Freedom Education Fund Recipient

I had the privilege of sitting down and having a conversation with one of the former Freedom Education Fund (FEF) recipients.  The FEF is a fund provided through Prescott College that was designed to provide funding, much like a scholarship, to one undocumented, college applicant each year.  I wanted to find out who was on the receiving end of the fund and put a personal face/connection to this initiative.

I had the amazing opportunity to meet with Itzel, last year’s recipient of the FEF.  She is allowing me to use her name and information for telling her personal story in hopes of bringing awareness to the fund, and one day, expanding it to reach more recipients.

Itzel, along with her mother and sister, traveled from Mexico to the United States when she was only six years old.  Her father traveled ahead of time and was waiting for them.  Her story is one of courage, resilience, and passion.  She recalls her first memories of schooling in the U.S. where communication proved to be impossible.  Not even being able to communicate her basic needs, like needing to use the bathroom, was quite a challenge.  Over time, and with the help of a very patient, bilingual friend, she started adapting to living in the U.S. and learned English.

It wasn’t until High School that the effects of being an undocumented citizen started sinking in.  Itzel started feeling “different” from her peers and longed to be able to tell stories of traveling to new places, like some of her classmates.  Traveling was and still is only something she can daydream about.  During her High School years, she started finding out what it meant to her personally to be undocumented.  She started becoming passionate about immigrant rights, in particular about undocumented citizen’s and a pathway to higher education.  For many undocumented young people, attending college is just out of grasp because of financial obligations.  This is why programs like the FEF are so desperately needed.

Itzel was chosen as last year’s FEF recipient, which not only means a brighter future for her, but also for her family.  As she put it, “the FEF has provided a door for opportunity for her” (I. Soto, personal communication, June 26, 2018).  Being the first person in her family to attend college makes this opportunity even more significant.  Itzel’s hopes and dreams include getting into film and creating Latino movies that will provide empowerment for the Latino population.  She also aspires to study law and someday run for an elected position where she can help other undocumented citizens by fighting for immigrant rights.  These aspirations would not seem so achievable without the help of the FEF.  This is why funding for the FEF, and other similar programs, is so important.

-Erika Huffer

 

BMPC 2018

I am on a high from my recent trip to Washington D.C. Over the weekend I was able to attend the inaugural Black Millennial Political Convention with 100+ others from around the country. The opportunity to sit in a room full of people who look like me and are doing the same type of work to improve our communities and country was beautiful. I was able to expand my network of people doing social justice work and also exchange ideas and have discussions with those doing the same specific work like criminal justice reform and environmental justice. We also heard from many brilliant panelists who were elected officials, political strategists, movement leaders, professors, lawyers, doctors, etc. The keynote speakers consisted of Congressman Clyburn, Dr. Michael Eric Dyson just to name a couple. I think conventions such as these are so important to help activists and organizers refresh and help remind us of why we are doing this work.

One of the main takeaways was that movements are led by young people. They have been and will continue to be. And though we must show respect and deference to our elders, our elders must also support us because we are all fighting for the same things and we are better together.

Sustainability Under the Midnight Sun

Last week, I travelled around the world to attend a conference on sustainability in regards to artists residencies in the arctic circle of Lapland, Finland. It was an international conference that brought together residencies around the world to discuss important issues that all residencies face. The conference focused their ideas of sustainability particularly around climate change (we were in the arctic circle, which is seeing some of the most dramatic shifts due to climate change—do you know that 40% of arctic sea ice has melted and is predicted to be all melted by 2050?), with some focuses on the Sámi’s (indigenous population) experience, which they called social sustainability.

Being me, I wanted to see more social justice themes, because I find them to be pervasive to our work in the ways that we interact with artists—and each other—daily. The conversations around the indigenous interactions also failed to have conversations beyond problems. Connecting back to all of our conversations around strategic media communications, the conference as a whole missed many of the marks. It was appealing conversations to all of us, and did well to outline the problems, but failed to give specific actions beyond “reduce carbon emissions” and “let the Sámi people dictate their own authentic narratives.” The compassion fatigue was very real and overall felt like I didn’t garner much from the conference other than facts and bad feelings.

These are similar critiques I have of all conferences I attend. There is so much focus on sharing methods and information to people who are already bought in, but so little focus on providing tools and helpful information to move forward with. To contrast this, in one session the moderator’s entire focus was to have us develop concrete solutions that we could all partake in. Not only that, but also had us each put our name next to the proposed solutions as ones that we each were committing to working on when we got home. I appreciated the specificity and the accountability of making a commitment.

