IDEA Corps Intern: Alexander Riche

My name is Alexander Riche and I am a rising senior at North Carolina A&T State University. I am majoring in Pre-Law at NCA&T and participate in clubs around my school. That being NBLSA (The National Black Law Student Association), the Charm City Aggies (which is the group of students who represent Baltimore at the school) and participate in other volunteer work around my school. I attend St. Matthews United Methodist Church in Baltimore, Maryland, “The Church where love is lived”. 

One of the reasons I chose to major in Pre-Law was because I enjoy reading and diving deep into history. A huge part of falling into this study is reading. It’s key, more key than I can really say, it cannot be stressed enough. The more you look, the more you can find that’ll help with each case and any feat that presents itself in front of you. When I was young my family told me “that boy is going to be a lawyer or a politician, because all he do is argue, whether it’s for himself, or his sister.” I enjoy arguing for what I feel is right and also what I potentially deserve. I do these things because I was always told to not sit for things that aren’t right. Even as a child, if I felt that it wasn’t right, I’d argue it, and argue it as much as I could. Now granted it was met with quite the backlash, it didn’t stop me from  doing it again. Another is growing up in Baltimore, having friends and peers who couldn’t afford to acquire the proper legal help on petty matters, so if not me to help, then who? 

The church I attend is St. Matthews United Methodist Church. I have been attending this church all of my life. It’s the church my great grandmother attended. My Great Grandfather attended Greater St. John Baptist Church in Turner Station, around the corner from St. Matthews. They had 4 children, my great Uncle Wayne (the eldest), my grandmother Anita, my great Uncle Michael, and my great Uncle Johnny. All of whom seemed to have aligned with my great grandmother and went full-fledged into St. Matthews. All of their children, my cousins, my mother, my sister, etc. grew up in that church and have strong ties there.  From youth choir, to being called to give a sermon, that church and the family that I have in it, that’s so much more nuanced and including more than just blood family, have seen me grow much. From a child, to the man I am today, and they all hold a part in doing so. That’s what Church does. 

For this summer I have been placed at Emory United Methodist Church working with Emory Beacon of Light under Reverend LaTaska Nelson. Her presence has been a joy every single time. There I’ve been looking through documents and getting things done under her tutelage. We have worked with the other organizations to go ahead and keep things moving forward on the up and up, especially in dealing with the government for certain things. My best bet is I have been placed here because of my proficiency in document proofing as well as doing things like this previously. So far we have worked on getting the grants done for the green team, and we’ll have it finished and going very soon.

What my placement does for the community is provide jobs and other opportunities for work in the community. So far what I’ve worked on is the Green Team Grant preparation for the upcoming fiscal year. Getting the documents together like our I-9s of the past years and getting our grant proposal prepared to present to the DSLB. We have our set dates and deadlines to do so and getting it prepared to help the community. The green team people are so in tune with the community even working their way up in the green team to help spearhead and put more of those in the community on, creating more opportunities within the community.

Community is so important and is a dying essence in today’s world and I genuinely mean that. Social Media is not the community it is touted to be, and everyone is transitioning virtually more so rather than in person. It definitely makes me and those in my community come alive when we know we can come together and do things. Not even when it’s money-related, or a community gathering for something better for us with money involved. Often it’s knowing that there are people who are willing to come together for a greater cause, for community. There’s solace to be found when people are together and enjoying each other’s company in a shared environment, knowing that e can do for each other when needed. That’s what community is. That is what makes us come alive.

One thing I learned in my placement this week was that in going through all of the documentation and reading it, it kind of hurts that the budget doesn’t approve for more workers. One of the objectives for the Green Team, which is the project we have been working on getting funded so far, is that is provides jobs and opportunities for the community, yet the budget only approves for 7. Are the budget givers actually trying to help the community, or just meet quotas? Northwest DC is where I am placed and it has a ton of potential, and the Green Team (Clean Team) does their part in keeping it in tip top shape, but some of the quotas they have to meet, and the quotas the loaners require are just kind of dreary. Especially when that money runs through 2 other levels before it gets passed to us.

