Southwestern University’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations continued Tuesday January 17th with a symposium hosted by the Race and Ethnicity Studies program in McCombs Ballroom. Alum Malcolm Conner (’16) discussed his experience as a volunteer with a variety of  local grassroots community and national organizations such as Counter Balance: ATX, the Austin Justice Coalition, Black Sovereign Nation, and Black Lives Matter. Upon graduating from Southwestern last spring with a Bachelors of Arts in Communication Studies and minor in Race and Ethnicity Studies Conner engaged a variety of social justice organizations. It was during this process he recognized academia did not provide him with the practical tools necessary to successfully serve in the role of an activist.

The breakdown between his social justice experience in the college classroom and the activist role required to successfully engage the communities he was serving allowed him to reevaluate the fundamental role of the volunteer. During his transition from successful graduate to politically engaged activist Conner learned how to navigate his privilege and understand marginalized communities are not just “random groups of people” we refer to in class “but Jose, and Marcus, and Ashley, and Judith.” Conner not only became more conscious of the lessons he learned in his SU classes, but of the empathy required to effectively serve his new volunteer communities. He urged his audience to also become aware of their own subjectivity, acknowledge their privilege, and understand difference. When you serve it “comes with the expectation that you are getting the work done, that you are not just there for show.” Individual modes of action are transformed by this process and in regards to serving, allows the volunteer to ensure that information remains accessible, engaging, and most of all relevant to the cause you are promoting.

 Conner also stressed how important it was to never see yourself as a savior rescuing the underprivileged from a broken system, but to remain in a self-reflexive dialogue with the communities you serve. He passionately reminded his audience in order to become the best resource for those in need you must be hopelessly humble, always ask questions, and constantly seek answers. Finally, he urged his audience to practice self-care, love, and to reach out to friends, mentors, and other activists for advice. “I think that in order to engage this emotionally and mentally taxing work, you need to make sure and come at that work as your best self. The only way to do that is to be constantly practicing self love and self care. It is not selfish to do so because the people you are trying to serve need you at your best self.” Conner is currently the Outreach Coordinator for Counter Balance: ATX and Youth Specialist for Urban Roots.