The Diversifieds A publication of the EDRC at Grays Harbor College
Volume 2, Issue 5
February 2010
Citizenship Day at GHC “Have you or someone you know wanted to apply for U.S. citizenship (naturalization) but did not know how to start? If so, a free Citizenship Day workshop is for you! Citizenship Day workshops will be held at sites around Washington State to assist eligible lawful permanent residents with applying for naturalization. Citizenship Days are organized through a partnership with the Washington State Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the Washington New Americans Program. At Citizenship Day, experienced volunteer immigration attorneys, paralegals, and interpreters will assist eligible permanent residents with completing their naturalization applications, review any relevant legal issues, and prepare the application package for filing with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Resources for preparing for the naturalization interviews will be provided as well. All assistance provided at a Citizenship Day workshop is free.” - http://www.wanewamericans.org/feb_6 Date: Saturday, February 6th, 2010 Time: 10:00 AM—3:00 PM Location: GHC’s Whiteside Education Center, 418 E. First St., Aberdeen For Information: (360) 533-9733
Please observe a moment of silence for all those whose lives have been impacted by cancer—especially for our fellow GHC students, employees and their families.
• Library Lovers Month
Awareness Dates: Imbolc (Pagan & Wiccan) Candlemas (Christian) Bean Scattering Festival (Japan) Arbaeen (Islamic) World Cancer Day Sending Off the Kitchen God Day (China) Great Lent begins (Coptic Orthodox Christians)
Lincoln’s Birthday Valentine’s Day (U.S.) New Year (China, Tibet, Vietnam, S. Korea)
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EDRC Meeting Feb. 4th—1:00 PM EDRC Foyer Any one interested in volunteering or learning more about the EDRC is welcome
Post Comedy Theatre Feb. 4th—7:30‐9:00 PM Bishop Center
Faculty/Staff Training Day Feb. 12th—no classes
President’s Day Feb. 15th—no classes
The Diversifieds are a publication of the EDRC of Grays Harbor College. The mission of the EDRC is to promote awareness, respect, and 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.
• Int’l Boost Self-Esteem Month
Maha Shivaratri (Hindu)
Campus Happenings February 4th
• African American History Month
St. Maroon’s Day (Lebanon)
World Cancer Day
February is...
Indian Taco Feed Feb. 16th—10:00 AM‐1:00PM—HUB Native American Student Association
Mystery Get Away Event Feb. 16th—6:00‐8:00 PM Tickets $50 Contact Jessica: 538‐4024 Benefiting GHC Foundation’s World Class Scholars Program
Library Lovers Day World Marriage Day Bun Day (Iceland) Beginning of Great Lent (Eastern Orthodox Christians) Nirvana (Buddhist) Shrove Monday (Christian) Washington’s Birthday (U.S.) Bursting Day (Iceland) Shrove Tuesday (Christian) Ash Wednesday (Christian) World Day for Social Justice Int’l Mother Language Day (U.N.) Maulid an-Nabi (Islamic) Intercalary Days begin (Baha’i) Purim (Jewish) Lantern Festival (China) Taeborum (South Korea) Butter Sculpture Festival (Tibet) Holi begins (Hindu)
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The Diversifieds
Library Lovers Library Lovers’ Month is a month-long celebration of school, public, and private libraries of all types. This is a time for everyone to recognize the value of libraries and to work to assure that the Nation’s libraries will continue to serve. Libraries are private, non-profit organizations that depend on the support of individuals, corporations, and foundations to help ensure that libraries remain free to the millions of people who visit in person or via the web each year. While government funding supports the basic operations of many of our nation’s libraries, they also depend on contributions from private sources. (www.librarysupport.net) Full Moon on the 28th is called “Snow Moon” by Native Americans of New England and the Great Lakes because this time of the year experiences heavy snowfall. It’s also called “The Hunger Moon” because of the meager hunting during this time of year too. www.brownielocks.com
Ash Wednesday In the Roman Catholic Church, Ash Wednesday marks the first day of Lent , which is the season of preparation for resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday. Roman Catholics receive the sign of the cross in ashes on their foreheads to remind them of their mortality and call each to repent for their sins. Many leave the sign on their foreheads the entire day as a sign of humility. Fasting also occurs on this day. Page 2
International Boost Self-Esteem Month By Becky McCullough February is the month of love, or hearts and roses. February is the time for taking chances both on love and on others. However, what about ourselves? What can we do? Listen to yourself. Listen to what makes you happy. Life is not all about have-to’s and whatif’s. It is also about wants and needs… In moderation, of course! Do unto yourself as you would do unto others. Do you know someone so serious that when you hear him or her laugh, you are slightly taken aback? Are you that person? Learn to laugh, and love what makes you laugh. Laughing is good for us, and can improve our mood. Learn to laugh and then do it often!
