Organizing Neighborhoods for Equality

by: Peter B

On February 13th, Chicago’s abc 7 news ran a story covering a recent report out of the University of Illinois in Chicago that ranked Chicago as the most corrupt city in the United States. In the past 42 years, 1,731 people in Illinois’ Northern District have been convicted of public corruption.

In a city notorious for mobs, powerful unions, the political machine, and gang-related violence, you cannot wait for the government to work for you. Hundreds of local grassroots organizations on the Northside of the city are working to make a positive impact in the daily lives of some of the cities most vulnerable residents.

Organizing Neighborhoods for Equality, more commonly known as ONE Northside, is a community organization working towards strengthening “a diverse, united North Side of Chicago acting powerfully for our shared values of racial, social, and economic justice in communities where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.” The organization works primarily on issues facing neighborhoods north of the city’s center, including Rogers Park, Edgewater, Uptown, Ravenswood, North Center, Lakeview and Lincoln Park. Since 2013, when the organization came into existence via a merger between the Lakeview Action Coalition and Organization of the Northeast, ONE Northside has organized people from over 100 local institutions to work towards affordable housing, education, economic justice, mental health justice, healthcare, violence prevention, and positive youth development.

Since Organization of the Northeast’s founding in 1974 and Lakeview Action Coalition’s founding in 1993, the organizations separately and together have secured an extensive list of accomplishments on behalf of Chicago residents. Through widespread collective action and coalition building, the organizations have been able to build power on a local scale that has led to significant accomplishments. A few of the many accomplishments include: establishing a $1 Million Transitional Jobs program for Chicagoans returning from incarceration, created the first loan-program in the U.S. for the citizenship application fee, helped to retain a $10 million appropriation to retain affordable housing, with partners won the first State of Illinois commitment to affordable housing in the capital budget of $145 million, transformed a poorly managed hotel into quality low-income housing that also links tenants to social services and jobs, and won a tax break for developers to build or rehab affordable housing. A few of the efforts ONE Northside is currently working include Police Accountability, the “Grow Your Own Teachers” program, and a gun violence prevention program.

According to Carl Nightingale, author of the book Segregation: A Global History, Chicago “was a laboratory for segregation” in the early 20th century. The city was among the first cities to utilize tools of real estate analysis and racial data to further inequality. This is just one of many unjust practices that have resulted in a city characterized today by continued segregation, inequality, and a declining population. For the Chicagoans who remain committed to the city, local organizations like ONE Northside are helping push the city toward a more just and equitable future.

For more information, visit onenorthside.org

Cited:

Kalpen, Bria (Feb 13, 2019) “Chicago is nation’s most corrupt big city, Illinois is third most corrupt state, report finds” abc7. https://abc7chicago.com/politics/chicago-is-nations-most-corrupt-big-city-report-finds-/5137350/

Moser, Whet (March 31, 2017) “Chicago Isn’t Just Segregated, It Basically Invented Modern Segregation.” Chicago Mag. https://www.chicagomag.com/city-life/March-2017/Why-Is-Chicago-So-Segregated/

The Fight to Protect Our Public Health and Natural Resources: Anti-fracking in Colorado

by: Noah Arneson

With 60,000 active and another 20,000 abandoned hydraulic fracturing (otherwise known as fracking) wells in Colorado (Map the Frack, 2017), concerned citizens have been speaking out and rallying for protection of their lands.  Community activist groups like the Thompson Divide Coalition (TDC), based out of Carbondale, Colorado, claim that fracking is a threat to the watershed, local agriculture, recreation and economy (Thompson Divide Coalition, 2019).  Not only does fracking pose threats to water contamination through spills as well as air quality due to the off-gassing of wells it also is being done on public lands that otherwise generate state and county revenue with tourism via outdoor enthusiasts of all kinds.

The TDC was able to help protect 20,000 acres of public lands located outside of Carbondale, which is about a 40 minute drive from Aspen.  While fracking continues to threaten communities it is encouraging to see groups like the TDC being successful.

The most common complaint citizens have been making recently is the close proximity to residences that fracking is being done.  All over the Front Range just outside of Boulder, as well as in communities like Battlement Mesa, Colorado residents are complaining about the negative effect that it is having on their well being (Statewide Setback Controversy, 2018).  In Battlement Mesa, fracking is being done right in their community with drilling pads being visible from homes.  Currently in Colorado the setback that a well has to be from a neighborhood in only 500 feet.  Citizens report that the drilling sites are loud and emit toxic odors.  Sometimes people report feeling ill.  Nosebleeds, nausea, burning in the lungs, asthma, lesions, not being able to go outside, contaminated water, the list goes on (Co’s Affected People, 2019).

The fracking industry is able to get away with this type of social and environmental neglect due to numerous loopholes granted by the federal government, as well as split property rights where one property owner has the surface ground rights and another the mineral rights underneath (Statewide Setback Controversy, 2018).

