IDEA Corps Intern: Nia Newman

My name is Nia Newman and I am 19 years old and a sophomore at Pennsylvania State University. I was born and raised in Rockville, Maryland and attend Friendship United Methodist Church in Damascus, Maryland. I am currently majoring in Psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice. I decided to pursue these studies because I have always been fascinated with human behavior and what causes them to act based on their environment or genetics. Moreover, I want to create a difference in the justice system.

As I begin to open my eyes to the world and see the many injustices that occur today, especially in the United States, I would like to see more people that look like me, a black woman, creating changes in the justice system. I realize that there is a whole lot of work to do to undo a justice system that is inherently unjust, but I know doing my part will hopefully create an impact on my generation and the many generations ahead of me. Currently, I am placed at Emory Grove United Methodist Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

I am working with Pastor Timothy Warner this summer and during my internship, I am focusing on community relations, especially targeting the youth. Over the last two weeks, I have been learning about the history between Emory Grove, a historically black neighborhood, and Washington Grove, a historically white neighborhood. Walking through these neighborhoods and seeing the drastic differences between each neighborhood and why certain structures are put in place, showed me that we still have a lot of work to do. And a lot of the current residents of both communities, especially in Emory Grove,, are unaware of the history behind their neighborhoods. During my placement, with the knowledge that I have obtained, I have pushed myself to do outreach to the community in both neighborhoods.

Currently, we have been promoting a baseball clinic and a basketball camp free of charge to the children within the Emory Grove community. The purpose is to create better connections with them as well as the parents to get a better idea of how they would like to see changes within their community. Additionally, we will reach out to members of Washington Grove to understand their history and their opinions of the several changes that have occurred over the years in their tight knit community.

Overall, while I strive to make a difference in the justice system, being a part of this internship is one of the very small steps I have to take in order to get to the bigger picture. The changes start small with the community and try to understand the perspective of the people in the community first before taking immediate action. I look forward to educating myself further during the summer in these communities and taking action to create change and a difference in my community and soon systemically.

Where I am currently placed, , I have seen and taken notes of what needs are required of the community. During my outreach to the youth of the community, the bigger focus of my placement overall is to achieve affordable housing to the current members of Emory Grove and to bring back the previous residents of Emory Grove to live once again in their neighborhood. The community needs unity and being able to try to get the youth more involved in their community can be the first step in addressing the needs as a whole. Once we are able to reach out to the youth, we can engage their parents to get more involved. As a result, we can get a better perspective on their issues and how they see them being addressed.

My perspective about the community is I believe the one thing that makes people come alive is how passionate a lot of the people in the community are about keeping their history alive. No matter if I was in Washington Grove or Emory Grove, both communities and their people fight and strive to keep their history alive. From each community, I can see the passion each one of them holds to keeping the history of their parents, grandparents, and great grandparents alive. But while this keeps people alive, there are still issues of justice that need to be addressed. Primarily, the issue of bringing back the original people of Emory Grove to their community and trying to unite and create better relations between the people of Emory Grove and Washington Grove.

I also believe we can respond to this issue of justice by ensuring that both sides of the communities are heard. Hearing what they may have to say about their feelings towards one another or hearing how they want to improve their community can allow them to still hold on to the passion they have for their own communities.

Moreover, while reaching out to the youth, engaging them in community activities, we are able to get them personally involved in their community, as well as teach them about their community history. This week, the one thing I learned about myself is how to stay flexible even when things aren’t exactly going as planned. Knowing that people will reject or avoid the conversations you want to bring up should not discourage you to keep trying. Because there are always people who want to hear from you and what you have to offer. I feel like I became more alive while outreaching to the communities as a source of information to share to others as I would love to see both communities grow and flourish over the years and throughout this summer.

I have been born and raised in the church and have bounced around many churches throughout my lifetime. And the one thing that my parents have taught me as leading members and contributors to the church is to listen to God and move on His timing and not on your own. 

As much I was in church, my parents did not push onto me about giving my life to Christ. Instead, I was instructed to always carefully listen to God and what he wanted me to do. And I remember asking my mother, “How will I know if God is speaking to me? And what does he sound like?” 

And she told me, “You’ll know when you hear it.”

