The 2nd Street Art Gallery & Gift Shop needs your help in order to keep going!
Redwood Voice has been closely following and reporting on the fundraiser on our co-production with KFUG Community Radio (an easy task considering we are the same crew) and the Wild Rivers Outpost, News Now: a radio news-broadcast every other Wednesday at 5pm.
The gallery created a GoFundMe page on April 28th, organized by Dawn Sibille Phillips, which can be found here. The description for the fundraiser is as follows:
Please help us save our 2nd Street Art Gallery and Gift Shop!
First, I would like to say the California Redwoods Art Association (2nd Street Gallery and Gift Shop) has had a lot of support throughout the years. I would like to thank each and every one of you that has been a part of growing this Non-Profit organization.
For those of you that don’t know anything about our organization, members volunteer to host the gallery and gift shop. They schedule guests coming into the classes being taught in the gallery classroom. As volunteers to the public, our hosts are vital assets to our business to the appropriate function with the Non-Profit. Our hosting volunteer positions are very special, involving interactions, not just with visitors, but being at the front desk answering phones from people interested in classes, sales or memberships to the gallery, as well as greeting guests as they come in from all over the world. Our organization is run daily by volunteers, including our officers and board members.
With all that said, we are uncertain when we will be back open for business due to the pandemic with Covid-19 (Coronavirus). All of our events being cancelled and the Gallery being closed is affecting our fate of serving the community with art. We are trying our best to come up with money to ensure our circumstances by opening up the books and collecting any money that’s owed. As a Non-Profit Organization, we are reaching out to the community to fulfill the funds necessary to survive for another two months or necessary time to resume regular hours of service at the 2nd Street Gallery and Gift Shop. We would greatly appreciate any amount donated to help us during these unprecedented times. Thank you in advance for any type of donation. We will be posting updates as soon as things change or we can resume business.
– Dawn Sibille Philips
At the moment of writing this, the gallery has managed to raise $1,525 of their $4,000 goal. The most recent donation was 11 days ago. Updates have been given on the page expressing thanks, it is vital that the fundraiser does not lose traction. In a post on April 30th, only 2 days after the start of the fundraiser, a post announced April’s rent is covered and that the rest would be going to May’s rent when it is received.
Over the coming weeks, though, there have been additional ways you can support the gallery!
Fran Uecker, owner of Firefly Soy Candles, is donating half of all proceeds from her soy wax melts to the gallery, as the gallery explains in the post below! So when you try supporting a local business, you could be supporting TWO simultaneously! (You can find Firefly Soy Candles here.)
Original Facebook post from the 2nd Street Art Gallery, posted May 8th, 2020.
This article, before being posted, was first premiered as information written by Persephone Rose for the KFUG Community Radio production News Now. You can listen to this story and many others on the latest airing of News Now. You can listen to News Now every other Wednesday at 5:00pm on 101.1 FM and streaming online at kfugradio.org!
Memorial Day weekend has come and gone. If it’s shown us anything, it’s that we must prioritize and support the businesses following genuine safety measures. To those businesses who are pursuing this route who have not yet been informed, we hope this information finds you well! (If you somehow missed out on what transpired this weekend, it is succinctly summarized in this Facebook post by KFUG Station Manager Paul Critz.)
If you are a business looking to re-open, the information on how to begin the process has been released. By following these steps, you’ll be up for consideration in opening back up—so long as you follow these precautions.
First, where can you find this information? On Del Norte County’s official website (co.del-norte.ca.us/), the Public Health section of the website has a tab dedicated to all local information on COVID-19 (as you would probably expect). It has recently added a Roadmap to Recovery. It describes each of the 4 Stages of the state order’s 4 Stage plan in simple detail and how that applies to our personal lives, especially business owners who are hoping to re-open. Currently, we are entering Stage 2, which describes the following: “Gradually reopening retail (curbside only), manufacturing, and logistics. Later, relax retail restrictions, adapt and reopen schools, child care, offices and limited hospitality, and personal services.” The extended plan and the important details behind exists as a 7 page PDF file to this section of the website, created on May 15th, 2020. You can view and download the PDF by clicking here.
It opens describing the county’s plan as being that which takes into account orders from the state and needs to be fulfilled.
In order for a business to begin re-opening, it must do all of the following:
Perform a detailed risk assessment and implement a site-specific protection plan.
Train employees on how to limit the spread of COVID-19, including how to screen for symptoms and stay home if they have them.
Implement individual control measures and screenings.
Implement disinfecting protocols.
Implement physical distancing guidelines.
After these 5 tasks have been completed, businesses must then submit a COVID-19 Operations Plan to Del Norte County Public Health in order to reopen. (You can find the form here.)
It is necessary for this form to be completed in order to be considered eligible for reopening. The Economic Resiliency Branch of the EOC is available to assist businesses in completing their COVID-19 Operations Plan. Completed plans may be submitted for approval electronically to: DNR2R@co.del-norte.ca.us or mailed to: Del Norte County Public Health 400 L Street Crescent City, CA 95531.
