This Juneteenth we’re proud to begin a series of features to amplify diverse voices from Steelcase community partners. Black Lives Matter – as do black voices. Nia, an alum of West Michigan Center for Arts and Technology, shares her reflection:

“I commonly hear the sentiment that, although people of color are angry about the injustices that they’ve experienced for the entirety of this country’s history, that rioting and destruction is not a justifiable response. Far too often though, people look at the ‘what’ and not the ‘why’ in people’s motives, and I think the riots in Grand Rapids as a result of George Floyd’s murder were treated no differently. In my eyes, the boarded-up windows downtown were a symbol of exasperation and frustration with the systemic racism that black people experience daily; it was a breaking point that demanded everyone to take it seriously. I created this piece to be intentionally uncomfortable and very much not beautiful.

The boards on which I painted were there because of centuries of struggle, not so that I could cover them up with flowers. The lyrics I painted were written before both of my parents were born, and it’s disgusting how much truth they still hold. I have learned how to express my truths through art from years of being taught how to speak my mind creatively, most notably through attending WMCAT classes for four years where I practiced making propaganda posters and painting murals throughout my high school career. Visual art is the best way that I know how to communicate, and I am extremely grateful that I had the opportunity to scream as loud as I possibly could with this piece because I believe that art will always be a part of the revolution.” — Nia

Support WMCAT’s mission by making a donation here .

The next feature in our amplifying diverse voices series is Dr. David Pilgrim, VP for Diversity and Inclusion at Ferris State University and founder and curator of the Jim Crow Museum, located on Ferris State University’s campus in Big Rapids, Michigan. Dr. Pilgrim states: ⁠
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“Compassion is not pity, not even empathetic pity. There is arrogance and haughty pride in pitying others. Compassion is when we are confronted with another’s suffering and we suffer with them. Their pain is ours. We are motivated to relieve their suffering. When we feel true compassion, we help those who suffer, not as a cathartic release, but because it breaks our heart that they are hurting. I have not always known or believed these things, but I am thankful that I do now.” ⁠

⁠Learn about the Jim Crow Museum and how you can support its mission here: https://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/

Our next Amplifying Diverse Voices feature is Mariela Benavides Espronceda, National Coordinator of Strategic Partnerships for TECHO, a Steelcase community partner in Mexico. Mariela reflects on an insight she has gained from her critical work transforming slums into thriving communities across Latin America:⁠
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“My time working in human settlements has taught me that in Latin America, racism disguises itself as classism, as if this were somehow better, but the fact that poverty in our countries is also highlighted by skin color is forgotten. That is why I have come to understand that social justice must be fundamentally linked to eliminating racism from our systems, both political and social, once we achieve this battle we will understand that the root was there.”⁠

“El tiempo que llevo trabajando con asentamientos urbanos me ha enseñado que en Latinoamérica el racismo se disfraza de clasismo, como si por alguna razón esto fuera mejor; olvidamos el hecho de que la pobreza en nuestros países se distingue también por el color de piel. Este es el motivo por el cual entendí que la justicia social debe estar estrechamente relacionada con la erradicación del racismo en nuestros sistemas, tanto políticos como sociales, y solo cuando ganemos esta batalla entenderemos que la raíz se encontraba ahí.”⁠
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To support TECHO’s mission, visit: https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/building-for-mexico/

Our next Amplifying Diverse Voices feature is Valeria Gonzalez, a NextGen student leader for HATCH. Valeria helped pass the first Student Bill of Rights for the Los Angeles Unified school district – the second largest in the U.S. Here’s how she described her experience:⁠
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“Within the compassionate and driven community there, the Student Bill of Rights was born during our lab sprint at the 2019 HATCH Montana Summit. Following the summit, my mentor and I carried on the ambitions, first partnering with a national youth organization, the Junior State of America, to gain student insights and draft the Student Bill of Rights using student voice. We developed more partnerships with the Los Angeles Unified School District school board members and the Superintendent Student Advisory Council that ultimately led to the school board’s unanimous passing of this student-authored bill for the second largest school district in the country on Tuesday, June 23, 2020.⁠

The passing of the Student Bill of Rights was an especially empowering moment for all of the students that had worked on it, as they had helped develop legislation that would protect countless of their peers and be the foundation for further change.⁠
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With HATCH, I feel my humanity is embraced in all forms. Leaving the Montana summit as a more realized person and continuing as a NextGen leader now facilitating a remote HATCH Impact Lab design sprint for the future of education, I feel all the more capable to not only expand our Student Bill of Rights nationwide but all efforts to support a better future for this world.”⁠
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Learn more and support HATCH’s mission at https://hatchexperience.org/partners/support-contribute/