General Introduction

So I must admit, that I am new to blogging. But I find the concept of it pretty cool. My name is Jon and I just graduated from Marian College with a degree in Sociology and Political Science with a concentration in Peace and Justice Studies.

I guess its neat to be a college graduate. I am currently working in Milwaukee, WI in an internship with an organization called Interfaith Worker Justice. Interfaith works with the religious community to support issues of economic justice for low-wage workers. In school at Marian, I was particularly interested in the convergence of how religion and the labor movement work together to bring about positive social change for the exploited and marginalized workers.

Now working for Interfaith is allowing me to put that ideal of being in solidarity with the poor and oppressed has allowed me to action. Where it will lead me following the end of this internship is uncertain, but the desire to help people who have not had the opportunities that I have had is particularly exciting the internship began a few weeks ago with an orientation to Interfaith Worker Justice in Chicago where 41 interns from across the United States converged to learn to 101's about Community Organizing. We all left Chicago empower to go about in making social change with a sense of possible idealism that could not be matched! So now I spend my time here in Milwaukee, trying to understand what Community Organizing is all about. There are many people that will be with me along this path.

Rev. Daniel Heckenlively, one of the most friendly and charismatic leaders in the Faith Community for Worker Justice is working with me to see that the program that I am working on goes through. Rev. Heckenlively is a retired pastor in I believe the Presbyterian Church. He was the representative that came from Milwaukee to Chicago for the National Conference that I got the chance to meet with. He's a real firecracker if I must say so myself and willing to speak up and talk about justice whenever he has the chance.

Then the is Sheila Cochran, the Chief Operating Officer of the Milwaukee County Labor Council. Shelia is one of the most focused people that I have had the opportunity of meeting. She is a no crap kinda lady. Empowered by the cogs of justice, her office is covered with prophetic posters of our heroes that have gone before us. Martin Luther King along with many lesser know activists who have paved the path for us all to achieve a sense of justice.

The there is Robin, the Administrative Assistant. She is the one that really helps me out, calming me down when I get in a bumbling state of nervousness upon the arrival of important tasks. She is the glue that holds the Milwaukee County Labor Council together. Strong willed and willing to take the good natured heat from the other union organizers. She does her work diligently and with compassion.

This is the environment of work that the Milwaukee County Labor Council provides. I look forward to writing here about my experiences here.