When the correct sector is open and a business has submitted a COVID-19 Operations Plan to Public Health for review and approval, that business is “Ready to Reopen.” They may self-certify their location and reopen with pending approval of the COVID-19 operations plan. They should print the Self-Certification Window Placard (the link can be found on this same webpage) and place it in a window or where it can be easily viewed by the public.
Any and all other information about the reopening process can be found on this page of the website.
This article, before being posted, was first premiered as information written by Persephone Rose for the KFUG Community Radio production News Now. You can listen to this story and many others on the latest airing of News Now. You can listen to News Now every other Wednesday at 5:00pm on 101.1 FM and streaming online at kfugradio.org!
We know your news feed is already filled with posts about COVID-19, but this one’s different! We have a project underway, and we think you’ll like it.
Along with providing news and highlighting moments in our community, Redwood Voice has always been about narrative. We want to know your stories, and we want to be able to share them! College of the Redwoods Professor of English Ruth Rhodes reached out to us with a brilliant idea and in our deliberations through a few Zoom meetings (of course), we’ve partnered up to make it a reality: “My Corona Comic Book!”
You can find the children-specific version of this project here, which was designed by Ruth Rhodes. It works especially well as a fun assignment for students in distanced learning programs, or even if you just have a child around with a lot of creative energy they need to let out!
More updates and developments will be coming out between now and the time of submission, June 19th. We have a lot in store, and a lot of excitement. We’re looking forward to not only all of the creative opportunities to come from this project, but also all of your wonderful submissions!
Since the Del Norte Unified School District has placed schools under closure amidst these days of distancing from COVID-19, some of you may be a bit confused to see school buses still quite active throughout the mornings. While these buses aren’t being used to pick up students, they’re still being used to help them in these confusing times.
Thursday morning, March 19th, I had the interesting experience of tagging along with Crescent City Bureau Chief Jessica Cejnar for a school bus ride along in the midst of their recently established meal delivery program. You can find her incredibly well-written article about the experience here!
We rode Bus 22, driven by Reese Trimm. Starting only last week after the closure of schools, the buses have been used to deliver meals to youth all across Del Norte County. They include breakfast and lunch, but sometimes they provide even more food: case in point, the Monday after the following weekend (the one coming up) is a Professional Development day, which would mean the buses will not be running its meal delivery route. So, they encouraged each and every parent and student on Thursday to bring a bag or backpack the next day, so that they could provide double the amount of meals to make up for Monday’s absence. This program is determined to not let children go without food!
On the first day, Reese Trimm, who keeps track of how many kids are receiving food, said that her route delivered meals to 162 kids; the next day, 111; the day after, 146; and, on our ride along, in the span of roughly 2 hours from just one bus, Bus 22’s team delivered meals to 186 kids, totaling at 372 meals.
Paige Swan, Crescent Elk Middle School’s principal, also joined us for this ride with the specific goal to hand out ungraded enrichment worksheets to students from Kindergarten to 8th Grade. These would help keep students occupied in an educational manner so that the closure of schools did not impact their progress too heavily. Paige Swan also informed us that the following week, similar worksheets would be created for high school and preschool students.
As this process goes on, changes are being made further and further to encourage the use of this program and assist in making it more accessible. DNUSD Transportation Director Derrick Campbell spoke to us about an app called “Here Comes the Bus” that would allow parents to track the progress of the buses on their routes, in order to ensure added safety and convenience. Update: the district has established their code for the app! If you’re interested in using it, download the app and input 86992 to track buses in real time!
Below, you can find the video to this ride along:
This experience is just one example of how our community has banded together in this time of worry and panic, in our distancing and closures amidst COVID-19. We are hoping this is only the beginning of many projects documenting these kinds of events. If you have any information or would like us to highlight other organizations taking actions like these to help in these times, please comment below and we’ll follow up with you!
Redwood Voice’s Avi Critz wrote an article on the Supervisor Candidates Forum from February 19th, 2020, for the Wild Rivers Outpost. The article is as follows:
A photo from the candidate’s forum. Photo Credit: Jessica Cejnar.
This past Wednesday, the candidates for Del Norte County Board of Supervisors met at the Firehouse on Washington for a community forum. The candidates participating in the forum included Lori Cowan, John Pritchett, Bob Berkowitz, Kevin Hendrick, James Ramsey, Darrin Short, and Valerie Starkey.
The forum was arranged and held by the Del Norte Association of Realtors and moderated by Debbie Olson. In preparation for this forum, candidates were given a list of 23 questions that they prepared answers for. These questions revolved around property rights, home ownership, and community issues surrounding housing.
The forum began with 3-minute opening statements from all the candidates, in which they addressed their hope for this discussion and their qualifications to run for Del Norte County Board of Supervisors.