As a child, I didn’t know what I was listening for and when it was the right time to give my life to him. As the pastor gave the invitation every Sunday, I thought, when will I go up there? Or, is it the right time for me to go? I was waiting on when God wanted me to go. But as each Sunday came by, and I never went up in front of the congregation and gave my life to Christ, I grew more and more impatient. And asked my parents once more how will I know when God wants me to give my life to him? And they both gave me a simple answer, “Pray.” 

And with this very broad answer at a young age, I went to my room and prayed to God and asked him to guide me on my journey with him and to give me a sign when I am ready. And as the weeks went by, I heard his calling. And it sounded like my father. I heard a very loud, and clear voice call my name. 

The first time, it caught me off guard and I didn’t respond back out loud. And once again, I heard my name again and went to where my father was in the basement of my house. I asked him if he called my name and he looked at me in confusion. I insisted he was calling me and he suggested, “Maybe God was calling you.” I stood in silence and all of it was making sense. My father told me I should go pray and listen to what he is calling me to do. And I already knew what he wanted me to do.

Soon as church came around again, and as the invitation was called, I felt a little push in my spirit and I was reluctant to go. And as the pastor announced the last call, the push felt a little stronger and I walked up the aisle and gave my life to Christ at 10 years old on God’s timing. 

And during my internship, interacting with many different people who come from different paths of life, I am starting to hear and see God through others and hearing him more through my actions and spirit. I believe I am now slow to action and quick to listen to God, especially in the quiet moments. I have been able to see God through different people through the many stories that I have heard and I am grateful for each experience. And as I see God through others, God has spoken through me and put words and actions on my heart to get to others. And from when I was 10 to now, I have always kept in my mind to listen and be obedient to God and his timing.

Privilege is very prevalent in the neighborhood that I am working in this summer. I am working between Emory Grove, which was a predominantly thriving black neighborhood back before they were pushed out due to economic racism and lack of resources. 

And on the other side of the neighborhood, which is literally 5 minutes away from Emory Grove, is Washington Grove. It is its own little bubble that is a majority white neighborhood who have made it their goal to preserve all of their history and their people within this community. From the knowledge of my mentor, the first black family that was able to move into Washington Grove in 2002. 

The people in Washington Grove have the privilege and opportunity to preserve their history while Emory Grove’s people have been pushed out or moved out of their neighborhood due to economic factors with the county easing the prices of property and racism between both communities. While we are currently working on building back the community of Emory Grove and bringing back its people, we are also trying to mend the wounds between both communities from the rifts within the past.

If Emory Grove had the opportunity to have better economic privileges and options, I believe they would be thriving more as a community and building off of their lands with the various houses, events and buildings that was there once before and would have not let the power of the county or the people outside Emory Grove take over their land and try to attempt to wipe their history. 

I believe race has a much bigger factor than gender in my placement regarding privilege because the white people in Washington Grove still have the opportunity to hold on to their housing and their history, while the people of Emory Grove unfortunately do not have the same opportunity because a lot of the people either left due to the rise of property prices or due to the lack of resources in their community.

This week in my placement, I was able to see God working through me and where I am placed in a very discreet way. God’s voice doesn’t always have to be booming or extremely recognizable for you to hear Him. Most of the time, for me at least, I can see his works through people I interact with or if I have time to speak with him quietly. 

But from where I was placed, I was able to attend a basketball camp at West River to interact with the youth, as well show them guidance through the sport of basketball. And I feel as if God spoke through them to me. I felt like a mentor to some of them and showed leadership to them if they were struggling in their lives and gave them a listening ear, showing I cared for how they felt and what they were going through. 

As well, they gave me lessons to reflect on myself, such as having patience. It was evident throughout that week that I would need to be patient with a lot of them and try not having a short fuse all the time. It is something that I am actively working on and allowing me this opportunity shows that he is always listening and showing me the many ways He works through me.

I am grateful for the opportunities my placement has given me because I can see a growth within myself as well. Knowing God wants me to grow in myself and through others, I feel as if I am starting to grow and become more of my own person and leader who can speak up against issues and create a voice for myself instead of just staying quiet. 

I feel as this placement is getting me out of my bubble and branching out to meet new people, have new experiences, and crave a deeper connection with God because I am steadily seeing a difference within myself I wouldn’t have not seen if I did not do this internship. As I continue through the second half of my internship, I can’t wait to see what other blessing God has in store for me and what other ways he may speak to me.

