Community Partner: United Workers Intern: Tarah Fitzgerald Site Supervisors: Rachel Cutler
What is United Workers? The United Workers is a non‐partisan poor people’ s multi‐racial and bilingual human rights organization fighting to secure the human rights of everyone, everywhere. We do this by organizing low‐wage workers around human rights values of respect, dignity, and sanctity of human life, and by developing leaders from the ranks of the poor.
Today I attended a church service held by my dear friend and now, fellow United Worker, Pastor Alice. This is not a regular occurrence. Truthfully, I embraced my teenage anarchist years, and happily followed my divergent peers to jump off the great heavenly bridge into the murky atheist waters years ago. In fact, the ease in which I was able to repress back into my sunday-best this morning was enough to trigger a mid-youth crisis. At 9 AM I found myself, not just receiving the holy eucharist, but receiving it for a second time at my second service of the day. I think it’ s safe to say this is not where I pictured myself a year ago. I am reminded of the diverted path I chose, not too long ago, as I stare down at the foreign words I once had memorized. I stood isolated in a room I had been in a countless number of times; I volunteer at the homework club that meets there every Monday, I attend the community meetings hosted there every month, and yet today I felt like a puppy treading water for the first time. What drew me back into the house of faith? It wasn’ t the fear of God or of what happens after death. It was my job. I voluntarily went to church at 9 in the morning in order to petition, on behalf of United Workers. As you can see, I love my job. I love it enough to not only agree to go into work at 9 AM on a Sunday, but enough to even look forward to the service. Don’ t get me wrong, United Workers didn’ t turn me religious. However, working as a community organizer I learned the importance of connecting with the community on their terms, and in their settings of comfort and trust. Pastor Alice, is the pastor at the Guardian Angel Church in Remington, where I have spent the last 8 weeks canvassing and organizing in order to cultivate community engagement and assess the need or want for community driven development. I never thought I would find a job so in tune with who I was. I can’ t imagine a better placement. I have become so devoted to my work that I feel as though I too, am a Remington resident, and Remington’ s future is as important to me as the prospects of my hometown neighborhood in Brooklyn. I never thought my dedication to community service and my extroverted friendly nature would prepare me so well for my career. I can’ t wait to continue my path as a community organizer and can only hope to again experience a job that motivates me enough to make such sacrifice and challenge myself in order to progress and succeed in my work. I am privileged to have experienced an internship at United Workers and I promise to do everything in my power to bend this privilege in the direction of justice.- Tarah
Tasks:
● Assisted in a petition dri Affordable Housing Trus Baltimore City Budget.
● Canvassed Remington re housing concerns.
● Worked on uniting the R Neighborhood through c community events to fin address these housing c the creation and implem driven solutions.