“These are folks who actually do the work. They fight for themselves and for communities. For me, that informed a lot of the way I see the world and the way I write.”

At Solid Ground’s April 7 Building Community Luncheon, comedian Hari Kondabolu spoke passionately about the impact his time with JustServe AmeriCorps had on his craft. A former Solid Ground program, JustServe brought an anti-racism, anti-oppression analysis to engaging National Service Members in critical violence-prevention efforts throughout Seattle/King County. Kondabolu served on our 2005-6 JustServe team. The program closed in 2011.

Kondabolu maintains close relationships with many from his team, and says they continue to influence his work. “They are my educators. They teach me and they hold me accountable as a person and as an artist. Certainly that year or two of my life, spending it in that program through Solid Ground, was fundamental. I don’t imagine me being the comedian I am now without it. It just wouldn’t have happened.”

Kondabolu had some other nice things to say about us as well. See the whole clip:

Recruitment poster used by Solid Ground’s former AmeriCorps teams