To Be or Not To Be (Online, that is)

Recently, I’ve had a small digital hiatus. As I thought about using social media or writing this blog, I immediately started dreading it.

A lot of it has to do with how busy I am throughout the day. I don’t have time to be on social media or reading articles online. Once I do make it home after a 10, 12, or even 16 hour day, I am ready to lie down. Instead, though, I do homework. At that point, I have no further interest in being “online.”

More to the point, though: it is utterly exhausting to be online.

The constant stream of information can be too much. Everything from the cat videos (i.e., why the internet was invented) to the news. I doubt any of us are strangers to this feeling of overwhelm. As organizers and social-justice-minded folx, we’re well acquainted with the woes of the world, and with the mass availability and accessibility of the internet. We’re surrounded. You can’t access your cat videos without news updates (nor should you, I think). It’s a gift and a burden, and one I often struggle to manage.

This requires talking about mental health. Talking about self-care. Talking about what it means to have the agency to say no. To not open Facebook, or the news, or Instagram, or even your e-mail. (This can be for general exposure or for the feeling of needing to engage with others about their views/actions/et cetera.)

A typical response is it criticize people for “opting out” or for being ignorant. (I often criticize myself in this way.) Falling into this trap is easy. Many folx do “opt out” of things they have more privilege in, so that is always a valid concern.

But, can such a response be an ableist one? In that moment, are we supporting our friends that struggle with mental health issues when we call them out for not be able to engage? Are we supporting our friends who are exhausted from being marginalized and oppressed for not engaging? How can we encourage self-care, and then criticize how people do so? 

Let’s be real: Unwell people are not nearly as effective at changing the world.

Personally, the more I am exposed, without reprieve (thanks, internet), to the terrors of the world, the more I struggle to be well. Sometimes, being plugged in and connected simply isn’t the answer for me. I have to monitor my use, engagement, and exposure to ensure my own personal sustainability. I encourage us all to not only care for ourselves in our own ways and to be understanding of when others are managing their experiences.

 

– anza jarschke

 

[Featured image: a grey and black tabby cat looks perturbed while sitting in front of a laptop with their paw on a computer mouse. Source: Unknown]

Bill Passed!

Last October I posted about my conversation with Representative Lowe who planned to propose legislation that would prevent the Department of Human Services from enacting a fee that would be taken out of child support recipients. There is already an annual fee taken out of the child support and then an additional 3% was taken out. Those who receive child support are often struggling financially and need every penny of the support. The bill passed and Gov. Fallin signed last week. I spoke with Lowe and he was very excited to be able to get this bill passed and help his constituents. He also mentioned that he co-authored a bill that would allow people who attend drug court another opportunity to go back after 5 years if they relapse. Currently, the program only allows a person to go once. With the upcoming elections, including a gubernatorial election, Lowe is feeling optimistic. The teacher walkout has brought more attention to our state politics and has in turn set records in the number of people that filed for office including 200 women! In a state where the people typically vote against their interests, I too am feeling hopeful that there will be a shift. Like Representative Lowe, there are many others pushing for and fighting for criminal justice reform. I hope he and other like minded legislators get some bills passed next session that will help propel reform.

 

-shalondra

do *something*

As we close in on the end of this program, I have been looking back to see not only what I’ve learned over the course of the program, but also how I’ve changed.

I think back to the theory, the lessons, the discussions, and the topic we’ve covered. All of these things have been incalculably important, and I come away from this program with so much knowledge, grounding, and supporting infrastructure. Sifting through it all, I have pulled together my top 10 takeaways that I am still reckoning with. It is not the theory, it is not the specifics, rather, it is the state of things:

1. The world is, indeed, f*cked.
2. Each of us are part of that world.
3. In varying degrees, we are the oppressor, the oppressed, or complicit in the system.
4. Sometimes those roles change, depending on the circumstance.
5. It is up to each of us to disrupt the system to our own ability.
6. We are stronger together than we are apart.
7. We are stronger when those in the struggle lead the struggle.
8. Many people don’t want to hear about the struggle.
9. We need to say it anyway.
10. We continue fighting anyway.

