For the Times: Student Action

For the last two decades, the majority of the population of Boston has been people of color. Diverse representation in civic leadership has increased but it still does not reflect this demographic shift.

That’s why the Civic Action Fellows Program was created—to support the next generation of civic leaders by increasing participation by students of color and other marginalized identities in the Greater Boston area. The student fellows build their civic agency and skills for collective action through bi-weekly workshops with community-engaged leaders and interning with a community-based organization. Each receives a $500 scholarship per semester to support their internship.

“Representation matters if we are to address the long ignored racial inequity and injustice that is present in civic spaces,” said Rachel Winters, director of student leadership and community engagement. “The pandemics we are facing in the nation and the commonwealth have augmented the need to actively work toward equity and justice, especially for communities who have been marginalized.”

As the only public research institution in the region with a majority of students of color, UMass Boston is uniquely positioned to face these upheavals and contribute to social change. Now in its third year, the Civic Action Fellows Program is led in partnership with the Office of Community Partnerships, Student Multicultural Affairs, and Student Leadership and Community Engagement.

The community partners who have hosted internships reflect the diversity of the fellows and have included the Hyde Square Task Force, BAGLY Inc., the Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project, the City of Boston Mayor’s office of Language and Communications Access, and legislators Mayor of Lawrence Dan Rivera, State Representative Jessica Giannino, and Boston City Councilor- At-Large Julia Mejia.

“This is a time of extraordinary need for change and our partners are asking us to build the next generation of civic leaders of color who will fill the role that one day they will need to pass on,” said Cynthia Orellana, director of the Office of Community Partnerships. “Our students are poised to be the change we wish to see in the world and so we must create opportunities with communities that build up the resilience and capital of communities.”

The fellows enter the program with diverse academic interests—from political science and criminology to psychology and English—and lived experiences as well as motivations for social change. A theme for all is a commitment to community and social justice.

One student advocated for the return of land back to indigenous communities. Another wanted to be a role model for young Muslim women. A third fellow noted that “the pandemics we are facing today have increased the need to acknowledge social issues and work toward acquiring real justice for marginalized communities.”