This last voting season brought Colorado Proposition 112 which called for a 2,500 foot setback length from homes, businesses and waterways.  Colorado voters voted against it (Prop 112 Fails, 2018).  As many concerns that there are to the negative impact of fracking, at this point the amount of people who support it seem to outweigh those who do not.  While states like New York and Maryland and communities such as those around the Thompson Divide have rallied to stop fracking in their area, there are still many being negatively affected and are struggling to have their voices heard and the health and safety needs met.

 

References

Map of Oil and Gas Wells in Colorado. (n.d.). Retrieved February 20, 2019, from https://corising.org/colorado-map-oil-gas-wells/

Thompson Divide Coalition. (n.d.). Retrieved February 20, 2019, from https://www.savethompsondivide.org/

Webb, D. (2018, October 06). Statewide setback controversy plays out in Battlement Mesa. Retrieved February 20, 2019, from https://www.postindependent.com/news/local/statewide-setback-controversy-plays-out-in-battlement-mesa/

CO’s Affected people. (n.d.). Retrieved February 20, 2019, from https://www.frackfreecolorado.com/cos-affected-people.html

Aguilar, J. (2018, November 07). Prop 112 fails as voters say no to larger setbacks for oil and gas. Retrieved February 20, 2019, from https://www.denverpost.com/2018/11/06/colorado-proposition-112-results/

The Witches Temple Brings Healing to the People

In today’s landscape across the US, we see diminishing communities in every city and town. Communities that have held for generations, being dispersed in all directions in search of affordable housing as the cities become increasing expensive, poor and other marginalized are being pushed out. Many people sick and ill, and also feel a loss of sense of community, lack of connection, and the feeling of not having a place to come together in purpose, to support one another and actively work towards creating to world we envision. This type of disconnection leads to social isolation and loneliness, which research supports can be a major contributing factor to depressive symptoms, particularly for people who are already marginalized such as low income or elderly. There are a lot obstacles to receiving quality unbiased healthcare such as race, class, gender, religion, language spoken, sexual orientation and gender of a patient, and this is often where community and traditional healers have always picked up the slack in marginalized communities. It’s well known that race, gender, class and all other aspects of identity contribute to the social determinants of health. Empowering people in their health and allowing them to find spiritual, emotional and community connections while gaining more knowledge of the healing systems that sustained their own ancestors for generations is exactly what is done every day the Cunning Crow Apothecary and Witches Temple.

The Cunning Crow Apothecary and Witches Temple provides a space for people to explore these practices, to learn, share ceremony, support groups, classes, and events of all kind to foster a safe and inclusive community for all. It is more than just an apothecary, clinic and school, it is a grassroots community that has sprung forth to facilitate a lot of necessary change in our local community, and it is a place that people know they can go and always be safe.. Many black, indigenous, people of color, and marginalized people of all kinds have begun to reconnect with their cultural identities that were systematically stripped from them via colonization, and many are turning to natural and holistic ways of healing both their ancestral and lived trauma by learning and reconnecting with their own ancestral traditions. Indigenous cultures worldwide have rich nature, healing and faith based practices, that have been his passed down through generations, and despite colonization, have been maintained in many places. And while there is a general disconnect from these practices in dominant mainstream American culture that is deeply rooted in forced Christianity and capitalism, many marginalized people are starting to reject organized religion for ancestral traditions of worship and healing rooted in deep observation of and understanding of nature. Whether it’s a Gullah conjure, Hoodoo rootwork, Voudon or voodoo, Ifa, Santeria, Candombole, all of these practices have always been rooted in the liberation of oppressed people and the dismantling of the systems that oppress, so this return is powerful, and many activists are finding a welcome home within the resurgence of various forms of witchcraft that have gained popularity over the years. The return to witch is about resistance of the white supremacist heteropatriarchal religious institutions of domination and destruction that are the very reason we have to organize at all.

The Witches temple serves as a safe haven for all the most marginalized members of society, black and indigenous, queer, trans, disabled, nuerodivergent, immigrant, sex workers, working class, all education levels, from traditional and ancestrally trained witches and healers to formally trained clinicians, it’s a place for people who exist outside the margins of mainstream society to come together in community, get and provide healing services such as acupuncture and reiki, host anti-racism and other oppression education workshops, recovery and addiction support groups, transgender support groups, a monthly meeting for black and brown witches and healers called the Mystic Melanin Meetup, hosted by a local Black burlesque queer entertainer and activist, it continues to provide space to those who are often not allotted space in society. The temple hosts monthly new and full moon services, a weekly alter service, and is a general place that anyone in the community can come find solace, support, rest and communion. While there are clinical and other services provided daily, there is also a monthly community clinic where people can get sliding scale healing services from students enrolled in the Crow School of Traditional Magic.

