Let's Send Jade To College To Do Badass Activism!
Donation protected
Hi! I'm Jade, I’m 39, & I am a badass. I’m a lot of other things too: I’m an Artist, an Activist & a Mentor. I’m a Survivor of many, many awful things. So. Many. Things. (Approximately 33 years worth of things.) I am battle scarred but I’m also optimistic. My heart is so full it’s fit to break. I’m Autistic and Mentally Ill (note that those 2 things are not the same!). I’m definitely Disabled, definitely living better thru Meds & definitely in Therapy. I commute by Rainbow Shoes because I can’t drive & can't afford a car anyway. I’m blessed to have an Emotional Support Guinea Pig & to be able to dye my hair all the COLORS! I live on SSI, Food Stamps, Section 8 & Medicaid but I am not bitter or unhappy about it. I’m absolutely a Late Bloomer & I am as Resilient as I am Ready! I want to change the world for people like me.
I want to go to college to learn how to be a better activist, to gain access to opportunities that I can’t now because I don’t have a degree. There are walls in my way & I want them turned into dust. I want to write books, speak at more conferences, work one on one with my folx, & design or administer better programs to serve my community. I want to understand how to access systems & how to influence policy to make systems work better. I want Disability Justice! I want my people listened to & represented, they deserve so much better. I want to deeply learn & to clarify my vision until I am a mover & a shaker, a force to reckon with & a contributor to bringing about the Beloved Community . (Because I have no doubt that the Beloved Community is Accessible!)
Will college help me do this? I believe it will, plus I'm committing my entire 40's to higher education. My plan right now is to do my bachelor’s in Social Work, Psychology or Sociology & then my graduate degree in Disability Studies. And from there… we’ll have to wait & see! Somewhere in the back of my mind I do have dreams of a PhD...
I have picked out my school: Mars Hill University . It’s ideal for me because students there get a lot of one on one attention & advising. I need that as a non-traditional, first-time student with multiple disabilities. It’s local- I can commute to it with my Rainbow Shoes! And they have all the majors I am interested in. It is my time & I am ready!
Why GoFundMe? I need to raise one last chunk of money for tuition to be able to start this fall, it's about $10,000. Luckily I have a generous anonymous donor who will match every dollar donated up to $5,000! Yes! All donations up to $5,000 will be DOUBLED!
I completely understand that this is a hard time for many people but if you are able to donate- Thank You! I take your donation very seriously. I view all donations as a show of trust in my vision and an investment in the good work that I will do in the future. Together we can be instruments for the Better World That is Coming, what Dr King called the "Beloved Community." I am profoundly committed to these goals.
Thank you in advance for your time & consideration.
I want to go to college to learn how to be a better activist, to gain access to opportunities that I can’t now because I don’t have a degree. There are walls in my way & I want them turned into dust. I want to write books, speak at more conferences, work one on one with my folx, & design or administer better programs to serve my community. I want to understand how to access systems & how to influence policy to make systems work better. I want Disability Justice! I want my people listened to & represented, they deserve so much better. I want to deeply learn & to clarify my vision until I am a mover & a shaker, a force to reckon with & a contributor to bringing about the Beloved Community . (Because I have no doubt that the Beloved Community is Accessible!)Will college help me do this? I believe it will, plus I'm committing my entire 40's to higher education. My plan right now is to do my bachelor’s in Social Work, Psychology or Sociology & then my graduate degree in Disability Studies. And from there… we’ll have to wait & see! Somewhere in the back of my mind I do have dreams of a PhD...I have picked out my school: Mars Hill University . It’s ideal for me because students there get a lot of one on one attention & advising. I need that as a non-traditional, first-time student with multiple disabilities. It’s local- I can commute to it with my Rainbow Shoes! And they have all the majors I am interested in. It is my time & I am ready! Why GoFundMe? I need to raise one last chunk of money for tuition to be able to start this fall, it's about $10,000. Luckily I have a generous anonymous donor who will match every dollar donated up to $5,000! Yes! All donations up to $5,000 will be DOUBLED!I completely understand that this is a hard time for many people but if you are able to donate- Thank You! I take your donation very seriously. I view all donations as a show of trust in my vision and an investment in the good work that I will do in the future. Together we can be instruments for the Better World That is Coming, what Dr King called the "Beloved Community." I am profoundly committed to these goals.
Thank you in advance for your time & consideration.
Love,
-Jade
“I do not think of political power as an end. Neither do I think of economic power as an end. They are ingredients in the objective that we seek in life. And I think the end of that objective is a truly brotherly society, the creation of the beloved community.” -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
-Jade
“I do not think of political power as an end. Neither do I think of economic power as an end. They are ingredients in the objective that we seek in life. And I think the end of that objective is a truly brotherly society, the creation of the beloved community.” -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Co-organizers (2)
Jennifer Harr
Organizer
Sylva, NC
Jade McWilliams
Co-organizer