Sometimes I felt more helpless because of this program. Sometimes, I’d take a step back and realize it isn’t just a tree, or two, but an entire forest we are up against. Sometimes, though, that feeling gave me an unwavering sense of conviction in doing something.

Recently has been a trying time for me professionally. The (micro)aggressions run rampant, oppressive structures and systems reign supreme, and just because I am trying doesn’t mean everyone else is interested and supportive. I have had to sit in my office and apologize to the people harmed on behalf of an organization that isn’t invested in anti-oppressive operations. However, because of these studies, I have leaned into those tension-filled moments, those painful experiences, and challenging interactions. I lean in because I believe that we can do something together and that I can be apart of it.

Currently, I am working on researching safer space and anti-oppressive policies for organizations and communities.* I don’t know if this is the correct pathway forward, but I am digging in and doubling down on figuring out what it means to support people and placing those in the struggle at the center of my work. I’m drawing on everything I have learned over the past nine months and recognize I wouldn’t be this confident in doing something without this program.

Previously, I felt paralyzed with fear of making a mistake. Now, I know the mistakes are going to happen, that rarely will I get it right the first time around. When they occur, I’m less afraid to say anything about it. I own up, I show up, and ultimately I do something. I am still unsure if it is the right something, but I feel more confident that it is in the right direction. That going out and being apart of the struggle is much more powerful than complaining about it from the sidelines. Someone recently told me that individually we can resist injustice, but as a community we can create justice. Here the power of community organizing remains and here the legacy continues with each of us moving forward.

 

*I welcome any and all resources and insights.

 

-anza jarschke

#REDFORED

1. 

A sea of red Teachers Students and Community of concerned citizens walked in unity to demand Legislation that would change the reality of funding cuts to education along with aWalk Out a well organized movement was led by Arizona Educators United I experienced the power of Unity and a well orchestrated action that led to victory!!

Early Childhood Educator’s Salary Disparity

As an Early Childhood educator (ECE), I know far too well about the disparities teachers face when it comes to salary and treatment in general.  Our job is so important as we shape little humans into the best version of themselves and give them experiences that further help develop connections between brain cells, which has lasting effects on social emotional development, language development, future school success, and much more.  Why, then, do we not place more value on the important role Early Childhood educators hold in helping to shape the future?  I can’t emphasize how many times I’ve had people make remarks about how it must be fun “playing” or “babysitting” all day.  These words are damaging, as I have the important job of not only taking care of children’s basic needs, but making sure I create a learning environment that ensures proper brain connections.

My career has led me to work only in public school settings, where my pay is significantly better than my fellow Early Childhood Educators who work out of the public school setting for programs such as: Head Start, a federally funded program for low incomes families.  As of 2016, 97% of preschool teachers were female and made a median annual income of $28,570 (1).  Many ECE are eligible for benefits as their salary falls below the “poverty” threshold. According to the U.S. Department of Education, education and training requirements have increased for Early Childhood teachers, while workforce pay has not (1). Lead preschool teachers are expected to have at least a Bachelor’s degree, yet on average they make less annually than tree trimmers, pest control workers, and janitors to name a few (1).  Where, then, does that leave any incentive for people to become and hold the incredibly responsible role of being an ECE?

An important piece to this whole puzzle is the importance that Early Childhood programs have on poor and “disadvantaged” children.  These are the children that make the most gains.  In the first years of life, whether parents are responsive or unresponsive to their child’s cooing, smiling, and crying is fundamental to the wiring of the brain (2).  Young children who are deprived of caring interactions do not develop as many positive brain connections (2).  This is why ECE and programs are so crucial in the development and positive outcomes of young children.  Children born into poverty, violence, or neglect should have the same head start as any other child.  Every child deserves to have a positive start to their life.  More value needs to be placed on ECE and our incredibly important role of planting the seeds for a successful, more fair life.

