This week was a fun one. We threw Night Out for Safety and Liberation (NOSL) here in the Fruitvale, which was an absolute blast! Every year, EBC holds this event, and we invite community members in to reimagine what safety looks like without increased policing. This event plays off the National Night Out that police stations hold every year across the country; rather than feeding into the idea that we just need to talk to cops to get them to better understand us, the Ella Baker Center invites us to reimagine public safety entirely, This year, this took the form of free food, free books, free haircuts, voter registration, political education, and fun and games for the kids. We also had a variety of poets and performers to lead us in thinking about our community values and how we can collectively work to realize them.

My LiA experience culminated with my interview stand at NOSL. Here I set up a camera and asked people 'what does safety mean to you?' I really loved talking to people and hearing the variety in responses; this experience made me realize that telling and documenting stories is a strength I have and gave some direction in my ongoing quest to find where my skills fit into the movement. It was so lovely to talk to people and learn about their lives, hopes, and dreams, and I will carry that experience with me.

Now, I am working on creating a video that compiles these answers into something that EBC can use to promote their work. With any project, there are things I could've done differently. Looking back at this footage, I realize I should've used a different mic setup, adjusted for background noise, etc. While it's frustrating that this limits what footage I can use, I am trying to remind myself that this is my first time doing something like this, so it's okay! 

Beyond the excitement of my video project, it was just so amazing to gather with the EBC community. It's really inspiring to see how hard everyone at this organization works, and this was the one time all summer when we could all come together. Feeling grateful for this team and excited to wrap up the summer!