Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Darwin Fishman.
Hi Dr. Fishman, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
I was born and raised in Davis, California and I have always been a community organizer. I first learned about community organizing and social justice work from my parents, who were active in the Civil Rights Movement. My mother is an African American Christian from Oakland, California, and my father is a Polish Jew from New York City. My parents always loved to share the story that when they got married in the 1960s, it was still illegal for interracial marriages in some states, and that is why they ended up getting married at a Unitarian Church in San Francisco. I took these stories and family history as the foundation for my own activism and community engagement. I went on to receive a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, Master’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from San Francisco State University, and a Doctoral Degree in American Studies from the University of Maryland, College Park. During this time, I was also a McNair Counselor for the TRIO programs, and I worked for the African American Leadership Institute at the University of Maryland College Park. I moved out to San Diego in 2013, and since then, I have been working as a Lecturer at San Diego State University, UC Riverside, SD City College, Mesa College, and UC San Diego. I have mostly taught classes in Sociology and African American Studies Departments. Besides this professional work, I also worked with my partner, Buki Domingos, on starting the Racial Justice Coalition of San Diego and our own radio show/podcast Alafia: Voices of the African Diaspora, and our own DEI company- Alafia, Diversity and Equity, LLC. Buki and I live with our four sons in East County, SD.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My life journey has included many peaks and valleys. My transition from life in Washington, D.C. to San Diego offered some profound challenges and setbacks. Within two weeks of my move to San Marcos, my mother passed away, and within one year of arriving back in California, I also went through a divorce and lost my job. This was a true test of my Faith, and there is nothing like hitting rock bottom to provide true clarity about one’s life. I am so glad that there were people around me at that time to help me navigate through these challenges, and my home Churches in DC and SD played a significant role in helping me to survive and thrive. Trusting in God’s ultimate plans for me has been the basis of facing the adversary and suffering I have encountered in the last ten years- including a heart attack, diabetes, and cancer in my right eye. It really does become true about tomorrow is not guaranteed, and we count our Blessings each and every day.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My commitment to community work and social justice work is one of my sources of joy and passion, as well as what motivates me to live in God’s full glory. When Buki and I started the Racial Justice Coalition of San Diego, we were relatively new to San Diego, and we wanted to help fill a void in the multiracial criminal justice work being done in communities South of the 8. By starting this Coalition with individuals and organizations who had been devoted to this work and a part of these South of the 8 communities, we were able to present a unified and organized front on key issues. Our most successful campaign was the “I Can’t Breathe,” launched to end all neck restraints used by law enforcement. When this campaign succeeds in 2020, SD became the last big city in the USA to end chokeholds on the City and County level. This work was inspired by and led by community members who had experiences with neck restraints used by law enforcement or who had relatives who were negatively impacted by these police practices. This work directly connects to the quality of life for members of these often-neglected communities, and it does mean that long-term activism and organizing in these communities can bring substantial results for these communities, as well as improve the lives of all SD residents.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
I believe God has provided me more time on Earth that is not just for my benefit or survival but for shared moments and time for struggle outside of my immediate family and circle of friends. Giving back to this larger community I am intertwined by ancestry and shared experience is instrumental in a well-rounded and complete life for me. Even with the frustration and hurt that goes with community organizer it will always be invaluable contributions. My challenges are still not on par with the potential fear and dangers many people face South of the 8, but also do not match the real harm and damage done to many impacted families and family members. I was very moved to hear how one of our member’s son was put in a chokehold when he was a 15-year-old student at Lincoln High School. His mother has worked with us on not just the “I Can’t Breathe” campaign, but she has linked arms with us and stood with us on each of the campaigns we have embarked. Us standing together and uplifting her community is a monumental task, but it is one in which Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King put succinctly for us: “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.” MLK, Why We Can’t Wait
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.rjcsd.org/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RacialJusticeCoalitionofSanDiego.org/
