Weeks 7+8:
Finishing Up and Reflections in Bullets

Hey blog, it’s been a long time coming! I’ve finished the film and have been communicating with Willis Dady. Been spending alot of time lately reflecting on what I’ve gained from my fellowship although not every realization, I feel, would or could fit into a nicely-woven and thematic blog post. So alas – here are some bullet points. I apologize in advance for the disjointedness. Hope you get something from it anyway.

• This has been a summer of setting boundaries and prioritizing what I feel is important. Sometimes that hasn’t been my fellowship requirements or summer classwork. Oftentimes it has been what is best for the community in which I live. This summer I’ve focused on setting aside time to do what I want to do, not have to do; and in turn I’ve seen my own work abilities grow.

• Non-profit work is inherently political. There is no isolated and alienated issue like “homelessness.” Housing Justice is racial justice. Housing Justice is economic justice. Housing Justice is healthcare. I’m so, so grateful for the opportunity to be with Willis Dady and to witness the inner workings of a non-profit organization. I’m even more thankful that I’m walking out of my fellowship knowing that if I am to seek a non-profit career, I want and need to be in an organization that purports a kind of inter-sectional, politically active work. Advocacy and social services go hand in hand.

• Working on this film as a way to uplift the voices of the homeless in Cedar Rapids has been wonderful. But in doing this project, I am filling a gap that shouldn’t exist in the first place – a gap between the most marginalized members of a community and the people that are supposed to serve them. A gap between houseless residents and housed residents. A gap that won’t be filled by a random college intern, but vital community building work and radical listening on the part of city and county leaders. If Cedar Rapids city officials took the time to listen to and meet the needs of those experiencing homelessness, Willis Dady wouldn’t have to.

All that being said, it’s been an incredible summer and one I’ll look back on for years to come.

Hope you’re all safe and well. Stay cool out there.