Many candidates also mentioned the key issues that they would address in their answers. They were then randomly given 2 questions from the list of 23 questions that were provided earlier. Each candidate also answered a write-in question that was asked by the people in attendance.
Although each question was different in its topic, many of the same subjects arose from the candidates’ answers. Every candidate mentioned the growing homeless population in Del Norte County, as well as economic growth in every district.
Many candidates pointed to tourism being the biggest economic draw for Del Norte, and suggested that tourism be better promoted in our county.
The audience questions brought up topics like developing a 24-hour homeless shelter and how the board can collaborate with community organizations to implement such a shelter. The candidates then gave their closing arguments and expressed their excitement for the coming election.
The primary election for California is on March 3. Polls will be open from 7a.m. to 8 p.m. For more information about polling places, visit the Del Norte County Elections Office website.
As those who follow our social media accounts may know (namely our Facebook, Instagram, & YouTube channel, all linked in case you’ve been missing out), the start of a new year brought about the start of a new Redwood Voice!
The first month and a half of this experience has had its ups and downs as any organization would, but so far we have seen it as overwhelmingly positive. Alongside a resounding reception from the community excited for Redwood Voice to be jumping back into the fray of journalism and media activism, we’ve properly introduced our current team on our YouTube channel in a short miniseries, began a regularly occurring series dedicated to archiving the Del Norte Unified School District Board Meetings in the wake of difficulty attending them and complaints that the information does not easily reach those who miss the meetings, and our typical event filming in which we broadcast amazing occurrences in our community, like this year’s Women’s March. This is further paired with the gathering of news for KFUG Community Radio’s bi-weekly (every two weeks in this case, just to be clear!) newscast, which is comprised of the Redwood Voice team. We also have numerous projects being planned behind the scenes that include further connecting Redwood Voice to our audience and dipping into new forms of media we’ve not previously explored.
Redwood Voice member Persephone Corvid Rose in their team member video thumbnail. Photo credit: Brayden Hatch. Video Link Here.
Redwood Voice member Avi Critz in his team member video thumbnail. Photo credit: Persephone Corvid Rose. Video Link Here.
Redwood Voice member Brayden Hatch in his team member video thumbnail. Photo credit: Persephone Corvid Rose. Video Link Here.
Of course, these new and exciting changes will all come with time. There are still items on the table being considered and issues being resolved. As you may have noticed, for instance, the rate that videos are edited has shown slight limitations. Though we are able to produce videos we are proud of that demonstrate events and stories in full, some have shown a tendency to be late, a problem due to the fact there is only one current video editor who must thoroughly edit every video. That same video editor attends these events, films them, interviews people if necessary, compiles all the useful footage, troubleshoots any issues that may have come up during filming, edits the video, looks up any necessary information to proof-check what’s going on and provide correct info, spreads it, connects it to the people involved, and starts the next one. Then they manage all the social media accounts and write articles, like the one you’re reading now. And of course, with one member being a full time college student and another working a second job, roles are continuously being configured and chosen.
This has lead to a clear solution we are hoping to soon explore, but with which we won’t share much more information until our plan is perfectly streamlined: expanding the Redwood Voice team. Although we will not be sharing more until we know more about our situation in utmost certainty, if you or somebody you know is interested in journalism and media, namely youth in the community, please reach out! (One of the improvements coming soon to our website will be configuring the sign-up sheet for joining Redwood Voice.)
In the meantime, we will be continuing to clean up Redwood Voice. Our website, for example, has taken a bit of polishing just to get where it is now, and will continue to require some work. Most work thus far has had to do with conflicted coding on the website that has made links malfunction and strange glitches occur, such as crediting authors incorrectly. Additionally, we’ve been removing outdated information, which still requires work. For example, if you look on our radio tab shortly after this article comes out, you will see advertisements for radio shows that haven’t existed in quite a long time. You may also notice the cover photo of our website pictures people who are no longer members of Redwood Voice with an older logo. So, we have some work to do! Credited authors, our tagging system, and the format of many articles will be configured to provide a more enjoyable experience to our audience. All the same, we wish to add more content here! This means that even though we will be continuing to repair and clean up the website, we will soon be posting articles and linking videos in the coming days!
We are incredibly thankful for the support of the community and are excited to be continually growing!
For the past few months, I’ve had the opportunity to work as an intern at Redwood Voice. As my time here comes to a close, I look back on the experience and am filled with gratitude. During my time here, I have learned and grown so much, and I owe that to the opportunities this internship has provided me.
Working at Redwood Voice was more than just a job–it was an education. Before I started, my knowledge of filming and editing was extremely limited. I had never used a DSLR camera before, and my experience with editing software was very limited, so I felt like I had to learn a foreign language. I would frequently come to my boss, Meng Lo, with questions. Meng, being the wise coach that he is, did not answer all my questions. Instead, he pointed me in the right direction so I could get there myself. I studied advice from experts in the craft, and with each project that I worked on, I could practice and apply what I had learned. This process ensured true learning instead of mere memorization.