As I am in the second half of my placement, I quickly realized how political my placement is. I also learned that having resources and connections is another top priority to getting things done and how to make a change. While we are focused on outreach to the youth, another aspect to my placement is funding and creating affordable houses within the Emory Grove community. Knowing who to go to and how to receive the money and planning for these projects are essential. 

And I have had the opportunity to listen in on meetings, meet politicians, meet heads of major organizations and more to see the behind the scenes work for projects such as affordable housing take place. Especially in a financially thriving area like Montgomery County, it is important to push out these types of housing for all people who may not be able to afford a 6 figure house when they come into this country.

I have also seen how some people may not want to engage in community housing and would rather put their money in another issue or subject that may interest them. 

So working in my placement and as my responsibility, it is important for me to advocate for those who may not have a voice yet. I know how essential my voice is and getting this project out to the community and showing others how beneficial it would be to the community.

A question that has emerged as I work in my placement is how can I effectively reach out to the youth to community events and continue having them come in future events? I realize that we are now in an era of technology and everyone is so attached to their phones and devices. Earlier in my placement, I have seen that there was less of a youth presence within the church, as well as in the community. And I feel now, I had to change my original approach, which was trying to hand flyers out to others or tell them in person. 

Now that everyone is on social media, I believe this will be my best bet at communicating events in the neighborhood, but another question follows up, “how will I keep the youth coming out to these events?” That is something I am still exploring and as I continue my internship, I pray that I can find the answer and communicate it effectively in the community.

As my internship comes to a close, I feel like I have had a closer and deeper understanding of the IDEA concept. Knowing the differences held within my community, I have been able to recognize the actions some people within the community desire to take in order to better themselves as people and to grow as a community. 

Although, not everyone will agree to each action taken by the community, in the end, it will be for the benefit of future generations and those to come. IDEA is important to practice so we know how to address community issues. Even if we cannot complete all the issues at hand in one summer, it will be a continual project to build one piece after another for a better community.

As one of the key concepts practiced in my placement, I think inclusion stands out the most for me and in the community I am working in. As my mentor has emphasized throughout my internship, we are striving to have housing units available for everyone, especially for those within the community and those who may not be able to afford housing within Montgomery County, which averages about six figures. We also strived to include the youth during my internship as we hope to hear their voices and ask them what they would like to see in their community. 

And I was honored to meet and talk to so many youths this summer, I found that their voices are the ones that people often forget about the most. They will be the ones living in the community in the future. We should prioritize their voices first because they will be the next generation coming up to live in the world that we are in.

All the IDEA components play a role in my placement, but reflecting back on my work and how the placement and the church in the community are actively trying to reach the IDEA goals, I am very optimistic for the future. My mentor, Rev. Tim Warner, who is very passionate about building up his church and community, I can see that this is greater than the internship itself. I can guarantee there will be a bright future for Emory Grove United Methodist Church and the Emory Grove community.

In my placement, I believe advocacy played a major role and it was the most essential. As a voice for the community and speaking out for their needs, I believe talking to the youth and asking them what they would like to see in their community allowed me to be a voice for them and for them to be heard. My mentor has always emphasized that it is better to listen than to always speak. This summer, I was given a chance to listen and advocate for those and to give them a chance to speak their opinion.

I had the opportunity to go out with the youth at a summer basketball camp at West River.

My favorite book is namedJust Mercy, by Bryan Stevenson which highlights how deeply rooted in racism and corruptness our criminal justice system is. This is an all time favorite of mine because it creates an emphasis of how corrupt our justice system really is and the dedication some people have to change it. And it is something I aspire to do when I graduate and enter the criminal justice system.

My favorite movie is called “The Harder They Fall,” which takes place in the Midwest during the late 1800s. It is based around black cowboys and outlaws with a lot of action within the movie. I loved the actors in the movie adding a comedic side to it, as well as a lot of action and suspense within the movie. I highly recommend anyone reading this to watch it on Netflix.

My favorite song would have to be “Tell Him” by Lauryn Hill. I love old school R&B and I am a big fan of Ms. Lauryn Hill. I love her storytelling within her songs and how you can interpret her song however you may think it relates to you. While I cannot choose a favorite song of all time, this is definitely in my top 5.

