Finding one's place
Colleen Murphy
senior
My mother is a pretty good judge of character. She has five children and like a good mother, she recognizes that each of us is different in our own ways. There is the socialite, the radical, the athlete and the baby. I am the humanitarian. Well over fall break, I went with a group of 13 other Notre Dame students to New York City as a participant of the Children and Poverty seminar run by the Center for Social Concerns. We traveled to our nation's biggest city to help some of our nation's poorest children. This trip left me thinking about my role in society.
During the days I went to impoverished, crime-ridden neighborhoods and played with some of the most giving children. Marlon knew all the lyrics to all the Britney Spears songs. He is four years old and impressionable. As he sang "Lucky," the phrase, "isn't she lucky," rang through my ears. Was I not lucky to be born in white suburban America to white collar parents who could give me the opportunity to attend a college like Notre Dame? Why are not all children that lucky?
Kassandra always had a smile on her face. She is creative and inquisitive. Though she speaks very little English, she was able to communicate to me despite the language barrier that she wanted the eye of her pumpkin to be on top of the stem rather than on its broad side like the rest of the children. If only all Americans could break down their artificial barriers.
As the days progressed, I interacted with the adults involved in the various programs and organizations where we volunteered. Mr. Robs' favorite gym game is steal the bacon. Not much older than ourselves, he is a first grade teacher in an after-school program at PS 171 in Harlem. While most of his friends wear suits and ties to work, he revels in the fact that he can still wear jeans and a T-shirt. However, while he does have fun in the gymnasium, he works hard so that the children learn in the classroom.
Anne listens to rap. As a social worker in the Bronx, the children that she works with influenced her. Big Pun, a rapper, came from the area where her organization, UNITAS, was established, and he was a hero to many neighborhood children. She is currently working to find similar role models for the younger children in the community.
So there I was in New York City among children who needed help and adults who were making a difference. Where was my place? Participating in a smorgasbord service project like this one where there is an array of policy meetings and hands-on programs can distort one's vision. I did not spend my fall break solving the problems of inner-city violence, crime and poverty. I did not change the world. What I did change however was my way of thinking and I hope this change stays with me. In January I will be graduating from Notre Dame with more than a degree in history. I will graduate knowing that I will make a conscious effort to prove my mother right. I hope to be that humanitarian.
Colleen Murphy
senior
off-campus
Nov. 7, 2000
All Viewpoint Stories for Thursday, November 9, 2000