Despite this, I come alive when I get the documentation done and fight for those bills. I know that soon I will have to make my way that direction and march into buildings and fight for our green team, and if you read my first journal entry, you’ll know that’s where I will truly come alive, as that is my bread and butter. It’s where my eyes light up and I find another sense of me being placed here. Doing what I can, doing what I love, getting in where I fit in to this big puzzle of community help.

A place I sensed God’s presence or when I tend to is when helping others. I think this is the way you will often sense God’s presence and how it ultimately reveals what he has for you and how he has placed a hand on your shoulder every time and you just do not know. It happens so often when I take a second and realize how I got here. Often it will be when I have other plans for myself but he’ll ultimately reveal other plans for me that are far better for me.

I know at one point for myself going back to high school, I thought I had it all figured out. I was going to go to my huge 4 year undergrad as a freshman straight of high school, then do big things such as internships and travel the country and the world while preparing myself for Law School, etc. My heart was solely set on it but guess what happened… I can tell you not that. The pandemic happened and everything started to unravel. Ending off with no prom or graduation, I ended up going to Community College for 2 years. There I felt kind of sad everyone was going to their 4 years straight away but it ended up not mattering too much because first and foremost there was a pandemic going on, so there was only so much you were truly allowed to do, hindering that. Not to mention from my 2 years of community, I was able to obtain my AA Degree in Criminal Justice. Something I wouldn’t have been able to get by going to my 4 year first. Do you see where his plans are starting to be better than mine? I had my heart set after that going to Morgan State, HBCU in the city where I’m from, or the University of Baltimore (which has no dorms), as well as Norfolk, Towson and VUU on my list. All schools I planned on going to after high school. Then I met more friends during the pandemic through other high school friends by just being in the house and playing video games, which was about the only thing I could do. One of them ended up attending North Carolina A&T, and as our friendship grew, he told me I should apply there, as he was losing a roommate already so it kind of fits perfectly. I ended up applying there (a school I had zero intention on going to) and they offered me my best financial letter as well as somewhere to stay immediately with my friend. My experience since being there has been so phenomenal with all the friends I’ve met and who are really family to me now. All of this, and it wasn’t even in my plans at all, but it was in his. Feel like I’ve told this story a million times. Not to mention I haven’t even included the valuable work experience I gained when I worked at Whole Foods and met friends who introduced me to more people who I still have relationships with to this day, including my Supervisor and HR, who are two more reasons why I am where I am today.

This sensing of his presence is sort of off put, but you never realize how big it is for you and your life. His plans were never mine, they were never even considered. But it goes to show that every step of the way the Lord is putting you in places that you don’t even realize are best for you, even when it doesn’t make too much sense. I appreciate him so much words cannot describe. I always sense his hand on my shoulder when I end up in a space that I never knew I’d be at, but I also never knew I needed to keep going and advancing forward.

When looking into my placement, I see a myriad of things. But mainly in my placement I see a lot of mixed buildings. Allow me to elaborate. When coming into my placement, or going out to lunch, one thing myself and my mentors will discuss is how the buildings begin to change shape every 4 or so row homes. It’s really weird. You can tell the difference in when they were placed because the shape the new ones take is a more box looking figure that is coated in black and gray with nothing but glass all around it. It is odd because why would you not continue the same structure for the new buildings instead with just an updated look to it?

One answer is that they functionally cost less and require less labor. But when I look deeper, I see these buildings and their placements and they’re placed in neighborhoods that make them less affordable. I can see that because at Emory Beacon of Light we offer nice affordable housing that looks just as modern, just without the bland minimalistic look. Every single day it’s becoming worse and worse as I find new developments every time I return to my placement. It hurts because when we go out in the neighborhood and talk to people or the local businesses, it is clear people are getting pushed further and further out of the city and into the surrounding county (that being Montgomery County in that Silver spring area). That’s where many of the business owners have their children go to school and some live. But they get less and less foot traffic and business do to the gentrification going on in that area. You would think it would be the opposite way around, but that is not the case at all. More upper-class white homes, less people of color being operable in that area. Really tough things to see.