(1) U.S. Department of Education. (2016, June14). Fact Sheet: Troubling Pay Gap for Early Childhood Teachers. Retrieved from http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/fact-sheet-troubling-pay-gap-early-childhood-teachers

(2) Arizona PBS. Early Childhood Brain Development Has Lifelong Impact. Retrieved from http://www.azpbs.org/2017/11/early-childhood-brain-development-lifelong-impact/

 

-Erika Huffer

 

Last week I had the opportunity to sit down and chat with Carrie, a woman running for County Commissioner. She is actually the only woman running for a county position in the upcoming election. She views this as good in that as the only woman she will get support from female voters but also sad that no other women are running for these positions. As the County Commissioner she will get to make decisions regarding places like the county jail. This is actually the driving force behind her decision to run for office. Carrie supports criminal justice reform and sees the issues in the system, especially in Oklahoma.  She has made it her goal to learn and participate and attend meetings that discuss reform and meetings where elected officials make decisions. Carrie has been knocking on doors since last July and has gotten the opportunity to meet and connect with lots of people in the city which she has enjoyed. I asked her how she planned to connect with the population that is over represented in the jails but not represented in decision making positions. She said she’d never been asked that question before but that she really wanted to connect with those on the east side of OKC. I suggested that she just go to establishments or restaurants and talk to people without motive, just the intent of relationship building. I am hopeful that she will keep her eye on the goal of reform and ultimately the elimination of cash bail.

 

-shalondra

Moms Demand Action Movie Screening

Organizing this movie screening has been as Saul Alinsky calls it the “Education of the Organizer”.   After the Parkland shooting, I had shared with a group of activists friends I wanted to show this documentary by Brave New Films on gun violence  called “Making a Killing”.  As a member of Moms Demand Action I asked them if they would host a screening of the movie at the library or a church.   A confidant who inspires me and pushes me to do more suggested I asked the Orpheum about showing the movie there.  She knows I have been interested in doing a social justice film series.  Recently, I have been going through a lot of family issues and did not think I should take on any big events. However, the #enough and #notonemore movement was energizing our community with the National School Walk Out, so I decided to go big and asked the Orpheum if we could do a movie screening.

10 years ago, I helped organize a grassroots birth activist group organize to show “The Business of Being Born” .  Our group became the Northern Arizona Birth Network and our first event was to a sold out crowd at the Orphuem theater.  It just so happens that the Orpheum manager worked with me on the movie screening of “The Business of Being Born” and I was her daughters preschool teacher.  I sent her an email and she was more than willing to take on our event at a discounted rate and no deposit.

I meet with a couple of the Moms Demand Action members to plan our movie event a couple of times. The Friends of the NRA announced their conference for May 5th so we got the closest date to their event to show our movie before their event. A grassroots group is also planning a protest that day at the NRA conference. We hope our movie help gets the word out about the protest too, even though as a group Moms Demand Action did not organize that protest. We contacted organizations that supported common gun sense legislation to table at the event.  We contacted political groups, mental health, and domestic violence service agencies.  Joining us will be:  Coconino County Democrats, the Young Democrats, the Sierra Club, Together We Will, Next GEN, and the Felicia French campaign. Some highschooler’s will also be doing voter registration. Local Radio host of “Community Conversation’s” Jamey Hasapis will be leading a community discussion during intermission on gun violence.

As a radio host of the civil conversations project, I had hoped to facilitate the community discussion however over the past month both my parents health has declined to where they need 24 hour supervision and I am the only family member who can. I will not be able to be at the moving screening but I know Jamey will be an amazing facilitator as he is a much loved member of our community.  What I learned from organizing this event is that, if an organizer has a dedicated team around them all things can be pulled off even when life throws you the organizer a curveball. To be open to a plan B and know an organizer is

never alone.  The work must go on!

Moms Demand Action of Flagstaff is hosting a screening of “Making a Killing: Guns, Greed and the NRA” at the Orpheum Theatre on Tuesday, May 1, 2018 at 6:30 p.m. YouTube Trailer. https://youtu.be/LtQdjFIZFhM 

Making a Killing: Guns, Greed, and The NRA tells the stories of how guns, and the billions made off of them, affect the lives of everyday Americans. It features personal stories from people across the country who have been affected by gun violence, including survivors and victims’ families. The film exposes how the powerful gun companies and the NRA are resisting responsible legislation for the sake of profit – and thereby putting people in danger. The film examines gun tragedies, including unintentional shootings, domestic violence, suicides, mass shootings and trafficking – and what we can do to put an end to this profit-driven crisis. Through this film and campaign, Brave New Films will work with partners to fight for a country where public safety is more valued than profit