An emotional Coach Quick receives praise from his friends, family, and coworkers at a recognition assembly held at Smith River School. Photo Credit: Jayden Cornett
The first few videos I made were short, documentary-style videos. One of these was a feature on Ron Quick, who was a finalist in the US Cellular Coach of the Year competition. Another was a video promoting positivity surrounding pit bulls. As I spent time with Coach Quick, local pit bull owners, visiting the great people (and dogs) at the animal shelter, I was so inspired by the passion that these good people have for the important things in their lives. I was honored to be able to present them to the community. These interactions with people were as valuable to me as the skills I learned.
Filming the pit bull video. Photo Credit: Persephone Corvid Rose
I also had the opportunity to be involved in the preparatory stages of a media program that is about to be implemented for youth in Hoopa. I got to observe and participate in discussions and planning sessions in which we tackled real problems and worked together to create solutions. Then, I assisted in curriculum development for this program. I appreciated my involvement in this process so much, because I felt that my perspective and contribution was valued, and because I realized how unique this opportunity was.
Still shot from The Unwashed, Jayden’s final video project on hand washing. Photo Credit: Anna Lor
My final project before the close of this internship was a short video reminding people to watch their hands. This time, I was able to break from the standard documentary format and go with a more creative narrative form. Knowing the value of hands-on work, Meng let me take the reins from the beginning. I created the storyboard, wrote the script, set up lights, acted, directed, edited, and even composed some of the music. Along the way, Meng would take opportunities to advise me and teach me.
I do not take for granted the great experience that I have had here at Redwood Voice. With all the education, skills, and experience I have received, I am walking away a more experienced, prepared, and confident person than I was walking in. Now, I will take all that I have been given at Redwood Voice and use it to do good wherever I may go from here.
5th grade teacher of Mary Peacock Elementary School Paige Thompson (center) is one of two teachers in the Del Norte County Unified School District taking on the “Breakfast After the Bell” initiative in its pilot phase.
“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” Even though there are people who would look at that statement and dispute without hesitation, tearing down breakfast’s ranking on the nutritional hierarchy and claiming any other time of the day is “the most important,” few can argue with the simple truth that it is of great importance nonetheless. Also, it’s breakfast – there shouldn’t really be a debate on breakfast.
More importantly, breakfast is important for children. Going to school every day with progressively developing and impressionable minds while constantly taking in new information can be very demanding, and students – from elementary grades to graduating off to college – need to keep up their energy. It’s one of the things that never change about the school system. The brain is a muscle constantly at work, constantly exposed to new concepts, new ideas, new developments, and in order for it to function properly, it absolutely requires nutrition. Nutrition at the beginning of the day gives students the start they need to endure the rest of the day. But breakfast isn’t just about having it in order to merely function. Any source can give you any number of reasons why breakfast is so important and the additional benefits it grants: increased concentration, reduction of fatigue, amplified awareness of proportion control and nutritional moderation, and a decrease in the risk of illnesses.
Skipping breakfast, on the other hand, has demonstrated numerous negative effects, especially against young school children: diminishing mental performance in class, increasing the likelihood of poor food choices throughout the day (which has been shown to extend into long term circumstances), and cuts the body off from attaining important nutrition.
Everything points to the importance of students eating breakfast. Unfortunately, despite the attempts of establishment in which many schools serve breakfast to students in the early morning, breakfast accessibility is still an issue across the nation. One in five children live in households facing food insecurity, leaving roughly 13 million children across the country who go to school hungry with little to resolve it. It is a much more widespread issue than most people tend to believe. Lucy Melcher, director of advocacy and government relations for the nonprofit Share Our Strength, running the No Kid Hungry campaign, has said, “There are food insecure and hungry kids in every congressional district and every demographic[.] Food insecurity is a family that has enough money to buy groceries three out of four weeks; it’s a mom skipping dinner; it’s having to choose between buying groceries and paying rent.”
There is such an unfortunate discrepancy. As said before, schools do indeed attempt to serve breakfast. But usually, breakfast is served early in the morning before classes. Not only does this create issues for students with transportation issues who do are unable to attend early, but it means that students will have to wake up even earlier than the already dreaded early hours shown to produce negative effects.
But across the country, teachers have been taking up a simple but effective movement to combat this problem. Already it has been reaping positive changes, and two teachers have introduced it to the Del Norte County Unified School District.
Students participating in the Breakfast After the Bell program eating breakfast in class. They are provided food and are allowed to save the food for later in the day.
For now, these are known as “pilot” sessions, determining whether the program, known as Breakfast After The Bell, is effective. Breakfast After the Bell is an initiative pushing for a simple method to assist food insecurity issues. Simply, teachers are able to provide breakfast foods in the beginning of class. Some may have their class open a few minutes earlier so that students who arrive early are able to eat, though teachers are often able to simply start class slowly as the students are eating. By giving them the free time to simply eat and socialize, however, they are able to begin the day on a note of low tension and social development.
