IDEA Corps Intern: DaShawn Jones

My institution has trained me to say, “I am DaShawn Jones, a senior mathematics major with an economics minor at Howard University from Clearwater, FL.” I serve as the peer minister for the Wesley Foundation at Howard University. When asked why I study math, I often reply, “Because it makes sense to me.” My great-grandmother was a mathematics educator in Pinellas and Manatee Counties for over 30 years. I was multiplying and dividing before kindergarten. I have always deeply loved and appreciated math, numbers, logic, reasoning, problem-solving, and critical thinking. I hope to fuse that passion with my love for teaching and investing in others to become a math educator someday. 

My great-grandmother was a faithful educator, including Sunday School at Mt. Olive AME Church in Clearwater, FL, the place of my earliest faith formation. I met God early on through my great-grandmother, an exemplary model of love, grace, compassion, and kindness. I would imitate our pastor as he preached each Sunday, following behind him when he moved through the church's aisles during his weekly messages. My love for God and my love for the church have only deepened as I have grown older. 

One of my earliest memories of growing up in church was our outreach ministry. We served breakfast each weekend to displaced and unhoused members of our community, distributed clothes, groceries, and other household necessities out of our Safehouse ministry, and collaborated with government agencies on a reentry program for formerly incarcerated individuals. Our church leadership stressed that the church is not about how we can serve ourselves but how we can serve others.

My placement with the Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network is a collaboration between Emory Beacon of Light and Beloved Community Incubator focused on transitional housing for migrants. In my work, I see the intersections of my passions: critical thinking, faith, and community outreach. We are working to establish and implement a structured framework for transitional housing. At the forefront are a deep love for God and a firm devotion to community outreach, believing that migration is a human right and that God’s people are called to love, care for, and protect these beloved. Along the way, I can apply my knowledge and experience in logistics, statistics, problem-solving, and critical thinking as we implement systems for a sustainable, long-standing transitional housing model.

I am a native Floridian, and it pains me to witness the oppressive, death-dealing decisions made by the Florida legislature and governor, which threaten human rights across the spectrum of race, ethnicity, migration status, sexuality, and gender. As recently as this May, my home state has passed the strictest anti-immigration laws in the country. Because of government inactivity and opposition, there is a pressing need for community-based collaboration systems to support migrants nationwide.

My placement with the Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network is a collaboration of community organizations and hundreds of individuals committed to supporting migrants arriving here in DC. The mutual aid network operates under the slogan, “Solidarity, not charity.” The concept can be traced back to ancient African and Indigenous cultures, where people work together to provide for one another’s immediate survival because they know the government systems they currently live under will not.

The justice issue is migration. This mutual aid network is built on the foundational belief that migration is a human right. The people who volunteer their time and resources to the mutual aid network seek to make a material difference immediately in the lives of migrating siblings rather than waiting for businesses or governments to intervene. They come alive by living out the beloved community King spoke of and living deeply into the model of community that the early church exemplified. This mutual aid network encourages people to care for one another, which alters the political conditions by constructing new social relations that are more resilient, authentic, and firmly rooted in love and goodwill. It is active resistance against charitable organizations that contribute and benefit from the systems perpetually oppress and disenfranchise Black and brown people. This network is about collective liberation from oppressive systems through communal responsibility.

I come alive in this placement by seeing that the skills I have cultivated academically can be used in this liberating practice of mutual aid. Each day, I have an opportunity to lean deeper into the African principle of Ubuntu that says, “I am because you are.” As Audre Lorde said, “Without community, there is no liberation.” This placement allows me to be a part of a community focused on total liberation. I feel alive and blessed to be offering my gifts and talents to this resilient collaboration of resistance. I am learning that God blesses us with the necessary skills to make a difference. I marvel at how my scientific training is essential to meet a social need. By offering myself to this project, I feel the spirit of Pentecost that breaks down barriers and builds community because “no one of us can be free until everybody is free."

On Ash Wednesday, the Wesley Foundation at Howard University gathered for our weekly Bible study. We schedule our weekly teaching in series, sitting with passages for weeks and walking through them line by line. Naturally, we factor in ways to honor and incorporate holy days into our shared life. We gathered that week to learn from the scriptures and corporately begin our journey through the Lenten season, which always reminds us of our humanity and points us to the redemptive work of Christ through his death and resurrection on Easter. 

That night, there was a heaviness in the room. The spring semester was in full swing, and some students were overwhelmed by their workload. During our weekly check-in at the beginning of the night, some students shared that family members were battling terminal illnesses, others shared the passing of loved ones, and some lamented personal struggles with mental exhaustion. Most notably, when the time for one student to share, he used his time to scream. He embodied what so many of us felt but were too afraid to do: we needed to scream because emotions were many and words were few. 

That night, Holy Spirit was with us. We all needed fresh wind from the Holy Spirit, and God met us in our vulnerability and uncertainty. We prayed and interceded for one another, cried and wept together, and held space for one another. God’s spirit showed up when our hearts were heavy and overwhelmed. This is only one instance of many where God’s presence has met me and others in dark places with a light of hope, joy, and peace. I am encouraged that God is faithful to meet us right where we are.  

