Virtual Testimony Storyteller: Robin Turner
Robin Turner, Organizer at the Ohio Organizing Collaborative
Robin Turner explains why leaders in Columbus need to make the lawmaking process more accessible, transparent, and open to citizen input by making virtual testimony available for all legislative hearings.
“The people closest to the problem are the people closest to the solution, but often furthest from the resources.”
I am a social justice organizer, a storyteller, humanitarian, mother, daughter, grandmother, and I am a restored citizen. I live in a multigenerational home that I purchased to ensure a good environment for my family. I care for my mom, my daughters Natalie and Miracle who I am so proud of, and my grandson who is my whole world.
Politicians need to see that I am a real person. Lots of folks are one phone call away from having their lives changed. People are people. People make mistakes. But I also believe that people can come back from anything except for death. But there is a stigma to incarceration, and I am stigmatized as a Black woman who has been incarcerated. Words like “ex-con” and “prisoner” can dehumanize, to say the least. There is violence behind those words. But when I tell people my story, it suddenly becomes real to them. I am more able to gain their trust and they are in awe of the transformation I made happen. They want to know about how I changed my life.
I’ve learned that people are nothing but stories, and the ability to tell your story and to be heard is healing. I was hurt for so long and did not know how to tell my story. You can't heal in the same environment that hurt you. Stories allow us to move forward and see ourselves as whole people.
We need options for virtual testimony at the Statehouse because the people closest to the problem are the people closest to the solution. My pet peeve is when the power brokers in the room are creating a policy “for me”, but they have never walked in my shoes. I want to be at the table when something is created for me. If I’m not there, you can't truly make anything for me because you do not know what I need.
“I’ve learned that people are nothing but stories, and the ability to tell your story and to be heard is healing.” —Robin Turner
Around this pandemic, allowing virtual testimony is about safety. We want to be safe. We want to keep each other safe. This is a new normal and we need to adapt. But even beyond the pandemic, people have jobs and other obligations that make it impossible to participate in the process. My message to lawmakers is that virtual testimony will make it so that we can come to you.
However, we also know that the inaccessible nature of the process is by design. It's on purpose. So we cannot stop fighting to make sure our voices are heard. We cannot get complacent. We cannot alleviate the pressure. We’re gonna keep our foot on their neck the same way they keep theirs on ours. Our democracy is not where it needs to be, we are not in a good place. We need to continue political education, we need to make sure people are registered to vote, and we need to make sure politicians are listening to our stories.
Robin Turner, All In For Ohio. Audio graphic by @kentfostersf on Instagram.