“The idea for piloting Breakfast After the Bell in Del Norte came from a collaborative group of community partners coming together to discuss how we can increase students’ access to food in schools. Breakfast after the Bell is a nationally recognized program that has been shown as one of the most effective ways to boost breakfast participation in schools. With the help and support of Deborah Kravitz, the Nutrition Services Director for Del Norte Unified School District, we were able to pilot the program in two classrooms at Mary Peacock this year,” said Ryan Kober of Building Healthy Communities, who has been a big part of helping Breakfast After The Bell in its piloting stages, and who gave Redwood Voice the opportunity to create a video for it, as seen above.
We interviewed Paige Thompson, a 5th grade teacher at Mary Peacock Elementary in charge of one of the two piloting classes testing the Breakfast After The Bell system.
First and foremost, the Breakfast After The Bell program easily accomplishes its goal of making sure that every student has food. “I like knowing that my kids ate that day,” said Thompson, which in itself reflects the effectiveness of the program. Being able to provide food and knowing for sure that students are eating helps to eliminate food insecurity during school, and she goes on to explain that of her classroom, only 2 students do not eat every day – one of which is due to medical reasons, the other simply out of preference who will eat some days but not others, but who still has complete access to the food – allowing ease of flexibility for students with different preferences or necessities. However, Thompson goes on to explain that the food itself is far from the only positive effective reaped from this experience. “I was excited about having breakfast in my classroom because it creates a really interesting social dynamic, and it makes my students feel comfortable asking for food later in the day when they’re hungry. It creates a really great sharing environment where, if somebody doesn’t want their orange they know they can offer it to somebody else.”
Although, the teacher isn’t the only one to notice the benefits of breakfast in class. We were able to interview a few of the students as well, who each gave very interesting ideas on what they liked about Breakfast After The Bell. Along with students knowing they had access to food if they weren’t able to bring food themselves that day, students enjoyed being able to be in a smaller, quieter place where they were able to talk to their friends. They claimed that it was a better experience than that of the Multi-Purpose Room, which was typically full of students and made for a much noisier environment. The attention of this from students shows that it would be greatly beneficial to overstimulated or overwhelmed students, as well as shy or quieter students who may develop social skills more positively by being around their friends and classmates, rather than a more disorganized room with many sounds and senses firing off, and instead have a more stabilized, calm environment before starting their day.
With Breakfast After The Bell, students have the opportunity to eat and either socialize with friends or relax before the beginning of the school day.
Overall, the Breakfast After The Bell program speaks for itself as to why it’s a nationally recognized program. It exceeds in its goal in making sure every student has access to food, promotes positive social dynamics involving sharing, closer social development, and to some degrees even self-care as students take time to themselves before undergoing school for the day – and all the while, it’s an easy system that all teachers could fluidly work into their schedule, elementary and beyond. Perhaps that is just one of the many reasons this program has already proved to be so successful across the nation. It is taking a simple, small action to step towards a more inclusive space, and in turn grows into something effective and powerful that benefits everyone. It’s a win-win situation that anyone can step up towards. References (2) BetterHealthChannel: BreakfastThe Denver Post: More than 13 million kids in this country go to school hungry
Redwood Voice’s Primary November Project, a video documenting the importance of Transgender Awareness Month in our local community of Del Norte.
We have reached the end of November. Families have come together to give thanks and nurture one another. They are unified – they are, quite simply, together.
And as they are together, they reconnect and recollect. They speak of the time that has passed since last seeing one another, they remember what came before this moment of celebration and connection.
There are many people who don’t have that luxury this time of the year. There are many people who must remember a much darker part of their lives – some, the loss of others, while the remaining remember how far they’ve come through adversity and hardship, remembering how hard they had to fight or hide to simply live to see these holidays.
Thanksgiving holds its fair share of connotations – for better, for worse, for all in between. It can be a spectacular time: a genuine, lovely gathering of family and friends. It can be, for perhaps a majority others, a grey time: those detached from their family, or even completely separated; those who spend the holidays alone; those who spend the holidays remembering those they once spent them with, but now live in times long since past. And of course, this isn’t even beginning to delve into the generational traumas of which the “American Thanksgiving” are rooted into and the atrocities that have taken place to build its cruel beginnings.
Regardless of how powerfully it encompasses this month, Thanksgiving is simply a mixed time. In a sense, perhaps the holiday it has evolved into is a time to ignore the traumas of the past – but ignorance does not lead to healing.
Ignoring a wound does not let that wound heal, but instead infect into something far worse. Even in writing this article, staying at a neutral, objective point, the mere act of talking about the negatives of this time of the year will surely outrage others or be deemed “controversial.” But it is simply true. Thanksgiving covers the attempts of many who wish to speak out. The Native American community wants the past to be visible without any strings attached, to spread awareness and knowledge of the wrongdoings of the settlers and the crimes committed against them. There is even a holiday the day after Thanksgiving known as “Native American Day” to amplify this awareness, and the entire month of November holds the monthly observance of “National Native American Month.”
