no justice, no peace

Julia Anderson, Penn State fifth-year, and Corina Kaiser, Penn State senior are a strong activist pairing. Together, they have created an activist group called Unapologetic 717 based out of Lancaster, PA. With this organization, those involved do many things to help their communities. Such things include: arranging book drives for prisons, collecting clothing for the homeless, feeding the homeless, collecting women’s reproductive items to give out to those who can’t afford it, collecting athletic wear and winter jackets to give away, and organizing Black Lives Matter protests

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Both Julia and Corina have been heavily politically involved since high school. They have always been an outspoken bunch, even before they met at Penn State, Corina’s freshman year. After the recent uproar within BLM and police brutality, they have been more vocal about their activism and about chasing justice. The recent murder of George Floyd sparked their need to change the justice system, leading them to protests in Washington, DC. On their way back from this trip, they created Unapologetic 717. This organization includes Julia, Corina, and a few other friends of theirs from Lancaster, PA.

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“Obviously everybody knows racism exists, but, I think unless you hear people’s actual stories, you’re not going to understand the way it pervades their whole lives,” Corina Kaiser said regarding my interview question about why listening to others speak about their experiences is important and essential to change. Both Julia and Corina agree the most important thing you can do is simply listen. Julia is known to be outspoken during open mic opportunities at protests. She tells stories about growing up in Vermont without a large black community and almost being white-washed, and how this happens to so many people. They want you to just tune into what the speakers at protests are saying, pay attention to how the treatment differs with police and black people. Once you start to notice these things you’ll never unsee them.

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Another thing Julia and Corina take part in is every Sunday, they will go with an organization here, in State College, to the library on Allen St. to give out warm meals to the homeless or anybody who stops by and wants some food. “It’s more of just a community bonding than just solely feeding the homeless. If you’re a stressed college kid and want a burrito, you can come grab one. If this is going to be your only meal for the weekend, you can take a few burritos. We never reject anyone,” Julia says about this weekly event.

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While Covid-19 hasn’t helped with the formation of protests, it also hasn’t been a stopping factor for true activists. Julia and Corina plan to continue to create and take part in protests in the future for Black Lives Matter. They also plan to continue to have book drives, food donations, clothe donations, etc.