Study USA

When I see someone who does not have what I have, I think “they probably want x, y, and z because I enjoy/have those things.” Because of my experience, imagining new housing and coffee shops sounds like a great way to bring people out of a mode of survival in the Jackson neighborhood where we stayed, but that’s because I’m only seeing the neighborhood from MY lens. How would I have ever been able to guess their needs? Read More »

Think of where you are sitting/standing right now and all the other people who have occupied that same space. Now think that those people were property to another human being. My eyes saw the same fields stretching out in front of me. My skin felt the same Louisiana sun beating down. The weight of past lives that have been lived and injustices that have been suffered hit me like a semi truck. Read More »

Working as a social media intern at MRLF, I have been exposed to a vast network of affiliates and worker organizations and their efforts in union and worker movements. From Education Minnesota’s district education town hall forums with local representatives, to Amazon worker protests organized by Awood Center, I have nonstop exposure to what is happening in the worker world. Read More »

My HECUA internship at the Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation has helped me begin to loosen my restricted perception of who can and should organize, and where organizing is most effective. These experiences have exposed me to the endless opportunities where change can be implemented. Read More »

When people ask me what the Inequality in America program is, time and time again I fail to feel as though I have given a fulfilling answer. This is because we are learning so dang much. In February alone, we have learned everything from the benefits of asset-based mapping to the effect that poverty has on cortisol levels. Read More »

The best way to learn about famous art is by recreating it yourself. That is exactly what my HECUA Art for Social Change classmates and I did on two recent Thursdays. Our class visited the Weisman Art Museum to workshop and perform different art performances created by incredibly well-known artists around the world. Read More »

Welcome to HECUA’s Alumni Profile series. Each month we’ll catch up with a HECUA alumni, and see how their time in a HECUA classroom influenced their career goals, their life in the community, and their pursuit of continued education. If you or a friend would like to participate in this series, please email lohmans@hecua.org. This […] Read More »

Welcome to HECUA’s Alumni Profile series. Each month we’ll catch up with a HECUA alumni, and see how their time in a HECUA classroom influenced their career goals, their life in the community, and their pursuit of continued education. If you or a friend would like to participate in this series, please email lohmans@hecua.org. This month […] Read More »

Welcome to HECUA’s Alumni Profile series. Each month we’ll catch up with a HECUA alumni, and see how their time in a HECUA classroom influenced their career goals, their life in the community, and their pursuit of continued education. If you or a friend would like to participate in this series, please email lohmans@hecua.org. This month […] Read More »

When I signed up for HECUA-Metro Urban Studies Term (now Inequality in America) in 2012, I was hoping to learn how to put my passion for equity in education into action. The notion of praxis HECUA taught me—the idea that I can put social justice values into action through my work—is something I now use daily as a curriculum consultant and writer, helping organizations design their English language arts, English as a Second Language, and social studies courses. Read More »