Celebrating and Uplifting Marginalized Communities all Year Long
By Grady Schmeckenbecher
As 2022’s Black History Month, International Women’s Month, Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAM), and other holidays celebrating and uplifting marginalized people in our community have come to a close, it is important to make these commemorations not only celebrated during their respective dates but all year long. While these celebrations to raise awareness for these groups have come to an end, these are not topics and discussions that now need to cease to exist for the remaining months of the year. These past few months have reminded us that we must continue to make strides toward racial, gender, and sexual equality every day of the year. As members of the Harrisonburg community, JMU community, and/or society in general, we can now use what we have learned and highlighted throughout this blog to approach every day with a level of intersectionality and pay credit to groups that have been continually neglected and ignored throughout history. While many may believe that highlighting, uplifting, and recognizing these marginalized voices are something they do regularly, here are some ways in which we can continue to celebrate and uplift these communities all year long:
1. Support local Black-owned businesses all year round!
Below is a list I have compiled of Black-owned small businesses in the Shenandoah Valley for you to check out:
The Golden Globe
Royalty Financial Alliance
DJ EnJay Entertainment
KeyZ Candles
Merciful Flame Candles
Selah Theatre Project
Styled by Shifflett
Capture this Creations
Rita’s Bright Beginnings
Yes You Can Publishing
Pathways Driving School
Custom Gardening Services
Events by Adonis
Kensington Strickland Group, LLC
Generate Impact
Townes Homemade BBQ
Sweet McGee
Papa’s Kitchen
Po Green’s Southern Food and BBQ
Merge Coffee Company
Magnolia’s Tacos and Tequila Bar
PrePOPsterous Gourmet Popcorn and Soda
Sweet Joy’s Cakes and Desserts
Mega Milkshakes
Kamau’s Kitchen Serving Southern Cooking and Seafood
Branch’s Soft Serve Truck
Hope Eritrean Ethiopian Restaurant
Odams BBQ Specialty Sauce
Salon Eleven
MIM Beauty
Sharp Edges Barber Shop
2. Volunteer in your community!
Below are local volunteer opportunities and respective links that closely align with the topics and discussions we have highlighted and the things we may be looking to further accomplish in the Harrisonburg community. Volunteering is an excellent way to manifest this activism in transformative ways for these local groups.
United Way of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County: https://uwhr.org/
Our Community Place: http://ourcommunityplace.org/
Skyline Literacy:https://www.skylineliteracy.org/
Sexual Assualt Resource Agency (SARA): https://www.saracville.org/
Valley Open Doors: https://www.valleyopendoors.org/
First Step: https://www.firststepva.com/
Mercy House: http://www.themercyhouse.org/
New Bridges Immigrant Resource Center: https://www.newbridgesirc.org/
Jubilee Climate Farm: https://www.jubileeclimatefarm.org/
3. Attend Protests and Demonstrations!
While the pandemic briefly slowed large in-person protests, they are back to being in full bloom around the globe. Right here in Harrisonburg this blog recently helped mobilize a peaceful women’s march on International Women’s Day. Protests and displays like this give you a chance to make your voice heard and join like-minded individuals working towards similar social gains as you. Inevitably, protests will continue to occur in Harrisonburg and thankfully we are also close to the nation’s capital where we can join minority groups and protest groups who mobilize frequently.
4. Use the Power of Social Media!
While this method should be combined with in-person activism, using social media like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and blogs like this one, is a great way to not only spread the word about local events, volunteer opportunities, and businesses that uplift marginalized communities but also as a way to mobilize others. While this can be looked down upon as performative, using your social media platform to further raise awareness and uplift those voices around you can be impactful and important in the fight to reclaim equality and acceptance for these overlooked groups.
5. Join JMU’s Clubs and Organizations that Promote These Values!
JMU brings many students together through its clubs and organizations that work to highlight minority groups across campus and raise awareness for social issues. Below I have highlighted some JMU clubs and organizations that work to uplift and represent these marginalized groups.
African Student Organization
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Alpha Kappa Delta Phi Sorority, Inc.
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
Asian Student Union
BIOSOC: Biology Students of Color
Black Student Alliance
Brothers of a New Direction
Chinese Student Association
Contemporary Gospel Choir
C.U.R.L.S
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Esteem Models
Filipino Americans at Madison
Fostering Abyssinia
Future Teachers of Color
Grupo Candela
Hermandad de Sigma Iota Alpha, Inc.
Hillel Counselorship
Inter-Cultural Greek Council
Indian Student Organization
JMU Muslim Student Association
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.
Korean Student Association
La Unidad Latina, Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Inc.
Lambda Phi Epsilon Fraternity,Inc.
Latinx Student Alliance
Mozaic Dance Team
National Organization of Minority Architecture Students
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
National Society of Black Engineers
National Society of Minorities in Hospitality
Native American Student Union
National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChe)
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.
Scholars Latino Initiative at JMU
Shades of Pride
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.
Sigma Lambda Upsilon, Senoritas Latinas Unidas
Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers
Students for Minority Outreach
TORCH: Together Obtaining Resources for College Help
Vietnamese Student Association
Women of Color
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.
A Moment of Magic
Bare Naked Ladies
Brazilian-Portuguese Cultural Club
C-I Diversity Initiative
Community Service-Learning
Dukes Making a Difference
Compassion in Action Network Chapter
Days for Girls
Diversity and Inclusion in Global Security
Environmental Management Club
Ethiopian and Eritrean Student Association
Give Volunteers
Habitat for Humanity
Japanese Culture Club
Madison Equality
Madison Recycling
Middle Eastern Student Association
My Sister’s Keeper
People of Color in the Visual and Performing Arts
Society for Human Resources Management
Society of Women Engineers
Student Government Association
Students Against Sexual Violence
Students Helping Honduras
Women in Business
Women in Entertainment
Women in Sport and Recreation management
Women in Technology
Overall, these resources should help uplift, celebrate, and raise awareness for marginalized groups in the local community and help to reinforce that intersectional issues such as women’s representation, sexual assault awareness, and black representation are not contained to a singular day, week, or month, but instead must be ideals we work to continually uphold.
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