Reflection on Do the Work

Reflection on Do the Work

April 2, 2021 Uncategorized 43

It’s now been a few months since you completed the Do the Work curriculum. How has that work impacted your thoughts, actions, and interactions with the world around you? Have you been able to share the project with others? What was that experience like? How have you continued to do the work even after the project ended?

43 Responses

  1. Lulama Nyembe says:

    It’s now been a few months since you completed the Do the Work curriculum. How has that work impacted your thoughts, actions, and interactions with the world around you? Have you been able to share the project with others? What was that experience like? How have you continued to do the work even after the project ended?

    The Do the Work curriculum shed light on the multitude of injustices in our society and gave a framework and structure that reinforced what it means to do anti-racist work. Due to the extensive topic list covered through the curriculum, I was able to understand various systems that perpetuate racism. To be an effective ally, one must actively seek out opportunities for knowledge so that they are better equipped to recognize and understand some of the core challenges faced by those they wish to be an ally for. I have been able to apply this same structure towards being an ally for the LGBTQ+ community. This experience has not been without its fair share of discomfort, but it has also been a time of growth.

  2. Chandler Edbauer says:

    How has that work impacted your thoughts, actions, and interactions with the world around you? Have you been able to share the project with others? What was that experience like? How have you continued to do the work even after the project ended?
    Do the Work has influenced my day-to-day life because I feel like I know more about the social issues regarding the communities. I feel like I look at life more reflective and am more knowledgeable about social issues. I have been able to share the project with others when I talk to them in all my interactions. I am able to share with others my knowledge and give them information on social issues they might not know much about or even understand. I enjoy giving others information and sharing my passion for social justice. I have continued to look for other social justice issues in the community and when an event occurs I am sure to use my skills at research and learn more about the issue.

  3. Michelle Villa says:

    The Do The Work curriculum was a good assignment to learn more about what is going on with the world. I feel like to be an ally, you always have to educate yourself and still continue to learn. This assignment helped me think critically and how to recognize my own privileges and I feel like that is such a huge step that everyone should take. I talked about this project with my friends and my other friend shared with me a program that she is taking. That is similar to this, but they focus more on the LGBTQ + community. I’m continuing to educate myself and actively reflect on issues that are going on.

  4. Kiara Woodward says:

    #DoTheWork has allowed me to take in the world, specifically in regards to the experience of people of color, through more informed eyes. The violence against people of color in this country has not ended with the murder of George Floyd. The knowledge I have learned while completing #DoTheWork has been at the forefront of my mind while watching the trial of Derek Chauvin or after hearing about the murder of Daunte Wright. I had the opportunity to share this work with all of the lovely Bonners who completed it last semester. Since #DoTheWork was largely an administrative task for me last semester it came with challenges including keeping people motivated and accountable. Which has highs of feeling accomplished and proud and lows of frustration. I have found ways to #DoTheWork outside of the curriculum by keeping myself informed about issues that impact communities of color.

  5. Sydney Maughan says:

    The Do the Work curriculum has impacted my thoughts, actions, and interactions with the world around me because it has helped me become a better ally and to be an active bystander. I did share the project with my roommate and she found it to be an interesting study and a good idea for a student project. I have continued to do the work even after the project ended by continuing to keep myself educated with what’s going on in the world as well as remaining educated on how to remain a educated ally to people of color as well as to minorities.

  6. Erin Spence says:

    The Do the Work curriculum was extremely informative for me. There were many topics within the project that I was unaware of or had not learned much about previously. It helped me to recognize my own privileges, with a heightened awareness of the many racial injustices that impact communities of color. There were also several topics that touched on the intersectionality of different social identities, and how this can increase the discrimination and injustice that is experienced by multiple identities. This is a concept that I have become more aware of in the last year, and I notice areas in which it comes into play within day-to-day life. This project pushed me to educate myself further on the experiences of people of color within our country today. This semester, I chose to take a course within multicultural studies called Race and Identities. It is a discussion-based course that allows students of different identities to convene in a space together to discuss their personal experiences. This class has opened my eyes to the experiences of my peers that I otherwise would know nothing about. I think my interest to take this course in large part came from the information I gained through Do the Work and these topics that I continue to try to educate myself on.

