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In June, we partnered with New Voices Are Rising (NVR) and welcomed 3 youth externs from NVR for a four week journey centered on team building, critical reflection, discussion, land stewardship, food justice, and environmental advocacy. We talked about the importance of land acknowledgment and recognized the Indigenous lands we currently live on. Our conversations, as well as our trip to the Lake Gardens, helped youth distinguish between native and non native plant species, deepening their relationships with the environment, plants and their histories. This sparked powerful reflections and conversations on displacement and housing injustice, leading the group to center their zine project on housing injustice. Below are reflections from our externs Kalea, Malaya, and Annie who each bring their personal experiences, memorable moments and insights to this urgent issue. Kalea:
During my externship at HOPE Collaborative we learned a lot, laughed a lot, and went on many educational field trips that helped us understand the world around us in deeper ways. In the second week of the program, we started working on our zine project and chose the topic of housing justice. We named our zine “People For Housing,” inspired by Moms 4 Housing. We chose this topic because we see how housing injustice impacts many people. Homelessness, gentrification, substance abuse and mental health struggles are all connected. This can also play a huge role in a person's homelessness It is important for the recuperation of these individuals to invite consistent stability into their lives. Malaya: During my externship at HOPE Collaborative, I had the opportunity to reflect on my own experiences and learn more about the housing issues people in our community face. As a group of low income, people of color, we've all experienced housing injustice in some shape or form. From being robbed of our land, being stuck in dangerous cities, and much more. Although housing is a basic human need and right, it still isn't treated as such. Over 183,000 Californians are homeless, with two thirds of those sleeping in tents, cars, and more. And currently I face those issues right now. We've constantly jumped from apartment, to houses, to cars, just to get by. Opportunities like jobs and housing have been ripped away from us, leaving us with no choice but to sleep in our car or friend's couches. The zine People For Housing was created with the intention to inform people about the complexities of homelessness, what we can do to help those that are struggling with housing injustice, and share the knowledge we’ve learned together and offer ways to take action. Annie: My experience at HOPE Collaborative is definitely something that is new for me, but I’ve gotten comfortable quickly because of the helpful group I’m in. Going over a variety of topics such as the land we live on and the environmental impacts that we or plants create, has been helpful and given me an insight on how the world has evolved. I’m excited to see how our zine will come out with the effort of all of us, and I wish to continue to expand my knowledge on all types of things within our community.
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 My first year as the Engagement Fellow at HOPE Collaborative has been a transformative experience, centered on collaboration shaped by food and environmental justice, activism, creativity and a profound commitment to collective healing. This role has deepened my commitment to uplifting marginalized voices, voices often unseen but filled with power and potential to reshape and transform their communities. Through this work I’ve strengthened my skills as a facilitator and community organizer, reinforcing my belief in the importance of creating change that is both intentional and necessary.
The summer internship in partnership with New Voice Are Rising was particularly pivotal. It hardened my skills as a facilitator, allowing me to create activities that deepen youth understanding of these critical issues. Integrating art into our programming and youth advocacy has been a healing journey for me. It’s essential to build connections through storytelling, sharing personal narratives that resonate deeply. Leading this practice has sharpened my facilitation skills, yet I recognize there’s still much to learn as I embark on my second year in this role. One of my favorite activities to lead was a nature walk, where we familiarized ourselves with our local environment by identifying plants and trees in our local park. We researched species, distinguishing between native and invasive splints, while also addressing the availability of recycling bins, trash cans and access to drinking water. Through this activity the youth deepened their understanding of accessibility and witnessed firsthand how the impact of colonization disrupted natural ecosystems, while also seeing how environmental racism has impacted resource accessibility in underrepresented communities. This experience inspired a collective responsibility among the youth to create change in their environment as they identified the issues present in the places they inhabit. This opportunity has reminded me of the profound power of listening, truly listening to the young people working alongside me. I’ve learned to be a learner and an advocate, driven by my own experiences and care for this work. My journey began with recognizing the need for visibility and equity, and now I walk alongside youth with a shared commitment to justice. One