Some values that I have held on to have been told to me by my father. I can remember him building me up as I grew older in life and started to face some problems that would require me to face it head on or stand up for myself and speak up if I do not feel as if I am being treated correctly. One value that has stuck to me in particular is when I feel like people are using me to their benefit and I don’t speak up for myself.

He has brought to my attention that this will continue to happen until you break the pattern and God may be showing me a lesson. A lesson that will continue to occur within different people and situations until I change my response. The value I have held onto is my voice and to speak up for myself, not letting people just use me and expect me not to say anything. I believe I am now stronger with my words and will not let anyone step on me and for me to let it happen.

A value I no longer hold onto may reflect on how I see myself and how I don’t need to be exactly like everyone else. As cliche as that may sound, creating my own self image was a long and difficult road for me. Especially having people who don’t look like me tell me how I should dress, what I should do to have fun, what I should look like, etc. I do not base myself on what others base me off of, and now that I have grown to be comfortable in my own skin, I do what I desire and don’t really care for the opinions of others if they are upset my my decisions.

My parents have sacrificed so much for me in my lifetime to be where I am today. I cannot even imagine the amount of things that they have sacrificed for me to be in college, to be on basketball teams, to travel to events, to help me graduate high school, and especially bringing me up in a loving and caring household I wouldn’t give up for the world.

For me, I would be willing to change the dynamics of the justice system to make it more just for minority people and for everyone to get a fair chance in life. While it has always been rooted in corruption, racism, violence, discrimination, and tons of negative aspects, I would be willing to sacrifice my time and dedicate myself to the cause to make a change. Even if the change doesn’t seem as big right now, or even as doing something on the local level, like this internship, I want to see a change in my lifetime.

Dear Lord,
I thank you for waking me up this morning and starting me on my way. I pray for all of the issues in the world that people may find comfort in you. I thank you for giving me an opportunity to reach out to the community and meet people from different paths of life to bless me and to bless them. And even after this internship is over, I pray you continue to allow each and every one of us to evangelize and reach out to more communities.

Amen

In the next 20 years, I would like to see a thriving community with all members represented and having their needs met in order to be set for success for the world. I would like to think that the history of Emory Grove is well instilled in the community and that its roots were not forgotten. As well, the differences between Emory Grove and Washington Grove can be put to the side, but never forgotten. I would like to hope that the church is still a strong pillar in the community and plays a role in orchestrating community parties, events, and putting out information to be spread to other communities. 

I would like to think that a lot of minority businesses will thrive in this area and people of all colors living in Emory Grove. I also would like to think that the vision of having affordable housing units in the Emory Grove community and surrounding it will be very prominent.

I think a lot of the social activities, schools, restaurants, and homes would be based around the history of Emory Grove. I really think that my placement is headed in a great direction, especially guided by my mentor, who is passionate about getting this community on its feet and reviving life in it again. I can see all of the changes he would like to do in Emory Grove and I think with the continuation of his work, and future interns and support from the community, I believe it will become a thriving and very successful community.

I think some of the greatest economic strengths in my placement are the wages offered, especially in the Montgomery County area. For a lot of people, minimum wages are offered between $14-16 per hour. A lot of people do tend to earn a bit more and can be beneficial in some aspects. But to counter this, some of the challenges faced, especially in my placement, is the rising cost of housing. In Montgomery County, it is one of the top most expensive places to live in the nation and to have good affordable housing is an issue that is being worked on in the process. But I do believe that we are coming to address the issue with the actions currently taking place in order to have everyone who can live here.

Some of the gifts I have found and continue to perfect as the IDEA internship comes to an end would be that I am able to listen and take action. I like to think I am very proactive and once I am something that interests me or I would like to see improvement on, I am dedicated towards the cause. I also have discovered I am more of an interactive person than I thought. I like to be out and talk to people about their issues or their opinions on how things work in their communities and how we can talk to people in higher positions to eventually make a change.

I like to think I am on the right path towards getting myself to be more out there and to speak up and address these continuing issues in the community as well as in the world. Lastly, to the future 2024 intern of my placement, I would like to emphasize how important it is to establish a relationship with your mentor, and especially with the community you are working in. A lot of people you may be working with have stories to tell and experiences to share. And creating a firm foundation with them by listening and hearing them first will allow you to flourish and create an impact bigger than you could ever imagine.