Just as there are widely known observances, there are those buried under or unknown altogether. The one I present today is one that has been utterly erased to a point that few outside of those affected even consider its possibility of existence – an observance that, upon Googling, you won’t even find the name of:
Transgender Awareness Month.
Transgender Awareness Month – a month to memorialize the victims of transphobic violence and raise awareness of discrimination faced by transgender people worldwide.
November is a time when many members of the Transgender Community, as well as allies, reflect on pivotal historical moments that have fundamentally built the movement. But these moments come not from success without labor – they are times in which the community has overcome struggle, times in which we have climbed from the dirt placed on us to keep us down, buried, unseen, only to then blossom forth. One of the most notable instances of these happens to be Rita Hester’s murder on November 20th, 1998, due to her gender identity. This sparked outrage among the trans community, inspiring them to fight harder for a brighter future where we could live in a world that did not want to kill those who wanted to happily live as themselves. That’s why November 20th now marks Transgender Day of Remembrance. It is not a celebration, it is not an event of pride – it is a day marking loss. It is candlelit vigils as we read the names of those we have lost to violence, those we have lost to hatred against people being themselves.
Rita Hester, a transgender African American woman killed for expressing her gender identity on November 20th, 1998. A candlelit vigil was held for her attracting nearly 250 people.
We remember this pain. Many must live with it for the rest of their lives. Many suppress who they are to hide this pain – but ignoring the wound never heals it.
I’m sure many reading this may even be hearing about it for the first time. There are very few resources out there to for Transgender Awareness Month, and the closest our community has come has been the establishment of Transgender Awareness Week. It seems that our mourning and visibility must be cut short.
The purpose of Transgender Awareness Month is to educate those who know not of trans issues, of trans struggles, of where our movement originates – of where our movement is leading us. Its purpose is to step out and speak with those who want to learn, and we are more than willing. We know that there are allies who hope to provide as much assistance as they wish, but oftentimes they simply fall back. This month is here to invigorate them and others, to fight hatred with knowledge, to present who we are, what we’ve been through, and where we’re going now.
In Del Norte County, I cannot possibly overemphasize the importance of this.
I have met with a few fellow trans members of Del Norte to discuss its climate and why it is so absolutely crucial to have these conversations – why we need to be seen, why we need to be heard, why we need to be simply affirmed and understood as living beings. We are your neighbors, your fellow community. We want nothing more than to be accepted as we are, and those kind enough to do so inspire us to only further march with our message.
“Those moments of affirmation from your neighbors and friends here are too rare.” – Jacob Patterson (she/her), local queer activist.
“The world is a better, brighter place for you daring to show who you really are.” – Sam Bradshaw (he/they/she), True North Youth Organizer.
“We exist. We need to be accepted.” – Wyatt (he/him), Local Youth.
So I present all of this before you – this video, my words, our collective work – on the final day of November, near the month’s end. Why? Because I’m sure this is the first you’re hearing of it. But personally, I don’t believe there should be “designated times” to accept, love, and support others. So take this message as you will. Love your neighbors, learn about them, accept them, even if you don’t fully understand their lifestyles, and if that is the case, ask – talk to them. We are more than willing to explain who we are, more than willing to be seen, because for too long we have been in hiding. Let us all be unified and, quite simply, together.
esent all of this before you – this video, my words, our collective work – on the final day of November, near the month’s end. Why? Because I’m sure this is the first you’re hearing of it. But personally, I don’t believe there should be “designated times” to accept, love, and support others. So take this message as you will. Love your neighbors, learn about them, accept them, even if you don’t fully understand their lifestyles, and if that is the case, ask – talk to them. We are more than willing to explain who we are, more than willing to be seen, because for too long we have been in hiding. Let us all be unified and, quite simply, together.
Let us look forward to a time when the only Remembrance we need is to remember how long ago the trans community was forced to combat violence, and how it has now been reborn into a time of cherishment and acceptance.
Being one of the many participants in the E3 Program in Del Norte County from the Del Norte Workforce Center, I dedicated my time to completing this program not just one time, but two times around, and both times I was able to turn them both into success stories for the E3 Program. I made a strong candidate for this opportunity to travel out to Aspen, Colorado for the Opportunity Youth Forum, due to the fact that I brought my own dedication to my workplace and proved that I do stand as an employee with the rest of my team members at Wild Rivers Community Foundation/Building Healthy Communities. I was able to get invited from my previous supervisor Imelda Ramirez who is the program manager for E3, and I was thrilled and honored to be invited to this Opportunity Youth Forum. I had one week to prepare for this travel, and I found myself with thoughts that it was very little time to prepare mentally and physically because I am a full-time student at College of the Redwoods. I managed to arrange my schooling/homework and all the other details with work to properly make myself available for the week of the forum.