I saw God in my placement this week when we were able to go and meet some more of the other small businesses. God often comes up when you least expect it. His stories he creates for us, where the slight of his hand comes in and creates better for us if often subtle, but great. Its given to you at times when sometimes you are lowest, just as long as you hold on, you’ll always be fine. He’ll never put you in a place you can’t overcome.

​As we were touring the neighborhood finding more businesses we came upon a business who was new to the neighborhood. They felt as though they chose the right neighborhood to open up shop, which I believe they did as well. But things had just been slow over there. As we are hosting a small business meet and greet, we went to him and proposed he should come and what there is to be offered. His face lit up as you could see how much he needed it. Never going to call myself or what I do “God-sent” or “heaven-sent” but the way the timing matched up is one way the Lord continuously works mysteriously.

​Of course, we have no choice but to engage in politics. The placement I am in requires us to work directly with the community. What is wrong, what they see going on around the community and why this is not in shape or this is not in shape.

​Like this week, we had to deal with the district and how they do things very often, and file a complaint and notice to the district just to simply get another trash-can. It’s ridiculous, but little things like this can make people often reconsider their political viewpoint depending on who is providing what at the moment, and who is thinking about who. 

Who will have their best foot forward for these people. At my placement, I’ll have to strategize with everyone to look at what will work and what won’t in our community, and put ourselves in better standing. It will fall into the politics, as it always will, these are the people who represent us, our community.

​The one question that has emerged because of me and my placement is due to the ongoing changes around the community of the placement, what is next for Upper Georgia Avenue? There’s so much that is going on around there. New developments every 3 blocks, for every 5 older homes, there’s a new modern looking, black box of a home with glass windows. 

What will happen to the people around there? What can I do? I already know for the most part how they are getting pushed outside of DC to surrounding counties and areas, but what is the end goal here. Gentrification is doing quite a doozy on my placement.

​Starting off first and foremost, I could not have asked for a better placement. I have thoroughly enjoyed myself thus far, and my mentors, Rev. Nelson, Ms. Diane Lammy, they have treated me so well. The knowledge we’ve been able to bounce off of each other, the open door policy that they have exhibited, opening the floor for me to speak and share what I feel should be done and where I can fit myself and my ideas in. 

As an intern, you can’t ask for more, I am pleased to be here. Even with meeting Rev. Dr. Daniels, the connections he has, the things he does for this community and his people, incomparable. He truly brings everyone up with him and makes everything great and I am so glad to have met him as well.

​Now as far as IDEA interning, as our description suggests, we focus on justice and learning. We are expected to continue the practices of the Methodists as put forth to us in our social policies in all of our placements. We look at things like inclusion, minimization, prejudice, being an ally, but, to me, none more important, than belonging. Being able to participate in something you belong to. Co-creating in the things you belong to. I experience this at my placement with the open door policy we are allowed. I get to be so hands on, I get to feel like I am fully a part of this. Like I fully belong.

We have Social Principles to uphold. We were placed here to keep things going and continue as Methodists. This is just our starting point, to go beyond and beyond. This is just the beginning of our journey. Our outreach can only go further out. We must continue these practices and not forget that we all are people who need each other to grow. Continue networking, continue working together, we see the importance of not only our work, but the importance of IDEA.

​A piece of the lecture that was given reads “We (as Methodists) find ourselves offending someone. Not due to us caring about and for those who suffer, but finding who and what is perpetuating said suffering…”, in my placement we have taken the initiative to find and to do things a bit differently and even join onto projects to help those suffering. 

Sometimes that, as I reiterate, joining onto different projects that are already going on in the neighborhood. Thus, finding who and what is perpetuating the suffering, and stopping it there. 

My mentors have made me privy to Breadcoins. Breadcoins are a form offood token currency used by certain participating vendors in DC(and now Baltimore) that allows the more disadvantaged to use it for addressing food needs. We used it for a local store around the corner for lunch. They are then taken by a Breadcoin representative who will go to participating stores, redeem them, and the cycle continues, allowing more food to be given throughout the neighborhood. I can use this for the new businesses that need help (as I stated in the last journal) to help keep them all afloat. Finding a problem, putting ourselves in it, advocating for it, and making progress.