NEWS
GARFIELD’S CIVIL RIGHTS TRIP
Walking in the footsteps of the civil rights movement. By Dominic Sullivan hen Garfield faculty began to plan a trip for students out to Washington D.C, Selma, and Montgomery, their main goal was to connect some of the Garfield community to the civil rights movement. People interested in the trip had to complete an application that included short answer questions, a teacher recommendation, and a one-page essay. Based on this, certain students were selected to go through a college-style interview process. The group plans to visit the National African American Museum in Washington D.C, as well as the campus of both Howard University and Alabama State University, two prominent HBCUs. By talking to leaders of the movement currently and leaders of the past, such as a Freedom Rider from the 1960’s, they will bring back powerful memories when they return to Garfield as next year’s upperclassmen. As both Ms. Tiffany, the Work-Based
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Learning Specialist at Garfield and Rossman, the Senior Program Direction of Y-Scholars at Garfield stressed, it is important to learn about history through real-life experiences. “It’s huge,” Rossman, one of the chaperones of the trip said. “It’s one thing to watch the Selma movie, or to read about it in a textbook, but when we are going and walking across the bridge, or talking to people who were involved or around at the time, I think it adds another level to the education.” Through the trip, Ms. Tiffany and Rossman hope to give students a more nuanced and rich understanding of African-American history. “It’s always important to see yourself reflected, to know where you come from, knowing that our history is not just one thing,” Ms. Tiffany said. “It’s not just slavery, it’s not just Black Lives Matter, there’s so many other dope contributions, and I don’t think students necessarily get a wealth of knowledge. This is
a way to get that.” As Rossman explained, the application was intentionally similar to that of a university application— which organizers hope will help students prepare for their senior year. The trip will also include a visit to the church where MLK was a pastor, requiring the students to dress up appropriately — a skill which they will practice in the monthly advisory meetings leading up to the trip. “[We’re] helping students understand how to navigate an interview process, helping them through workshops leading up to the trip, behavior, contracts, the way you dress, the way you represent an organization or school,” Rossman said. “A lot of soft-skills training in addition to the culture piece.” It will be a busy six days of journaling, doing reflections, watching documentaries, and participating in the plethora of events that come with visiting cities like Selma, Montgomery, and Washington D.C.
One of their destinations will be the recently created National Memorial of Peace and Justice, informally known as the National Lynching Memorial. Ms. Tiffany hopes that this visit will teach the students that America has not yet fully escaped its horrific past. “Even just last year a person was tarred and feathered in the south,” Ms. Tiffany said. “Knowing that is still a thing, and tapping into all the really dope stuff but also some really painful stuff.” To many, the civil rights movement seems a distant part in history — only loosely connected to the world of the Pacific Northwest. This can make people feel as if they are disconnected or not a part of the movement. That attitude is part of what Ms. Tiffany and Rossman hope to change with the trip. “Knowing and navigating history when it is geographically so far away — sometimes people can feel isolated from culture and those experiences.
LETS TALK ABOUT (SAFE) SEX, BABY
Peer-led sex ed. By Izzy Lamola
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www! Grossss! A few of the painfully familiar sounds heard from a classroom of adolescents taking sex ed. It’s uncomfortable being told what transformations your body will go through from an untrained teacher, amidst a classroom of your giggling peers. Adequate sexual health education can teach a young person to be confident, feel empowered, and advocate for themselves and their body. “Sex, sexuality, identity, and relationships can become a core part of who we are. When we’re given the chance to control those things it gives us a chance to develop a sense of self and sense of autonomy,” facilitator of the South King County Teen Council, Eliza Davison, said. Seeking to educate their peers on sex ed, teens in the Northwest and the Hawaiian Islands on the Planned Parenthood Teen Council go to different public schools in their area and teach sex ed lessons on topics like consent, sexual health, decision making, and relationships. The teen council even takes sex-ed a step deeper by discussing intersectionality and advocating for reproductive health. “A lot of the times [sex ed in schools] isn’t inclusive and gets rushed through. I remember in elementary school we had F.L.A.S.H
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[Seattle Public Schools’ elementary version of sex ed] for a week at the end of the year,” junior and member of the teen council, Lauren Chin said. “It felt like something that got forgotten about.” Sex ed lessons are often taught from viewpoints targeted towards heterosexual relationships, not including information on sexual health for those in non-heterosexual relationships. Learning about sex safety and wellbeing is crucial to an individuals sexual experience. Sex ed is many times taught by untrained teachers who haven’t learned how to talk about sexual health in a way that makes adolescents feel comfortable. The teen council hopes to not only make sex-ed more inclusive but to make it easier for adolescents to learn about these important topics. “I did not get good sex ed myself in high
school,” Davison said. “I realized how much access to information was withheld from people, especially young people, and how much a difference it makes in people’s lives to be able to make informed decisions.” Beyond teaching sex ed lessons, the teen council also has a subsection called the Advisory Board which advocates for Planned Parenthood funding and mandatory, medically-accurate sex ed in schools. “With the conversations that were being had about reproductive justice in society and hearing about all of these things that were going wrong, I wanted to be able to do something about it,” Chin said. Chin says being on the advisory board has helped her learn more about local government and the legislative process. “I didn’t go into it being an expert on any-
thing [sex ed related] and that goes for a lot of people who join,” Chin said. “I have basically been taking a sex ed class just not in school.” To join the council, no knowledge of sexual health is needed. Chin says being part of the council has not only taught her leadership skills, but also a deep understanding of sexual health. “It’s an amazing program for folks that want to build community, get involved in movement work, [engage with] folks their age, and build curriculum that will impact their peers,” Davison said. If you have any questions or want more information contact Eliza at eliza.davison@ ppgnhi.org, Lauren Chin at laurenrchin@ gmail.com, or Wynsome Burke at wynsomeburke16@gmail.com. You can apply for the teen council through the link in their Instagram bio @southkingteencouncil. If you are 19 or younger and in need of sexual health services including STI testing, birth control, or any form of sexual healthcare, visit or call any of the Planned Parenthoods in Washington state and ask for “Family Planning Services” as well as “Full Confidentiality” if desired. Graphics by Wynsome Burke
