This is the sixth profile in a series highlighting the work Jewish Organizing Fellows and alumni are doing to fight for justice.
Holly Stein, Current Fellow:
Holly came to the Fellowship after working for Project Morry, a not-for profit youth program in New York. After spending almost 7 years there working closely with families and their children, she wanted to find a way to have a deeper impact. She felt she was lacking the experience and training to be a real resource for the families she cared about. She wanted to learn organizing skills so that, with her help, the youth she worked with could have an impact on their own communities. This year, as a Fellow, Holly is working as a union organizer with Local 509.
“Working at Local 509 has taught me a lot about what it means to organize and mobilize people. During the first two months of the Fellowship program, I worked to organize a union at a 500 person not for profit that provides services for people with developmental challenges. It was an extremely challenging campaign but the support I got from the Fellowship program and the other Fellows allowed me to constructively reflect on the experience. They pushed me to look at each interaction and relationship as an opportunity to learn and grow. Now, as I step into the next campaign, I have more confidence and perspective to more effectively work with people and be a resource for them as they fight to form a union at their organization.“
Having the space to reflect and be pushed as an organizer has been essential for Holly. The smart questions, thoughtful critiques and support Holly has received from her Fellowship class and the Fellowship program have enabled her to keep fighting for respect at work.
Holly is fighting for respect at work. What will you fight for? Join the conversation at facebook.com/jewishorganizing or on Twitter @jewishorganizer #whatwillufight4
