TO FRAME Alternative Breaks UC Berkeley Public Service Center Spring 2014
ALTERNATIVE BREAKS UC BERKELEY PUBLIC SERVICE CENTER Spring 2014
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This is the door to the conference room at the Public Service Center, located on campus in Sproul Hall.
Two nights before trips would embark on the journey to their respective trip locations, the conference room held all of our coolers, each packed with a first aid kit and information packets for each group. It was a little wild to think about all the places these coolers must have been over the years – all the roads they must have traveled, all the state lines and country borders that they may have crossed, all the doorways they may have entered and exited, and it was wildly exciting to think about all the places they would go next. It wasn’t all that different for us.
ALTERNATIVE BREAKS UC BERKELEY PUBLIC SERVICE CENTER Spring 2014
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On September 1, 2013, applications for our 2014 Spring Trips went live, and on February 5, our program cohort met to kick off the first DeCal class of the semester. Throughout the semester, the trip groups met regularly during their DeCals to explore the complexities of issues of focus in preparation for their trips. In addition, as a service-learning program that travels beyond Berkeley limits, it was also important that we were aware of what we were doing in relation to others. Cultural humility is a framework of thinking that acknowledges the difficultly of being culturally competent when culture is a dynamic, always-changing concept. It challenges us to think more deeply about how we can approach and enter into a different community with respect. During the trip week of March 22nd to the 28th, we made an effort to uphold this frame – to be conscious of who we were and where we were coming from, and challenge the assumptions and beliefs that followed. Doors can be walls, but doors can also be windows, and each trip group was asked to take a photo of door – at a housing site, at a service site, on the road – that reflected their experience. Here’s what was found.
ALTERNATIVE BREAKS UC BERKELEY PUBLIC SERVICE CENTER Spring 2014
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The Bracero program (1942 through 1964) allowed Mexican nationals to take temporary agricultural work in the United States. Over the program’s 22-year life, more than 4.5 million Mexican nationals were legally contracted for work in the United States (some individuals returned several times on different contracts). Mexican peasants, desperate for cash work, were willing to take jobs at wages scorned by most Americans. The Braceros’ presence had a significant effect on the business of farming and the culture of the United States. The Bracero program fed the circular migration patterns of Mexicans into the U.S.
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“On March 28th, our group visited the community partner People Organizing to Demand Environmental and Economic Rights, and screen painted t-shirts for one of PODER’s youth empowerment programs Urban Campesino. The program is designed to connect Mexican-American youths in the Mission District with their “Bracero” or farming roots. One former participant that we met was now working with PODER in an official capacity. His name was Edgar. Edgar helped maintain PODER’s “Secret Garden”, a community garden which in the summer months is open to youth from the Mission so that they can learn farming schools, have access to organic, locally grown fresh food, all the while learning about their (agri)cultural roots. Despite the introduction to environmental justice that youth get in the summer months, it is getting increasingly difficult for Hispanic families in the Mission to stay in their communities. Just blocks away from PODER are hip coffee shops and single-room apartments going for exorbitant rates. Put simply, the Mission is “gentrifying”. As Edgar said, looking up an the historic and rundown Mission Theater right next to a new apartment housing development, “This is cultural imperialism. The first sign is the destruction of old sites of significance in place for new cultural symbols.” “ - Lina Aoyama, Environmental Justice Trip Participant
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ALTERNATIVE BREAKS UC BERKELEY PUBLIC SERVICE CENTER Spring 2014
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“I noticed this door the Sunday that we arrived to All People’s Community Center. It was the door to the entrance of the kitchen. On it was a plaque that I found of interest that announces that the kitchen is dedicated to Mary T. Reynolds. It continues to read that it is dedicated to her honor for the “many meals she lovingly prepared… during her 21 years of service”. The plaque is dated June 1967-December 1988. 21 years is just about the amount of time I have lived. I am 22. I can’t imagine doing anything continuously for 21 years. After reviewing the planned schedule, I thought to myself that the week at Alternative Breaks was going to be difficult. However, after reading the plaque’s inscription, a bit of perspective was afforded to my outlook. Mary T. Reynolds probably didn’t think she was going to get a plaque for the work that she did. I know she didn’t know that I would be reading that plaque that Sunday. She didn’t know that she was going to teach me a thing or two about persistence. I think that something that I struggled with this trip is that I was not sure how meaningful a week’s worth of work was going to be to address the issues that are pressing the healthcare needs of South LA. What Mary T. Reynolds’s plaque cemented was the necessity for me to conduct my service for the community for a lifetime, and to do it lovingly. “ - Ruigie Arevalo, Urban Health Trip Participant
ALTERNATIVE BREAKS UC BERKELEY PUBLIC SERVICE CENTER Spring 2014
There are 351 people living on the Campo reservation. There are less than 5 people with a graduate degree.