Later that day in which I got invited, I found out who else I would be attending with. I thought to myself, there was no other group I would rather go with to this Opportunity Youth Forum, because we all hold a powerful movement within our community to be shown and tell our stories amongst many other leaders around the world. I found out that our group will be taking some leaders in our adjacent tribal lands, a youth organizer for True North Organizing, a Youth Coordinator, our Del Norte Workforce Center E3 Program Manager, and of course my boss Michelle Carrillo the Executive Director for Building Healthy Communities at Wild Rivers Community Foundation. Later on into the week of the forum, I found out that there were other community members attending the forum from our community as well, which brought me to think of what a powerful and changing opportunity our community has with making a voice for all of us back home. The whole invitation brought excitement and more passion to continue the work we do for our progressing community.
As Sunday approached and I was officially loading my bags into my car it began to hit me; I was about to travel on a plane over to some high elevated mountains in Colorado. It was a scary feeling and I was not able to sleep comfortably that Sunday night prior to catching my plane the following morning at 6:00am. Imelda Ramirez was traveling alongside with me and given the fact we are both related as cousins I can say it made the whole worrisomeness of the plane ride become easier to handle because we had each other for support and encouragement that we would make it through and touch ground in Aspen, Colorado safe and sound. We arrived at the airport two hours as recommended prior to boarding our plane, and we were able to meet up with one of our group participants from Weitchpec, CA, which is further south of Crescent City, in our adjacent tribal lands. We all greeted and wished each other a safe flight and walked through the security check, normal and with hopes of nothing turning into an unwanted disaster.
Enjoying the activities and winter weather.
Monday, around 1:00pm, we touched ground in Aspen, although we were very nervously flying above Aspen for over 30 minutes awaiting landing; there had been a slight complication with landing due to the visibility for the plane road track. We had seemed to arrive just when a small storm was beginning to make its way. I fainted in those 30 minutes that we were flying above Aspen. The elevation was incredibly high–over 8,000 ft.–and I got extremely dizzy, lightheaded, and nervous from the information the pilot was giving the entire group of people aboard the plane. With the thought of blessings that my mother had given me the following day, it was just enough to bring me back to my senses of “everything is going to be alright”. And it was.
Arriving on the grounds at the Aspen Institute in Colorado, it was all a great deal of luxurious treatment that I found myself being treated to. They impressed me with all the outstanding care they showed. From grabbing my luggage to offering me all the amenities that for one, I would think the millionaires there in Aspen would be the only ones to be treated this way. On the contrary, it was myself being honored with this hospitality. As we stepped into the main lobby building at the Aspen Institute we were guided to the lunch area where we were served buffet style with assorted freshly made meals by the institute chefs. We grabbed and ate some delicious lunch then headed to our hotel to unload and get ready for our dinner and new participant orientation.
The orientation involved all the participants to gather together and welcome this year’s 2018 Opportunity Youth Forum. We were all greeted as we entered and joined in again on the dinner buffet they had set up for everyone that night. It was all super exquisite food and fine dining that us folks do not get treated with back home in Crescent City. It was fancy, and I felt the high class treatment throughout the night. The first few 15 minutes were for mingling and networking with different partners and organizations. For myself, it all felt really intimidating because of the fact that I only represent myself as a youth involved in a program.
Participants of the forum enjoy evening performances.
As the night progressed we had the honor of hearing a speech from Yelena Nemoy, one of the Aspen Institute Community Solution partners, and welcomed some live featured performances by Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, featuring a selection from “Dry Each Other’s Tears in the Stillness of the Night,” and “On the Edge…Reaching to a Higher Ground.” The performances were incredible, accompanying our delicious dinner and fancy wine beverages being served. The idea I got from the performances was to gain a reflection of two people working together in order to show support for each other and create sympathy for the strength it takes to be involved within a larger spectrum of work that we all do as a community. It was heartwarming to see such a great art performance between two partners. The night progressed with chills from all corners in the building. The people gathered within the building were all there for the same purpose and dedication to continue the good work around the world for our Opportunity Youth, and for myself I felt a great deal of inspiration throughout my entire time in Aspen.
On Tuesday morning we had a busy start, trying to adjust to the time difference, and getting to the institute on time for the opening presentation. We came along with everyone else to the Doerr-Hosier Center where we all gathered for breakfast each morning. Poetry by Bianca Mikahn was our serenade to our lovely breakfast, followed by Melody Barnes, the Chair of the Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions, and the new president and CEO of the Aspen Institute, Dan Porterfield. They opened up the morning with their speeches about guidance on the transformative power of collaboration to drive change, thoughts, and the importance of self-care in leadership. We were told to enjoy the sessions and that each and every one of them looked forward to collaborating ideas and sharing networking information amongst us all. My first session was at 10:00am, called “Adapting Entrepreneurship Curricula to Support the Needs of Opportunity Youth”. This was one of my favorite sessions, due to the fact that there were more interactions happening within a group, and we all had a chance to give out ideas, make something, and reflect on our own efforts as a group. These practices are very important, in my opinion, when you are trying to work with a team of multiple people, because the interactions have to bring out great solutions. Practicing these types of workshops teaches skills to become a better entrepreneur.
