ABSTRACT
As I sit down to pin these words to the page, it is clear that whatever semblance of a safety net that has historically existed for oppressed communities of color has been systematically eroded and further dismantled in the reign of terror under the current Donald Trump regime. The fading cries of “Si Se Puede” so present in the Barrack Obama administration have been drowned out by wails and chants of “Build the Wall,” “Make America Great Again,” and even “Make AmeriCorps Great Again” (Waldman, 2017). Calls to “Save National Service” and “Save Americorps” ring so loud that one begins to lose sight of and pose the question—just what are we saving? If one begins to engage this question with clarity, further questions might be posed such as: Are we fighting to save funding for an institution that has not yet eliminated poverty in any of its “service areas”? Are we fighting to save AmeriCorps programs so that volunteers can continue to feel like they are helping by doing a good deed? Are we fighting to save government funding so that those in positions of power can continue to dictate the solutions and cultural needs for oppressed communities? Are we fighting to save a Eurocentric depoliticizing institution that needs to be dismantled? What if the funding was gone tomorrow? Would the work continue? What are we fighting for?
