Ruchita Coomar
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
UROP Fellowship: Detroit Community-Engaged Research Program
Research Mentor(s): Violet Ikonomova
Deadline Detroit
Presentation Date: Wednesday, July 29, 2020 | DCERP Showcase
Authors: Ruchita Coomar
Abstract
My name is Ruchita Coomar and I’m a rising sophomore at the University of Michigan aspiring to study public policy. For my project this summer, I had the chance to get involved with helping Deadline Detroit shine a light on the injustices of our time. Deadline Detroit is a grassroots local news agency which serves as a platform for community members on every level. During my time with Deadline Detroit, I did background research on community issues for various articles being published. During the protests I got to work on press releases and interviews with community officials and Black Lives Matter activists alike. Deadline Detroit gave me the opportunity to be present during a pandemic. Coronavirus exposed an unjust system, propped up by weak infrastructure. Within months of the pandemic, our system caved in on itself. Systemic racism, healthcare inequities, and wealth disparities are at the root of anger and frustration, that which paves the road for our own self destruction. DCERP taught me to be okay with being angry. I’ve learned a lot about how our willingness to listen shapes and forms our world view. in the long run, I’ve learned it’s okay to start over. it’s okay to dismantle and disband systems which no longer serve us, and push for better. we can’t continue to build on a shaky foundations. DCERP has given my values a social justice focus, and I feel ready and re-oriented to be apart of a large-scale shift towards equity in our country.
Research Disciplines
Social Sciences, Community-Engaged, Humanities