  7. Maura Lynch says:

    Since completing Do The Work, I’m so much more aware of the allowances I receive and the space I take up as a white woman. The privileges I receive are things I wasn’t even aware of until I realized all the people who don’t receive them. The worst part is, the people who don’t receive them are extremely aware of that, and we have been ignoring their calls for action. Through this curriculum, I have learned how to take action for the people in my life and any person of color I come across.

  8. Tori Mangelli says:

    I definitely have a better perspective on a wider range of issues because of Do the Work. It taught me so many things about a variety of topics that I would have never learned otherwise. I don’t know if I can say it’s directly influenced any of my behaviors towards others because luckily I haven’t been put in a situation where I had to be bystander, but it has shaped a lot of the conversations I’ve had with people. Now I’m able to spread the knowledge that I learned which most people haven’t had the privilege of learning and kind of teach other people in a sense. Although I wasn’t able to share the entire project with other people, I was able to share aspects through these conversations and sometimes videos that I would show others. Do the Work was an amazing, important, and informative experience to have in order to get a better perspective on the world and the issues occurring.

    • Erin Spence says:

      I’m so glad you’ve had the chance to engage in some of these conversations! That is the best place to start in creating change.

  9. Stephanie Da Fonseca says:

    Do the work was a very interesting and rewarding assignment that enlightened me to issues that I had the privilege of not having to know about. This work impacted me deeply because now I am able to view and spot biases and the racism that is camouflaged in our society, in politician’s speech, in rules and etc. I now am aware of this issues as seek to inform whoever I can. The way I share this with others is with my parents, they are somewhat unaware of these issues and now because of this work I can share these issues with them and educate them on such matters. Recently a tragedy occurred, an officer shot and killed civilian, Daunte Wright, and when we were watching the news today my parents are able to see the racism and the deep rooted societal racism that this case involves, just as George Floyd’s did. It is not a topic where just learning about it is enough and I hope that my knowledge can do good someday and I will continue to educate myself.

  10. Dana Wakeman says:

    This curriculum has impacted my thoughts, actions, and interactions as it allowed me to learn more about racial justice as well as to better understand how pervasive racial disparities are in our society. Kiara did an amazing job adapting this curriculum to fit our program and I think one of the best choices that she made was having us complete the assignments during the semester. I sometimes found myself pushing off a week’s assignments to the following week if I got too busy, but then while I was speaking with Kiara, she mentioned that being busy and doing do the work was necessary as it will never be convenient for us to educate ourselves. It is called work because it takes time, energy, and dedication, so it will not be easy but it is necessary. I have continued to think about this conversation with Kiara in the past few months and it has pushed me to continue to educate myself about various issues in a deeper manner even when it is inconvenient. Overall, I have tried to continue this work with my capstone and thesis as I am focusing on drug diversion programs and there are significant racial disparities in US drug policy that need to be addressed. I plan on bringing the understanding of doing the work especially when it’s hard through my professional career as I try to work to be a #AgentForChange.

  11. Julia says:

    Since completing Do the Work, my thoughts, actions, and interactions have definitely changed. Before Do the Work I knew that racism was a huge problem in society. I am now starting to understand just how much racism has negatively impacted individuals, families, communities, and society at large. In terms of actions, I feel like I am on a quest to find out the truth behind racism in the United States. For instance, I am reading, “The Color of Law” and its shocking to see how much discrimination and racism has been a dividing force in housing. In addition, I find myself speaking up when I hear something discriminatory or racist. Finally, I have been able to share this project with others. I find myself talking about racism with my friends and family which is something I used to shy away from. Overall, Do the Work was a really eye-opening experience. It provided concrete facts regarding discrimination and racism in society. Since Do the Work has ended I have been keeping up with the news and reading about racism in my free time. However, I can definitely do more.. In the future I hope to continue learning about racism and how I can be a better ally.

    • Erin Spence says:

      I haven’t heard about this book, but it sounds like one I’ll need to check out! I’ve found that books are a great way to educate yourself, especially when the news can become overwhelming at times.

