Yara Shahid said that “Being a part of this reemergence of a movement both pro-diversity and pro-woman is the best part of being a Black girl. It’s more than, ‘I stand for this because I should.’ I stand for this because this is part of who I am as a human being.” Her words resonate with me in that I understand that my humanity insists that I do everything in my power to not only see the humanity in others, but to ensure that the world values their personhood. In my current life, I have worked to make sure that justice, diversity, and centering Black feminism/girlhood is the core of everything that I do. Within my school, I have served as a Diversity Fellow where we develop and implement programming to educate and affirm the diverse lived experiences of those within the school and broader community. As a Diversity Fellow, I have worked collaboratively with other Fellows while also making sure that we listen to the needs and culture of our school to effect true change and understanding. In addition, I am my class Student Senator where I am tasked with being the voice for my classmates with our administration and am a member of the Black Student Union. Truly influencing community change requires also going outside of the school to the larger community. In this, I represent my school in a county-wide initiative addressing environmental justice where we work together to identify creative ideas to address environmental problems in our community. This work includes ways in which we can engage GenZ in caring about environmental and societal issues through social media and other mediums that matter to them. I have also volunteered on state congressional campaigns and county judicial ones to make my voice heard and push for progressive political candidates. Recognizing that it takes one person to lead the charge to bring attention to an issue and effect change, in 2020, I sponsored a social media campaign and collected menstrual products to donate to middle schools serving predominantly Black and Brown Students in Cuyahoga County. In 2021, after finding out the challenges of Black Trans Youth and being disproportionately homeless, I wrote and filmed social media postings to educate others on the challenges facing Black Trans Youth and collected 25 “Survival Packets” to donate to homeless LGBT Youth in Cleveland via the Cleveland LGBT Center. On the national level, I serve on the Young Feminist National Committee (YFNC) for the National Organization for Women where my role is to lead/inform grassroots efforts and initiatives for GenZ feminists. During my time on the YFNC I have assisted in planning Campus Action Network (CANs) events, ran workshops for current/future leaders of CANs, and participated in NOWs Day of Action, where CANs across the nation all volunteer to do actions related to advocacy, like letter writing, canvassing, phone banking, etc. Daily, I am inspired by other GenZ members and older generations who speak out for the greater good. Within each of us is the power to make the world a better place. It is up to us to use that power to make a difference. As I remain inspired by others, I hope that the work that I do to change my community for the better motivates someone else to do the same.

The core of social justice activism is the belief that everyone deserves to live in a world where they are valued, have access to resources, and come from a framework of equity in which what is deemed necessary depends on the individual. Social justice activism also demands that no community should unduly suffer because of their zip code, racial identity, or other identifying markers. True justice in any movement is based upon no community suffering in order for another to do well. In an unbiased examination of history, we are able to see that failure to include and consider the needs of all people have resulted in the downfalls of cultures and the oppression of large groups. We know that our complacency in politics and the actions of government along with our often-misguided beliefs about those who differ from us have contributed to and continue to inform many of our societal ills. Many of the current crises that we are experiencing as a country are not new. We simply need to truly learn the lessons of the past. The recent COVID pandemic is reminiscent of the Spanish flu one hundred years prior. Yet, we chose not to incorporate what we learned about the dangers of downplaying a contagious disease to stave off the worst of it, in part because of the politicization of what it meant to combat the virus. As we deal with an increasing acceptance of racialized violence, our lack of studying of true history keeps many from recognizing the danger of blaming specific communities for the ills of society and the process of “othering” them. In addition, the segregation of communities has historically, and currently contributed to the lack of access to good education, healthy foods, and overall resources. The concept of social determinants of health is not new and has played out in the marginalization and lack of upward mobility of many disenfranchised communities. Yet, we minimize the need to embrace our shared humanity and to fully study these patterns of human behavior that lead us back to practices that harm large segments of the population. I have chosen to pursue a career in political science with a long-term focus on policy/advocacy work because I know the importance of having those in place who know our history and the ways in which policy can inform good or bad practices. My area of focus in political science will be on environmental justice. My interest in environmental studies/political science is rooted in racial justice activism and policy work. It goes beyond simply addressing climate change but extends to examining and combating environmental planning that results in redlining, food deserts, and other environmental impacts/practices/policies that are detrimental to my community. All of these phenomena can be avoided or preemptively addressed if we chose to truly incorporate historical lessons. In my undergraduate and eventual graduate studies, I want to hone my knowledge and skills in the areas of policy development, advocacy, and environmental sustainability practices to better serve my community.

