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One Day

atmathew March 20, 2019
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For some reason, August 2017 is on my mind. Most of you are most likely aware of the events that took place in August in Charlottesville. While I was not on campus when the armies of men came to spread hate, I have felt the aftermath every day since then. To be honest, some days apathy seems like the best response. What can one student do to improve the situation? How am I supposed to do anything helpful? Not being black or white, I find myself in a strange place. In some ways I identify with the story of my white peers and in other situations I feel closer to the story of my black peers. I could talk about a lot of things with this event, but I am going to take this opportunity to well, share more stories. Here is what I have learned through my relationships with UVa dining during my time at school.

I became aware pretty quickly after coming to my school about the fight for living wages for UVa employees. A lot of UVa employees are black men and women who are not paid close to a living wage. Some of them are related to the same men and women who built this university through slave labor, while others are new, but still subject to the oppressive institution of UVa. I have gotten close with a couple of them, and in my time as a student, I have been blessed with their friendship. One of the things that I have learned so much from is just listening to their stories and their thoughts on the matter. I have seem some of them break down crying because of the pain of what took place in August, but I have been shocked to hear their joy. I remember one day feeling burdened by the weight of being a student, and I walked into one of our dining halls not really thinking about anything. I saw one of the employees, Thomas, who I have been close to since my first year. I said hello and started to complain about my day. Thomas cleans tables and takes out the trash in the dining hall. I looked at him and said, “Man, life sucks doesn’t it?” It was a moment of honesty and vulnerability for me. I was hoping to feel affirmed by him and wanted to find someone to wallow in sadness with me. He stopped wiping tables and looked at me and smiled. He said, “Life is great Andrew. I woke up today with a family that loves me and a full time job. God has blessed me with life and I couldn’t be more thankful.” I was shocked. I had no response. And this is the character of most of the employees that I have had the pleasure of getting close with. They constantly push me to see the good things in life. If there was ever someone to complain about life, it’s them. And they don’t lie, they will tell you when there is something wrong in the world. But for the most part they are the most committed to love and joy than anyone I have ever seen.

I reflect on August and think about these wonderful men and women I have been able to meet and become friends with. We think the fight against hate has to do only with the group that came in August. It is true, they are an enemy. But they are not the only enemy. They are an easy target, but under the radar are the fearless soldiers who work for UVa every day. To Angela, Thomas, Davon, Ang, and the rest of the wonderful crew who work at UVa. I see you. I hear you. I will never stop fighting for you to earn living wages. I will not rest until justice is served. But until then, I thank you. I thank you for always pointing me to joy and thankfulness. I don’t know what I would do without you. To the reader, if you ever feel apathetic or don’t know how to help fight against injustice, this post is for you. Breathe, and then on your next routine thing, look to see the people around you that are serving you. Whether it be a Chick-Fil-A employee, the homeless man on your way to work, or a university employee, take the time to learn their story. Learn their fight and tell them about yours. Together we can all fight oppression by listening in love and humility. If the Nazis come back in August 2018, I pray and hope the world will be more prepared to meet them with the most powerful form of resistance: love.

Yours Truly,

Andrew

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1 Comments

  1. James Warren May 19, 2018

    Andrew, this is simply wonderful. Thanks so much for this marvelous collection of stories as you’ve reflected on the past four years, over the past seven days. Looking forward to helping you share more of your story in the days to come.