MARCH 4TH RALLY AT CIVIC CENTER

I wasn't able to visit my neighborhood this week. Instead I decided to attend the rally against the budget cuts on Thursday. I got to school at around 12 p.m. to check out the State rally at the Malcolm X Plaza. It was really intriguing seeing so many students crowded, watching and listening to speakers and other students getting pumped up to meet up at the Civic Center later on.

Staci Barid, my professor for Digital News gathering decided last minute to take a field trip to the Civic Center and practice our journalism skill by capturing audio clips and videos on the people that would attend the rally. I partnered up with Tom, since we were both late, and headed downtown. On the M train, you could see groups of people with their picket signs and their faces painted,anxious to get to the Civic Center.

When we finally got there, I saw different groups from different

parts of the Bay area, all marching towards the huge crowd that was cheering, protesting in front of the Civic Center. The environment gave a real positive vibe and you could feel the energy everyone was bringing. It was really interesting seeing young kids getting involved, as well as a crowd of older people. Even though everyone was there to protest, the positive environment made it feel more like a celebration. It really gave me a good feeling to not only be apart of this great unity, but to report on it and capture different outlooks, where these people were coming from and how the same issue was affecting everyone in a different way.

I always question myself if I'm good enough to be a journalist; there are time where I wonder if this is the right career for me. But after going to the rally, and getting excited about talking to people and being interested in what they had to say, I got a sense of fulfillment. I felt like this was what I really want to do, and even though I'm still in the process of becoming a journalist, I'm looking forward to having more experiences like this one.