This conference is perfectly illustrative of strategic communications on a large scale. Who they pick to share their messages, how they tap into values, gave the problems, propose solutions, and assign actions…or didn’t. When they didn’t I felt let down, uninvested, and moved onto thinking about other issues and things I can do something about. A good reminder of the importance to be focused, concise, and give assignments of actions if you are looking for ways to enact change.

-Anza Jarschke

[Image: Text reads, “RES ARTIS MEETING, ROVANIEMI, 2018, JUNE 18-20, LAPLAND – FINLAND” next to an abstract sun over hills and water reflecting the sun. Courtesy of Res Artis, http://www.resartis.org]

World Refugee Day

I just attended Phoenix, Arizona’s “World Refugee Day” event.  The event was created to celebrate refugees and the many contributions they bring to the U.S.  It was also a chance to recognize the courage and resilience that these amazing individuals possess.  Refugees from all over the world along with many supporters and organizers showed up to the celebration.  About 13 different organizations came together to plan this event.  My heart was warmed by the amount of support that was shown this evening.  Refugees had the chance to share food and dance from their culture.  Some of the refugees had the chance to set up stations where they were selling different goods they’ve made such as: soaps, bags, sweets, and much more.  It was inspiring yet also heart wrenching to listen to some of the refugees personal stories of struggles, survival, and their will to keep going.

4,000 refugee families are relocated to the Phoenix area each year.  One of my very favorite organizations, Gathering Humanity, takes on a huge role in the resettlement process here in Phoenix.  They work with the four federal resettlement agencies here.  Gathering Humanity is an all volunteer based organization that takes on the incredible role of setting up apartments for refugee families, running and organizing a warehouse where goods are donated, provides ready to eat meals, provides groceries, and assembles kits to hand out to families..  This amazing organization helped plan this evening’s “World Refugee Day” event.

It was so great to see so many people from different backgrounds come together and show an immense amount of support for each other.  During America’s current political state and the growing number of anti immigration, anti refugee resettlement, and even anti asylum aggressors, it was so refreshing to be surrounded by people who support others and believe in humanity.  It really was an evening of love and solidarity.

 

-Erika Huffer

No Human Being is illegal

La Familia es Sagrada

• Keep Families together

by Magdalena Velasco

Refugee Resettlement in Arizona

By: Melissa Dunmore

I recently attended a presentation by an organization that resettles refugees locally. This is the second such presentation I have attended in the past year. In this post I will share some of what I have learned.

There are several agencies in Arizona that resettle refugees including: Catholic Charities, Lutheran Social Services, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and the Welcome to America Project.

A refugee is described a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster. Here are some statistics from the UN:

• There are 22.5 million refugees worldwide (this number is updated monthly)
• 70% of refugees live at least ten years in refugee camps
• 80% of refugees are women and children
  • Many of these women are survivors of gender-based violence

There are three durable solutions for refugees:

1. voluntary repatriation to their home country
2. integration into country of first asylum
3. resettlement o a third country

One percent of all refugees are resettled via the third option. Historically, America’s policy has been not to repatriate but to resettle refugees with a pathway to citizenship. For many years, the number of refugees permitted resettlement into the United States annually was 75,000. I personally know a number of people who’s parents or grandparents came to this country as refugees. In 2016, this number increased by 10,000 to 85,000 refugees. And in 2017 it increased again to 110,000 due to such global changes as the Syrian crisis. However, in 2018, the number decreased to 45,000. Each year, the President determines refugee admission levels to the United States by region, and need.

Once in the U.S., families are expected to be settled within six months (employed and able to pay their own rent, utilities, etc.) and are eligible to become citizens in five years. As you may imagine, self-sufficiency in a new country within six months where you may or may not speak the dominant language is a daunting prospect. Especially when considering that many refugees, particularly women and children, exhibit signs of psychological paralysis. Autonomy and normalcy are key to long-term healing. Many organizations offer women empowerment programs, intensive case management, children’s after school and summer programs, referrals to community resources, English classes, interpreters. etc.

Ways in which we can help refugees get settled locally is to

• volunteer with an refugee resettlement agency especially if you speak a foreign language
• donate money to refugee resettlement efforts
• donate furniture, clothing, and household appliances to an organization that sets up apartments for new arrivals

While the number of refugees permitted into the United States has dwindled and may continue to do so, there are many ways to help those people who arrive in our communities fleeing catastrophic hardship to feel welcomed, if so inclined.

