Armed with a pen and paper, Oni Jumapao wrote a letter to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and fought for her access to ethnic education Monday night.
The UF English and Asian-American studies junior sat in Volta Coffee, Tea & Chocolate, located at 48 SW Second St., and drafted her thoughts as part of a Letter Writing Social by the Central Florida chapter of Democratic Socialists of America, a socialist organization focused on activism. By the end of the event, 11 handwritten letters on everything from the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program to health care were stamped and ready to be shipped off to local and national government officials.
Event organizer and DSA steering committee member Roxanne Palmer, 30, said the goal of the event was to provide a casual environment for community members to connect to their government.
“Sometimes you want to say a lot more things than what can fit in a phone message,” Palmer said.
This was the first Letter Writing Social the DSA chapter has hosted, but Palmer said the group will host the event once a month from now on.
After being provided with stationary and stamps, event attendees were encouraged by Palmer to choose any government representative and write about an issue they felt most strongly about.
For Jumapao, 20, her choice issue was funding and diversity in primary education.
“Ethnic studies programs are extremely important not only in higher education but also in K-12 programs,” Jumapao said.
She said she is grateful to share her side, even if no one reads her letter.
“I honestly think just getting your story out there is so important,” Jumapao said.
