Wow, so I guess I kind of suck at blogging. Don't hate me, I actually have written some blog posts but most are of self-reflection and growth and I feel that they are a bit too intimate to share with the general public at the moment. I had a harder time than I thought I would with my own personal and social life here in Chicago; being away from home for the summer and missing an abundance of activities with friends and family. So forgive me, while I have been blogging privately, I do not yet wish to share how I felt. I am actually coming to terms with my solitude and am starting to enjoy the temporary isolation because its challenging me and let me explore on my own. Something I think we do not realize is an acquired skill. Don't be too worried friends and family, I am doing all right and I'm gonna be home in about 3-4 weeks. In the words of Drake... Just hold on...
But I wanted to take this time to blog tonight on some news I just discovered this evening. Do you guys remember that delegation I was telling you all about? The one where I almost peed my pants because I was so nervous that I might get kicked out of a Walmart or arrested. Well, it turns out that the Walmart worker we were delegating and advocating for has actually seen a full-time 40 hour a week schedule since our delegation. Randall is a full time college student and full time Walmart employee who organizes with OUR Walmart (Organization United for Respect) , he articulately expressed himself to the media that day that totally blew me away. The Facebook update from OUR Walmart also noted that Randall now has enough money to purchase his books next semester. Thank goodness, we all know how awful expensive those are.
While there are few victories in community organizing, it is actually fascinating to see what works and what doesn't work and how fortunate and serendipitous some cases can be. I am not denying that the OUR Walmart organizers or IWJ do not work hard to advocate and organize but I am also saying in some cases it takes alot of luck to see successes like this happen in the labor movement. I remember the day that we went into this Neighborhood Walmart in Lakeview and remember speaking to the assistant manager there who told us her story of when she started at Walmart 6 years ago and how she got to where she was today. While the entity of Walmart and the cooperation as a whole have polices for their employees that are unfair ; the people they put in charge to manage their stories are not exactly bad people. They too have hearts, they too have compassion and while many people's experience with management is awful the pressures from the higher levels are gruesome. I wish more managers saw their roles as being important and dynamic to other people's lives. It would them make them see how they can use this force of power for good rather than evil. This is certainly something that happened at the Lakeview Walmart in addition to them seeing the supporters of organizations, religious leaders and residents behind their employees.
Since my time at IWJ, I have had a hard time wrapping myself around the habits that I have had in terms of consumerism, like millions of other Americans, I had shopped at Walmart for the connivence and felt god awful for it too. Working at IWJ has mad me realize that you are not a bad person if you shop at Walmart and you are not a better person if you do not shop at Walmart. In the game of life, we all have pick and choose our battles carefully. And while I limit myself as to when I shop at Walmart, given I live in a a very rural area and have no other options most of the time, I do not let myself be ignorant to the injustices being made to so many of the employees. I carry this philosophy with me with most large cooperations. I'd like to live in the world where I wouldn't have to make these decisions or have the privilege of paying more to buy American, ect. But thats not how the world is. I have accepted this, this does not mean that I like it but I'm learning to grow in this world, the world that makes you make choices that you don't want to make but have to.
This blog post is entitled "Personal Growth and Professional Victory" because I have achieved both at this point in my journey. The personal growth to accept the reality of the world and realize I am not a bad person for the some of the decisions I make has given me a lot of solace. It has also made me realize that other people are not bad people for the decisions and choices they make. Professional Victory is being able to see the fruits of organizing become a success right before my eyes, showing me that with a lot of work and little bit of luck and faith, anything is possible.
But I wanted to take this time to blog tonight on some news I just discovered this evening. Do you guys remember that delegation I was telling you all about? The one where I almost peed my pants because I was so nervous that I might get kicked out of a Walmart or arrested. Well, it turns out that the Walmart worker we were delegating and advocating for has actually seen a full-time 40 hour a week schedule since our delegation. Randall is a full time college student and full time Walmart employee who organizes with OUR Walmart (Organization United for Respect) , he articulately expressed himself to the media that day that totally blew me away. The Facebook update from OUR Walmart also noted that Randall now has enough money to purchase his books next semester. Thank goodness, we all know how awful expensive those are.
While there are few victories in community organizing, it is actually fascinating to see what works and what doesn't work and how fortunate and serendipitous some cases can be. I am not denying that the OUR Walmart organizers or IWJ do not work hard to advocate and organize but I am also saying in some cases it takes alot of luck to see successes like this happen in the labor movement. I remember the day that we went into this Neighborhood Walmart in Lakeview and remember speaking to the assistant manager there who told us her story of when she started at Walmart 6 years ago and how she got to where she was today. While the entity of Walmart and the cooperation as a whole have polices for their employees that are unfair ; the people they put in charge to manage their stories are not exactly bad people. They too have hearts, they too have compassion and while many people's experience with management is awful the pressures from the higher levels are gruesome. I wish more managers saw their roles as being important and dynamic to other people's lives. It would them make them see how they can use this force of power for good rather than evil. This is certainly something that happened at the Lakeview Walmart in addition to them seeing the supporters of organizations, religious leaders and residents behind their employees.
Since my time at IWJ, I have had a hard time wrapping myself around the habits that I have had in terms of consumerism, like millions of other Americans, I had shopped at Walmart for the connivence and felt god awful for it too. Working at IWJ has mad me realize that you are not a bad person if you shop at Walmart and you are not a better person if you do not shop at Walmart. In the game of life, we all have pick and choose our battles carefully. And while I limit myself as to when I shop at Walmart, given I live in a a very rural area and have no other options most of the time, I do not let myself be ignorant to the injustices being made to so many of the employees. I carry this philosophy with me with most large cooperations. I'd like to live in the world where I wouldn't have to make these decisions or have the privilege of paying more to buy American, ect. But thats not how the world is. I have accepted this, this does not mean that I like it but I'm learning to grow in this world, the world that makes you make choices that you don't want to make but have to.
This blog post is entitled "Personal Growth and Professional Victory" because I have achieved both at this point in my journey. The personal growth to accept the reality of the world and realize I am not a bad person for the some of the decisions I make has given me a lot of solace. It has also made me realize that other people are not bad people for the decisions and choices they make. Professional Victory is being able to see the fruits of organizing become a success right before my eyes, showing me that with a lot of work and little bit of luck and faith, anything is possible.