  12. Harriet Koblenzer says:

    Do the Work has significantly impacted my thoughts, actions, and interaction with the world. First, it has impacted my thoughts in that when I have a reaction to something I see or read and it seems like it is coming from a place of privilege or prejudice I immediately check myself, and understand why I had the thought I had and how it might be harmful or incorrect. Second, Do the Work has affected my actions by making me prioritize “doing the work” consistently and not just every so often. Lastly, it has impacted my interactions both with persons of color and fellow white people. I now better understand the challenges and oppression persons of color face, but I also now realize that I shouldn’t just look at the challenges they face, but celebrate their successes and see them as whole people, not just as oppressed. Additionally, I am better able to talk about racial issues with my fellow white people, as it gave me the knowledge, skills, and confidence to have these conversations.

  13. Rachel Gifford says:

    Do the Work has definitely made me take a deeper look at the impact we can have on others. I think the Do the Work challenge opened my eyes to the oppression and subtle acts of racism that some people face every day. It’s easy in life to only see the problems that affect you, but do the Work made me understand what I can do to be a better ally. I have told many of my family members about the project and I was able to apply it more during the ALT training. I’ve also been able to apply the project with my first-year seminar and in our class discussions. I think most people I talked to about the project were really receptive and interested in it. A lot of people were confused, but once I explained it more thought that it was a great project. I have definitely become more aware of impact and in the future I hope to build on my understanding of how to be a better ally.

  14. Nia Colon says:

    The work has impacted my thoughts because now I see myself bringing up these conversations between me and my friends. I also think that this impacted the way I interact with the world because in clinical there are a lot of healthcare disparities that are very clear and doing the work allowed me to further educate myself. It is been relatively easy to bring up these conversations with the people around me we may not always see eye to eye but we’re very open to listening and hearing new ideas.

  15. Nicole Pazarecki says:

    “Do the Work” was a great curriculum to do as a Bonner. It opened my eyes to things I did not know about the issues the Black Community is facing today and in history. Even though I did not complete all the activities, I did learn learn new things that will make me more aware of my thinking and actions in the community I am serving or living in. After the project, my mentality has changed and trying to keep implementing the things I learned from the program everyday.

  16. Ava Bibisi says:

    Since completing Do the Work it has impacted the way I view the service I partake in and those in the community around me. I was able to learn about more prominent issues that I did not have a strong knowledge about. The way I view others and their circumstances has changed as well as the way I take on certain challenges. By implementing the practices I have learned from completing Do the Work, I have tried to share these similar ideas with friends and family. One of the weekends when I had gone home I mentioned to my siblings some of the simple day-to-day changes they can make in their lives to live out some of the practices I was taught. It is a bit harder to try and share the information on certain topics with students because everyone already has a set standpoint and approach for themselves. Often certain individuals are not as optimistic as others, so asking them not to say certain things in groups, or to try and realize what they are really doing and its affect on others, is not always as simple. I have not specifically shared the Do the Work curriculum with my peers, but I have shared the information that has altered my view on significant social justice issues.

    • Erin Spence says:

      Ava, I agree, those conversations can often be challenging, especially with peers. It’s great that you were able to share some of this with your siblings! That is a great place to start talking about these issues.

  17. Parker Taft says:

    From the Do the Work Challenge I learned how many of our modern social issues from race and wealth inequality to healthcare and clean air/water are intertwined. Previous I had recognized that there was some degree of interconnection, but never to the degree that I learned there was from the Do the Work Challenge. It has helped me to better understand the vast web of intricacy that envelops our modern world, and come to a deeper understanding of endemic social issues. It has taught me not to oversimplify or over-generalize an issue, or categorize the issues as independent unto themselves. But conceptualize it as a far-stretching interconnected web. This semester I have continued my learning in this area by doing the 21-Day Equity Challenge and incorporating some of the topics from Do the Work into my research assignments.

  18. Mara Golden says:

    Since completing Do The Work, I have been able to think more critically and have deeper conversations with others about social issues. I have not been able to share the project itself with other people but I have definitely been able to share the information I gained from it. Having an experience like that was eye-opening knowing that I had been educated on tough topics that I could now help educate others on. I have continued this work, even after the project, by continuing to educate myself on social issues and continuing to discuss them with others.