In my work with the Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network (MSMAN), privilege is always a relevant conversation. Mutual aid networks exist because the privilege structures, economic systems, and government policies disenfranchise, marginalize, and limit accessibility for so many groups of people based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and citizenship. The need for mutual aid networks is because of privilege and power. 

Economic privilege is a leading issue for migrants. Many migrants do not qualify for government assistance and vouchers, which limits their access to education opportunities, food and groceries, and housing. These are genuine economic justice issues for any migrants seeking employment and settling their families. City and national laws are written to codify discrimination and reserve certain assistance for white families. This disproportionately affects many Black and brown people experiencing homelessness, poverty, and food insecurity. 

Our work is to bring about the beloved community today where no one is discriminated against because of class, race, or other identifier. When privilege and power are at play, justice is not present. The work of collective liberation must happen for all people; otherwise, it risks oppressing others. 

I struggle to know what freedom really is. 
No matter how much we sing, 
Freedom never really seems to ring. 

Who gets to enjoy freedom?
It never really seems to be me.  

Equity and equality are just fanciful ideas.

We stand out, 
We don’t fit in.

This is no place for inclusion;
This is not brotherhood.
Strangers.  

Singing, speaking, wailing.
Crying out in a strange land.  

When power is a tool, 
My voice is often overruled.  

I need an advocate
Because I’m scared to speak.
Maybe I’m not even scared,
Just tired.  

Every time we speak,
They never seem to listen.  

We raise our voices,
We resist with joy, 
We rally in the streets: 

Silence and oppression.  

What is freedom really? 

Is it more than just the words we sing? 

Will we ever really hear it ring?

I struggle to know what freedom really is. 
No matter how much we sing, 
Freedom never really seems to ring. 

Who gets to enjoy freedom?
It never really seems to be me.  

Equity and equality are just fanciful ideas.

We stand out, 
We don’t fit in.

This is no place for inclusion;
This is not brotherhood.
Strangers.  

Singing, speaking, wailing.
Crying out in a strange land.  

When power is a tool, 
My voice is often overruled.  

I need an advocate
Because I’m scared to speak.
Maybe I’m not even scared,
Just tired.  

Every time we speak,
They never seem to listen.  

We raise our voices,
We resist with joy, 
We rally in the streets: 

Silence and oppression.  

What is freedom really? 

Is it more than just the words we sing? 

Will we ever really hear it ring?

“Oh, to be young, gifted, and Black.” These are words of resistance and celebration. These words resound in my spirit often. Being raised in the AME Church, I was often reminded, beyond February, of the resilience of Black people in America. The legacy of Black people as resilient and resistant people amid the history of vitriolic racism and vile oppression has plagued this nation since its inception. I am grateful for the shoulders I am blessed to stand on. The “great cloud of witnesses” energizes and encourages me for the justice and ministry work I am doing today. 

The legacy of the ancestors who have gone before me reminds me that I belong. It informs every aspect of my life and offers me boldness as I do any work. In my internship placement, I sense the importance of our work with the Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network. The legacy of resistance, collective liberation, and resilience modeled by those who have gone before me fuels me for the work that we are doing today. The work requires an acute awareness of this country’s history and an active envisioning of what is still coming. 

This type of hope empowered my ancestors to fight for freedom and justice.
Their example of hope empowers me to continue the ongoing fight for freedom and justice.  

This week, I saw God through the grace of rest and restoration. While doing remote work, I encountered the beauty of God’s instruction to rest and care for ourselves. I often hear activists discuss incorporating rest into their routines to avoid burnout. It is an excellent reminder that even those leading movements need time to rest and rejuvenate to maintain energy for the journey of movement building.  

Justice work is not all about one person; it is built on community. God reminds us through community that we exist for one another. Community builds and sustains movements. I think I saw God’s presence and hand in the grace to step away from work and allow others to move it forward as I cared for my body. Jesus often removed himself from the crowds to pray and practice self-care. Following the excellent example of Jesus, I felt the power of God in stepping away from the work to practice self-care.

God showed up in the places of rest and recovery this week. God meets us when we are weak to offer us strength for the journey. The movement and the work are not about us. We are free to rest.  

The work at Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network (MSMAN) engages with national and local politics. As evidenced in new cycles last year, the bussing of migrants from states like Florida and Texas to DC, New York, and other safe-haven states is a national justice issue. MSMAN is focused on advocacy at the federal government level to federally protect the rights of migrants throughout the country, especially in states that are hostile towards migrants. Access to food, water, clothing, housing, education, and healthcare are fundamental human rights that should not be withheld from anyone, primarily based on race, ethnicity, and immigration status. Because of this, MSMAN and other mutual aid networks engage in advocacy work alongside the day-to-day operations, fighting for government policies and economic systems that are fair and just. 

