In an office of no more than 4 people at any given time, I sit emerged in the fog of my own experiences. I live in a reality different from those in that same office based, not only on my identities (differing or the same), but also on my experiences with those identities. In reflection of the cultural environment at Nortown CDC, not uncommon to other situations, I am most aware of the identities that make me different from the people that I share the space with.
Working alongside two seasoned professionals in the grassroots nonprofit world, I notice my age often in the office and around the city. Sometimes I feel young and dumb, and sometimes I feel young and smart. Because of my age, I feel that I am simultaneously absorbing so much new knowledge, while challenging some of the techniques/practices that are attached to an office that has been run the same way for many years. In the Nortown CDC environment, I also notice my suburbanite status quite a lot. My two bosses live right next door to Nortown and we always interact with community members, so 100% of the time I am the lone suburbanite in the space. Suburbanites, in general, have a pretty bad rap around Detroit, and for good reason, so it’s interesting to navigate how to appropriately use my membership of the space. It is so important to remember that as an outsider, my job is to learn and to support the needs of the community, not take charge. The last and maybe more obvious of the identities that I notice in my work environment is my whiteness. Although my main boss is also white, the majority of folks that I/we interact with are black. I reflect often on how my whiteness effects my interactions. For example, Pat (my boss) and I went door-to-door one day handing out flyers for Save Lipke park, I felt I was not an effective partner not only because I didn’t look like the people I was trying to rally, but also because I am from the suburbs.
The reflection of ones identities (ALL OF THEM) and experiences with these identities has unsurmountable importance, regardless of situation. Awareness of your reality based on your identities leaves the space to realize that others have different and equally as important perceptions of the same space.
