Item Details

creator

Portman, Jack

Peña, Calvin

date

2020-09-10T19:28:31Z

2020-09-10T19:28:31Z

2020-07-01

2020-09-10 (issued)

description

Calvin Peña works in the Restaurant and Service industry and is a Protest Organizer and Activist in Winston-Salem. In this interview, he discusses the recent Black Lives Matter protests in Winston-Salem and their context, occuring during a global pandemic. He notes how bars and resturants have been hard hit by the pandemic and how this has exposed systematic racial injustice: "[COVID-19] is exposing how little safety net there is for the most vulnerable and often the hardest working members of society." He explains how the quarantine period has given people time to slow down and understand the underlying systemic problems of society that cause minority groups to be disadvantaged. He is inspired by what protestors are willing to risk, especially in terms of COVID-19 exposure, for the benefit of the greater good, and explains how knowledge, including that about American History and current events, is the best way to arm people against injustice. Pe̱a speaks about tactical protest organization and the importance of appealing to people who might be indecisive about the movement, then about the high trends of evictions in Winston-Salem. He emphasizes the importance of being socially active on a smaller scale, through local government, voting, and personal conversations, and describes the Black Lives Matter movement as "everyone's fight," encouraging everyone to hear the call to support disadvantaged members of the community.

format

audio/mp3

Oral histories

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/10339/97004

language

English

relation

Special Collections and Archives

Z. Smith Reynolds Library

Wake Forest University

Office of Civic and Community Engagement (RG22.6)

rights

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Rights Statement

This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

subject

Coronavirus infections--History--Sources

COVID-19 (Disease)--History--Sources

Wake Forest University--History--Sources

Social justice

COVID-19 Student Interviews

Office of Civic and Community Engagement

Winston-Salem (N.C.)

Black lives matter movement

Protest movements--United States

Eviction

title

COVID-19 Student Interviews - Pe̱a, Calvin

type

Sound