of the most exciting aspects of this fellowship has been the opportunity to guide young people in vocalizing their stories and recognizing the injustices in their communities, particularly around health and food access in Oakland. This work has been focused on creating spaces where these challenges are made visible empowering youth to step forward and engage in transformative change. What has kept me committed during this fellowship is the possibility of continuously reimagining and dreaming, something that is often stripped away from us. In itself, it’s revolutionary, and it’s what makes this journey so meaningful. What is Disability Pride Month? Disability Pride Month, celebrated every July, honors the disability community's history, achievements, experiences, and struggles. Originating in 1990 to commemorate the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the month promotes visibility, awareness, and acceptance of the disability community. It celebrates each individual's diversity and uniqueness while advocating for equal rights and accessibility. Since the first official Disability Pride Month in July 2015, various events, parades, and educational activities have highlighted the achievements and contributions of people with disabilities, emphasizing their strengths and abilities and working towards a more inclusive society. Disability Rights vs. Disability Justice Disability Rights primarily focuses on achieving legal equality and protections for people with disabilities. The emphasis is on removing barriers and ensuring access to the same opportunities as non-disabled people through laws, policies, and advocacy. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a key example of disability rights legislation. Disability Justice, on the other hand, goes beyond legal rights to address the broader social and systemic issues that affect people with disabilities. It encompasses an intersectional approach, recognizing how various forms of oppression (such as racism, sexism, classism) intersect with ableism. Disability justice emphasizes collective liberation, community building, and the importance of lived experiences and leadership from disabled people, particularly those who are marginalized within the disability community.
The Importance of Disability Pride Month Disability Pride Month serves several purposes:
Reflections from HOPE's Co-Director Elizabeth
Elizabeth's reflections highlight the challenges of navigating work within the constraints of traditional business hours and societal expectations. She discusses the shame associated with not adhering to "normal" business hours and how adjusting her schedule to accommodate her body's needs is a form of disability justice. Elizabeth emphasizes that the limitations often attributed to disability are more about societal barriers than the disabilities themselves. She advocates for a shift in perspective, recognizing that society often imposes these limitations rather than them being inherent to the individual. Personal Experience and Chronic IllnessIn a recent interview, Elizabeth shared a personal story about struggling with chronic pain, fatigue, and illness due to Lyme disease. She discussed the challenges of maintaining a conventional work schedule and the importance of pacing herself to prevent fatigue crashes. Despite having a flexible job, she feels pressure to adhere to traditional work hours, reflecting internalized ableism and unjust societal expectations. "Doing what we need to take care of our bodies can be hard when we’ve been conditioned to see rest as laziness. I think part of the challenge is found at the intersection of capitalism and ableism, where the societal script says we must be working and productive at all times and if we can’t do that the same way as everyone else, we’re lazy." She highlighted the importance of creating work environments that accommodate different needs and schedules, challenging the capitalist standards that equate productivity with worth. Elizabeth's story underscores the need for greater understanding and flexibility in workplaces to support individuals with disabilities and chronic illnesses. "For me, it’s the worry that if I vocalize my need to prioritize pacing in my work schedule, people will question my ability to do my job... I want to talk about this more and encourage us to challenge the rules we adhere to just because we’ve never known anything else, and to think differently about how we can craft work to fit our bodies and not our bodies to fit our work, a thing Disability Justice has known for years." Disability Pride Month, Disability Rights, Disability Justice, and concepts like Crip Time all contribute to a broader understanding of the experiences and needs of people with disabilities. They promote a more inclusive, accepting, and supportive society. The pride aspect emphasizes that people with disabilities are not defined by their disabilities but by their strengths and abilities. HOPE stands with all individuals with disabilities, and we are glad to cultivate a community that is actively trying to break down the capitalist and white supremacist standards of “work-life professionalism” that we’ve all been conditioned to, where disability or illness don’t mark people as unreliable. |
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HOPE Collaborative, a Project of Tides Center is fiscally sponsored by Tides Center, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
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© Hope Collaborative. All rights reserved.