I got an email address! An official ACT staff email address! Following my check-in meeting with my supervisor to commemorate my first day of work, I received an email that contained directions for setting up a new email address. I’ve been told that an organization that gives you an email address is one that is welcoming you with open arms. As trivial as it may seem, receiving this email address and securing a place on the staff directory made my transition into the organization feel seamless. My first staff meeting, which took place on the Monday of my first week, was the first time I got to “meet” the rest of the staff. It was a two hour long meeting held over google-meet—a commonality in this Covid-era world. The meeting as a whole was incredibly informative; I had the chance to learn about what each staff member was currently working on. From podcast preparations to the organization’s Test and Trace team which helps New Yorkers fight against Covid through education and action, it is no secret that the staff of ACT has a lot on their plate. At the meeting, I was called on to introduce myself to the group, a moment that even though I was expecting, made me incredibly nervous. I kept my introduction short and simple; my name, major, and the work I’ll be doing at African Communities Together. “Ama is being modest, she’s an extremely motivated young woman, and she’ll be a valuable addition to ACT”, is the comment that followed my introduction. It was from ACT’s New York director, a fellow Ghanaian I met a few weeks ago. Soon after my introduction and his response, the chat box flooded with different variations of “Welcome Ama!” and “we’re so excited to have you!”.
During my very first meeting with ACT, the aforementioned director of the organization asked why I included ACT in my application for GGFUP. My response, although less eloquent than what I wrote in my application, was solidified in that first staff meeting and my 1:1 meetings with staff members in the days that followed. There’s just something about being in a (metaphorical) room with people that look like you. There’s something about being in a space with people with similar backgrounds, histories, languages, and cultures as you. ACT is predominantly staffed by African immigrants—individuals who have been inspired to organize in order to fight against unjust policies that they too, have been on the receiving end of. My first week at ACT, although virtual, was filled with a lot of hospitality and kindness.
I spent the first week reaching out to staff members to schedule individual meetings in order to learn more about the work they do at ACT. Getting people with busy schedules to respond to emails is no easy task, so I often had to resort to sending follow-up emails in case they missed my first one. So far, I have only been able to meet with a handful of people, and I hope to continue to meet them in the coming weeks.
So lovely to read this. Definitely sounds like a warm welcome! Feeling included when starting at a new organization in this virtual environment can be challenging, so that’s a great sign that you’ll be able to make connections. Good to hear you’re not shy about sending follow ups as well as that’s certainly often required! Look forward to hearing more!