Our Own Narratives Speak For Themselves

Each of us are undoubtably miraculous. The very fact that we live and breathe as a byproduct of infinite forces conspiring together makes my heart palpitate. Paul Hawken said, "Stop for a moment. Feel your body. One septillion activities going on simultaneously, and your body does this so well you are free to ignore it." Do you know that you are made of magic?

As I gain my footing in my last semester of college, I am realizing that the bread crumb trail I've been following has led me to a place of genuine hope. I can't explain in words what it feels like to gain access to a deeper understanding of myself and the world around me. Language just can't pull this one off. I grabbed books off of shelves that unexpectedly opened secret doors, leading me to people and places I had no idea my heart missed.

For my Service Learning project I will be interviewing members of the houseless community that are affiliated with AHHA, the Affordable Homeless Housing Alternatives collective. The organization is currently working on the bureaucratic process of creating a tiny house village in Arcata, CA, as a means of providing transitional housing for those suffering from homelessness in the community.  

What I hope to gain from this opportunity is the profound understanding that individual narrative matters, and is a powerful tool that can be used for transformative social change. The stigmatization of homelessness has never made sense to me. However, with a new framework of understanding that I gained through my higher education, I am able to identify the symbiotic relationship between the social construction of blame placed on the individual and the perpetuation of systemic oppression.