As Gio Lopez Prepares For Her Next Chapter, She Remembers Her Time With MSPJC
Hello Friends,
Transitions can be exciting and a little sad as well, but in my opinion it is always a sign that we keep on rolling.
After eight and a half years, it’s now my time to continue rolling on to different lands. I’ll be leaving my staff role as G.O.T. Power Training Director the last day of November 2018.
I’m deeply thankful for all the opportunities of growth I have found during my time at the Mid-South Peace & Justice Center (MSPJC). I remember starting as an office coordinator for the Center when the former Executive Director, Jacob Flowers and Education Coordinator, Allison Glass trusted me enough for such an important position.
I’m saying this because when I started the job, I didn’t have any prior experience in this specific field, also considering that I thought my English was very limited.
During the first months in my position, I got more and more involved in the heart of MSPJC’s work, realizing that was something I’d wanted to be involved with since I was in college. A couple years later, I started working directly with Allison (then Training Director) in the training department, where my passion for theatre, art, and social justice mixed perfectly for me, becoming the Training Coordinator in 2015. MSPJC trusted once again in my abilities and my passion, investing greatly in building my facilitation skills and learning as a trainer for social justice. This experience allowed me to serve my community, focus on my personal growth, and get more in touch with my internalized oppression to be able to dismantled it. For this and much more, I will always be thankful with MSPJC.
I’m also proud of how much our training department, G.O.T. Power, is growing, and continuing to serve our community, opening spaces for learning experiences, building our community’s capacity through building skills in grassroots organizing, and providing support for people doing community work and offering anti-oppression and liberation education.
Bennet Foster, with who I have being working for several years now, first as MBRU Coordinator, and as a Training Coordinator for the last year, will be taking care of G.O.T. Power until a new Director takes my place.
We are exited for the new accomplishments to come!
Please consider making a donation to MSPJC so we may continue to provide affordable spaces for learning on social justice.
Con mucho amor
Giovanna ‘Gio’ López
pronouns: she/her/ella
