09Apr

The Diversifieds A publication of the EDRC at Grays Harbor College

Volume 1, Issue 5

April 2009

National Day of Silence

By Beth Lavallee

You may notice on April 17th some of your fellow students will not be speaking. We may have tape over our mouths or wear a badge acknowledging that we are observing the National Day of Silence. The National Day of Silence was founded in 1996 and is the largest student-led action towards creating safety in schools for everybody, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. The National Day of Silence started out as the Day of Silence and was founded at the University of Virginia. It has grown to include over 8,000 middle schools, high schools, colleges, and universities throughout the country. The National Day of Silence is meant to bring attention to antiGLBT name-calling, violence, bullying, and harassment in schools and in the community. Students are coming together to address the problem of discrimination and violence against the gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transgender, and questioning members of the community. This year the Grays Harbor Gay Straight Alliance (GHC GSA) will be observing the National Day of Silence. For more information on the GHC GSA please visit: www.myspace.com/ghcgsa or email us at ghcgsa@chokermail.ghc.edu. For more information on the National Day of Silence please visit: www.dayofsilence.org.

Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself. ~Harvey Fierstein

APRIL Awareness Dates: Malvinas Day (Argentina)

2

Ramanavami (Hindu) National Day (Senegal) Tomb Sweeping Day (China) Palm Sunday (Christian)

3 4 4 5

Founder’s Day (Vietnam) Tartan Day (United States) Chakri Day (Thailand The Annunciation(E.Christian) Mahavir Jayanti (Jain)

5 6 6 7 7

Passover (Jewish)

8‐16

Buddha’s Birth (Buddhist)

8

Maundy Thursday (Christian)

9

Martyrs’ Day (Tunisia)

9

Valor Day (Philippines)

9

Good Friday (Christian)

10

Holy Saturday (Christian)

11

Easter (Christian)

12

Palm Sunday (E.O. Christian)

12

Easter Monday (Christian)

13

Vaisakhi (Hindu) New Year (Cambodia, Laos)

13 13

Vaisakhi (Sikh)

14

Holy Thursday (C.O. Christian)

16

Independence Day (Zimbabwe) 18 Festival of Ridvan (Baha’I) 21

The Diversifieds are a publication of the EDRC of Grays Harbor College. The mission of the EDRC is to promote awareness, respect, & equitable treatment of the diverse individuals and groups that exist within our campus and surrounding communities. The EDRC is open to all! Please come visit us in the 200 building.

The Diversifieds

At bottom every man knows well enough that he is a unique being, only once on this earth; and by no extraordinary chance will such a marvelously picturesque piece of diversity in unity as he is, ever be put together a second time. ~Friedrich Nietzsche

I feel my heart break to see a nation ripped apart by it’s greatest strength— it’s diversity. ~Melissa Etheridge

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Beltane By: Katrina Harding At sunset on April tion of the village‘s 30th, a festival of fire people. Fires would be begins. Beltane her- built with only a pathalds the mid-point be- way between them, tween spring equinox and people would walk and summer solstice. between them in Here in Grays Harbor, hopes of gaining the we’re still trying to protection of the festifind that elusive val. In modern times, spring, but in Ireland, while the holiday itself Scotland, and the Isle takes place on the first of Man, Beltane tells of May, celebrations of the first day of sum- begin when the sun mer. Beltane dates sets the night before. back as far as the Every year since 1988, th 10 century. Celtic Beltane has experibeliefs were that bon- enced a revival across fires symbolized purifi- several cultures, with a cation and transition, large celebration takand Beltane in paring place on Scotland’s ticular was a time to Calton Hill. It has hope for a plentiful evolved over the years harvest and protecfrom a purification rit-

ual to a celebration of the changing seasons, but Beltane has remained an important date. In Wicca, Beltane is a sabbat day, though the festivities celebrated by Wiccans are more closely related to May Day with a focus on fertility and rebirth as the year nears the midpoint. Why not join the tens of thousands who celebrate Beltane and hope for a little summer ourselves? I’m sure we can use all the help we can get.

Tomb Sweeping Day

By Tyler krenz The Qingming Festival, the popular English translation being Tomb Sweeping Day or Clear Brightness Festival, is a festival where traditional Chinese families tend to the grave sites of their departed. The Qingming Festival also celebrates the rebirth of nature and marks the time for outdoor activities and planting season. In 2009, the Qing-

ming Festival will fall on the 4th of April. On this day the family of the deceased will tend to weeds and brush, sweep the dirt from the graves and bring sacrifices of food and spirit money to be offered. The Qingming Festival is more than just remembering the departed, a large part of the day is to be used for family outings, planting and when young couples are

to begin courting.

These other activities, like other spring holidays, embrace the new growth and rejuvenation of nature. With the blessings of their ancestors, the Qingming Festival points toward a brighter future.

