During my time working with CDAD, it has been refreshing to be surrounded by many women of color who care greatly for their community and respect each other. Everyone has been inviting and supporting interns and newcomers in adapting to the jargon and systems of CDAD. It is indeed empowering to see how much each person has accomplished and the things that they are a part of. It seems that everyone is involved in multiple organizations or projects at once that they are able to contribute passionately. I love taking part in this diverse organization that has consistently embraced differences and treats all with equity.
My mentor, alongside other staff members, encourages me to participate in meetings when I can which shows me that they value my opinions and knowledge. It is nice to not be made to feel inferior and to feel valued. I am grateful for my role.
This past week I attended a formal session and the part that stood out the most to me is public comment. People had similar concerns and shared their own stories which were moving. In addition, a large topic that was brought up constantly is the Dan Gilbert tax abatement in which the public was urging council members to not approve it. It is kind of wild to see that stark contrast between one person urging council members to help them with their housing situations followed by this 60 million dollar tax cut.
Hi Zainab,
From how y’all have described it, it sounds like the public comment section of the formal session was a pretty explicit public rejection of subsidizing Gilbert’s plans. It will be interesting to see how the Hudson site evolves and if this public sentiment extends to other projects.
Thank you for sharing! I would have to look more into the Dan Gilbert abatement since I don’t know what it is. However, I’m glad that you are having a good experience at your site so far.