Rrisc Intern

Why do you want to be a RRASC intern?

I am prepared to be an RRASC intern because I finally understand that advocacy is fluid. At first, I was mistaken to believe that my advocation for justice must be limited to the intersections I stand at in the world. I am black and I am woman, so naturally I fought for causes that benefited the communities I identified with. However, after an epiphany of sorts, I came to the reality that true advocacy must never be selfishly motivated and now I understand that the people’s freedom is tied in each oppressed individual recognizing that their freedom is tied to the freedom of their oppressed brothers and sisters. I believe that RRASC holds that same vision of a unified freedom because it encompasses reproductive
I recognize that there are people who have put up tremendous roadblocks for me to do so because my gonosomes decided that being female would suit me best. Like many other women, I deal with sexism in all areas of my life whether that be in the home, religious institutions, work, school etc. and I grew tired of accommodating for a patriarchal system that would find flaw whatever I chose to do. I have made an indelible decision to never normalize sexism and to fight for a permanent end of it because every woman deserves the opportunity to reach her highest potential without the worry of someone trying to control her pay, her privacy, or her
However, there remains an underlying tension between students and the surrounding community. From the student perspective, there are constant threats to the safety of the student body from “locals” who have the misconception that because the student attends an expensive university, they have assets that can be taken. From the DC native perspective, Howard University students are often haughty and bourgeois and their attempts to serve the community are not rooted in true concern for the community but are used to enhance their own profile for future employment and graduate school opportunities. Once I received a holistic view of this division I decided to use my platform as the NAACP president to focus on genuine community outreach. I secured a partnership between a local high school that had majority African American and Latino students and introduced a mentorship program that focused on breaking the stigmas that local youth have of Howard students and vice versa. In addition, I started a community book club that invites both Howard students and anyone from the Shaw/Howard community to come and discuss literature that is pertinent to civic engagement and political