GO! Reflections Spring 2021
GO! Chicago
Dream it.
This pandemic has taken a lot from us, but the Global Outreach office has put in the work to ensure that Fordham students are able to remain connected, not only to each other but also to the Fordham values of “men and women for others”. This semester, I am leading the GO! Chicago project that is focused on fighting racism through an LGBTQ+ lens. Fighting against systemic racism, homophobia, and transphobia is always difficult, but my team has been educating themselves in ways that I couldn’t have even imagined to be possible over Zoom. Staying connected to the larger issues in our country is not always an easy task, but participating in GO! gives you a clear path to stand in solidarity with those communities that Fordham has partnered with.
The spiritual, emotional, and mental growth that my team and I have gone through during the first half of this project has been astonishing. We are learning first hand what a world connected by the internet can do. We can connect with the Brother Darst Center, our partner community, all the way in Chicago for our weekly meetings. We can hear speakers in Chicago give us enriching speeches and create productive dialogues on the impacts of racism on the LGBTQ+ community while we sit in New York. While the semester continues, I ask that you keep your eyes open to the injustices around you, constantly challenge your own privilege, and educate yourself on the issues facing this country that may not directly affect you.
~ Rachele Lena, FCRH class of 2022
GO! Bronx is Blooming
It is amazing how, once you start learning about something, you begin to recognize it everywhere.
I am speaking, of course, about a stubborn little reed called Phragmites australis— though I am not sure “little” is a very good descriptor for this particular plant. It’s actually quite tall, stretching between fifteen and twenty feet high according to my team’s estimation at our in-person engagement last weekend. We were tasked with the job of removing the Phragmites from a small pond in Crotona Park, donning waders and battling the plant with clippers.
Prior to the past few weeks, I had never heard of Phragmites. However, its influence stretches across the United States, as it multiplies quickly (and often uncontrollably). Unchecked, this plant can crowd out other important organisms and decrease biodiversity. Yesterday, I was in the car and I noticed Phragmites everywhere— along the side of the road, creeping into parks and farmlands. Before my close encounter with the Phragmites, I had never really noticed it before, but now I saw that it was everywhere.
I think the same can be said about many problems our world and our nation face. People, myself included, may be blinded by privilege and fail to see the ubiquity of problems that they believe do not affect them. But just like Phragmites can destroy an ecosystem when left unchallenged, injustice against any member of society affects all of society. And it must be challenged daily. When we educate ourselves so that we can recognize injustice, that is the first step toward building a society in which all people can thrive— just like a balanced ecosystem allows a diversity of plants to thrive.
~Emma Paolini, FCRH class of 2021
If that tree were to try and bloom every year, then it would never be as productive as it could be if it paced itself.
Deciduous trees do not blossom every year, nor do they bloom alone. Rather, many deciduous trees within a certain vicinity of each other will communicate and decide together if it will be worth the immense amount of energy to bloom in any given year. Recently, an expert on eco-spirituality shared this bit of knowledge with our GO! team at our weekly meeting. We were then asked to reflect on how these unique properties of deciduous trees can be seen in our project and individual lives. The understanding that followed proved to me once again that we have a lot to learn from trees.
Too often I find myself and those around me falling into an echo chamber of toxic productivity, where you are not doing enough unless you are doing the most. This constant exertion takes a lot out of a person, much like the energy required for a deciduous tree to blossom. If that tree were to try and bloom every year, then it would never be as productive as it could be if it paced itself. Similarly, if you continually pour all of your energy into learning about and working for justice in its many forms without any rest, then you will never produce anything truly fruitful. Now, it can be hard to tell when and where that limit is, even for deciduous trees. But, they have other trees to help them make the right decision, and our GO! team has each other to help find the balance.
So far in our project we have had weather cancelations and COVID complications, and undoubtedly more will occur as we continue our work with Bronx is Blooming. These unforeseen circumstances can be frustrating. However, deciduous trees remind us that not working today will allow us to achieve even more tomorrow. And, by working as one and not as individuals, we will be able to complete whatever we set out to achieve.
~Karin Schroeder, FCRH class of 2024
GO! El Salvador
Grow
Hi everyone! My name is Alleyah Ally and I’m a second-year student at FCLC studying Political Science with minors in Spanish and Theology. I was a participant on GO! El Salvador in January 2020 and I am currently involved with GO! El Salvador again, as the team leader this semester. I’m also currently on the GO! E-Board at Lincoln Center, serving as the Networking & Social Media Coordinator. One of my biggest takeaways from GO! is the importance of sustained solidarity with communities that have been marginalized. Oftentimes, it’s quite easy to let life get in the way and solidarity fall by the wayside. But solidarity is fostered by cultivating and sustaining relationships with people and organizations that you want to learn from. That was one of my main reasons for choosing to lead the El Salvador project this semester. I’ve met with our community partner, CRISPAZ many times before and I want to grow that relationship. I’ve learned from organizations like Pro-Busqueda who are dedicated to searching for children that were displaced during the Salvadoran civil war, and UNES, where the team learned about the impact climate change is having on El Salvador right now. Sustained solidarity can manifest itself in many different ways, from choosing to participate in a GO! project to everyday actions & reflections, like discussing what you’ve learned with your loved ones, reflecting on the injustices within your own community & taking sustainable actions towards improving your community whilst uplifting people whose voices have continually been silenced. I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotes from Lila Watson: “If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time, but if you believe your liberation is bound with mine then let us work together.”
