Exploring Life & Business with Andrea Ryan of SJ Call-In Coalition

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea Ryan. 

Hi Andrea, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I am Andrea Garcia Ryan LCSW (she/her). I am Hispanic/white. I grew up and graduated in St. Johns, MI. My father is Mexican and my mother is white. St. Johns is a rural, predominately white community. Growing up I could feel that I was different from other kids and that lead to lots of internal turmoil while growing up. Race and or ethnicity wasn’t discussed with me much, but I heard relatives use vulgar language about the black community, and that never sat right with me. I remember one time my uncles talking about black people and I was thoroughly upset, I was around 9 at the time. My mother pushed me to have a conversation with them about what happened, I remember it being really difficult but as I look back, I am really happy I did because it was an opportunity to use my voice for positive change, they stopped using the language around me. From a young age, I have always been a helper and always cared for other people, and I knew how it felt to be othered and it didn’t feel good at all. As I grew up, I had many jobs from working in my family’s restaurant growing up, to grocery, to factory work, to pharmacy. There came a point when what I was doing with my life didn’t feel right inside, I knew I wasn’t on my path to self-actualization because I was not feeling fulfilled at all. I decided to take my life seriously, I stopped hanging out so much and living by the seat of my pants, I took the plunge and went back to school in my early 30s. I started at LCC and didn’t stop until I graduated from Spring Arbor University with my master’s in social work. I worked full-time while going to school and it paid off. I now own my own mental health therapy practice located in East Lansing called Contigo Counseling Services. Contigo means with you in Spanish. I also co-founded a grassroots organization called the SJ Call-In Coalition during the height of the pandemic following the lynching of George Floyd. 

When the pandemic happened the world stopped, and all eyes and ears were on the news and social media. Following the murder of George Floyd, I saw people marching, people protesting, people coming together to end racism, from all around the world. This was something I had felt passionate about since I was a child, but never felt I had the power to do anything about it and stayed quiet for the most part. Seeing the movement and its power lit a fire inside me like no other time in my life, it was passion. I gained a sense of permission to speak up and that was liberating. 

I wanted to make a positive impact in the community of St. Johns, one that would be positive. I reached out to the city manager asking about starting a DEI committee and he directed me to someone named Maddy Slamka. She was also a resident of St. Johns and wanted to see a change. Together along with my sister, husband, and a few other community members, we started meeting monthly and planning events. Together we formed the SJ Call-In Coalition. We formed in 2020 and today we are working on getting 501c3 established, publish monthly newsletters, provide free programming in the library, hold a Pride Festival event in June, provide learning opportunities, and much more in hopes of creating a healthier, safer, more inclusive community. We want to create a culture of belonging because at a deep level humans need to be connected and to be seen and loved just the way they are. If we can create that culture, suicide will decrease, substance use disorder, and self-harm will decrease as well. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has been mostly smooth with some obstacles. The weirdest thing happens when we hit a roadblock, for instance the day you all sent the email stating you wanted to highlight us, we also got news that we have bumped up against some resistance as we try and plan our Pride Event this year. It seems whenever we hit a roadblock, there are at least three positives we get in return. So honestly it is hard to think about the negatives because the positives outweigh those negatives. We also have had some pushback from some community members and mostly out of misinformation. When people are misinformed about us and our work, we try to meet them in person and have a conversation while trying to build community with them. Overall, we have been met with open arms, and there are times when we are met with resistance, which is to be expected. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about SJ Call-In Coalition?
Founded in 2020, The SJ Call-In Coalition is calling in the community to celebrate differences, create relationships, empower disenfranchised groups, and to foster diversity in an effort to create a more INCLUSIVE, SAFER, and HEALTHIER community! We are most known for our Pride Festival we have held for the past two years in downtown St. Johns. Outside of the pride festival our work also includes monthly newsletters, free children programming that focuses on creating an upstander culture, youth programming that works to empower young people, community learning opportunities, and creating inclusive events for everyone. We like engaging the community using a calling-in approach hence the name “SJ Call-In”. Calling in is a call outdone with radical love. We enjoy inviting others into conversation as we know that we all have a right to start somewhere and we are indeed in all different places when it comes to creating a safer, healthier more inclusive community. 

So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
People feeling a sense of belonging is most important to me. I understand that the opposite of addiction and suicide is connection. I truly want people to live their best life and that starts with connection with other humans. We all want to be seen and loved, and we all deserve that. We all deserve to live authentically, to expose our wounds and scars, and to be loved unconditionally. This work matters because people matter. People are dying and just surviving, and we have a chance to help one another thrive and why wouldn’t we want that for one another? Everyone has a lived experience that holds value and worth and I want to create a community whose culture values one another. I understand that our liberation is interconnected and I am not free until you are free. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sjcallincoalition.wixsite.com/sjcall-incoalition
• Instagram: sjcallincoalition
• Facebook: sjcallincoalition
• Youtube: @sjcall-incoalition4593