First Integration: DONE!

Just hella assessed our first integration.

Something that had surfaced in our assessments with Ate Vernie was the question: How does this particular integration help with your political work.

1. Concretization: There's a difference between talking about how 80% of our population are farmers and talking about their issues to actually being there and seeing it with your own eyes, hearing it and tasting it and feeling it. From having your feet muddy ALL THE TIME to having your back ache from planting (you know the song? Magtanim ay 'di biro, Maghapong nakayuko...so true and even more) to knowing how this community is struggling because freaking politicians will only work on promised irrigation systems during election time. It is a story to bring back to New York and use to arouse other folks into anger, into organizing (the focusing and giving direction to your anger).
2. Heighten the contradictions: It was Jax's continual struggle and I'll let her tell her stories, just want to mention the 1st world versus 3rd world .