MSMAN also advocates at the local government level. In DC, federal and local government barriers overlap that prevent migrants from accessing necessities, such as healthcare, housing, and food. The local mutual aid networks distribute resources to meet the immediate needs of migrants but also work to challenge the local government to operate justly, providing for and protecting the rights of all its residents. The issue must be addressed on a larger scale by federal, state, and local governments, but it does not exempt us from immediate actions as we challenge the larger systems. 

As I reflect on all the work we’ve done so far and the work still ahead for us to do, I often ask, “What more can I be doing to further this cause?” I know that the work of justice can be paired with creativity and innovation to create new and more robust ways of addressing persisting justice issues. I often imagine ways to use other skills from my academic disciplines to inform the work done through my placement. God gives us unique graces, skills, talents, gifts, and abilities to use as we work for a more fair and just world. As I engage more deeply in this work, I often wonder what new approaches, fresh ideas, and different methods I can introduce to enhance it and create a better world for our migrant siblings.

The systems of this world are incredibly broken. Because of the evil, injustice, and oppression that persist in the world, there is a continual need for justice work in communities and in society at large. Justice work looks different in every context, but the major concepts of justice work look the same across the board. The practices of inclusivity, diversity, equity, and antiracism are essential to social transformation that help to combat evil, injustice, and oppression. 

Inclusivity and diversity speak a lot to the question of “Who deserves justice?” One of the hallmarks of the unjust systems in the world is the distinction between who is excluded and who is included. Most often, the evil systems of this world practice exclusivity on the grounds of race, gender, ethnicity, immigration status, sexuality, and physical ability. Inclusive and diverse environments celebrate differences and foster mutual respect instead of creating barriers and obstacles because of differences.

Inclusive, diverse environments are achieved through equity and anti-racism work. Equity is about fair treatment and eliminating barriers so that historically underserved and underrepresented populations have access and opportunities. Anti-racism work is the active interrogation of racist ideas and policies. Racism is a persistent evil in our world that is primarily exclusive on the basis of a person’s skin color. An environment cannot be truly inclusive and diverse if the members are not focused on antiracist action and equity.  

Micah 6:8 asks the question, “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” 

The justice work that we do in the IDEA internship, with a focus on inclusivity, diversity, equity, and antiracism, is how we respond faithfully to God’s call for us to conduits of justice in this broken world. The church must continually seek to be a model of the coming kingdom of God, which is characterized by inclusivity, diversity, equity, and antiracism. God’s kingdom is the reality of perfect justice, and the church is called to live into that reality. 

The Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network (MSMAN) is a political advocacy organization. Local and federal government policies prevent migrants from accessing healthcare, education, housing, and food vouchers. These are unjust policies based on race and immigration status. MSMAN establishes partnerships with city council members, local legislators, and other advocacy organizations on changing policies and expanding access for the underrepresented and underserved. There can be no justice, while certain community members are excluded from essential resources. 

My work with the Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network has not been limited to a specific location. My primary work has occurred in the neighborhoods immediately surrounding Emory Fellowship UMC in Washington, DC. The neighborhood is currently low-income and primarily people of color. From conversations with individuals working in or around this primary hub, there are sure to be population, economic, and demographic shifts in the next two decades. I expect that the neighborhood will become more modernized and that the demographic will shift to having significantly less people of color.

The neighborhood already exhibits signs of small, local, Black-owned business taking flight and new, white-owned corporations accumulating property and moving into the neighborhood. I don’t see an entirely positive vision for the future of the neighborhood because of the demographic shifts. The impacts of gentrification foreshadow the disenfranchisement and displacement of Black and brown residents. The economic impacts on Black and brown residents will be devastating.

The greatest economic challenges in my placement are the access to employment and healthcare. The path to citizenship is paved with many obstacles that make it difficult for migrants to become employed. When employed, migrants often receive less than fair wages and work strenuous hours. All of these factors limit their access to food, water, housing, and healthcare. Not having these basic necessities makes the transition difficult and economically turbulent for migrants.

My gifts are organization, problem-solving, logical reasoning, empathy, and patience. When offered in community, these gifts enable me to work collaboratively with others to solve major issues effectively and efficiently. I want to continue to build on my empathy and interpersonal skills. I love connecting with others and forming new relationships. My desire is to continually find new ways to connect with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures.

I would charge any intern who would like to work in my placement in 2024 and beyond to bring an open heart and an open mind to this work. Without compassion and understanding, this work will appear tiresome and tedious. Coupled with compassion and understanding, this work is impactful and life-changing.

I would let them know that the work is flexible and fluid because of how unpredictable the migration process can be. Be prepared for your workload to fluctuate week-to-week, and when you are not bombarded with work, read and research for resources that might enhance the work you’re already doing. There is almost room for growth and improvement.

Most of all, take care of yourself while you do this work. Migration challenges are real experiences that often involve traumatic experiences and can be trauma-triggering. As you come to this work with an open heart and mind, check in with yourself as you walk with others through this often tumultuous season of transition.