Hi there, Daily Kos community!
My name is Robyn Parks and I am a 26-year-old writer and mother of a toddler boy. I began writing as a coping mechanism for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), an anxiety disorder characterized by intrusive thoughts that lead to repetitive actions that may affect a person’s daily activities. It started off as writing songs when I was little; more specifically, the songs were commercial jingles written to beats from popular music. The combination of writing and music gave me something to take my mind off of the world around me. Eventually, I explored deeper subjects and even recorded a few raps some years ago that I will probably never release. Nevertheless, music has always been my first love as it allows me to be creative and express my innermost thoughts.
I graduated high school in 2013 and earned my Career Pathway Diploma, one category of diplomas that my high school offered, in Family & Consumer Sciences. This pathway focused on food and nutrition, which prepared students for careers in hospitality, food service, child care nutrition, and other sectors. After graduation, I began working in retail. For quite some time, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life. I pursued degrees in entertainment business and marketing management, but ultimately did not finish either program; neither were flexible enough for me to continue working while I attended school.
In addition to my time in retail, I also have a background in child care, acting, and as a stagehand for a production company. I have had background roles in the movies Greenleaf, Coming 2 America, Boomerang, and the TV shows Hot Ones and P-Valley. One of my favorite memories is being on set for Coming 2 America and watching Arsenio Hall improvise as the wise old man. At one point, as he was exiting, he stopped to stare at one of the palace guards and then threw his hands up and made a noise to scare him. The palace guard went along with it and reacted as if he was scared before regaining his composure. It made me realize how interesting writing a script and performing it are, but also how that can be expanded upon creatively. I always check my writing and reread for anything I can throw in as a surprise or a nugget, all because of that scene.
Despite my many endeavors, writing has always come back to me. My writing took on a life of its own through unpublished poetry, essays, and opinion pieces. The practice of writing daily helped develop my content creation skills as I navigated movement building via social media.
My experience in movement building has always been about documenting everything. Typically I would record videos, take pictures, and write down my memories of whatever took place during each demonstration I’d attend. I assisted with social and economic justice campaigns throughout the Atlanta area between 2014 to 2019.
I spent some time as the social media manager for #ItsBiggerThanYou, a campaign that was birthed following the unjust 2014 killing of Michael Brown Jr. in Ferguson, Missouri. It was a role I took seriously because digital tools are very effective at mobilizing people. We aimed to raise awareness of the instances of police violence in the state of Georgia as we organized in solidarity with the people of Ferguson. The campaign caught the attention of local grassroots organizations, which spurred the development of a coalition to combat police brutality. We also met with Ferguson organizers, and by the end of the campaign, I began to realize the importance of community building as I attended community meetings and peace walks hosted by community leaders. Since we operated on the Westside of Atlanta, I also spent more time meeting residents of that area.
In 2018, I had the honor of canvassing on behalf of Stacey Abrams during her campaign for governor. That was another experience that emphasized why fostering community is beneficial. We were canvassing just south of Atlanta and ran into many people who said no one ever came to canvass in their neighborhoods. I had actual conversations with people about their concerns, most of whom told me they were going to vote in support of Abrams just because I knocked on their door. This outreach was rewarding and pushed me even further toward community building. Following my time with the organization I reported to, I began doing more direct aid within my capacity.
For a brief moment, I was an intern with a marketing and media agency and was tasked with creating content for client social media accounts. During that time, I published a music-related article on their website, which was exciting and encouraged me to be more open with my ideas.
More recently, I have been writing werewolf and supernatural fiction for an online platform in my free time. It has a fun effect of keeping me full of ideas and gives me new ways to be creative. Some of my other hobbies include reading, listening to music, learning Beyoncé’s choreography, cooking, and browsing home décor departments online. I also enjoy spending time with my energetic son and watching The Wiggles with him every morning. I enjoy traveling a lot and cannot wait to vacation outside of the U.S. one day. I especially like trips to the beach because water is my recharging element.
Due to my disability, I have taken some personal time to focus on my mental health and consider my goals for the year. I wasn’t officially diagnosed with OCD until 2021. As I find ways to adapt to the changing environment of COVID-19, I’m learning more about myself and becoming aware of the triggers that I hadn’t recognized or simply ignored prior to the pandemic. It has been interesting to think of how much has changed in the past two-plus years since COVID was first reported. I hope to eventually share my experience and connect with others who have similar stories.
Over the years I’ve met people from different walks of life, which has helped me gain valuable experiences that have contributed to my evolution. The opportunity to be a Daily Kos Emerging Fellow is one I will not take for granted. I applied for the program to receive honest feedback from a platform more aligned with my ideals. I feel Daily Kos is a peoples’ publication, and I want to continue building community with like-minded people. I am excited to learn and grow as a writer while writing about the subjects I’m most passionate about. I hope to be able to resonate with Daily Kos readers as I explore the topics of housing, social justice, workers’ rights, Black feminism, and other subjects that are close to my heart.
This story was produced through the Daily Kos Emerging Fellows Program. Read more about DKEF (and meet other Emerging Fellows) here.