  19. Samantha Lunt says:

    After completing #DoTheWork last semester I have been able to think more deeply and critically with greater knowledge of the social justice issues that are taking place in our country. It has made me more aware of issues that marginalized groups face on a daily basis. DO the Work has also given me the tools and resources to be able to continue to educate myself. I have been able to have more conversations with friends and family on these issues because now I actually know and have a greater understanding of them. This experience as been eye opening and has continued to allow me to learn and challenge my own thoughts on issue and continuing to educate myself. I have continued this work by continuing to have these conversations being aware of what is going on and always being open to new information.

  20. Amanda Molloy says:

    I think that completing the Do The Work challenge has deeply affected the way I view the world. I have become more aware of injustices, specifically relating to racism, that happen each day. I have especially become more aware of the “little” things that happen that often go unnoticed. I have definitely been able to pass this knowledge on to others as well. I have especially shared what I have learned with my family members and had some very tough conversations with some of them who have not really taken the initiative to educate themselves fully on the prevalence and detrimental impacts of racism. I think for me personally, it really just helped me check my privilege and be able to work towards fully acknowledging it and overcoming the uncomfortability many white people have with acknowledging their privilege.

  21. Ecli Vazquez says:

    I liked the concept of do the work it really brought to me different ideas on not only how to improve the world but also new social issues. These social issues where something I never heard and I was surprised on how impactful they were. When thinking back do the work really showed me how I didn’t know about a few of the social issues unless they were main stream. I even showed some of my friends a few topics that I liked and they never heard of them either. That experience showed me how much I need to educate myself more.

  22. Abeer Jafri says:

    It’s now been a few months since you completed the Do the Work curriculum. How has that work impacted your thoughts, actions, and interactions with the world around you? Have you been able to share the project with others? What was that experience like? How have you continued to do the work even after the project ended?

    Do the Work opened me up to many injustices I had never known about before in marginalized groups. It definitely made me more aware of issues I come across in my day to day life, and I am able to use lessons learned in it to combat them and stand up for people around me who are victims of injustice. The sections on medical racism especially stood out to me, because I now see so many more problems in the system than I had before, and have made it a goal to continue educating myself and working to resolve them. I continue to read articles and watch videos to educate myself, as well as participate in rallies and protests. I hope to be even more active in my efforts in the future.

  23. Nora Diede says:

    `Prior to completing Do The Work I knew so much less about the oppression that is constantly faced by racial minorities, yet did not educate myself how I should have. After completing this challenge I believe that the greatest change in my life has been my increased desire to become more educated and better aware of the best ways to be an ally. I have also been able to share this project with those around me is a big way. I told my mother who is an elementary school teacher who is on a committee to incorporate more education on inclusion and more diverse history education in their curriculum. She brought this challenge to the head of the committee and they are using it to help educate the teachers. I have also been able to use this challenge in daily life as I am more aware of how my actions as a white person can impact others. I have also been able to have meaningful conversations with family members on how to be a better ally and helping to educate them on how discrimination is so prevelent in todays society. I really enjoyed this experience, and continue to value it in my daily life.

  24. Giavanna Pitagno says:

    Last semester, I enjoyed participating in Do the Work- it taught me about aspects of racism I was previously unaware of, and how to better be an ally. Since completing Do the Work, I have not only been able to better contribute to uncomfortable conversations among my friends, but have been more empowered to educate and challenge the close-minded views of some family members. In having these conversations, I have realized what a privilege it is to have an abundance of resources at my disposal. In most conversations with my friends and family, they were blissfully unaware of the more “hidden” and untalked about sources of racism. Despite participating in Do the Work- I realized that I didn’t really have to do that much work to get informed as all the information was handed to me. This has not only encouraged me to work harder on my own to get more educated (particularly on the intersectionality of food insecurity and racism), but to provide resources for others that may not be ready to do the work independently. These anti-racist resources are especially needed in the wake of increased violence towards Asian Americans, and Do the Work has emphasized this importance.