The founder of the Witches Temple, Ylva Mara Radziszewski, who is a practicing witch since she was age 13 upon finding her coven in the Florida swamps where she was raised, is also formally trained in herbalism and is a licensed acupuncturist. Ylva works tirelessly to not only create a safe, intersectional, and inclusive space, but also stands strong in the community as a force that consistently holds a mirror to those in power, holding them accountable for how they harm marginalized communities, particularly in the worlds of witchcraft, herbalism, natural medicine and healthcare in general. Ylva and her team work in conjunction with other local organizers and educators to provide facilitation and accountability processes when issues do arise in community. This is the duty of the witch, as she says, “Witch has been a title given to those who hold wisdom and power. We know that in supremacy culture, particularly within colonial white supremacy, anyone who represents an identity outside of the culture of supremacy, is a threat. When those folx also possess wisdom and power, they become even more of a threat to the tenuous authority of supremacy. If we think about those who’ve historically posed the biggest threat to systems that perpetuate supremacist culture, they are black, brown and indigenous people of color. They are those who exist outside cis-gender and heterosexual centrism. They are non-binary and trans folx. They are queers. They are femmes. They are the disabled and the marginalized. The witch has always been the face and force behind movements of cultural change, including feminism. One thing to note however, is that Witch, like gender, is not limited to the binary of cis-centric, colonial, white supremacy. Witches CAN be women. Witch is NOT woman. Witch is revolution. Witch is genderless. Witch is a battle cry without constraint of language or allegiance to state. Magic is a faithless devotion belonging to everyone. Much like how our modern feminism must be intersectional to make any real impact … magic must also [be intersectional].” The Temple is in its third year, and is ever expanding its projects and programs to meet community needs.

 

References

21st Century Witches: Ylva Mara on Bringing Witchcraft into the Future. (n.d.). Retrieved February 8, 2019, from https://dopemagazine.com/21st-century-witches-ylva-mara/

Penner, L. A., Hagiwara, N., Eggly, S., Gaertner, S. L., Albrecht, T. L., & Dovidio, J. F. (2013). Racial Healthcare Disparities: A Social Psychological Analysis. European Review of Social Psychology, 24(1), 70–122. https://doi.org/10.1080/10463283.2013.840973

Home | The Cunning Crow Teaching Temple. (n.d.). Retrieved February 8, 2019, from https://www.witchestemple.org/

Safer, J. D., Coleman, E., Feldman, J., Garofalo, R., Hembree, W., Radix, A., & Sevelius, J. (2016). Barriers to healthcare for transgender individuals. Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Obesity, 23(2), 168–171. https://doi.org/10.1097/MED.0000000000000227

Black Millennials Leave Church for African Witchcraft – The Atlantic. (n.d.). Retrieved February 8, 2019, from https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/11/black-millennials-african-witchcraft-christianity/574393/

Seattle NOW

By Hanna Leister

As I just recently moved to a new community, I have been looking for new organizations with which to become involved. In my search for organizations that align with causes and interests about which I am passionate, I came across Seattle NOW (National Organization of Women). As the name suggests, this is the Seattle chapter of a national organization that has been working across the country to fight for equality for women since the 1966. According to the national website for NOW, the organization started as a grassroots movement that has grown into the largest feminist activism organizations in the entire country, with chapters operating in all fifty states. “Since our founding in 1966, NOW’s purpose is to take action through intersectional grassroots activism to promote feminist ideals, lead societal change, eliminate discrimination, and achieve and protect the equal rights of all women and girls in all aspects of social, political, and economic life.”

Within this half century history, Seattle NOW began four years after the founding of the national organization. According to the Seattle chapter’s website, this 36th faction of the national organization was founded in 1970 specifically with the intent “to work ‘peacefully and within the system, through the courts, through all of the constitutional means available to effect the changes that our system has channels for.'” Seattle NOW has built power through grassroots efforts from lobbying, marching, peacefully protesting, educating the community through digital platforms and resources, and working within any constitutional and legal route they can to fight injustices within Seattle and surrounding King County. As 1972 president of Seattle NOW Elaine Day Latourell stated, the local chapter “is dedicated to working within the system and when that doesn’t work, to raising hell.” This sense of grassroots passion and power building is what has kept the organization strong for over forty years.

The first major cause Seattle NOW tackled that gained them awareness and traction within the local community was gaining compliance by Seattle businesses to the 1964 Civil Rights Act to remove qualifications based on sex from job postings. They accomplished this through very basic, traditional organizing efforts such as letter writing, lobbying, and building relationships with news and media outlets such as The Seattle Times and Seattle PI to get their word out there. Since this first victory, they have continued tackling issues such as workers rights, workplace discrimination and pay equity, racial discrimination, sexual assault (both domestically and at the hands of local political leaders), the legality of the Iraq War, LGBTQ+ rights, reproductive rights, and many more.

