George Van Amson Fellow Obse Abebe Talks the Importance of Intersectional Justice
Abebe reflected on the lessons she learned during her fellowship at The Bronx Defenders.
When it comes to the efficacy of human rights movements, Obse Abebe (CC’27) is a firm believer that solutions to societal issues must be cultivated through an intersectional lens. It's a notion she's developed through lived experiences within different chapters of her journey; as a child, when her family immigrated from Ethiopia to Maryland, in high school, when she delved into ideas on self-awareness and identity, and most recently, through her work at the holistic legal defense-focused nonprofit The Bronx Defenders as part of Columbia's George Van Amson (GVA) Fellowship program.
GVA—an initiative housed under Community Impact at Columbia—supports Columbia University and Barnard College undergraduate students pursuing unpaid summer internships at social justice-driven nonprofits making a difference locally. Columbia Neighbors spoke with Abebe about her passion for human rights, the importance of intersectional justice, and her experience as a George Van Amson Fellow.
What experiences shaped your decision to pursue a double major in human rights and political science?
It all starts with my immigrant identity. My family and I immigrated from Ethiopia when I was a toddler, and I discovered that the US is so multi-faceted and layered in ways that were unfamiliar to me. In Ethiopia, there were identity factors like ethnic and tribal distinctions that shaped our experiences. However, I was societally racialized here in a way I never encountered while growing up in Ethiopia. From childhood through adulthood, jarring instances where I’ve experienced microaggressions, intolerance toward my cultural identity, and the stark contrast in treatment and support around education led me to ask a lot of questions about the world around me.
As I got older and began to explore my queer identity, I started to examine the concept of intersectionality and how my identity traits interacted to impact how I was perceived, which sparked a deeper interest in human rights. I wanted to protect my rights and the rights of others who were like me. I dived into books by authors like bell hooks and Audre Lorde and engaged in conversations about identity. My experiences at the intersection of being a queer Black immigrant living in America gave me a unique lens into what was lacking in modern-day human rights regimes, both regional and international. I wanted to pursue human rights work to ensure that when we’re supporting marginalized communities, we address how their identity traits interact to shape their lived experiences.
Political science gives me insight into the minds of politicians, key stakeholders, and other individuals who have the power to shape these lived experiences. If I don’t understand how they play the game, I can’t understand how to dismantle it and evoke change through human rights. From my perspective, political science and human rights work hand in hand.
What inspired you to join Columbia Community Impact’s George Van Amson Fellowship program?
I heard about the George Van Amson Fellowship through one of my friends who attends Barnard College. She is a year ahead of me and was part of the fellowship. During my senior year of high school, when I was trying to decide whether to commit to Columbia, we had a conversation about my passion for human rights work and ways in which I could focus on that at the university. I wondered if Columbia would be the best place to pursue what I wanted to do. I knew about the Institute for the Study of Human Rights, the academics were great, and there would be professors and courses that would help me along my journey, but I wondered about Columbia's alignment with career opportunities in the social justice space.
She told me there were specific resources on campus that would help me find the volunteer work, social justice work, and community organizing work I was interested in and shared how the GVA fellowship supports students in doing that. The program realizes that pursuing this type of work is not always financially feasible and supports students through housing and stipends—which is critical for college students, especially in a city like New York during the summer—so their sole focus can be on supporting communities. When I got to campus for orientation week, one of my orientation leaders also brought up Community Impact and GVA, so I attended one of GVA's social impact project showcases to learn about the previous cohorts' work. I thought it was powerful for GVA to create this space and support system.
What led you to The Bronx Defenders?
It’s always been a goal of mine to take everything I’ve learned in college—on campus and beyond—and address societal issues back home. I knew there was a lot of learning opportunities and social justice work I could have pursued by staying in my community in Maryland, but I am someone who believes in learning from others and learning from organizing spaces, cities, and communities outside of your own to see if there are any new and innovative ideas you can bring back and try to incorporate into the social justice work occurring in your hometown.
The Bronx Defenders stood out to me because of its holistic model. If you face charges and turn to BxD, in addition to being supported by a criminal defense attorney, you can also be supported by one of their benefits specialists if you have a qualifying need, an immigration attorney if you also have a pending immigration case, and other types of advocates depending on your circumstances. This holistic approach stood out to me because it acknowledges how an individual’s identity traits interact to shape their lived experiences. It also demonstrates that BxD incorporates the idea of intersectionality into the support it provides community members.
"It also demonstrates that BxD incorporates the idea of intersectionality into the support it provides community members."
What are some of the most memorable projects you worked on with the organization during the fellowship?
One of the most memorable projects was our canvass for The People’s Money Campaign, an annual budgeting initiative in which NYC residents decide how to spend a portion of the city’s budget. This portion is discretionary funding from taxpayer dollars, so NYC residents are deciding what to do with their own money. They choose from a list of projects, such as mental health services for formerly incarcerated individuals and their families, college visitation and preparation programs for high school students, community gardens, and food pantries.
As I spoke with Bronx residents about this campaign, I was moved by how passionate some were about these projects and their ideas for other projects that would address community needs. I even found myself thinking of the needs of my community at home and how some of these needs could be addressed with such projects and ideas. I intend to revisit these projects and ideas, especially the concept of an initiative like The People’s Money Campaign, when I return to my community.
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned from the GVA fellowship experience?
Meeting community members and the people you serve where they are. In different spaces, there will be differing views and opinions due to identity factors and generational and ideological differences, but through introspective work, I’ve realized you can validate what you’re experiencing while also recognizing the nuances and meeting people where they are in terms of their belief systems and how they perceive the world. The differences won’t deter us from helping or supporting them in whatever way they need. This is a lesson I’ve learned through my work with BxD and the conversations I’ve had with my GVA fellows. I’m filled with gratitude for BxD, the GVA program, and its leadership, and the GVA fellows I’ve connected with along my journey.
"I’ve realized you can validate what you’re experiencing while also recognizing the nuances and meeting people where they are in terms of their belief systems and how they perceive the world."
What’s on the horizon for you?
I want to continue pursuing immigration justice work. I’ve volunteered with the Asylum Support Clinic—which I’m currently in cycle 10 of—and Project Rousseau. At Project Rousseau, I have helped recently arrived asylum seekers with asylum applications and academic tutoring. I also hope to get involved in The Remedy Project—which GVA fellow Cecilia is part of—because I’m interested in criminal justice. All in all, I want to pursue work that sits at the intersection of immigration rights and criminal justice reform.