Juneteenth

Juneteenth.com says that Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States.  Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19^th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation – which had become official January 1, 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on the Texans due to the minimal number of Union troops to enforce the new Executive Order. However, with the surrender of General Lee in April of 1865, and the arrival of General Granger’s regiment, the forces were finally strong enough to influence and overcome the resistance.

Oklahoma City, like many other cities, celebrated Juneteenth this past Saturday. This is one of my favorite holidays to celebrate. I love the opportunity to come together and celebrate freedom in an environment where I don’t have to experience double consciousness. The event consists of a play area with inflatables for the kids, a stage with musical performances, awards and contests. There are vendors and food trucks as well. I love that local entrepreneurs of color get the opportunity to share their ventures with the community in this space. Of course, with the primaries coming up, there were plenty of candidates interacting with attendees. In hindsight I wish I would have set up a voter registration table.

 

Sources: (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.juneteenth.com/history.htm

 

-shalondra

 

 

 

Outrage Fatigue- It’s a Thing!

Lynn Soukup

When I enrolled in and began classes in a Master’s Program in Community Organization and Social Justice, I enjoyed a feeling of excitement and hope!  Working with people who are as passionate as I am about making the world a better place, reading about being a Revolutionary and learning about leadership was fun!  I could even tolerate what was going on in the world, because I knew people like me, like my classmates, were out there working for good.  Well, that was a good couple of weeks…

This last week I have found myself to be uncharacteristically angry.  Angry (constantly) at Trump, who is actively alienating our allies and actually singing the praises of a brutal dictator!  Angry that we are ignoring the needs of hurricane ravaged Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands who are American citizens!  (Don’t even get me started on American Imperialism…)  Angry that nothing is being done about gun control when there are still mass shootings happening!  Then, this week, more stories about the children that are being taken away from their parents at the border, which is just simply horrific, vile, and unacceptable.

Add all of my school work and job stress to the intense feelings of helplessness and I am left feeling exhausted, fending off a migraine, and snapping at the people I love.  Not a good state to be in!  What happened to my elation from a couple of weeks ago?

Well, the answer is, I stopped taking care of myself.  I stopped exercising, began eating comfort food, drank 2 glasses of wine at dinner, didn’t drink enough water, watched more CNN, and didn’t get enough sleep.  A sure recipe for a good, old-fashioned meltdown.

As cliché as it may sound, we activists need to set self-care as a priority. There are tried and true things we can do to manage all of the stress and outrage.  Here are a few ideas I got from googling ‘outrage fatigue’. It feels good to know I’m not alone in my struggle.

• David J. Ley Ph.D. suggests in Psychology Today (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/women-who-stray/201709/coping-outrage-fatigue ) prioritizing the issues you are most concerned about. List them and rank them, then focus your time and energy on the top one or two.  Let other people focus on the other issues, the ones that they are most passionate about.
• In that same article, Dr. Ley has a useful way to look at media consumption, which is one of the things that fuels my outrage.  Ask yourself, “Does it feed your values, or distract from them? Are you using media in a mindful way?”
• Edie Weinstein says in her article in The Good Men Project, that ‘hugs heal hate’. (https://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/overcoming-outrage-fatigue-lbkr/ )  I intend to hug my family and friends more and demand that they be really good hugs!
• She also says, “I believe that we each feed the collective soup pot. If my outrage is used as a springboard for positive change then it spices the soup. If it is used as a weapon, then it sours the soup.” Spice things up with positivity!
• And, of course, we all have heard a myriad of times: Eat right, exercise, drink more water, drink less alcohol, get a good night’s sleep, and limit your social media.

Here’s to many years of successful social activism and the return of a healthy, fun self!

Legacy of Loving

By: Melissa Dunmore

It wasn’t until I was an adult that June 12th, known as “Loving Day,” became important to me. I say this because as someone born of an interracial union, I was unaware of the importance of the Loving versus Virginia ruling until fairly recently. I am somewhat ashamed of this fact, however, I realize that mainstream society doesn’t really place a premium on knowledge of this kind of history. The odd truth that the Loving legacy is not taught in schools when there are increasingly more and more interracial marriages taking place and “mixed” children being born, deserves some examination.

I myself am no stranger to history. So, in other words, if I didn’t know about the Lovings until my twenties, then I reckon most people don’t! Least of all people my age or younger, for whom history of this caliber and character illustrates so much about our collective past. All of us should be aware of the anti-miscegenation fervor (and no, that is not the name of a rap album) that made the “pursuit of happiness” that marriage represents for so many unbelievably and painstakingly difficult for Mildred and Richard Loving.

