Friday: Split groups, Low Country Food Bank and People Against Rape

On the fifth and final day of service, we awoke from our slumber with sore hips and stiff backs, but we were nonetheless excited to venture back out into Charleston to help the community for one last day. The groups split up to tackle two different projects: Serving at Lower Country Food Bank and hanging posters for People Against Rape.

Driving all around the streets of Charleston, we distributed fliers that advertised the upcoming events that People Against Rape are hosting including their program "Take Back the Night". We promoted activism against rape culture by spreading their mission, which is providing support for victims of sexual assault. Through our travels, we saw parts of Charleston that gave us insight to the atmosphere and life of the city. From unique coffee shops to a ballroom dancing studio, we made sure that their message was available for all that need to hear it.

The second group spent the morning at the Low County Food Bank, preparing packages of food to deliver to families in need throughout the local area. The LCFB had created a conveyor belt, with each participant adding a different item into each package. A portion of this group immediately joined this system and the remaining members began recycling cardboard. Overall, this group caught a glimpse into the inner-workings of food banks and all of the separate processes that converge to make one single system.

After a half day of service, we got the opportunity to go to Charleston's historic Old Slave Mart Museum. Due to it's convenient placement, Charleston was the first stopping point for almost 300,000 incoming slaves to be sold before slavery was abolished. Still in it's original location, the museum gave us the setting to think about what we had learned on this trip about systematic oppression, and how it still effects so many people to this day.

To send off the trip in style, we went to local eatery, Hominy Grill, and had one last dinner together before heading back to our housing site for the last time to reflect on our experience as a whole.

In summation, our group had a rare opportunity: we were given the chance to view the world through the eyes of a stranger. A stranger who faces systematic oppression that remains silenced and unheard by the mainstream media. These problems exist, but there is no mouthpiece to hear their testimonies; we became that ear to listen, that shoulder to cry on, and that helping hand to offer assistance.

Through our experiences, we reflected upon how we see ourselves in these strangers' stories. They became more than just stories or experiences because they set us into motion. These words we heard will not remain in Charleston, but they will spread and permeate the lives of others through our knowledge and newfound understanding.