By Jordan Dove, 2025 CLA Intern
A few weeks ago, I was able to join some of Senator Allen’s field representatives to attend a meeting with the Department of Angels, staffers of local and state representatives, and community organizers called “block captains”. These leaders collectively brought on-the-ground experience, knowledge of policy, and research to the table. Sharing resources in this manner allowed everyone to determine where the system was failing fire victims and how offices could collaborate to begin repairing the gaps. Identifying these breaking points in a space with people in power present allowed community leaders to speak directly to government, and this mechanism is essential in order for power to belong to the people.
The most interesting point to me raised during this event was that the majority of people in fire-affected areas receive news primarily from their friends. This was indicative of a general reliance on mutual aid and community networks with a lessened trust towards government and official institutions. Government is a public service responsible for managing situations like the Eaton and Palisades fires. However, the people it serves were either unwilling or unable to rely on it. To me, this represented a disconnect between community and government, and it presented some interesting questions—how can we make government more accessible to everyday people, and if government is inaccessible, what community networks are in place to help people get by?
Last week, I was able to get some answers. I was invited to volunteer at a “Friends with Benefit” concert hosted by Close Friends, a kickoff event to raise funds for Asian Pacific American Librarians Association following the current federal administration’s recent actions reducing funds for public libraries and censoring diverse literature. The fundraiser is ongoing through August and continues as an online campaign, with another in-person event planned for late August. This initial event was hosted by KUBO LB, a Filipinx, women, and LGBTQ+ owned creative community space. Attendees were able to snack on ube tea cookies and engage in lively conversation between moving performances; I saw so many familiar faces from previous community events. One new face for me was an educator and musician specializing in Philippine music. While we spoke only briefly, I was able to connect with him about bringing live cultural music to Pilipino American Cultural Nights. This reminded me of the value of breaking into community spaces, where people who may share a passion can find opportunities to grow beside each other.
This concert also featured performances from local artists including The Gravities, In the Mourning, and Ron Blakely, the last of whom was an author in With Love: What We Wish We Knew About Being Queer and Filipino in America. Ron’s performance was especially powerful as they asked the room to lift their voices together, singing, fill me up, fill my cup. The spirit of the words was what remained with me: to heal each other, to give and freely receive each other’s energy, and to find resilience in mutual aid. It struck at the heart of the event’s purpose: to allow community members to show up for each other and mobilize to move forward together.
