No More Deaths on KLCC

Katie D.

October 2, 2010 - 6:12 PM

Last week I had the fabulous opportunity of being interviewed on the local radio station, KLCC. They wanted to hear about the No More Deaths experience, and the opinions Eugene residents have about immigration, based on personal experience on the border.

Another volunteer, Penny, and I were interviewed by Rachael McDonald and appeared on the afternoon show on Tuesday and the morning show on Wednesday. Please check out the interview at http://www.klcc.org/Feature.asp?FeatureID=1968

It is such an honor and a privilege to be able to speak publicly about the experience of working with No More Deaths. My studies and my practical experiences at the UO have led me to have a deep and expanding passion for issues of social justice, particularly in the areas of migration and incarceration. But I have also gained skills in speaking and persuasive rhetoric. Because of the writing and presenting I have done during college, I have no fear of public speaking, and have learned to create clear and concise arguments. It is an incredible thing to realize that I have a powerful message to share, and that I have the resources and skills to get the word out into the world.

There are a plethora of jokes about Liberal Arts being an impractical path of study. But the fact is that I graduated with a strong background in several different fields, and with the communication skills that I can apply to any job in the future. An education is less about job training than it is about the creation of a person who is able to creatively interact with the adult world: to understand the context and implications of a wide variety of topics, and to critically discuss and interact with new developments. I've spent my time since graduation working, volunteering, designing programs, writing, and continuing to be an active learner. The best thing I learned in college was how to organize my thoughts into words, and how to pursue an interest until I arrive at understanding.

The opportunity to appear on a local radio station, speaking about an issue like immigration, is so important because it proves that we here in Eugene are intimately connected with the situation elsewhere. When laws are passed in Arizona, they effect us all. When a situation of injustice is allowed to continue, it does so with the permission of the American public, and it is our responsibility as citizens to do what we can to intervene.

Since I was very young I have wanted to make a difference in the world. I suppose we all do. I am realizing that I have the power to do so. Both through my physical work and presence on the border, and through the work of advocate and educator about immigration concerns, I have done something significant to change the world. And the work continues. What I do today matters, and will matter for all my future work. I am unbelievably lucky to be here at the UO, beginning this Masters program that will help me to be an even better advocate for social justice and reconciliation in this damaged world.