Mpatanishi Tayari can be reached over e-mail at mtayari@umich.edu.
By Mpatanishi Tayari
"With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the
final judge of our deeds, let us go forth and lead the land we
love, asking his blessing and his help, but knowing that here on
earth, God’s work must truly be our own." – John F. Kennedy
He was crunched in a 15-person capacity van with 24 other people
and several chickens to go to an area he knew nothing about. He was
instructed to stay at his isolated destination for three days, then
make his own way back home. To use the bathroom he would have to
squat over a hole in the ground, and as he walked through the area,
people shyly peered at him behind their doors, wondering who this
strange-looking guy was.
No, this man was not a part of some bizarre fraternity
initiation. Instead, he was part of a larger organization designed
to promote world peace and friendship through grassroots
volunteerism. Steven was in the Peace Corps.
Two years later he found himself sitting in his room with his
dog and community friends eating plantains and singing songs.
There were a lot of bittersweet – but good – memories in
Zimbabwe that Steven would later take to law school with him –
along with maturity, flexibility, resourcefulness and technical
expertise.
Kennedy’s vision:
The 1960s and 1970s marked the height of social awareness,
activism and volunteerism in the United States. In accordance to
this, it was in 1960 at 2 a.m. that the popular and persuasive
former President John F. Kennedy first proposed the idea on the
steps of the Michigan Union.
Ultimately founded in 1961 by virtue of an executive order of
former President Kennedy, the Peace Corps currently places
Americans in 94 foreign countries around the world.
The three goals of the Peace Corps are: 1) Help people of
interested countries meet their needs for trained men and women, 2)
Help promote better understanding of the American people on the
part of people served and 3) Promote better understanding of other
people on the part of American people. Volunteers serve in Africa,
Central and South America, the Near East, Asia, the Pacific and
Eastern Europe.
Minority involvement:
When most people think of a Peace Corps volunteer, a white,
upper-middle-class, "long-haired" young man or woman ready to save
the world comes to mind.
In the hope of eradicating this stereotype, it is important that
citizens of color also take upon themselves the challenge of being
a "world citizen."
Most of us volunteer because we carry some type of socioeconomic
privilege,whether it be acquired through education, class or some
other social status. An African-American woman very active in
American community service once expressed discontent at Americans
volunteering abroad "when there are people who need help right
here." This can be reiterated through the fact that while blacks
have a history of volunteerism, it has historically only been
focused on their own communities.
To this woman, I urged the understanding that we live in a
shrinking global community. And since U.S. citizens carry with them
one of the greatest socioeconomic privileges of the world, it is
important that we also reach out to our brothers and sisters across
the oceans.
As a country of immigrants, the United States is, indeed, made
up of widely varied backgrounds found across the seas. It is for
this reason that we also work to fulfill Peace Corps’ second goal:
to help promote better understanding of the American people on the
part of people served. We need to demonstrate this ethnic diversity
rather than enforce false stereotypes.
Currently, 13 percent of Peace Corps volunteers come from
minority communities; 4 percent from African-American communities
and 3 percent from Hispanic communities.
While these numbers don’t reflect the population, they show
promise. Black and Hispanic volunteers have more to gain than
technological and professional enrichment from Peace Corps
assignments. Serving in Africa, the Caribbean, or Central and South
America gives them better understanding of their own ethnic,
cultural and historical roots.
Benefits:
Becoming a Peace Corps volunteer is a challenge in itself.
Applicants should begin the application process at least eight
months before they would like to serve. Only one out of five
applicants are accepted into the intense program. Fields include
community development, education, business, health/nutrition,
natural resources and agriculture. Peace Corps covers all living,
travel and medical expenses during the 27-month service.
Peace Corps volunteers are also eligible to receive partial
cancellation of eligible Perkins loans, deferment of most federal
college loans, complete medical and dental care during Peace Corps
service and opportunities for graduate school scholarships.