A New Year. A New Voice

On New Year’s Eve 2020/2021, I decided to try my hand at blogging. I have read a few “how to do it” posts and have learned the following:

·       Introduce myself

·       Understand why I want to share my perspective

·       Determine my voice

·       Engage my reader

·       Proofread, proofread, proofread

Sounds easy enough right? Wrong. Day one and I am not sure where to start. I guess I’ll take the advice given and follow the above format.

I have already introduced myself on the “About Me” page. This provides a brief glimpse at my innerworkings and motivations.

Next couple of bullet points: as I continue to live my life outside my childhood bubble, I am beginning to realize that by sharing my perspective, I can change a mind, or maybe more. My voice is genuine. I hope to use these pages to provide insights I believe are important. I am not spinning to gain followers or woe someone influential into thinking I’m somebody I’m not. I am just speaking my mind and offering solutions. I am not sure I can engage my reader because I am not sure I will ever have readers. I am not writing for them, I am writing for me. Finally, I will proofread.

This past summer I worked a construction job for the first time. I have worked every summer since my 8th-grade year. First, as a volunteer coach for a local lacrosse team, then as a salesperson and ski tech for a local family-owned ski and snowboard retailer. The work has been fun, but not especially strenuous. The construction job was an eye-opener. First, I had to report to work at 7:00 am. That doesn’t seem early during the school year, but it sure is early in the Summer. Second, except for a few breaks and lunch, I was physically grinding for at least 8 hours a day. I am young and I am fit (three-year Varsity athlete in football and Lacrosse), but I came home exhausted every day. Third, the majority of my co-workers were Hispanic. I have several friends who are Hispanic, and when I played soccer my elite club soccer team was primarily Hispanic, but I had not worked side by side with Hispanics that needed to work to feed their families.

In Marin County where I grew up, there is a significant Hispanic population. Although we are in Northern California, not Southern California near the Mexican border, many Hispanics feel safe in Marin and call it home. Most of Marin County is a wealthy community, and as a result, there are plenty of manual labor jobs for the Hispanic population. My mom has three Guatemalans who have worked for her property management company for years. I have gotten to know them over the years, but only superficially. I don’t mean that in a negative way; I always say “hi” and “goodbye” and ask them about their families, but I never truly explored their living situations or their everyday realities.

Working at Summit Professional Builders gave me a deeper understanding of the everyday challenges that the Hispanic population in Marin County (and this country) face. I spent the Summer learning about their lives, their families, their struggles, their traditions, but I also learned a lot about myself. I learned that my color and my family’s economic situation gave me advantages. Even if I didn’t work as hard as they did or do a job as well as they did, I never worried about getting in trouble or fired. I knew that if I got injured on the job, my physician was just a call away. I knew that when I got home, I’d have food on the table and a room all to myself to rest from the day.

I made great friends that summer. Friends for a lifetime. Friends I haven’t spoken to in months after I went back to school, but friends I know will be happy to see me when we are reunited. Friends that deserve a good life as they search for the “American Dream.”

This blog will be centered around their struggles and inequities. My attempt to solve some of the challenges they face, and how to soften the blows they endure to provide for their families.