Build community, abolish borders!

About me? Who am I?A chicano who doesn't speak Spanish, born and raised in a working class family in the suburbs of Syracuse, NY, where from early on I witnessed the destructive effects drugs and alcohol can have on a family, and from early on saw women as role models and learned respect for my mother, sisters, aunts and other women in my life. An anarchist, a radical, an activist who often finds frustration in the greater radical and progressive community. Play bass in two punk bands but listen to more hip hop and latin music lately than punk. I want to learn and I want to teach, I want to travel, but chose not to go to college. I enjoy being outside working with my hands - I like volunteering on farms and learning to fix my car, but spend entirely too much time doing work sitting in front of a computer. I like meeting new people and having discussions but am often too shy to introduce myself. Basically, I've got a lot of shit that I'm trying to learn, relearn and deal with. A lot of confusion, and not many people in life I can relate to. A lot of anger trying to find a creative and productive outlet.
What do I do? I work as an AmeriCorps VISTA for what equals less than minimum wage at a community development credit union doing marketing and outreach (meaning I do layout and design work for a small, community non-profit financial institution which functions more like a community development organization providing access to loans, mortgages and other financial services to those who have traditionally been denied these services). I work with an environmental justice group based on the South side of Syracuse, fighting discriminatory policy in local governments in relation to sewage treatment projects and other health and environmental issues. I'm involved in anti-war work through the Syracuse Peace Council, mostly focusing on counter recruitment/alternatives to military and youth empowerment with the Military Alternatives Education Project. I've also been involved with the Detainment Task Force, focusing on not just the conditions of, but seeking an end to detention as immigration policy and the abuse of human rights inherent in such policies. I draw inspiration from movements and struggles in Mexico, such as the Zapatistas and recent uprisings in Oaxaca and Atenco, in marginalized communities in the US throughout history, such as the Black Panthers, Young Lords, Coalition of Immokalee Workers, and other movements throughout the world where people take power into their own hands and begin creating alternatives to exploitative and oppressive systems in society. I've been connected to the Northeast Anarchist Network and related projects. I believe in going beyond rhetoric or abstract ideas, looking to put ideas into action and building the means of a non-hierarchical, participatory society in each step we take. I've got a lot to learn, and a lot of work to do to these ends - none of which can be done alone.