As a Black student, I exist in a world where I am “othered” and know that society views my success as an “exception” instead of the rule. Existing in that identity, I have made it my mission to change systems and views that do not respect or value the diversity in our world. As Melbo Sephodi has said, “I want to live in a society where we are all liberated.” Although there are often efforts to “temper” voices such as mine, I am unique in that I unapologetically embrace my intersectional identity by using my voice and fighting for causes that I believe in. Being a maverick means being a change-agent, even if that means going against what others deem as your role. As a member of GenZ, I recognize that we must change the ways that systems operate to better the lives of all citizens and that doing so requires a willingness to do work on multiple activism levels. Truly making a difference also means going outside of the school to the larger community. In this, I represent my school in a county-wide initiative addressing environmental justice where we work together to identify creative ideas to address environmental problems in our community. This work includes ways in which we can engage GenZ in caring about environmental and societal issues through social media and other mediums that matter to them. I have also volunteered on state congressional campaigns and county judicial ones to make my voice heard and push for progressive political candidates. Recognizing that the impact of societal ills affects Black people even more, in 2020, I sponsored a social media campaign and collected menstrual products to donate to middle schools serving predominantly Black and Brown Students in Cuyahoga County. In 2021, after finding out the challenges of Black Trans Youth and being disproportionately homeless, I wrote and filmed social media postings to educate others on the challenges facing Black Trans Youth and collected 25 “Survival Packets” to donate to homeless LGBT Youth in Cleveland via the Cleveland LGBT Center. On the national level, I serve on the Young Feminist National Committee (YFNC) for the National Organization for Women where my role is to lead/inform grassroots efforts and initiatives for GenZ feminists. During my time on the YFNC I have assisted in planning Campus Action Network (CANs) events, ran workshops for current/future leaders of CANs, and participated in NOWs Day of Action, where CANs across the nation all volunteer to do actions related to advocacy, like letter writing, canvassing, phone banking, etc. My uniqueness is also embodied in my philosophy of not waiting around for others to take action but engages in community work and developing projects when that work does not exist elsewhere. In late 2022, I co-founded Living At the Intersections, Inc. (LATI). At the time of this application, LATI is in consideration for 501c3 status. A part of LATI’s work is developing the next generation of Mavericks by teaching other Black girls and nonbinary youth engage in innovative advocacy, and to develop programming that meets their needs.

My career goal is to engage in public policy/advocacy work with a focus on environmental justice. In my current life, I have worked to make sure that justice, diversity, and centering Black feminism/girlhood is the core of everything that I do. Within my school, I have served as a Diversity Fellow and represented my school at the national Student Diversity Leadership Conference. In addition, I am my class Student Senator and am a member of the Black Student Union. Within the larger community, I represent my school in a county-wide initiative addressing environmental justice. I am a member of the ACLU, NAACP, and the Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence. I have also volunteered on state congressional campaigns and county judicial ones. Recognizing that the impact of societal ills affects Black people even more, in 2020, I sponsored a campaign and collected menstrual products to donate to middle schools serving predominantly Black and Brown Students in Cuyahoga County. In 2021, I collected 25 “Survival Packets” to donate to homeless LGBT Youth in Cleveland via the Cleveland LGBT Center. On the national level, I serve on the Young Feminist Committee for the National Organization for Women. Knowing that if it does not exist, you must create it, in late 2022, I co-founded Living At the Intersections, Inc. (LATI). The work of LATI centers on authentically providing space and education for and regarding Black girls and nonbinary youth; helping to create a world in which they can do more than exist.