Emma Woods
"It just seemed like people just got into their own little bubbles. As time went on, I would go to the places that I used to know, and I would see them either desolated, or the people that used to live there were gone. The changes kinda sparked me to say, you know, I need to be a part of something."
What do you envision for Springfield?
"For people to be more transparent. To be more authentic and real. A lot of people used to say “I won't tell nobody I'm from here.” I always encouraged students, I'm a retired teacher, so I would say, 'If you must go away to college, don't forget about us, come back and help somebody.' Bring back what you have, go shopping and bring us presents back, and then if you do decide to go somewhere else, then wherever you go, you still represent Springfield. I know even in the in the southern states, they call us Yankees. First thing when you say you're from the north, they think Boston, or New York, they don't even think about Springfield, Mass. Hopefully this will be ongoing. I don't want it to be a start and stop. I just want to be able to get more young people involved right now. Right now!"
What advice would you give to others who want to start getting involved?
"I would tell them, make sure you are a registered voter. And I would tell them of the importance of knowing why we need to vote. Don't vote just to get someone in office because everybody else is, you really wanna dig deep into the candidates. Be realistic of what you're looking for in a person when you vote, of how you wanna continue your walk in this life. Because so many of us, we sell our souls to politics, to where the main reasons you're here is because we voted you in. But now we got rules, regulations, and policies, and it is only good for some and not for all."
What issues concern you the most?
"Right now it is race disparity. What concerns me is that the ugly head of racism has shown its head again. It never was hidden. It's just more out and visible now."
How do you stay involved in advocating even when life is already full of challenges?
"It becomes personal. They always say take care of home first before you can take care of anything else. I believe in sweeping in front of my own front door, before I sweep in front of someone else’s. I want to be the person that I'm asking someone else to be. A lot of people don't think they should change. Some people are settled in their ways. And I didn't wanna settle. Being that I'm a senior now, I'm more open and wiser to take time for one another. Take time to listen. I used to not listen. Being an active listener, you learn a whole lot."