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Angela Morris advises students on civil engagement

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The Hudsonian Student Newspaper | The Hudsonian Credit: The Daily Gazette


By Joel Oyuo – Staff Writer

Angelica Morris, a human rights advocate, met with Hudson Valley Community College students to discuss the role community activism plays in civil engagement. 

 Morris, the executive director of the Schenectady County Human Rights Commission and a member of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Coalition, spoke in the BTC auditorium last Thursday, Jan. 30. 

Community activism is a forum that is largely considered relatable for members of society. Regardless of your socioeconomic status, you can still make a difference in your community. Morris suggested ways in which community members can become civically engaged and bring about new changes. 

She first established a connection between Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy and current social justice issues in our area. “Every day that you wake up, you’re going to school,” said Morris. “The world is a university, and everybody is a student.” 

Morris spoke about her experiences as a student at Hudson Valley Community College, giving accounts of the beginning of her academic journey. She then went on to detail her experiences at SUNY Albany, being an intern with the New York State Assembly and all the doors that were opened for her. 

When Morris encountered challenging circumstances, she had to take full advantage of the opportunities she had. “Nurturing relationships, talking to everybody because you don’t know who you’re going to encounter,” Morris said. “That was twenty years ago,” she continued. “‘Til this day, that lesson still resonates with me.” 

As the first black female commissioner-level official in Schenectady County history, Morris amassed a multitude of relationships with those in all levels of government, current and former. 

According to Lieutenant Ryan Macherone of the Schenectady Police Department’s Office of Neighborhood Engagement and Community Services, the best way to become civically engaged is to find something you feel passionate about. 

As a former salesman, Lieutenant Macherone said he found his niche in community engagement. He advocates for drug addiction recovery reform and was a pioneer of the Schenectady Cares program that allows those seeking help to do so without being charged for drug possession. 

According to Timypaul Lupe, president of the Human Services Club, you can always do more for your community. “The biggest thing that I [took away from] today is a call for more action and involvement,” Lupe said. “What we do is good, but we can do better, we can do even more.” 

Lupe said that although Human Services already serves as a challenge, Morris’ lecture made him wonder about new ways to help the community. “There is always more that I can do with people, with the club and with what Hudson Valley [Community College] is offering,” said Lupe. 

According to Carlsy Ybañez, a biological science major, racism is still prevalent in society today. “I told [Morris] how racism was more slick and slippery and that society has a tendency to ignore it,” said Ybañez. “We need to change that,” he continued. “We as a community and as a people.” 

For some people, community work can often be challenging without prior experience. According to Morris, finding the issues most important to you 

is key to finding your niche in community activism. First, Morris recommends that 

you look inward and search for the most important issues that you want to deal with. 

Morris said most of those important issues will come from your personal journey, from your personal challenges and hurts and pains. “That’ll catapult you to doing work in the community,” said Morris. “Even if you don’t want to share your personal journey, just look around you, look at where you live.” 

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