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"On our second night at the reservation, the Vice Chairman came to speak to us. He told us that there were only 3 people with master's degrees living on the reservation, and his wife was currently studying for her Ph.D. The main reason behind the lack of education is the cost. Everybody, from the adults to the first graders at the local elementary school commented or asked us about the price of a college education. It was difficult to view a college student from the point of view of the community. What we usually accepted as a commonplace identity had suddenly been switched into something of a commodity." - Stacy Gau-Pan and Pooja Srinivas, Campo Kumayaay Trip Participant
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“In 2010, some 214 million people — 3 per cent of the world's population — lived outside their country of origin.“ - United Nations Population Fund
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Immigration isn’t a journey that ends once you enter a country. It is the beginning of a journey towards a life you’ve envisioned but without a clear end in sight. You can see all around you and the conditions which shape your environment but there are restrictions due to status and other social constructions which cage you in. The restrictions imposed by society, the pressures put on you, and the struggles you face in your journey create the conditions of your silence. However, underneath it all the traditions, values, and culture that are a part of your identity continue to support you. It may be suppressed but the colorful and vibrant stories of those before you and their efforts build the foundation for which you may start to write your own narrative. These murals found under this caged bridge are a reminder of a rich cultural past not to be forgotten but also as the material expression of the difficulties and hardships faced in reaching the end. - San Diego-Tijuana Immigration Trip Group
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“When we refer to objects or concepts such as a “door” what image comes to mind? Something solid, something functional. But a door, even if broken, beaten, or fallen, is still a door. Working in the Lower Ninth Ward reminded us that despite appearances of fragility and abandonment; a community still exists, yearning to heal and to be heard. Things that are broken, fragmented, weak or not whole are pushed to the margins of our mind and attention; we prefer to focus on what is whole, on what is complete. This door reminds us of the power behind resilience; just as it has survived the worst, so too has this community endured pain beyond words. Its continued persistence to rebuild demonstrates its profound strength, not weakness.” -Felix Cruz, Magnolia Project Participant “Only one week had us reflecting in ways that we never imagined and left us with a hunger for more spaces like what we experienced at the Lower 9th Ward. Like this door, we saw destruction, degradation, and the continued presence of the broken soul of this neighborhood. It seems beyond repair, hopeless… There is beauty in the pain of this loss, just like this photo. But, when Mack says “In the end, we all bleed red blood,” he means we all feel human pain, no matter where we come from or what skin color we are or what gender we are. We learned that there is hope for the reconstruction of these homes, hope for the return of the souls of this neighborhood through the solidarity formed from this shared pain.” -Gabriela Padilla, Magnolia Project Participant
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On April 5, 2014, the Obama Administration reached its 2 millionth deportation, more than any other presidential administration before it.
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"I have a fear of telling what I saw incorrectly and a fear of misrepresenting the story of the undocumented people. At the end of the day as I reflect, I realize that you know what? There’s no correct way. I can only be true to my experience, to what I saw, and to what I felt. I want people here in Berkeley to know what is happening in Arizona, and I want the blinds off of their eyes. People are unaware that in Arizona, the sheriff is riding around town in an army tank intimidating undocumented people. People are unaware that police officers are going around the city and literally taking people out of their homes, destroying families. People are unaware that police officers are going into elementary schools checking children’s statuses. People are unaware that women, pregnant or not, are crossing the U.S.-Mexico border — with what little money they saved to cross the border, they also take measures: women are also saving money for birth control, because for them, it is not a question of whether they are going to get raped in their journey. They are going to be raped. Just pause and let that sink in. Chicano and Ethnic Studies have been banned in Arizona. Literature tailored to the history of these studies has also been deemed illegal. There are people dying in the desert and their family members are not going to know what happened to them. I started to look at things in a bigger picture and asked myself, “what can I do with the experience I had back in Arizona?” With every community partner that we met, Puente, Green Valley Samaritans, Casa Mariposa, Tierra Y Libertad Organization (TYLO), Colibri Center for Human Rights, ACLU, and many more. They all wanted the same thing for my group: to come back here and tell anyone who is willing to listen, not just to listen with their ears, but to listen genuinely with their hearts, and let them know that there are people dying in the Sonoran desert right this moment and no one is doing anything about it. There are people being terrorized, families being separated, and children living in fear on a daily basis. This subject cannot be silent any longer. On my last day in Arizona the priest told us of a Mayan expression that I want all to think about as they slowly realize the de-humanizing manner documented, undocumented, and migrants are going through... In Lak Ech Ala K’in which means “I am another you, and you are another me”. -Valeska S. Castaneda Gutierrez, Arizona Immigration Trip Participant
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Among a sample of 212 low-income Latino families from six different counties in California, a total of 61% families were food insecure. It is estimated one in three children in the Central Valley lives in a home that experiences “food insecurity” — not knowing where their next meal is coming from. A recent survey of Central Valley farms from the Natural Resources Defense Council estimates as much as 30 percent of certain crops go to waste in the fields.
