[Where Justice and Storytelling meet]
“If you have come here to help me you are wasting your time, but if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.” (Aboriginal activists group, Queensland, 1970s)
I was an undergrad student in St. Louis when Michael Brown was murdered in Ferguson on August 9th of 2014. In an attempt to understand what was unfolding in the city I had grown to love, I grabbed my camera and walked into the streets. For the next year, I followed activists, organizations, and friends with my camera. While taking photographs of actions, town hall meetings, and events, I learned an immeasurable amount about justice, organizing, and the power of storytelling. These experiences formed a passion for using storytelling to help bridge the gap between different groups and polarized views.
My passion for helping people find common ground led me to a job working for a non-profit organization as a college student adviser and Chaplin. In this role, I organized a group of queer staff to advocate for organizational policy that would allow for a more equitable work environment. I also counseled LGBTQ+ college students to navigate the complex dynamics of religious organizations and hyper-religious families. Over these years I have accumulated a plethora of experience in student advising, event planning, resource development, and organizational systems.