Volume 1, Issue 5

Holocaust Memorial Day By: Stephanie Smith Holocaust Memorial Day, also known as: Yom Hashoah is on the 21st of April. It is meant to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust. The full name is,” Yom Hashoah VeHagevurah”, which means, day of (remembrance of) the Holocaust and the heroism. It marks the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising. The date was established by the Israeli government and is now commemorated by Jewish communities and indi-

viduals all over the world. Beginning in the early 1960’s a siren blows at sundown and again at 11AM throughout the State of Israel. The siren stops traffic and pedestrians for two minutes of silence. The television and radio programs in Israel on Yom Hashoah are related to the Jewish history during World War II, including stories and interviews with survivors. All of the public entertainment in Israel such as: theaters, movies, bars, and other public venues are

closed. North American Jews observe this day in the synagogue.

Services sometimes include speeches or stories of Holocaust survivors, appropriate songs, readings, or viewing of Holocaust themed films. Some Jewish communities chose to commemorate this day by reading the names of the six million people who lost their lives.

Remembering the victims of the Holocaust will help to insure that a tragedy of this magnitude never happens again.

What does diversity mean to you?

April’s Trivia 1. What's the only fish that produces real caviar, according to the FDA? 2. What sticky sweetener was traditionally used as an antiseptic ointment for cuts and burns?

3. What scale of zero to 14 is used to measure acidity or alkalinity?

4. What founding father was knocked unconscious while attempting to electrocute a turkey?

5. What was the first country to recognize Mexico's independence, in 1836?

Stop by the EDRC to see if you have the correct answers to this month’s trivia and your name will be put in the EDRC’s monthly drawing.

GHC Student Survey Acceptance and having a full spectrum of different kinds of people in any given setting. ~Tracy Burns Maximum amount of view points and perspectives you can have around you. ~Adrian Hays Realizing not everybody is the same, but they should be treated equally. People shouldn’t be judged by what they wear, who they are, or their preferences. ~Sam Sindelar It’s a good thing, if everyone was the same it would be a boring place to be. ~Bridgette Franks Diversity is people coming together as equals regardless of their differences such as: religion, culture, social status, sexual orientation, or color of skin. ~Beth Lavallee Equality and unity ~Stephanie Smith Page 3

Other Awareness Dates:

Conflict? Let us help.

21– National Holocaust Memorial Day (Jewish) 22– EARTH DAY 23-25 Gathering of Nations Powwow (American Indian) 23– St.George’s Day (England) First Day of Summer (Iceland) Sovereignty Day (Turkey) 24– Genocide Memorial Day (Armenia) 25– Anzac Day (Australia) Liberation Day (Italy)

Grays Harbor College and the Mediation and Settlement Center are working together to bring conflict resolution to the students on campus. We are hopeful to have a peer mediation center operating by the upcoming fall quarter.

“What is mediation?” you may ask.

Mediation is a process that involves two people in conflict and usually two mediators coming together to work through a conflict. Mediators are not there to pick sides or determine who is right and who is wrong. We are there to listen and help both parties work together to come to an agreement that will be satisfactory to everyone.

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about mediation and the services we will be offering please call: Beth Lavallee at 360-538-4247 Monday-Friday after 1PM

Congratulations !!!!

Beth Lavallee has been chosen as a finalist in for the Pride Foundation/ Black Hills Scholarship. She will be traveling to Olympia in May for an interview. Way to go, Beth!

In addition to this interview, she may also be selected as a finalist for other Pride Foundation scholarship funds. If selected she will travel to Seattle for those interviews.

Beth has been a GHC student since Spring 2009 and has taken on many roles in our Equity and Diversity Resource Center and with The Diversifieds. We truly appreciate her time and talents and wish her the best in her upcoming interview.

Campus Happenings

Final Registration Day ‐Friday, April 3 Secretary of State Sam Reed ‐Wednesday, April 15, 10‐11AM in the HUB Grays Harbor County Commissioner Terry Willis ‐Wednesday, April 15, 11AM‐12PM in the HUB NASA Meeting (Native American Student Assoc.) ‐Monday, April 6, 3:00‐4:00PM ‐contact Gail Morehouse, NASA Sec. Diversity Club Showing of: “Milk” ‐Friday, April 17, 6:30‐8:35PM Room 2250 ‐Open to the public Student Success Conference ‐Wednesday, April 22, 9:00AM‐2:00PM The Adventures of Change ‐Thursday, April 23, 6:30‐8:30PM ‐Bishop Center for Performing Arts BAM Percussion ‐Friday, April 23, 7:30‐9:30 ‐Bishop Center for Performing Arts

Calling All Writers!

The Diversifieds are an extension of the GHC campus and our surrounding community. We would like to welcome and encourage students and staff to submit articles for publication in The Diversifieds. This is a monthly publication.

Please contact Erin Frasier at efrasier@ghc.edu for next month’s topics and to submit articles, poems or artwork.

DIVERSITY COMMITTEE Committee Chair: Brian Shook The Diversifieds Staff: Beth Lavallee Echo Hahn Erin Frasier

Equity & Diversity Resource Center 360-538-4247 Room 219 1620 Edward P. Smith Drive Aberdeen, WA 98520 edrc@ghc.edu http://www.ghc.edu/edrc/brochure.pdf