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"I feel beyond blessed. I've had the opportunity to volunteer with many organizations. Along with my CV cohort, we have volunteered at a Christian Church in Delano, El Quinto Sol de America, AGUA (La asociaci贸n de gente unida por el agua), ACT women and girls, and UFW. We've covered various issues affecting the Central Valley including lack of healthy food, teen pregnancies, farmworker issues, water issues and many more." -Central Valley Migrant Workers Rights Trip Participant
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Chimpanzees are called our closest living relative because we share all but 1.4% of our DNA with them. Chimps are more closely related to humans than to either gorillas or orangutans.
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“This is a photo of a door from the inside of a greenhouse on the grounds of Chimps, Inc., a chimpanzee sanctuary specifically designed to provide lifetime care to captive chimpanzees that have been rescued or retired from the pet and entertainment industries. The mission of Chimps, Inc is to overcome the exploitation and cruelty that chimps face through advocacy, conservation, education and outreach. So, why put so much care into maintaining a greenhouse? The chimps are on a strict diet of raw fruits and vegetables, and for the moment, the sanctuary relies on produce donations from local grocery stores to feed them--but such donations will not last forever. The sanctuary’s garden project has been in the works for years, but they haven’t had the manpower to take a serious step forward. That’s where we came in. With our help, they hope to be one step closer to becoming self-sustaining, with the capacity to finally produce their own food for these deserving animals. The greenhouse is tucked away on the outskirts of the ranch where the sanctuary is located, completely out of view of the chimps. Prior to our arrival, I thought our service would be centered around the animals themselves--making enrichments for them or tidying up one of their enclosures--and that we’d be able to see them throughout the day. When I discovered that we wouldn’t be working closer to the chimps, I was admittedly disappointed. “Was I making a direct change in the lives of these animals?” I questioned. But, upon further reflection, I realized the bigger picture. Our group was helping to build a more sustainable future for our community partner. Someday, the work that we did will help to nourish the beautiful creatures we came to serve.” Not only did I come to realize the greater purpose behind my service, but I examined my expectations. Who was I as a servant, standing in solidarity with this place, to question the work I was doing? That day I learned what it really meant to work alongside a community partner, to trust that there was more than one way to touch the lives of those without a voice. “ -Lauren Kivlen, Animal Welfare Trip Participant
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ALTERNATIVE BREAKS UC BERKELEY PUBLIC SERVICE CENTER Spring 2014
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“Sleeping is not a crime. I see students sleeping in public all the time. But the second you look the wrong way, smell the wrong way, everything you do is criminalized. When we entered the door of the Coalition on Homelessness, I learned just how penalized people without homes could soon be. It's not just the controversial measures to ban sitting on sidewalks or the tent cities that make big news stories. I learned there are more subtle measures taken to penalize being poor, like the closing of a Safeway recycling center where homeless people might try to make a little money. The Coalition on Homelessness is a grassroots organization by and for homeless people. They advocate for homeless people and educate them. They provide "free school," an 8-week program for homeless and homeless advocates that is absolutely free. They distribute the "Street Sheet" with all the donations going directly to the distributor, who is always a person without a home. For me, it was crucial that the coalition acts as an educator, not only so people know their rights and where to get the help they're looking for, but so people like me can see that even subtle changes to policy can affect populations without homes. “ -Jessica Rogness, Homelessness and Poverty Trip
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“My fingers gingerly felt along the inside of the small wooden awning that covered a small vent at the corner of the tool shed. Crouching and feeling blindly for a foreign object and under scant instructions, I felt my nerves tense and my mind started racing, drawing up the most dreadful bugs imaginable. But as my dirtcovered hands discovered the delicately shaped key, my heart jumped and a joy rushed over me. I realized that finding the key to the tool shed on a small farm in a city I had never heard the name of, ranked quite low on my list of accomplishments yet this burst of joy was not just an over-exaggeration. A bit scared and nervous coming into Alternative Breaks, I have been gingerly "feeling out" this broad topic of food justice on which I had so little knowledge and misconstrued perceptions. That moment crouched in front of a corner of the tool shed as our FJ team was cleaning up on the third day of service at Petaluma Bounty and last day with our first community partner, I knew I had made a life-changing discovery. This "key" of a trip has changed my outlook on food, farming, and people. There is still so much to be done with our food system and in raising consumer knowledge but I know many more "key" discoveries are to come in both this movement and in my journey with food and justice.� -Anonymous Particpant, Food Justice Trip
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Please consider making a tax‐deductible donation at tinyurl.com/altbreaksfund. Alternative Breaks leaders and participants work hard through grant writing, fundraising, and letter campaigns to maintain the affordability and accessibility of this program. For over ten years, we have been able to provide this program opportunity at a highly subsidized cost to many students from many backgrounds. None of this is possible without your support. A $25 donation supports a scholarship for a highly‐qualified student with financial need. A $50 donation covers course materials for an entire trip. A $100 donation covers a week of communal housing and $500 feeds a trip of 14 students for one week. We also welcome in‐kind donations of course materials, food, and other supplies.
ALTERNATIVE BREAKS UC Berkeley Public Service Center
102 Sproul Hall #2430 University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, CA 94720