In modern days, the organization continues to build relationships and power within the community through digital communications tools, such as social media, as well as in person techniques such as rallies, marches, peaceful protests, and summits. Seattle NOW’s success and sustainability is built through their ability to continue to build trust and relationships with women in their own community as well as with other organizations within the region through ongoing partnerships, always proving themselves a reliable organization that will fight for any and all injustices that are brought to their attention with equal levels of detail and passion. They understand that they need volunteers and growth of their own grassroots efforts, hosting several of their own events monthly and using digital communication outlets such as social media, newsletters, and election guides for voters to educate their community, but that to truly make an impact, they also need to nurture partnerships with other organizations fighting for the same causes in intersectional ways. Seattle NOW has mastered the art of relationship building and have proven themselves a trusted organization within the community that women and allies can turn to in the face of any injustice to help them fight for their rights in any way possible.

References

National Organization for Women. (2019). About. Retrieved from: https://now.org/about/

National Organization for Women. (2019). WA0290 Seattle NOW. Retrieved from: https://now.org/chapter/seattle-now/

National Organization for Women SEATTLE. (2019). About Us. Retrieved from: http://nowseattle.org/about-us/

Seattle Chapter, National Organization for Women. (2019). Timeline [Facebook page]. Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/nowseattle/

Seattle NOW. (2019). Tweets [Twitter page]. Retrieved from: https://twitter.com/SeattleNOW1

Wilma, D. (2001, August 28). Seattle chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW) is chartered on May 8, 1970. Retrieved from: http://www.historylink.org/File/3519

 

Walk a Mile in Her Shoes Movement

By Johnie Judd

Walk a Mile in Her Shoes is an international movement that creates awareness on sexual assaults meted on women by involving men in a one mile walk in heels. The movement tries to take the idiom that one should walk in someone’s shoes before judging them. Therefore, the movement creates awareness on rape, sexual assault and domestic violence by men on women through a social action that helps the community reflect on the dangers and impact of such violence against women. By involving men in this walk, the movement creates awareness and condemns sexualized violence by showing solidarity from men, women and children involved in the walk in standing against men’s sexualized violence against women. The movement thus seeks to co-create a United Gender Movement where men are part of the solution in ending men’s sexualized violence against women. According to Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, the mission of the movement is to create a unique and powerful public experience that educates individuals and communities about the causes of men’s sexualized violence against women, provide prevention and remediation strategies and empower them to further develop and implement this knowledge and skills inter personally and politically.

The movement was established in 2001 by Frank Baird who wanted to increase the opportunities and the role that men could play to end sexualized violence. He first proposed the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes to Valley Trauma Center (VTC), a rape crisis movement that he had worked with since 1993, as a march by men to create awareness and stop rape, sexual assault and gender violence. Frank correctly noted that violence against women does not just affect women but also affects men who are hurt and angered when women they care about suffer from any of the above acts. Additionally, men are prone to suffering and hurt from such sexual violence meted on women when they try to develop a relationship in future with victims of such violence as they live in an atmosphere of fear and mistrust. Frank was thus convinced that by persuading more men to think differently about gender roles, gender relationships and gender violence, more women could be saved from potential sexual violence and by extension, the men in those women’s lives, then and in future. Therefore, Frank founded the movement not just to help survivors reclaim their lives from negative effects of sexual violence but also to create awareness in the need to stand against men’s sexualized violence against women.

In my state, Walk a Mile in Her Shoes is used as a fundraiser for the YWCA’s Sexual Assault Support Services (SASS) program. The goal of the fundraiser is to raise $25000 to support SASS services which include 24/7 sex assault crisis hotline, a medical forensic exam program and counselling support for survivors and their families. Last year, the event marked it ninth year and its impact in supporting victims of sexual violence and their families as well as creating awareness on sexual violence goes without a saying. The money raised in 2017 helped SAA respond to 2150 calls on sexual violence, opened 329 cases, 58 forensic medical exams and provided 1929 hours of therapy to 167 people. Walk a Mile in Her Shoes qualifies as a social justice movement as it seeks to challenge an injustice of sexual violence. The movement goes further not just to create awareness on sexual related violence but also to help those affected to reclaim their lives. As it can be confirmed from the figures above, it has enjoyed tremendous success in my state.

