Josefina Ewins Class of ‘22

STUDENT LEADER, RACIAL JUSTICE INITIATIVES,
rutgers UNIVERSITY-Camden

A rising senior at Rutgers University - Camden, and one of the lead architects behind the team’s Racial Justice Community Fund project, Josefina Ewins is a change maker through and through. When the people of Camden were stripped of their freedoms, she stepped in to make a difference.

Ever since childhood, Josefina’s parents instilled in her that, “You always give back what you have; everything that you have is not only yours.” Growing up, she felt supported and secure. She knew that if she ever needed someone to advocate for her, her parents and siblings would do that for her. She wanted to do the same for others – to be an advocate for someone else.

Through the Racial Justice Community Fund project at Rutgers Camden, Josefina wanted people to see the other side of the story about the town she calls home. When people think about Camden city in NJ, people think about all the dangers.” In her perspective, Camden’s residents’ freedoms were unrealized due to their disempowering experiences in school and other systems. “When you google stories about the education system and police takeover in Camden, nothing comes up from the perspectives of the people. You can’t learn about the city without talking to the people.” Josefina wanted to amplify residents’ voices, so they can have a say about their education and police system, and how the city can be made better.

Given the pandemic, the team’s plans to engage in focus groups and oral history work evolved and changed rapidly, so Josefina kept reminding herself, “Take it day by day or week by week.” The team started the first phase of their project, which was to collectively decide and shape the focus of the project, intended to support racial healing.

Their approach was simple, “We are not going to fix a problem for them, but we are going to fix a problem with them.” With the support from the Chancellor for Diversity and Inclusion and the Center for Civic Engagement, and office, Josefina and her team could carry on with their project and start formulating questions that will allow community members to share their personal stories. Their intention was to record those stories and to channel them into other spaces, in Camden and at Rutgers University, to inform civic actions and policies.

After Josefina and team gather the data from residents’ personal stories, their next step is to analyze the data gathered from the focus groups in phase one. In their third and final phase, Josefina and her team want to create a database of projects and ideas in order to foster a better relationship with the city of Camden and create change. They also hope to help organize a class at Rutgers University on racial justice in Camden. Connecting with local community partners and Rutgers University was a great way for Josefina and her team to build rapport with the members of the community.

Josefina has taken a lot of value away from this year’s experience, including how to be flexible and adapt under pressure, as well as how research can change public policies. She is now looking to go on to graduate school and pursue a Masters in Public Administration.

“While this past year has been hard on all of us,” she reflects, “there are still change makers lighting the path to racial justice through these challenging times.” Josefina is one of those change makers.