Social Justice Interview

I interviewed Abdelaziz Hassan, aka Zezo, who has been the race and social justice LCA for the past two years. During this interview Billie was present. I wanted to begin the interview with a small ice breaker, so I suggested we could state a happy and a crappy thing that we were experiencing. I think this was a good way to warm up the conversation. I learned that the most rewarding thing about being an LCA, for Zezo, was the connections he gained. His most important connection was the relationship he developed with his residents. Zezo also mentioned the networking he developed with professionals and organizations by being an LCA. Through this, I began to understand how being an LCA goes beyond resident life and can open opportunities that …show more content…
I have learned to be very conscious of things that I say and how I say it. A skill that comes to mind, is “calling someone in”. The environment where I grew up, taught me to call people out. Unfortunately, this only created conflict and hostility. I have learned that calling someone out does not solve the issue, because the issue is not able to be fully addressed. By calling someone in, you are not criticizing someone's behavior. Instead you are inquiring and trying to understand someone’s thoughts or actions. By doing this, a dialogue is opened and the issue can be examined. I think the most important thing I have learned about calling people in, is it causes the person who is being called in to reflect. Through reflection, the individual can reexamine their own ideology with a different lense. I think this is more helpful than calling someone out because it makes the individual realize their own errors. If someone is telling you that your ideas are wrong, a natural instinct is to become defensive. This often causes people to shut down their ability to listen to what another person is telling them, because they feel they must argue or stand up for themselves. I believe this is an important concept, especially for the race and social justice FRINQ, if I wish to help students push for social change. Change can not happen by attacking other people’s views. Social change begins at the personal level through one on one conversation and communication. In connection to dialogue, language can also be a way to be more open to diversity. I have to keep in mind that the residents I will be working with, are all going to be different in their own way. I must also remember that, as incoming freshman, the residents are all going through a pivotal transition period in their lives. Therefore, language that is inclusive and welcoming will help residents feel more at ease during this potentially