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In the midst of the 2020 pandemic, the work never stopped at Power U, through the relationships from members, staff, and supporters. Power U had over 80+ member applicants. This year’s signups brought the largest incoming member class in Power U’s history!
These prospective members soon underwent over 30+ hours of training and political education in some of the following areas:
And many more topics relative to their upcoming work in our phases.
After completing our Orientation sessions in January & February we welcomed 30+ new members into our organization. These members signed contracts committing to the community organizing work ahead and received their exclusive Power U swag.
Orientation 2021 has taught me so much about the work it takes to be an organizer and to work for justice in your community. It has also made me become closer with other members and build new friendships and relationships, which I’m very grateful for.
I feel like Orientation 2021 reminds me of why I’m doing this work. And I have transformed to be more vulnerable and confident.
I’ve gained more confidence in speaking my opinion, but also accepting others. I’ve also gotten to know more about causes I already identify with from not just an emotional place but actually being able to articulate the facts that surround them.
This year, we also have our Inaugural Power Building Leads cohort – four members who will serve as leads for the canvassing cycle and who will engage in research halls, coaching for other members, and who will be leading and hosting virtual house meetings for local residents we canvass.
After months of canvassing and speaking to the community at the doors, our members developed their campaigns. We began to prepare for the annual MDCPS budget hearing with a series of community town halls and workshops in preparation. At the town hall events, we invited those who came to hear more about each committee and more specific steps on getting involved with issues they cared for. As a follow-up, our members placed calls and sought commitments from those who have shown out or expressed interest to show up at the MDCPS budget hearing on July 28th alongside Power U.
Leading up to July 28th we held workshops with Dream Defenders to educate community members on the budget process. Throughout these times we saw parents, people vying for public office, teachers, and more in our held collective spaces. On the day of the budget hearing, we held a pep rally outside the MDCPS building. During this pep rally, we had tunes and ice cream provided by Ben & Jerry’s. Once we made it into the MDCPS budget hearing Power U filled the house. A sea of green shirts returned and as testimonies began each member and supporter stepped to the podium to give their testimony. Power U made up over 90% of the public speaking portion with only 5 other speakers from outside our organization. We are extremely proud of our young folks and many of those who spoke publicly for the first time. We will continue to be in conversations with members of the MDCPS school board with hopes to see the items addressed at the second budget hearing in September.
Reflecting on my time at the school board, I can say it was an interesting experience with its shares of good and bad moments. Starting off hearing my peers’ amazing speeches as they talked about their personal stories and hearing shared experiences gave me the confidence to get through mine. And seeing the support we gave each other was such a beautiful moment for me as well. But as we told our stories I was disappointed to see how the school board members were hardly paying attention and were mainly on their phones. And for the few moments they were paying attention they would roll their eyes and show how displeased they were at what we were saying. Something else that i didn’t enjoy was when they took credit for what works Power U and the work they do for the youth in shaping, but before they could go on, a member of the dream defenders stood up and gave credit to PowerU and the work we do. Overall, I still had a good time with my members and thinking back to the great moments that day
Speaking at the budget hearing on July 28th was an experience I will never forget. My nerves were all over the place, constantly going back over my speech and critiquing my writing. I honestly didn’t know if I would be able to go through with testifying that morning. I was able to find strength and courage through my peers and their testimonies. Hearing Mya, Karla, and Hazel expose their feelings and simply be vulnerable was the jump I needed within myself to speak. Being able to release all the musing and pondering that had built up over my time in Dade schools was freeing.