Denisonian for Social Change
Who is Raquel Fuentes?
I’m from the Westside of Cleveland, OH, the oldest of four siblings. I’m half Puerto Rican, half Guatemalan.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a world famous super star or a lawyer, and since I’m now in my 20’s I’ve established that being famous didn’t work out, so now I’m chasing the dream of being a lawyer focused on social justice issues so as to better serve and support America’s immigrant population.
What interested you about the HECUA program you participated in?
At my school, Denison University, there is a special program called Denisonians for Social Change. This program combines experiential learning and independent study to explore competing histories, ideas, and definitions of justice and freedom in relationship to political struggle. The students selected to participate in this program create educational programming for both the Denison and surrounding communities to contextualize aspects of current political struggle in the United States around issues of civil and human rights. This program was highly competitive and tons of students applied. I was one of four students accepted to participate and the work began with HECUA’s summer Civil Rights program which introduced us to three weeks of study travel through the southern U.S. to visit communities, organizations, and individuals associated with the Civil Rights movement during the 1950s and 60s. We wanted to see first hand how American history is inextricably linked to social justice issues of our time. Beyond the expectations of being a leader at Denison University, I’m expected to conduct an independent study about the current status of social justice movements, and also help to plan an MLK Celebration Week on campus. The task of being a Denisonian for Social Change will take a great deal of time and training, but it’s worth it—especially since I got to participate in this incredible HECUA program as the starting point.
What was your most memorable field speaker or class activity and why?
We met Kwame Lillard in Nashville, Tennessee, as a capstone and final field speaker. Nashville was our final stop before returning to Minnesota. Kwame’s speaking style was informal, but personal, and because he was so blunt about his opinions and experiences I found him to be refreshing and inspiring. I learned so much from him during our two days together. He really personified the irrepressible spirit that defined the Nashville Movement during the Civil Rights Movement, and continues to be a life long advocate for civil rights today. He was significantly involved in the management of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee’s (SNCC) offices based in Nashville in the 1960’s, and in partnership with Diane Nash, was one of the primary organizers with Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) for the ‘61 freedom rides that started out of Nashville (on May 14th) and continued to Jackson, AL.
Kwame continues to be actively involved with current events in his city. He even coordinated an afternoon protest for our Civil Rights group to participate in. We spent an hour or so at a busy intersection holding signs and demanding attention from passing traffic. We wanted to draw attention to the restructuring at Tennessee State University (TSU), since administration has proposed vast reorganization and reduction of several TSU academic programs. According to our contacts on the ground, the plan fails to show how the academic reorganization will be cost-effective & move TSU forward. This restructuring (even eliminating an African-American Studies major!) could play a role in erasing the school’s cultural identity as a historically black college and university. Kwame Lillard continues to be a modern-day activist—and he really inspired me.
What were/are your impressions of your HECUA program director and/or other teaching faculty that took part in leading the program?
I always hear the saying “when you’re in college you want to save the world, but once you graduate that motivation dies out, and the real world sets in!” I have been in fear of this becoming my reality. I know that after college we’re all supposed to find work, pay bills, and be responsible while focused on our own family, etc. But I don’t want to become apathetic to the controversial issues that define our culture and society. I want the passion I feel for these issues of power and privilege and injustice to find a footing in my everyday. HECUA faculty impressed upon me that you can continue to work for social justice in the real world, because they are proof you can. The program director, Lena Jones, was so motivated and effective in helping to shape our understanding of American history and the work that still has to be done today to fully realize the dreams of Martin Luther King Jr. and the hundreds of thousands of others who fought, non-violently or through more aggressive means, for equality. I applaud the drive HECUA faculty have to move these goals forward in their own lives, and communities, and with each new group of students that pass through their programs. I was incredibly impressed with the leadership qualities of the teaching staff and encourage others to get involved with HECUA programs to see this play out first-hand.
How did this HECUA program make an impact on your life and how you think about your future?
Before the HECUA program I had an idea of what I wanted to do in life and was already passionate about fighting injustice. The main challenges were where to start, how to do the work, and finding the courage to keep motivated. After experiencing this Civil Rights program I developed professional and social networks all of which are offering me authentic and deep-seated encouragement. I also have a base knowledge of racial identity development theory, cycles of socialization, social movements concepts, and other theories to further ground me in my academics. Finally, I was able to see that through law, public policy, and other means of community organizing, civil services, and long-term disaster relief change can be made. So my plan is to apply to law school as I finish up my undergraduate work at Denison. I’m ready. I’m committed.
By the way, it’s so exciting to see that there are other people my age who care about what’s really going on in the U.S. These are the people who move away from hopelessness and work collaboratively to create unity. Having these peers come together for a cause is so inspiring. I would participate in the program all over again if given the opportunity. ☺
