Passing On Knowledge

During Week 3, we covered a spectrum of social justice movements, from the past to our present. We were also excited to have a special guest, Sampson Martinez, who completed the program in-person in 2018, was a Democracy Builder Fellow in 2020, and returned this year as a co-facilitator to present on Queer History.

“My name is Sampson Martinez, pronouns they/them. Working with the youth has always been very energizing, especially with Long Island youth, who are usually overlooked. Coming back to see the youth still working and making sure that all the voices are heard on Long Island was extremely impactful and inspiring.

And I think it goes to show how much the program itself can help somebody understand their identity in a society, but also their community's identity in a society, because coming into LICET (Long Island Civic Engagement Table), I really knew nothing. So to have LICET be the thing that taught me my community's impact within Long Island and then to come back and try to pass that knowledge on was very fulfilling.”