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-035-
THE ACTIVISTS
Wi
of the unlimited commuter meal plan
for Speliman students and 14,000 free
meal plans a year for commuting More
house students.
Hector says her proudest organizing ef
fort was, “Definitely the 6-day hunger
strike! When my organization (NAN) or
ganized that hunger strike at Spelman
and Morehouse, many members were
afraid of how the administration would
treat them moving forward. I won’t lie
and act like my relationships with some
people aren’t different now, because
some are.
"However, now commuter students at
Spelman can walk in the cafe and
eat, and frankly that’s
all that matters. That
was the most epic
action with real
results on
/ campus by
far and I
am be-
y o n d
K*
proud.”
Hector’s
views
work are clear
and evident. Hec
tor manages to bal
ance school, work,
life and play in the
best way she knows
how.
“The hardest part
about organizing and activism is when
the very people you fight for will say
you’re not working hard enough,” Hec
tor says. “They’ll complain when you
don’t move how they want you to. They’ll
only see the awards and the glamor but
they won’t see how lonely you are. You
go against these systems of power and
you are completely isolated. I am still
working on finding balance in my life. It
may look like I have it all together, but
I don’t.”
For River Lewis, activism looks differ
ent. Focusing primarily on Atlanta’s
inner-city youth, Lewis wants the next
generation to know that someone cares.
This, along with the advice from his
grandmother, led him to start Operation
Summer Exposure.
“She told me that God doesn’t always
have time to be here so he blesses oth
ers knowing that they are going to bless
more people," Lewis says. “So I always
look at life like that, you know, in a
sense of I need to bless more so that I
can receive more so that I able to bless
even more. It’s putting that good, posi
tive energy within the universe to get it
back."
Nowadays, ripping kids away from their
electronics can seem like an impossible
task. Enter Operation Summer Expo
sure. The summer program gives inner
city youths the opportunity to engage in
outdoor activities like rock climbing and
canoeing.
Capitalizing on the AUC’s party culture,
he also began throwing social events
with a community service twist. Most
recently, Lewis held a canned food drive
in the form of a day party. Rather than
charge for admission, Lewis requested
that entrants bring a canned food.
"We go out and we spend all this money
on buying sections at the club, buying
bottles and things like that but we can
party and do all that and have it geared
towards the community so it’s uplifting
so, in a sense, it’s helping the commu
nity,” Lewis says. “And we’re still par
tying and having fun and all that at the
same time.”
James Spikes, likes Lewis, takes a dif
ferent approach to activism. Named
Bonner Senior Intern prior to the start
of 2017-18 school year, his work over
the past four years has finally been
recognized. The recognition, however,
doesn’t motivate the Houston native.
Spikes’ true motivation happens to be
giving a voice to the voiceless. His work
with homeless shelters and inner-city
youths attest to this.
“I work to liberate others by asserting
that the future belongs to those who
have choice,” Spikes says. “I believe
that choice is a product of knowledge
and by creating an environment where
knowledge thrives you’ve created an op
portunity for liberation.
“In order to create this environment,
you have to adapt a sense of commu
nity. You have to be willing to listen to
those that often go unheard. This mat
ters because no one deserves to go un
heard or without choice.”
It is this work that makes Spikes
unique. Whereas Gaines and Hector at
tack injustice head on, Spikes focuses
on working with those most affected by
racism and prejudice. Only through the
efforts of both sides will this country
ever reach a place of understanding.
“Having a deep concern about the wel
fare of others and the existence of in
justice can be overwhelming and psy
chologically taxing,” says Spikes. “It’s
important to acknowledge that there
is good in the world and that although
injustice exists, so does liberty and op
portunity."