  25. Alexis D'Aloia says:

    It’s now been a few months since you completed the Do the Work curriculum. How has that work impacted your thoughts, actions, and interactions with the world around you? Have you been able to share the project with others? What was that experience like? How have you continued to do the work even after the project ended?

    The #DotheWork curriculum has certainly expanded my knowledge on racial justice issues that I was not aware of prior. One thing that I was not aware of was code switching. Learning about this has made me more aware of when it happens around me in my community. Furthermore, I feel I was able to expand my knowledge more on medical racism. This really interested me and has made me question a lot more in terms of our medical professionals and their training, and what can be done to combat these issues. I have used my knowledge to help educate others in times it was necessary to step up as an ally. I was also able to extend this work to my role as a CA on campus as we were reading “So you Want to Talk About Race” while doing #DotheWork. The two intersected and deepened my experience. After the project ended, I participated in a Damietta book club over Winter Break in which we read “When they Call you a Terrorist.” During this time, I was able to further uphold my responsibility of educating myself and working towards allyship.

  26. Marlie Frisco says:

    In general, I think that since doing the #DoTheWork curriculum, I have been better informed in various conversations. I believe that having some of the facts has benefitted me greatly in conversations with others and in some of my classes. Being consciously aware of the inequities faced by so many further influences my understanding of healthcare in particular as some of the topics of the #DoTheWork challenge have come up in my capstone research. Additionally, I have a long list of books surrounding these topics that I would like to read upon graduation (when I have a couple of free minutes before nursing school begins) that include Medical Apartheid, Biased, and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

  27. Jackson Regan says:

    Completing the Do The Work activities made me open my eyes to just how deep racism has run and is running in this country. I was particularly shocked when seeing how voter suppression continues to this very day, most notably in Georgia with Governor Kemp. It has definitely helped me refocus my activism in terms of what I focus on supporting and opposing. While I do not consider myself to be an activist the way many people do (i.e. BLM, MeToo, etc), I believe that it is important to know what is right to stand for, and you need to know what goes on in society and how to fix the problems we face. All of this began with me doing the Do The Work curriculum and for that I am incredibly grateful.

    • Alexis D'Aloia says:

      Staying informed and educating yourself is so important! I’m glad you were able to take this opportunity and have it help you in learning about yourself and what you stand for.

  28. Jonathan Limey says:

    Do the Work gave me a very clear understanding of privilege from the very start. I still think about the example of the horse with blinders. It was such a clear way to explain it and along with the other lessons Do the Work has helped me learn more about my own privileges. Do the Work also inspired me to learn and to seek out information. With the tragic Anti-Asian attacks which are happening, I have been taking the time to try to understand not only what happened but why. That is a mindset I didn’t have before Do the Work. I have discussed Do the Work with my peers and hope to be able to continue those conversations with them for they can at least learn some of the amazing lessons I did. Overall Do the Work was a great and eye-opening experience that I don’t think I ever would have had if it wasn’t for Bonner.

    • Alexis D'Aloia says:

      I like the approach of not just understanding what happened but also why things happened. You also made some great points about privilege. It often goes unnoticed!

  29. Cody Romani says:

    Prior to completing the Do the Work curriculum, I was not fully aware of how oppressed persons of color are and how racism is so prevalent in society. Do the Work was very educational and opened my eyes to systemic racism, racism in the medical field, racism in housing , racism in the courtroom, and racism in the classroom. One statistic that really stood out to me was that 47% of black preschool students recieve a suspension. This is so unjust. Since I am going into the educational field and becoming a teacher, it is important for me to recognize racism and make changes that incorporate more of an inclusive classroom community. I need to use my white privilege to support students of color in the classroom. I have discussed some of the issues from Do the Work with my peers. I look forward to having more conversations about these issues and learning more about combating racism. The fight for racial justice must continue.