References

Frank Baird, Walk Founder | Walk a Mile in Her Shoes®. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.walkamileinhershoes.org/About/frankbaird.html#.XF2gUbhRW00

Welcome | Walk a Mile in Her Shoes. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.walkamileinhershoes.org/

Big Island Now. (2019). Retrieved from http://bigislandnow.com/2018/10/15/men-march-in-heels-for-annual-walk-a-mile/

Walk a Mile in Her Shoes – YWCA of Hawaii Island. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.ywcahawaiiisland.org/event/walk-a-mile-in-her-shoes/

 

Urban Wellness Phoenix: A Journey to Community Healing

By: Melissa Dunmore

Our Constitution proclaims the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, though I’m not sure a room full of women of color engaging in free acupuncture, sound healing, massage, yoga, and life coaching is what the Founding Fathers had in mind. In their wildest dreams, maybe. Tomorrow I will attend a free day of healing at Urban Wellness, a program of nonprofit entity Wealth of Wellness that unequivocally state on their website that people deserve to be happy and healthy. And who wouldn’t be happy with a free massage?

Founded by the Edgelows, Patricia and Douglas shared lifelong interests in healing, yoga, and spirituality. Patricia was inspired to create the wellness center through her own experience with women in shelters. Thus, the mission of Urban Wellness aligns with providing everyone access to a healthy lifestyle including holistic modalities that complement modern medicine. At their midtown Center for Integrative Health they offer naturopathy, chiropractic care, energy work, and more. Tomorrow’s “Mind, Body, and Soul” event on Facebook is made possible through a partnership with Iconico, an entity designed to build advocacy capacity in local organizations. Iconico partners with individuals and organizations in order to create sustainable movements.

Wellness programs are currently more popular than ever before (Aldana, 2018). Personally, I think with increasing rates of severe allergies in children, autoimmune disease, and opioid abuse, people are more inclined to investigate alternatives to the predominant dogma of Western medicine and pharmaceuticals for health solutions. And whether taking place in workplaces or in community, like at a senior center, the implementation of wellness programs lead to heightened morale, as well as heightened participation from folks who might otherwise neglect their health.

When we speak about taking better care of ourselves, food is vital to the wellness process. According to an article published in Culture and Brain last year entitled Radical wellness for a radically ethical life, “Human beings must live nutritionally healthy lives so that brains are properly nourished and strengthened throughout life, and into old age, bringing clarity and focus to ethical decisions; and, thus, providing the crucial ingredients for the good life” (Aragno, 2018). Did I mention lunch will also be provided tomorrow? And it’s plant-based tacos. That’s right, free tacos. The best things in life really are free.

Language pertaining to wellness, wholeness, and proactive approaches to health are certainly more common now than they were at the turn of the century. Of course, these mentions of wellness usually occur within a neoliberal construct, monetizing and commodifying health. Naturally, providing a free community wellness program rather than one for employees or insurance payers is much more radical indeed. In fact, it is a central tenet of the Combahee River Collective’s pivotal Statement wherein they asserted a desire for “healing, social justice, and inclusionary community” (Bow et al, 2018). It is very much in keeping with social justice to provide a safe space of healing for a uniquely marginalized and targeted demographic in our society, women of color.

I look very forward to tomorrow’s palliative afternoon. As a full time employee of a nonprofit, graduate student, and newlywed, I’m not exactly swimming in the kind of funds otherwise necessary for a day full of pampering according to capitalism. But for free ninety-nine? I feel cured already!

Check out the Urban Wellness Magazine here.

 

Sources:

Aldana, S. (2018, July 24). The 7 Best Reasons to Have a Wellness Program: Benefits of Wellness. Retrieved February 8, 2019, from https://www.wellsteps.com/blog/2018/07/04/reasons-to-have-a-wellness-program-benefits-of-wellness/

Arangno, L. M. (2018, January 24). Radical wellness for a radically ethical life. Retrieved February 8, 2019, from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40167-018-0060-8

Bow, L. et. al (2017). Combahee River Collective Statement: A Fortieth Anniversary Retrospective. Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies, 38(3), 164-189. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5250/fronjwomestud.38.3.0164

Mitchell, R. (2018, June 28). ‘Active’ savings: Benefits of a community wellness program. Retrieved February 8, 2019, from https://vitalrecord.tamhsc.edu/active-savings-benefits-of-a-community-wellness-program/

(n.d.). Retrieved February 8, 2019 from http://www.iconico.io/?fbclid=IwAR1H7QL-pzzw9O9LpqkNwPF38OFGXlh0KUA8XeNv_XJ7X9-YJBfCGiR6iKM

(n.d). Retrieved February 8, 2019 from https://www.urbanwellnessphx.com/?fbclid=IwAR09Km4g-dt0VWKMq7VQd-58URCBNe8FJ1wVZNLo4JbdlhHF-Q5sUWjvvSk

Rahab’s Sisters Provides Radical Hospitality to Outer Southeast Portland

Rahab’s Sisters was started by a handful of women who posted up on 82^nd Ave, in outer Southeast Portland, and handed out hot coffee to women they met on the streets on cold nights. The SE 82^nd corridor is known for its trafficking, homelessness, drug use, and violence. This small gesture of coffee was first made back in 2003, and over the past 16 years it’s evolved into a full-on movement. Anyone identifying as a woman, or whose gender identity makes them vulnerable, is welcomed into the Saints Peter & Paul Episcopal Church on SE 82^nd every Friday night from 5-10pm. Rahab’s has been operating out of the church for nearly 14 years now.

