Jaylynn Lassic

This dispatch is written by Jalynn Lassic. I have allowed it to be a little longer than the rest because this is Jalynn’s reason for being a POA alumni. She has just graduated from the University of Michigan and expects to be in law school specializing in entertainment law. Jalynn’s young life has always been engaged in volunteer and community work. You can see from her dispatch that it is a family tradition. She is a passionate about social justice and has a personality so big that she is loving unique and unforgettable. I miss her laugh and I will always remember her beautiful prayers. This is the last dispatch from the students. You have heard all of them now and the final dispatch will be from me. Jalynn’s dispatch is entitled “Unfinished Business”. Be careful you might cry.

-Nesha

Unfinished Business

“J, this is not about you. This is about helping others. So there is no need to be nervous. What your are doing is God’s work.”

This simple comment from my mom laid the foundation for what I would do on this trip. Most students who come to South Africa begin their maturation process in the Fall semester prior to the trip. It is required that students enroll in Prof. Nesha Haniff’s Woman Studies 443 class: Pedagogy of Empowerment. Her rational is simple, She does not want students coming to South Africa in an attempt to “save Africa.” In the class this is were the professor begins grooming a select few to accompany her. My story did not follow this trajectory.

I, along with a fellow student did not take the WS 443 class. I had taken CAAS 358:Race and Genius with Prof. Haniff last year . This was my first introduction to the Professor and I was in awe at how profound she was. I was encouraged to seek out the Pedagogy of Action program by two of my sorority sisters who went on the trip in previous years. When I went to the professor to discuss my interest in the program, she was more receptive than I thought and encouraged me to apply despite the fact that I was not in her 443 class. You can imagine my delight when I found out that I was picked to go on the trip.

What began as sheer enthusiasm quickly turned to fear. And I found myself in the carport of our Bed and Breakfast in Johannesburg freaking out. “what was I doing here?” “I am not qualified for this!” these thoughts and more raced though my head. I was saved from my fear induced paralysis by my evening phone call with my mother. My mother reminded me of why I wanted to go on this trip in the first place, to finish what my father started 30 years ago in a clinic in Grand Rapids, MI.

My father, who passed away five years ago, was a dentist extremely active in the Grand Rapids community. Along with maintaining his private practice, he made it his personal mission to provide quality dental care to the underserved in our Grand Rapids Community. During the first years of the HIV/AIDS crisis there were people in Grand Rapids who were shut out of Dental care. To my father this was unacceptable. He along with other dentists, and a local clinic began a task force to provide education on HIV/AIDS. My father would always say “I became a dentist to help people/ All people. I would not be doing my job If I did not help those who needed me.” At the time those who were infected with HIV needed his care.

Now Let it be clear I am in no way comparing what I am doing here to what dad did in the 80’s. But the seed of his activism and care was planted in me. As someone who graduated four days before coming here, I should be at home asleep or in Las Vegas celebrating. I postponed all this because I want to get involved in my own way.

If I did not come here, I would not have met the children at Zwelibomvu primary school. With these children I felt our work was the most impactful. I was trying to reach out to the girls. I wanted them to become empowered to love themselves and be respectful of themselves. The fastest growing group infected with HIV are young women. For most of these women they are contracting the virus from their male partners. By empowering these young girls to love themselves and take ownership of their bodies, we are encouraging safe sex. How? By giving the girls the confidence to set high standards for a mate, who will support their goals and dreams. If I accomplished nothing during this trip, If I got this message across to my babies at Zwelibomvu then I am happy. It was with these students I saw for myself what doing God’s work means.

For me my attendance on the trip was necessary. I made a lot of sacrifices to be here because I believed in the work. My father left for me unfinished business and it was my responsibility to take care of it.

Jalynn Lassic
The Pedagogy of Action 2011 Teammate