was 1992 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Rigoberta Menchú Tum of Guatemala, whom the youth and mentors had the chance to learn from and meet.

PeaceJam is an international organization–with a branch in the Pacific Northwest and several others across the United States–that connects middle and high school youth with Nobel Peace activists and other inspiring community leaders. In the fall of that school year, Eva Kor, a strong advocate of forgiveness who survived the

Holocaust as a child, came to the UO to speak at a smaller PeaceJam conference, for which many Carnegies had also acted as mentors. The goal of PeaceJam is to encourage youth to engage with social justice issues from a young age, and to learn from the stories of these activists to effect change in the future. College students help lead the youth in engaging with the issues brought up during the conference, and in the process learn from the speakers and youth alike.

 

 

The PeaceJam weekend in the spring was filled with unique events and experiences. On Friday, April 17^th, Carnegies met Ms. Tum at the Many Nations Longhouse on campus. There, we shared lunch and learned from Ms. Tum about her thoughts regarding the role of youth in advocacy and justice, and the importance of community and identity. The years she has spent leading her community in Guatemala and advocating for indigenous rights throughout the Americas have given her experience in addressing and dealing with the variety of ethical issues that have confronted her. We were very fortunate to be able to listen to such an inspiring international leader, and we could keep in mind what we learned from her that first meeting during the upcoming weekend.

In the areas surrounding MacArthur Court on Saturday and Sunday, the mentors led the youth in team-building activities, service projects, and conversations about leadership, social justice, and change. After hearing from Rigoberta Menchú Tum on Sunday morning, the youth signed up for workshops dealing with social justice issues in their communities.

Carnegies and UO UNICEF members teamed up to lead a workshop focusing on “privilege” with a group of about 20 middle and high school students. Beginning with an interactive role-playing activity, and ending with a TED Talk and discussion during which the students engaged well and shared their thoughts, the workshop was fun and allowed the PeaceJam participants and mentors alike to think critically about the issues of inequality and privilege.

All in all, the Carnegie mentors enjoyed spending the PeaceJam weekend together, one that was filled with learning, energy, and music. Reflecting on her experience, Negina Pirzad, CGO ‘16 says, during that weekend “two of my favorite things came together, peace and working with kids, so participating in PeaceJam last year was satisfying for me to say the least. It was great how much responsibility we got as Mentors to the visiting students and how much exposure we all got to the Nobel Laureate, Rigoberta Menchú. I think my favorite part of the entire PeaceJam weekend, though, was the talent show at the end. Students had so much courage to share with everyone and their performances ranged from heartfelt, emotional pieces to funny and entertaining.”

We’re We’re looking forward to an equally positive experience for all as the PeaceJam conference approaches this year.