Rahab’s guests receive homemade dinners, counseling, hygiene packs, clothing, socks & underwear, blankets, sleeping bags, coats, haircuts, and foot care. In partnership with the Multnomah County Health Department, a clean needle exchange van is set up in the parking lot from 7-9pm. In mid-2018 a group called the Montavilla Initiative, made up of members of the neighborhood surrounding Saints Peter and Paul Episcopal Church, gathered outside of Rahab’s one Friday night to protest the needle exchange. They shouted at the guests and tried to take their photographs, to which Rahab’s responded by escorting guests out of a back exit and drawing all of the blinds and curtains to the church.

In an article written by Helen Hill for Street Roots she found that members of the Montavilla Community had been experiencing chronic crime in the area and they were misdirecting their anger and fear onto Rahab’s and the clean needle exchange program. The article goes on to interview Erin Browne, with the Multnomah County Health Department, who states, “We currently have a needle return rate of over 100 percent. That means we have brought in more syringes than we have distributed. We know there would be more syringes out there if it wasn’t for us.” The correlation the members of the Montavilla Initiative have made between Rahab’s supporting marginalized women and drug use shows the continued criminalization of poverty and addiction in our society. These actions have led Rahab’s Sisters to recognize the power and necessity of the work they do to an even greater extent. A letter to Rahab’s, written by their guest Heidi, exemplifies the great impact Rahab’s has on the individuals they serve:

“It took me five months of coming here before I realized I matter. And I’m not sure, but all of a sudden, I couldn’t work the street anymore. I’ve realized I’m not for sale. And I believe it was you and these women that have done that for me. I’m working on quitting drugs also, but it’s one battle at a time and that easy money sure was easy to get but not for the price of my soul. So like I’ve said, there is no explaining what you have done for me. I’m so grateful. Love you and everyone at Rahab’s.”

In providing radical hospitality and a place for women to connect and recharge, Rahab’s positively impacts the lives of individuals and of entire communities. Their Executive Director Anneliese Davis later said in the Street Roots article, “It is the most grass-roots gender justice work I’ve ever seen.” The article goes on to mention that the organization was solely volunteer operated for 14 years. In 2016 Rahab’s recognized their ever-increasing need in the community and began raising money to create the first ever employee position in the organization. Through fundraisers they were able to meet their financial goals and recently hired on Anneliese as a part-time Executive Director.

Executive Director of Rahab’s Sister, Anneliese Davis — Photo by Helen Hill for Street Roots

The services provided by the organization is a big part of what they do, but the primary focus of Rahab’s is providing community, connection, friendship, and a sanctuary for severely marginalized individuals to come and recharge. The setting at Rahab’s on Friday nights is cheerful and warm. Seven large, round tables are topped with white linens and flowers. Guests take a seat and volunteers serve them dinner and ask what types of hygiene products, clothing, coats, blankets, sleeping bags, or tents they would like.  In the adjoining room guests can also get haircuts or receive foot care. Each Friday there is a different activity – sometimes it’s art therapy, movie night, jewelry making, or letter writing. There is a resource table providing information on shelters, programs, crisis lines, and jobs, and guests are encouraged to ask any and all questions regarding support and care.

Abel McNair of Hands of Favor giving a haircut to Rita, a Rahab’s Sisters guest 

Photo by KPTV-KPDX Broadcasting

Friday evening volunteers are required to be women identifying and there are anywhere from 10-20 people working each night. In volunteer trainings the equality of the guests and volunteers is stressed above all else, and with that volunteers join guests for dinner and activities. Rahab’s can expect anywhere from 40-120 guests each Friday night and the meals are prepared and served by volunteers along with a dessert. A drink station with coffee, juice, and water is also provided, and all food and drinks can be served to-go regardless of whether or not a guest has already eaten. Second helpings are strongly encouraged.

It is heartening to see individuals responding directly to the needs of their neighborhood, community, and city, and doing so by providing radical hospitality and a place for members of the community to recharge and connect. The evolution of Rahab’s Sisters from its humble beginnings to it’s now weekly service to the community demonstrates the necessity of the resources provided as well as the power the organization has built over its decade-and-a-half in operation. Rahab’s has become a known resource in the community and the organization continues to grow.

