Adrienn Kovács: Power is never given

Power is never given - This was the very first line I heard at Operation Black Vote when I started my internship at the beginning of summer.

Generally, people would ask me what I have learned in those short months, and whether I got what I signed up for. But in reality, that particular phrase was the one that shaped the learning process I went through.

I could describe my tasks, research, and visits to different governmental institutions while shadowing Simon Woolley but that would not give a complete picture of the internal values I have learned through this meaningful summer.

Power is never given, but it could be learned and understood. This might be a different interpretation of what Power means but nonetheless important. Power has many forms, and what I saw as part of the Operation Black Vote team is the POWER of community, and the shared responsibility of working towards an equal future. OBV gave me an utterly different perspective of Power, and that majorly includes the action and meaning behind SOLIDARITY.

Through every member of OBV, it was clear that this organization's power lays in solidarity as well and tackling the common obstacles often erected by different state policies, the society by itself, or those which comes from within our own communities. OBV showed its solidarity through writing articles diligently about issues related to various minority groups or giving respect on Roma Holocaust Memorial Day or how they organized a protest to save a person of Chinese ethnicity who was being forced to go out of business by more powerful people.

However, the final understanding of power came about through my daily routine of being surrounded by these amazing people at work. I came to understand the power within a person, the true STRENGTH which has to be apparent to each and every individual who truly wants to fight for equality and equity. I have learned that there are many obstacles coming from personal or professional life, but we must gather our strength and turn it into something positive and productive.

Power-Solidarity-Strength, these were the major values which I am going to take with myself when I return to study in Budapest. I am more than sure that as the months or years pass by I will remember this short summer period spent in London and will motivate myself with those memories to develop as a person and a professional.

Thank you OBV!

Adrienn Kovács