S3: Ep 46: I do it because I care
Amplify Good
English - February 14, 2023 08:00 - 49 minutes - 39.5 MB - ★★★★★ - 6 ratingsNon-Profit Business Society & Culture business community diversity society nonprofit personaljourney Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Mercedes is the National Policy Organizer at UPLAN. She is a radical Black feminist who is fighting for Liberation, with a focus on breaking the school-to-prison pipeline. She came into organizing in 2017 as an Organizer at Citizen Action for New York. After founding Citizen Action’s first Rochester Chapter in 2018, the chapter went on to win its first campaign, the removal of SROs from the Rochester City School District. She was also a part of campaigns such as the Safe and Supportive Schools Act, the Campaign for Fiscal Equity, and the Campaign for Universal Childcare.
She does this work with a deep commitment to prioritizing the voices of those that are directly impacted. She is a mom of 2 and spends her free time wandering in the woods, reading socially relevant nonfiction, and trying new things, such as her latest obsessions, roller skating, and succulent gardening.
Mentor: I have had so many wonderful people who I have considered mentors. I don't think I could just pick one I want to give recognition to. But I will share some of the most important lessons I have learned from them.
1. Never dive into a campaign without a strategy.
2. Take care of yourself. There is always going to be a fire to put out. But if you are not taking care of yourself, how will you take care of your community?
3. Do not be afraid to have meetings with people in power. They are in those seats because they were chosen by the community they represent. They were put in that seat by the community and they can be removed by the community.
4. Don't be afraid to start.
5. The answer is not always yes or no. Sometimes it is both and.
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