Walk The Talk Internship

One of the most rewarding experiences is when we register young voters; those who just turned 18 years old and are excited to finally be considered adults.

At the East Hills Mall in Bakersfield we find many of these young men and women, and the last thing on their minds is finding political activism at the mall. But we give them the opportunity to take that step to real responsibility.

“I thought they just didn’t care and that they were indifferent,” said Ruth Calvillo, one of our teammates, “but I think it’s because they don’t know when, where or how to vote.”

So when we go to the mall and ask them to register, sometimes they are a little hesitant. It takes a little encouragement from family members to do so.

Once, we asked a woman to register to vote.

“No puedo,” she said. She said she couldn’t register because she was not a citizen.

She then turns around to look at her daughter and said, “but she can.”
“Ay, ma!” said her daughter.

“You should do it since YOU can. If I could I would too.”

The daughter just smiled at her mom. She turned to us and said, “What do you need to know?” Another new voter!

But if the family is not there to encourage them, we are.

“I think we are like role models to them because they are getting the encouragement to vote from us rather than their parents,” Ruth said.

For whatever reasons, not many young people are voting. Some vote for the presidential elections and they are done. They miss out on truly changing their communities and making decisions at the local level. When we are out in the store fronts, we encourage local politics and involvement.

This appeals to some of the young people because they feel they have more power and more control of their lives, and what a better way than registering to vote to start their lives as adults.

As they sign the voter registration form, their look on their face shows their excitement “I am a voter…, hear me roar!”

Tucked away in a corner of Long Beach, there are neighborhoods suffering in silence. These poorly represented communities lie dormant as their air remains unbreathable and regularly ripe with the stench of gasoline.

This past weekend, a group of interns for the Fair Air Campaign walked local Long Beach precincts to gain support for the campaign. Armed with pens, postcards, and a pitch, we set out to educate the community about their air. How silly of us. We were the ones that were to be educated.

Walking the streets, you see children playing in the street, residents walking around and lounging in front of their homes. At first glance, many wouldn’t think of this as a place plagued with poor air. But sadly, it is.

This neighborhood is primarily composed of Hispanic and African American families, situated nicely between the 405 and 710 freeways. Over the hill, you can spot a refinery, callously puffing smoke and chemicals into the air.

As we talked to each resident, they all separately told us a similar story. Countless people told us of the strong smell of gasoline that had filled their air as recently as the day before. Many feared an explosion at the refinery. Apparently this wasn’t a far-fetched idea. We learned that a few years back, the nearby refinery had exploded, shaking the neighborhood like an earthquake and shattering glass in their windows.

Everything that we had researched for the campaign became clear during the canvassing. We met children with asthmatic problems, residents furious with the quality of air, and even came across many who worked for the refineries or the ports. It became evident where loyalties lied and how it affected this communities. The families needed to be fed somehow and the prospect of a paycheck sometimes seems more beneficial than clean air. And this is where our problem lies: where people have to choose between their stomachs and their lungs. Between feeding their children or watching them grow up with respiratory diseases.

Though there is overwhelming support for clean air reform, many of this families (the majority of which only speak Spanish), have to make a living somehow. This is a battle that needs to be fought and may not be resolved in the near future, but in time their may be some hope for these communities.

The Fair Air Campaign hopes to show these neighborhoods that their voices count and that speaking up will result in change. During that single day we collected over 200 postcards, which are destined for the Long Beach Mayor’s office. We’re building up the campaign to influence lawmakers to improve air quality in California and with the help of resident such as these, we will succeed.

I am a voter, here me roar!

Stomach and Lungs

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I am a voter, here me roar!

Stomach and Lungs

Latest News

Latest bulletins

uddeIM Mailbox

CB Online