Volunteers Give Us Hope

My heart hurts. I don’t think it’s just me. How could it be when according to ABC News and Gun Violence Archive, “there have been more mass shootings than days in 2023.”

Last week we lost Corey Mumford, a senior from Laurel High School, the unintended target of the shooting that took his life. His parents were preparing for his participation in prom and graduation. Now they are likely wracked with grief, struggling to comprehend their lives without him as our community mourns the loss of another Black male.

Also last week in Kansas City, Mo. another Black male was shot. An older homeowner responded to a ring of his doorbell with his loaded weapon. Ralph Yarl, a 16-year-old, was shot at point-blank range in the head and arm without being able to ask for the help he sought in finding his younger siblings.

Make it make sense. How can we live in our society and maintain hope in the midst of this bad trouble?

And then my phone’s photo gallery reframed my thinking. Photo after photo of the hundreds of largely Black students and their allies who gathered for our second Black Student Summit last month made my heart soar. And what’s more are the many dedicated volunteers whose endless smiles and overwhelming goodwill pushed forward the summit and all of the work of the DRJC.

Our engine is powered by volunteers. It’s the reason we are able to advance our racial justice agenda and march toward the more equitable Delaware we all believe is possible.

Volunteers lead the work on each of our committees:

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: Taryn Guy and Debbie Smith;

Health Equity: Erin Ridout, Dr. Brittany Hazzard and Kim Blanch,

Wealth Creation: Shelly Cecchett and Bernice Edwards;

Criminal Justice: Dave Bever with help from Mike Brickner, Renata Kowalczyk and Lynne Kielhorne;

Education: Cliffvon Howell, Fatimah Conley-Stone, and Dr. Sandi Hagans;

Youth: Cierra Hall-Hipkins and Jalyn Powell; and

Public Policy: Anne Farley and Yvette Santiago

Volunteers are at the heart of each DRJC committee meeting, event and initiative. Volunteers lead the charge on the planning for our Black Student and will do so for our upcoming Hispanic Student Summit during Hispanic Heritage Month. Volunteers are the guests on Tea Time with Alex and Level Up, the DRJC’s weekly livestream shows.

Our advocacy efforts are based on the engagement and support of our volunteers, without whom we would be nothing. I’m not overstating. We could not do this without our volunteers.

Learning that this week is National Volunteer Week felt like kismet. This week is a time, according to Points of Light, to “shine a light on the people and causes that inspire us to serve, recognizing and thanking volunteers who lend their time, talent and voice to make a difference in their communities.”

Just when sadness took hold, my view of the world was expanded to include those exceptional men and women, boys and girls who volunteer and are the wind beneath our wings. I’m shining a bright light on all DRJC members and volunteers. Thank you for every single thing you have done with and for us in the fight for racial justice. I am grateful for it all and hope that you are proud of what we accomplished together.

Volunteers give us hope. They did for me. We have miles to go before we sleep and lots of opportunities to serve. If you haven’t already, please join us in the fight. If you have, please accept our thanks and stay with the fight.