ILLUMINATION 2022-23: Melissa Cariño

"I was really involved in…the Black Lives Matter movement back in 2016, 2015… I just remember my heart hurting so much. And luckily at that time, I was surrounded by people that felt...and thought the same way. And we organized together and we joined actions together…[W]ith COVID happening…I actually didn't participate in any of the actions around George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery. One, because I wanted to stay safe, because I have some family members who are immunocompromised. But in so doing and not engaging, I felt super isolated… And I also have to say that there weren't a lot of, there's not a lot of people of color who work in the City of Springfield. And I think all my other workplaces, I've always had that community, and I felt even more isolated as an employee in Springfield, and not having someone directly to connect with about it. So, that's hard…"