Nominator said: “If I were given a two-word limit to recommend Erik, it would be “Kind Activist”. For anyone who has had any experience with activism or encountering activists, I believe would agree that activism and kindness typically mix about as well as oil and water! Infusing kindness into actions that seek to repair injustices can be a cognitively laborious task of navigating resentment. Yet, Erik manages not only to bypass the chemistry of mixing these social substances in his advocacy for sidewalk & street repair, but also incidentally models how to socially repair cracks in human relationships. Erik’s visual handicap not only enhances his sensitivity to the serious hazards that uneven pavements pose to people with other physical and mental disabilities, but also sharpens his cognitive vision for sensing the human spirit. Although he audits an Activism course at Cal to complement his studies at Berkeley City College, the world is his classroom for passively instructing patiently persistent methods for change and supporting other causes. So, the next time you’re walking or driving around Berkeley and come across a construction sign, please try to substitute any feelings of inconvenience posed by the detour with a like on Erik’s Streets of Equality social media page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/481977701598789“