  30. Abby Hoekman says:

    Prior to completing the Do the Work curriculum I was unaware of many facets of racism throughout our history as well as in our current society. This work has impacted how I interpret many things, for example whenever I am at the doctor’s office I think about medical apartheid and all the people of color who have suffered for the sake of medical and scientific advantages. I have shared this project with family members who are also working towards educating themselves and have had discussions with them about what we have learned as a result of Do the Work. This curriculum has inspired me to continue learning and motivated me further with my capstone project, The Changing Needs of DEI Training in Non-Profit Organizations: Assessing Modes of Delivery and Content in Response to Current Events and Trends. I am grateful for the knowledge and reflection that Do the Work has enabled me to do and has provided me the opportunity to share this knowledge with others.

    • Alexis D'Aloia says:

      I’ve also beed thinking more about these issues and how I interpret them in my everyday life, just as you mentioned about going to the doctor’s office. I never really took the time to consider these things because I was so unaware of it.

  31. Nancy Rasmussen says:

    The Do the Work curriculum was extremely eye opening and has immensely impacted my thoughts, actions, and interactions with the world around me. I feel as though I am more conscious of my actions and how I interact with others. I also feel that the Do the Work curriculum has encouraged me to question and raise awareness to racial injustices around the world, specifically regarding our education system. A vast majority of novels students are required to read in English classes are predominately “white” books. The only required “black” literature is about racism. This is a huge problem, as there is a clear lack of diversity in the classrooms, specifically in regards to English classrooms. By not making “black” literature the norm, I have noticed from my field experience that students often assume characters are white because the author does not explicitly say otherwise. This may seem like a minor injustice that does not impact the world around us, but it does. Classrooms are places where students are meant to feel safe and inspired to learn. How can one feel this way if they are explicitly excluded from the curriculum? The Do the Work curriculum has encouraged me to see this for what it truly is–racial injustice in the classroom.

  32. Kayla McKay says:

    Before the Do the Work curriculum I was vaguely informed about the issues, history, and racial disparities in the African American community. From completing Do the Work and moving on from it I have gained even more acknowledge than I had previously acquired. I have recently branched out to research more about the racial disadvantages and disparities in the African American community that are in the healthcare industry. Do the work has been so impactful that I am focusing my freshman research paper on how true crime relates to African Americans’ history and how they are being affected today. This research paper allows me to inform my class on the root of systemic racism and incorporate lessons from Do the Work. I am also implementing Do the Work into my site which is Birthnet. My responsibility for my site is making podcasts about reproductive injustice. In the podcast, I talk a lot about the history of birthing injustice, the root of the problem, the racial disparities African American mothers face, and injustice advocators. These are some small things I have done to inform people about injustices in the African American community even though there is a long way to go.

  33. Samantha Gisleson says:

    Do the Work has had a great impact on how I perceive my own actions and how I choose to act. It has made me more cognizant of my actions, how I occupy space and how i interact with others around me. It has made me aware of issues I never knew existed (or did not know the extent of) and has made me more motivated to take action against the injustices that exist in my daily life. I have actually shared reflections from the project with friends, but I am not aware that they engaged with the the project. However, this post has given me the needed reminder to check in and remind them of the importance of this “work” and the relevance that it has today. I have continued to “do the Work” by sharing new instances of injustice with friends and family members and by doing my best to continue to inform myself and learn of ways that I can help to dismantle the many racist systems within our society. As Sarah said above, injustice has not stopped simply because we finished our 30 days of “Do the Work,” meaning that we cannot stop fighting either.

    • Dana Wakeman says:

      Sam, thanks for sharing it with other people. I also think you bring up a great point about how this knowledge can completely change how we exist.

  34. Sarah Ahmed says:

    Prior to completing the “Do the Work” curriculum, I was extremely uninformed about how social institutions oppressed and marginalized the black community. After learning how basically every institution from education to healthcare was founded with racist ideologies, and how these ideologies continue to negatively affect the black community, I wanted to learn more. Now after learning about an issue in my classes, such as the U.S.’s high mortality rate, I think about how that specifically applies to the black community. I have continued to read about the injustices that the black community faces after completing Do the Work because even though I have finished the curriculum, does not mean these issues are over as well.

    • Dana Wakeman says:

      Sarah, this is great! And don’t hesitate to share any interesting resources that you find too.

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