For more information on the services of Rahab’s Sisters, or to donate funds or resources, please visit their website at https://rahabs-sisters.org/

— Blog Post by Carolyn Grigar

 

 

REFERENCES

Rahab’s Sisters. (2018). Rahab’s Sisters. Retrieved from https://rahabs-sisters.org/

Hill, H. (2018, October 5). Rahab’s Sisters: Radical hospitality in the wake of tension, Street Roots News. Retrieved from https://news.streetroots.org/2018/10/05/rahab-s-sisters-radical-hospitality-wake-tension

Multnomah County. (2018). Syringe Exchange. Retrieved from https://multco.us/hiv-and-std-services/syringe-exchange-and-disposal

Frost, M. (2015, April 1). Rahab—a gathering place for women, The Southeast Examiner. Retrieved from https://www.southeastexaminer.com/2015/04/rahab-a-gathering-place-for-women/

FOX 12 Staff. (2017, April 28). Retired hairstylist gives back with free haircuts through Hands of Favor, FOX 12 Oregon. Retrieved from https://www.kptv.com/news/retired-hairstylist-gives-back-with-free-haircuts-through-hands-of/article_d754ebb2-06ff-5c40-a3fe-9b5152c2195b.html

–

Border Patrol in my Parking Space

Border Patrol Van at a checkpoint outside of Tucson. Taken by Flickr user Mark on May 2, 2010 

“Why is there a Border Patrol Van in your parking space?”

I’m used to students asking me a wide variety of questions as I sit for pastoral care office hours at a favorite local tea shop, but this one was unexpected. Any time Border Patrol or ICE come on the University Campus, or adjacent properties, it can cause a bit of a stir. Even when the agencies are there with the best of intentions, providing safety tips for traveling to Mexico the week before Spring Break, there are understandable issues. This is not only on account of the roughly 100 DACA students that attend our campus but also due to the many students whose personal, family, and community history with these agencies is marked by trauma and distress.

A variety of scenarios were going through my head as I walked back to my office. None of them were bright and cheery. I had gotten myself into a bit of a mental storm when I turned the corner to enter my building and encountered… children. A whole cadre of happy children running and playing with an inflatable ball, young mothers watching over them in the shade leaning against the neighboring church’s wall, my methodist colleague smiling from ear to ear. It was only then that I remembered the new outreach project happening on the campus the chaplaincy building shares with the adjacent church: The Inn.

Mary and Joseph Seeking Refuge in Bethlehem, Simon de Vos (1664)

And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.  ~Luke 2:17 NRSV

The refugee and immigration crisis in the United States is overwhelming. How can any one individual or organization even begin to make an impact? How can we break down this huge issue into a small enough fragment that we can make a worthwhile response? These were the questions the United Methodist Churches, and others, were asking in Tucson.

At some point, usually after five to ten days of processing, individuals seeking refugee status that have been determined to be “low risk” are released from custody and allowed to go and stay with family and friends already legally resident in the United States. What happens when a parent and child are released in Tucson, with little to no resources, and their family lives several states away? What happens when hundreds of families and small children are released on the same day? (1) Where are they going to stay for the hours, days, weeks it may take to contact their family, arrange transportation, and continue on their journey? Tucson has a coalition of religious and secular agencies seeking to answer those problems and part of that answer is The Inn.

The project chair, Rev. Dr. Dottie Escobedo Frank, has “said the project is named for the Bible story where there was no room for Mary and Joseph at the inn.” (2) Its goal is to provide refugee families basic hospitality and essential needs between their release from custody and being able to find more permanent housing with family and friends. In this the churches feel they are entering into the story of the innkeeper who was able to provide Joseph and the very expectant Mary a place to stay.

That Border Patrol Van in my parking space, it had been part of the caravan delivering these refugees to their temporary shelter on their journey to a safer and more secure home.

This past week at The Inn kiddos enjoyed time together watching a movie. (The Inn Facebook Page)

 

 

Surely, I must at all times attempt to obey the law of the State. But when the will of God and the will of the State conflict, I am compelled to follow the will of God. -Bayard Rustin (3)

At points the law of the state and an individual’s personal conscience comes into conflict. It does not matter if an individual feels their moral character is informed by divine will or an ethos stemming from agnosticism or atheism, these conflicts do arise.

I still do not want ICE and Border Patrol agents on the University Campus, even if they are just sharing tips on how to stay safe over Spring Break. I am exceptionally grateful that on the vast majority of days the vans that transport families to The Inn are now unmarked. I know of other churches in Tucson that have long histories of providing refuge to undocumented immigrants and I have worked with them in their defiance of the law of the state. Still… what the United Methodist Churches, along with other area religious and secular non-profits, are doing by organizing with ICE and Border Patrol to assist these refugee families is an act of justice and essential community organizing.

There is a need to work within a broken system, even with agencies that we have good cause to be wary around, if we can bring about an end to momentary injustices and the human suffering right in front of us. The coalition ensuring that families filing for refugee status have a safe space to stay while they transition to living with family and friends are doing that form of work. While we seek systematic reform, while we look to perhaps even abolish whole policies and departments as inhumane and unjust, we need to bring comfort and care to those adversely effected in the here and now. It can even be hoped that by bearing witness to what hospitality and care for the refugee truly looks like by these institutions outside the government that the very agencies perpetuating a broken system will be prompted to reform themselves from within.

