One of my favorite parts of working in a union is that so much of the job revolves around creating social spaces. I’ve come to realize that I was not socialized as a young suburban male to spend time thinking about what makes an inviting, empowering group space, but I learned a lot about it indirectly, on-the-job while I was a teacher, and I have now brought that learning into union work, which brings its own particular demands that are slowly stretching my space-creating skills.
As a lover of poetry and writing, I’ve started to see this space-creation as a creative art in itself, a collaborative social crafting that creates living community spaces instead of poems, books, crafts or paintings. I think a lot about how to bring this artistic pursuit to my own suburban community and I’ve struggled to find any kind of footing, particularly because I don’t think I’ve been brave enough to open up spaces that ask these kinds of questions.
#union #community #suburbs #art