Freeport students discuss their social justice social media internship

People should learn to at least try instead of feeling they have to have it all figured out.

Freeport High School students Caitlin Daubon, Kimberly Melendez Melgar and Joseph Gargano spent a large part of their summers as interns for Long Island non-profit ERASE Racism. The trio were a part of a group of nine high school interns who helped create social media content and promotional material that got the organization’s name and mission to hundreds of thousands on online.

Daubon, 16, who learned about the internship opportunity from one of her Freeport High School advisors, expressed that social media and social justice attracted her to apply and accept the internship offer.

“I think part of it was the digital media aspect, because I want to go into communications and will also be able to learn about the structural racism here on Long Island,” Daubon said. “So I could do both at once.”

She explained that the main task given to the interns was to bring attention to ERASE Racism and try to attract a younger audience to the organization’s messaging and work. The collective of interns came up with and executed content ideas for Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

Gargano, also 16, explained that using shorter form content was a main part of their strategy to try to reach the desired younger audience.

“We kind of tried to emphasize the importance of short form videos, specifically for like TikTok, to have people our age engaged, because we know ourselves since we’re the younger audience,” he said.

Melendez Melgar, 15, said she also resonated with ERASE Racism’s mission and message, and also helped create online content for the organization. She and Gargano first learned about the internship after they and their parents received emails from Freeport High School Principal Gisselle Campbell-Ham, who has since left the school district.

“I curated many informative flyers that are simple to digest in fast pace media,” Melendez Melgar said. “Not only that, I created video ideas to boost views and gain loyal followers willing to fight for the same cause.”

One of the most viewed pieces of content that interns developed and posted used a trending audio of a stadium announcer introducing former NBA player John Wall, had a girl stretching and warming up on screen with the text “Us getting ready to expose the racial discrimination in housing and public schools on Long Island.” The video garnered over 128,000 views on Instagram.

The students were able to be creative while learning a lot from the organization of the social inequities and racism that exists on Long Island.

“I’ve experienced certain generalizations and stereotypes because of me being mixed [part Hispanic and part Italian], and it kind of leaves you feeling like people aren’t willing to understand,” Gargano said of marginalization. “I feel like people should learn to at least try instead of feeling they have to have it all figured out.”

Daubon added that she sees evidence of structural racism in how Freeport and its students are viewed and treated compared to other Long Island communities.

“Since I am in school, one of the main things is the unequal distribution of white and non-white students across New York State, especially in our school which is mainly Black and Hispanic,” she expressed. “That affects a lot, like how we’re viewed, how our school is viewed, and the stereotypes that are placed upon our school in general or the town we’re in.”

Coming out of the internship, Melendez Melgar said that she hopes to see Freeport and Long Island communities address issues of social inequity, particularly when it comes to “housing segregation and school inequity.”

“Long Island’s deep rooted housing segregation is driven by a history of discriminatory real estate practices and outdated laws,” she asserts. “Because school funding relies on local property wealth, predominantly white neighborhoods enjoy well-funded schools, while nearby communities of color are left with severely underfunded districts and fewer academic resources.”

While all three Freeport interns are still determining what professional pathways they want to pursue in the future, all said they hope to continue advocating for social justice issues and possibly find ways to incorporate activism in their careers.