Alleyah Ally, FCLC class of 2023
This project means a lot to me personally…
Hello! I'm Afrah Bandagi and I'm a sophomore at FCLC. I'm a Philosophy and Political Science double major and a Peace and Justice Studies minor. I'm also part of the GO! El Salvador project with the Community for Center Engaged Learning! Through GO! El Salvador, I and my other members are learning about the history, economy, and culture of El Salvador. We are specifically doing a dive into the social justice issues present as well. Our goal is to learn and to listen to and amplify Salvadorian voices. When the project finishes, our solidarity will not! We hope to use our newfound knowledge to help create meaningful change. This project means a lot to me personally as through this project, I have been able to further understand what the nature of community work should be and how to navigate paternalism and privilege when trying to do social justice work. I have also learned much about Salvadorian issues that are not being discussed by mainstream American media which I might not be personally exposed to otherwise. This helps us to properly become allies and be educated about global issues. In today's increasingly interconnected society, being informed about global issues is a necessary step in solving any issues anywhere. I hope to do work that GO! embodies in the future in whatever outlet I can!
~ Afrah Bandagi, FCLC class of 2023
For me, Global Outreach is a safe place that I go to learn about important topics which effect all of humanity. GO!
My name is Sera Allen. I am expected to graduate in the spring of 2023 from Fordham College at Rose Hill. I am a current English major. The project I am a part of this spring semester of 2021 is GO! El Salvador. I was also a part of GO! Bronx in the fall semester of 2019. For me, Global Outreach is a safe place that I go to learn about important topics which effect all of humanity. GO! teaches me about problems in communities which I would otherwise not interact with much. For me, GO makes me aware of the problems which plague a disproportionate amount of people. These problems include immigration, climate change, socioeconomic circumstances, corrupt politics, etc. GO has taught me that it is not “us” and “them;” rather, it is “we.” By standing in solidarity with such communities I interact with for GO, I recognize that my fortunate circumstances are not guaranteed, and that it is no one’s fault for living a certain way. These unfortunate circumstances of poverty, for example, could happen to anyone. There is no need to isolate certain communities just because of their economic standing. Issues which plague those that live in poverty are not just issues of the poor. These societal issues effect everyone. The human race is one, and we must support and uplift one another, regardless of social class, race, gender, religion, etc. GO has also emphasized the importance of not going in to “help” or do “charity.” Rather, the aim of GO is to learn how to sustain lasting change, which starts from within oneself.
~ Sera Allen, FCRH class of 2023
My noodle arms and I cannot dismantle oppressive systems
My name is Kate, and I’m a sophomore at FCRH. My studies are a mouthful: I’m a pre-law anthropology major with a dual minor in Spanish and Latino studies. That’s a long winded way of saying I’m on track to be an immigration lawyer, which, as you can imagine, has inspired me to engage with projects like that of GO! El Salvador. I’m a sufferer of helper syndrome, in that I put my own needs aside to help others (to a point that my health is at risk, on exciting occasions.) So, then, when faced with issues that I cannot help, that my help is unwanted, even, I face a sort of existential crisis. Logically, it makes sense that a petite 20yo girl cannot “help” the crises facing El Salvador. My noodle arms and I cannot dismantle oppressive systems. That feeling of helplessness has been difficult and demoralizing, but perhaps it’s best that such paternalistic notions are shattered. My white savior complex is forged in years of colonialism and the white man’s burden. I need to embrace that uncomfortable feeling and disappointing truth, and simply exist in solidarity with nations like El Salvador. I can help by acknowledging that I cannot help.
~ Kate, FCRH class of 2023
Global Focus
Hi, my name is Jacob Weinberg, and I am a freshman at the Rose Hill campus. I plan on majoring in International Political Economy with a global business focus. I am part of GO! El Salvador this semester and has been hugely influential in what I want to learn about in college. The project has provided both a point of personal introspection and a community source in really trying times. CRISPAZ provides a fountain of knowledge and exposure that I have never found a program whose passion and purpose are so evident. All of the members and leaders are insightful and helpful, and dedicate themselves to seeing a different world. Personally, the upperclassman and leaders have meshed into this weird mentor but also peer that both inspire me and make me laugh. And the lessons and the thinking that GO! has inspired me to become more involved in both my community and the world at large.
~ Jacob Weinberg, FCRH class of 2024
This experience has both challenged and inspired me to become a better member of our global community
Hello everyone! My name is Allyson McCann and I am a part of the class of 2024 at Fordham’s Rose Hill Campus. Currently, I am looking to major in either social work or psychology. This semester I began my first Global Outreach Project with GO! El Salvador. Throughout the semester, I have had the privilege of cultivating relationships with our El Salvador partner, Crispaz, along with other team members. This experience has both challenged and inspired me to become a better member of our global community. When striving for social justice, it is often easy to want to dive head first into service. However, this project has taught me that in order to serve with others and not for others we must first foster solidarity. Each week, Crispaz has introduced us to different organizations within El Salvador to meet and learn from community members who are working to change the issues facing El Salvador today. Afterwards, we are able to reflect on and discuss what we have learned. The ultimate goal is not to help, but rather simultaneously empower each other through creating and sustaining these relationships. GO! El Salvador has reconstructed the way I view service while furthering my passion for social justice. Whether working with global or local communities, education and solidarity must be at the forefront of our efforts to build sustainable relationships and change. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the GO! El Salvador project and look forward to continuing to learn and build solidarity with my team and our partners.
~ Allyson McCann, FCRH class of 2024