-Ben Garren

1) Trevizo, P. (2018, October 08). Surge in releases of migrant families being seen in Tucson, southern Arizona. Retrieved February 6, 2019, from https://tucson.com/surge-in-releases-of-migrant-families-being-seen-in-tucson/article_c5c96182-caff-11e8-b324-17edc08fbffd.html

2) Bancroft, K. (2018, May 22). Church-based Inn Project helps ICE remove children from detention centers. Retrieved February 6, 2019, from https://universe.byu.edu/2018/05/08/church-based-inn-project-helps-ice-remove-children-from-detention-centers/

3) Rustin, B., Carbado, D. W., & Weise, D. (2003). Time on two crosses: The collected writings of Bayard Rustin. San Francisco, CA: Cleis. (page 12)

 

 

Foster Parenting

Save a child. Become a Foster Parent

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

 

Why I became a Foster Parent

We can never know what cards we will be dealt with from life. The card that we received was my wife’s bareness; she was unable to bare children. After ten years of marriage and being without a family of our own I took it upon myself to see what foster parenting was about and to explore if it would be a good fit for our marriage.
Our first step was a home assessment to make sure it met state requirements to take in children and that we were financially stable.

Training involved some weekdays and a couple of weekends so that we could learn how to discipline, maintaining a healthy home environment, medical, psychological and academic needs and how to address them. Training also included; what to do in a worst-case scenario that involves returning the child to social services.

Social services were very accommodating in our county. We had no problems getting everything we needed in order to have a foster child.

The day came that our home received certification and became open to fostering.

It was hard work and uncharted territory but we hung in there and surprised ourselves at how well we did. Our lives were enriched beyond words; we grew as a marriage and eventually adopted two daughters from the Foster Care System.

If you have a place to accommodate one child, I urge you to give it a try you never know what can happen when you open your door and heart to a lost, terrified and troubled child. Sign up for an informational meeting and then training. A child’s heart and soul is waiting for stability and unconditional love of a home in a time of need.

PSA Foster Parenting click on the PSA link to watch the video, please

Foster Parent Informational meeting.
When: Monday, June 12, 2018
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Where: Santa Maria Inn 212 S. Broadway Santa Maria, CA.
For more information contact: Mr. Foster Care (222) 234-2282

Photo by Pexen Design on Pexels.com

Foster Care Interview Tips
by Autumn St. John

If you’ve applied to be a foster care parent, you’ll be asked to undergo a home study interview. This involves a representative of the home finding agency you’ve applied to come to your home and interviewing you. The home finder will ask you about your life, your parenting and family values, your reasons for wanting to foster and your ability to welcome a new member into your family. By thoroughly preparing for the interview and answering the interviewer’s questions appropriately, you’ll not only find out whether you’re suited to foster care but will also be assigned children for whom you are specifically suited.
Preparation

During the interview, the interviewer may ask you how your children feel about you becoming a foster family. So, talk to your children in advance of the interview so that you’ll be able to give the home finder an honest answer. Then, arrange for a babysitter to come to your house before the interview starts so that she can take your children to another room and look after them during the interview.

Interview

Questions the interviewer may ask you include “What was your childhood like?” “What education do you have?” “What’s your parenting style?” “How do you and your partner support one another?” “What activities does your family do together?” “How do you deal with family issues?” “How do members of your household communicate with one another?” Answer each question by just telling the truth. Relax during the interview by keeping in mind that the home finder is asking these questions to find the best family for each child in the foster care system.

Follow-Up

Follow up your home study interview by sending a thank-you note to the interviewer will show her you appreciate her visit and that you have good manners. A follow-up note also gives you the opportunity to mention anything you forgot to tell the home finder in the interview. Decide whether to post a handwritten or typed note or to send an e-mail. Posting a typed letter is the most formal option, while handwritten notes are more personal. If you’ve been in contact with the interviewer via e-mail prior to the interview, it’s appropriate to keep using e-mail to communicate with her. Send the letter to the interviewer within two days of her visit.

Tips for Interviewers

It’s not only the interviewee who has to put the work in before, during and after the interview. To help the home-finding agency choose the right foster family for a child, the interviewer should prepare questions that are the tailored to the interviewee. In the interview, listen carefully to the interviewee’s answers and ask follow-up questions to delve further into the subjects you discuss. Take note also of the person’s non-verbal behaviors. Assess the interviewee’s answers and behaviors within the context of her culture. For example, some cultures may use specific words and phrases in ways that are different from how your culture uses them.
(https://work.chron.com/foster-care-interview-tips-18997.html)

Photo by Bingo Theme on Pexels.com