Cira Cruz recalls her difficult life in the rural state of Oaxaca, México, and her experiences with agriculture. She describes the challenges that pushed her and her family to migrate to the United States.
Read MoreAruna Rao
Founder of Desi Rainbow Parents & Allies, Aruna Rao discusses growing up in India, and moving to the US in the late 1980s. She talks about raising her transgender child, and how she is now able to track the process of her child’s ability to express their identity. She emphasizes how difficult it was for her to notice some of these important expressions in real-time, as she was dealing with family traumas throughout her child’s adolescence. She is a proud LGBTQ+ rights activist, and serves on the national board of PFLAG (Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays).
Read MoreMargaret Nichols
Therapist Margie Nichols is the founder and was the first executive director of the Institute for Personal Growth. She charts the therapeutic evolution of helping the LGBT community, and discusses the many LGBT and gay-lesbian organizations that she was a part of and founded, including HYACINTH, a social service organization for people with AIDS.
Read MoreRyan Haygood
Ryan Haygood is a civil rights lawyer and President and CEO of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice. Ryan reflects on growing up in Denver, and the formative interactions he had with police growing up. Since then, Ryan has focused on bringing to light the structural racism that has disadvantaged persons of color. His advocacy work focuses on helping those who have been disenfranchised by systems of racial discrimination.
Read MoreRon Pierce
Growing up, Ron Pierce was taught the importance of voting and voted in every election that he could up until 1986 when was arrested. Ron believes that voting is a way to further democracy and help one’s community. He is a Democracy and Justice Fellow for the New Jersey Institute of Social Justice. He is working on getting voting rights restored for individuals on parole.
Read MoreMark Hopkins
Mark Hopkins experiences with the justice system started when he was a child. He discusses growing up in Camden, as well as the experience of being on parole. He is a dedicated organizer, who is actively involved in the NJ STEP program.
Read MoreJP
JP details his life as a trans man and how he has been perceived at home, at school, and at the various jobs that he has held. JP also discusses the joy he feels after his recent top surgery.
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