Praxis Course: AFST234: Advancing Racial Justice
Semester: Fall 2025
Faculty Advisor/Professor: Dr. Darlyne Bailey & Sarah Spath
Community Partner: The Outley House with Self Incorporated
Praxis Site Supervisor: Troy Mouzon
Praxis Poster:
3 Autumn _Kelley_Advancing Racial Justice Poster_REVISED
Further Context:
Group Reflection:
– For this fall semester, we had the opportunity in our Advancing Racial Justice Class to partner up with various social impact organizations throughout Philadelphia. Committed to counteracting societal presumptions about the unhoused/homeless, we decided to work with site director Troy Mouzon and the Outley House (through the Self Incorporated organization), a shelter dedicated to housing and providing aid for unhoused adult men throughout Philly. Our work with Troy and at Outley has not been perfect, but nonetheless incredibly enriching and memorable. In our initial meetings with Troy, we discussed what he had learned during his time at Outley and how we could best assist him, the case workers, and the residents there.
– After this, we devised several different activities we would do during our 5 or so visits to Outley. This included a creative writing workshop, a teach-in on legal rights (interactions with the police), and a session on navigating academic and legal jargon and how to parse through more elitist language. While these events were more structured and planned in advance, some of the other, less formal work we did at Outley included one-on-one interviews with the residents (although it should be noted that these were often more like informal conversations rather than proper interviews) and helping where needed, such as organizing the various clothing rooms at Outley.
– The events we hosted at Outley were well-received, and we deeply enjoyed our time volunteering at and getting to know everyone there. In-person interactions with the system enriched our previous academic understanding of institutional inequality and the necessity for economic and racial justice. This experience provided both the framework and the confidence to be used in further civic action projects.
Jai’s Personal/Additional Thoughts:
I, Jai, was excited but nervous to start my work at the Outley house. I’m someone who has complained at length about the problem of academia in general, and Bryn Mawr in particular, separating itself from the communities it is stationed in and claims to serve. I was an exemplary case of this, however, as I had no prior experience working in homeless services, and was concerned that the presence of a somewhat sheltered college student would be more irritating than engaging for the residents I set out to serve. I underestimated myself and them, finding that the interest in sharing and connection was immediate and meaningful. The services Autumn and I provided were based on conversations we had had with residents, our site supervisor, and each other about what would be beneficial for this population. While we sometimes struggled in recruiting participants, those who attended were quickly engaged, spoke freely and earnestly, and tried, even when doing something they’d never done before, to get something out of it. This experience was a growing one, and I feel more prepared now to enter the communities I inhabit, talk to people, and not let assumptions, mine or theirs, get in the way of connection or care.
Autumn’s Personal/Additional Thoughts:
Similar to Jai, I was also very nervous but very excited to start volunteering at the Outley House. While diving headfirst into new and unfamiliar environments for me can sometimes feel uncomfortable and/or awkward, I knew, with the social biases towards the homeless in mind, that this work would be important. We discussed in class that community aid is not supposed to be easy, and although easier said than done, to embrace any feelings of discomfort and worry without putting yourself into too much strain. I had many worries about my ability to step up to the task of working at Outley, and to be honest, I still carry some of those concerns. However, now, I feel that my time at Outley has given me the skills to better manage any doubts I may have and how to channel them into the work I do— whether it was through the more formalized interviews with residents or getting to hear them share their various life experiences during creative writing sessions. Going forward, I want to make sure that my time at Outley doesn’t remain a one-off experience. Be it at Outley again or another organization, I want to continue to push myself out of my comfort zone and do more mutual aid and social justice work. I am really grateful for my time at Outley House and the wonderful community there. I feel that my time here, again like Jai, has given me the tools needed to continue doing more community work and helping others.