My second session was “What Counts When Reengaging Youth”. This session included talking about the different areas and data consumptions that are gathered within communities and how we can use this data collection to figure out which areas need to be worked on the most to reengage youth.
My third session for the day was “Making Youth Reconnection Work through Movement, Dance, Meditation, and Love”. This session was a very powerful gathering, and quite intimidating because of the fact that all the main leaders were in this room, including the CEO and President of the Aspen Institute and the rest of the leaders for the forum. They were all warm and welcoming. We started off with an icebreaker activity on partnering up with someone for a quick interview that we would later present to the whole group. Everyone seemed to be very important and CEOs of businesses within their community, and corporations as well. Their little biographies that we got were inspiring, and we later moved on to explaining the success some corporations like BestBuy have accomplished, putting over hundreds of thousands of dollars towards educating youth in the computer tech pathway and giving out applause to a great opportunity for our youth.
A beautiful view from the window.
As our day ended that Tuesday, the weather got incredibly cold, but it also felt wonderful to be able to experience the Colorado wind and be surrounded by high mountains and Aspen trees in every direction in sight. It was a privileged experience that I will not forget. On Wednesday morning, we were brought to our same routine as Tuesday, although this day we were immersed into the first snow fall of the season in Colorado, which was breathtaking. The snowflakes were massive, perfectly frozen flakes falling from the sky. Our Del Norte group was able to get a table by the windows off to the left of the Doerr-Hosier Center, and we were able to take glances back and forth. Within 30 minutes, the surrounding areas outside were a perfect fluffy color white. It was a site to remember, especially with the ginormous property that the Aspen Institute has, everything was artistically designed to suit a millionaire’s taste in views.
Participants of the forum engaged in Shawn Ginwright’s presentation.
The morning opening session was given by Steve Patrick, of the Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions. He made a speech about the importance of sharing the healing-centered engagement framework with the Opportunity Youth Forum network and lifting up community-based strategies for addressing traumas. A speaker later went onto the stage to talk about the importance of being inclusive to all people, whether that be that those people are incarcerated. This Professor of Education from San Francisco gave his speech and displayed some PowerPoint slides about “Shifting to a Healing Centered Engagement,” and explained that in order to heal, we need to understand what we need to heal and know the difference of not just suppressing the symptoms we have, and also supporting youth development workers with transformative change over professional development. His speech was touching and made me reflect on my own experiences I’ve seen in my years, and the fact we need to give more support to strengthen our social, emotional growth and well-being as well. This professor’s name is Shawn Ginwright, a much-respected man among all the forum participants.
As we went on to the rest of our sessions that day, I went off to my next one which was “Designing Community Dialogue to Support Undocumented Youth”. This was a powerful session for me because I was able to tell a real story to the rest of the group who participated in this session. The leaders were Ruth Barajas-Cardona from Bay Area Community Resources, and Thomas Showalter from National Youth Employment Coalition and they both facilitated a problem-solving session that will help us design our own community dialogues for helping to serve the young people in our community. We all had a very different way of trying to create a dialogue that will capture the youth. For example, some of the ideas that were brought to importance were the fact that we need to build relationships with a couple of potential allies and demographic research as well. These two ideas were a part of a big discussion between the group, and we got into detail about each different community we come from. We later went into detail about facilitating the pathway for the Opportunity Youth amongst this undocumented group. It’s very important to educate people about the importance of knowing your rights and what you may qualify for when you come from an undocumented background of people and share the word to the rest of the people.
I joined into the debrief session with the youth leadership group and it was very interesting to find out the difference that was happening with both youth side and non-youth side sessions. I attended the non-youth sessions and was able to find an equilibrium between both and gather my thoughts to justify that us young leaders are on the right direction to facilitating a movement for all our communities. Understanding the fact that we all have stories that give us more and more strength each time we share those stories. We are gaining the highlight of making an inspirational movement story for our youth within our communities to learn about and continue to grow together to form a powerful change that will impact the youth below us. That equilibrium that I felt was the right hook to cast me into the direction of future change. Becoming involved with the right sources within your community will give you the willpower to further your journey into a right path, because you will be able to feel the good work people put into helping our communities. Feelings are a key important element with doing community work, as in, one must be healed from their own traumas in order to heal the next ones coming up after them into their community. One must feel healthy, safe, and know that healing-centered engagement is culturally grounded onto us and we must view healing as a restoration of our own identity.
One must feel healthy, safe, and know that healing-centered engagement is culturally grounded onto us and we must view healing as a restoration of our own identity.
Article written and photos taken by Jessica Ortiz.
Telling the untold stories of Del Norte and Tribal Lands through amplified youth voices.