For anyone needing the rundown on this important history here it is:

Anti-miscegenation laws prohibited the marriage or breeding of people of different races and served as some of the last bastions of Jim Crow in 21 states. In 1958, Richard Loving, a white man, and Mildred Jeter, of part-black and part-Cherokee descent, married in Washington D.C. because it was illegal to marry in their home state of Virginia. Shortly after their return to Virginia, the couple was arrested and charged with the felony of miscegenation. The judge in their case agreed to suspend sentencing if the couple left the state, which they did, and moved to Washington D.C. However, the Lovings longed to return to Virginia, where both their families lived, and raise their children in a rural town rather than an urban environment. On June 20, 1963 Mildred wrote a letter to the ACLU and seven years later, the Supreme Court decision in their case changed the nation.

* * *

What a story, right? They deserve a parade! The Lovings were ordinary people who, went met with extraordinary prejudice and injustice, took action to change the lives of generations of lovers to come. Last year marked the semi-centennial anniversary of the 1967 Supreme Court ruling and I was very glad to see some recognition for the Lovings in the mainstream. HBO made a documentary, “The Loving Story.” Focus Features released a feature film. So we finally showed a little Loving of our own. But I think we can do so much better.

Most of the children in my life are mixed. I myself, an Afro-Latina, am engaged to a white man. And without the Lovings, all of this wedding planning and blushing bride stuff would be for naught. I can’t not think about that, post about it to my social media, and have conversations about this not so distant past lest we forget the battles our ancestors fought so we could enjoy freedoms they were denied.

I plan to celebrate Loving every year. Ideally there would be cake, kisses, maybe some streamers, and definitely lots of “I Love Yous”. This shared history is ours, to have and to hold, in the highest esteem.

Sources:

A History of Racial Injustice (2014). The Equal Justice Initiative. Retrieved on 16 June 2018 from https://racialinjustice.eji.org/timeline/01-06

Bettman/Corbis (1967). Mildred and Richard Loving. Retrieved from https://www.missedinhistory.com/podcasts/loving-v-virginia-part-1-htm

Loving v. Virginia Part 1 (2017). The How Stuff Works Family of Sites. Retrieved on 16 June 2018 from https://www.missedinhistory.com/podcasts/loving-v-virginia-part-1.htm

The Loving Story (2018). HBO. Retrieved on 16 June 2018 from https://www.hbo.com/documentaries/the-loving-story

 

A Failed Test

Photo contributed by Johan Reinhard

Professional soccer player Paolo Guerrero, failed a test and was benched. He would not be eligible to play in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Paolo tested positive for cocaine reported Patrick Jennings with BBC Sport.

The Peruvian footballer argued that he had only consumed herbal teas. He emphatically denied consuming cocaine. In fact, he claimed the tea water used is the problem.
A cultural fact, South Americans, particularly Peruvians, for more than 8,000 years have consumed cocoa leaves socially, almost a diet staple. The leaves tested positive for benzoylecgonine.

Today, in modern times, the social custom is frequently practiced although the leaves are more likely to be steeped in water, for drinks.
Chemists agree, the infused leaves are a stimulant. Studies have shown, one fully consumed cup would pose a significant threat – like failing a routine drug test.
Guerrero’s urine tested positive for benzoylecgonine, a substance typically associated with cocaine.

A leading American scientist, Mr. Standish, is knowledgeable about the ancient customs of the indigenous Inca tribe would support Paolo’s tea leaves theory.
A few years ago, Archaeologist, Reinhard, discovered mummies, three frozen Inca mummies. These mummies date back to approximately 400 years ago, and there was evidence consistent with residue of benzoylecgonine in their tested DNA. This made Paolo’s story plausible.

Paolo’s supporters drew a reasonable conclusion, the cocoa leaves are indeed a cultural delicacy indulged by countless families in South America. The mummies were the proof.
That said, Paolo’s consumption was not the drug cocaine. Paolo faced his temporary suspension, and months later returned to the game.

This story highlights success in collective, global teamwork when people work together as did the American, Argentina and Chile scientists.
However, on the other hand, there is still a lot of understanding about how cultural insensitivity breeds indifference.

Reference
Jennings, P. (2018, June 15). Cocaine, the captain and the frozen mummies: Paolo   Guerrero world cup journey. BBC Sport. Retrieved from  https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/44415647