What story do I want to tell?
Over these past weeks, I have walked. A lot. I have visited new places, seen new people, and become familiar with the areas around me. I have found some of my favorite places, like the area around the loop campus, Pilsen, Lincoln Park, Lakeshore Dr, and Lakeview. Coming from Michigan, I came in with very little knowledge of Chicago, and although I have only made it to the tip of the iceberg, my knowledge of the city has grown exponentially.
I started my final walk in the DePaul quad and headed towards the Fullerton station. I remember waiting there during immersion week with other students who have now become my friends. I walked past the station and saw a mural next to Happy Lemon and I was reminded of the artwork we saw in Pilsen. I then walked past the Chipotle where I had my first meal after moving into my dorm. I turned right onto Halstead and passed by the big “DePaul University” sign next to the school of music. Everything I passed by made me nostalgic of weeks ago when I was scared of the unknown. Now look at me, walking around without GPS because I know my way around. Next to the DePaul School of Music were two blue shoes with a note inside of them. I can’t help but think those shoes were some sort of metaphor for my final project like, “What message do you leave behind with your footsteps”. Or maybe they are just shoes. But, it had me thinking about the message that I want to leave behind in my final project. Walking around as a young woman who isn’t familiar with the city is very nerve wracking at first, but I have pushed myself to explore in order to become more familiar and comfortable with the city. Maybe that is the story I will tell because I know it’s something I would want to hear when first arriving to DePaul.
Why is walking different for every person? What can we do to make walking equal?
Systemically, the United States is set up to separate people. And historically, the rich, white, straight men were the ones who had the freedom to do whatever they want. To rebut this fact, people often say, “That was decades ago, the world isn’t like that anymore.” But, that is not true. You still see people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, and women being marginalized or harassed while doing the simple activity of walking. So, how can we change this? Well, the issue is that these ideals are internalized in our government and our society. What we need is to educate everyone of the violence that marginalized people face, because some refuse to acknowledge it. We also need to call out those who harass people on the street so they understand that their behavior needs to change. Creating safe and comfortable communities for marginalized people is also very important. We cannot change everyone’s behavior, but we can create spaces that make people feel welcomed.