Take action and do something for yourself. Build your confidence by accomplishing something you have always wanted to do, whether it is learning to play the guitar or starting your own business. Do not let other people tell you that you cannot do it, prove them wrong. Socialize more. Involve yourself actively in things that interest you. Be of service to others, join clubs, networking organizations, associations or groups of similar interest and participate actively. Being part of a group gives you a sense of belonging, acceptance and appreciation. Knowing that you are part of something important and meaningful goes a long way in boosting your self-esteem.
Presidential Proclamation -- National African American History Month Released February 1, 2010 In the centuries since African Americans first arrived on our shores, they have known the bitterness of slavery and oppression, the hope of progress, and the triumph of the American Dream. African American history is an essential thread of the American narrative that traces our Nation's enduring struggle to perfect itself. Each February, we recognize African American History Month as a moment to reflect upon how far we have come as a Nation, and what challenges remain. This year's theme, "The History of Black Economic Empowerment," calls upon us to honor the African Americans who overcame injustice and inequality to achieve financial independence and the security of self empowerment that comes with it. Nearly 100 years after the Civil War, African Americans still faced daunting challenges and indignities. Widespread racial prejudice inhibited their opportunities, and institutional discrimination such as black codes and Jim Crow laws denied them full citizenship rights. Despite these seemingly impossible barriers, pioneering African Americans blazed trails for themselves and their children. They became skilled workers and professionals. They purchased land, and a new generation of black entrepreneurs founded banks, educational institutions, newspapers, hospitals, and businesses of all kinds. This month, we recognize the courage and tenacity of so many hard-working Americans whose legacies are woven into the fabric of our Nation. We are heirs to their extraordinary progress. Racial prejudice is no longer the steepest barrier to opportunity for most African Americans, yet substantial obstacles remain in the remnants of past discrimination. Structural inequalities -- from disparities in education and health care to the vicious cycle of poverty -- still pose enormous hurdles for black communities across America. Overcoming today's challenges will require the same dedication and sense of urgency that enabled past generations of African Americans to rise above the injustices of their time. That is why my Administration is laying a new foundation for long-term economic growth that helps more than just a privileged few. We are working hard to give small businesses much-needed credit, to slash tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas, and to give those same breaks to companies that create jobs here at home. We are also reinvesting in our schools and making college more affordable, because a world class education is our country's best roadmap to prosperity. These initiatives will expand opportunities for African Americans, and for all Americans, but parents and community leaders must also be partners in this effort. We must push our children to reach for
the full measure of their potential, just as the innovators who succeeded in previous generations pushed their children to achieve something greater. In the volumes of black history, much remains unwritten. Let us add our own chapter, full of progress and ambition, so that our children's children will know that we, too, did our part to erase an unjust past and build a brighter future.
African American Birthdays in February
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim February 2010 as National African American History Month. I call upon public officials, educators, librarians, and all the people of the United States to observe this month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.
14—Richard Allen
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of February, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.
BARACK OBAMA
A battle lost or won is easily described, understood, and appreciated, but the moral growth of a great nation requires reflection, as well as observation, to appreciate it. - Fredrick Douglass
Volume 2, Issue 5
1—Langston Hughes 4—Rosa Parks 13—Emmett J. Scott 14—Fredrick Douglas 17—Marian Anderson 18—J. Max Bond Jr. 21—Barbara Jordan 23—W.E.B. Du Bois 24—Lillie Brown
Rosa Parks having her finger prints taken after her arrest in December 1955 for refusing to give up her seat to a white man—she was found guilty of violating the segregation law.
African American History “For over 500 years, people of African descent have shaped the course of American history. From the fight against slavery to the March on Washington, relive the triumphs and tragedies of the African American experience with our extensive timeline of African American history.” http://www.pbs.org/wnet/aaworld/timeline.html
Let America Be America Again by Langston Hughes Let America be America again. Let it be the dream it used to be. Let it be the pioneer on the plain Seeking a home where he himself is free.
(America never was America to me.)
Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed-- Let it be that great strong land of love Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme That any man be crushed by one above.
(It never was America to me.)
O, let my land be a land where Liberty Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath, But opportunity is real, and life is free, Equality is in the air we breathe.
(There's never been equality for me, Nor freedom in this "homeland of the free.")
Say, who are you that mumbles in the dark? And who are you that draws your veil across the stars?
I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart, I am the Negro bearing slavery's scars. I am the red man driven from the land, I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek -- And finding only the same old stupid plan Of dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak.
I am the young man, full of strength and hope, Tangled in that ancient endless chain Of profit, power, gain, of grab the land!
Of grab the gold! Of grab the ways of satisfying need! Of work the men! Of take the pay! Of owning everything for one's own greed!
I am the farmer, bondsman to the soil. I am the worker sold to the machine. I am the Negro, servant to you all. I am the people, humble, hungry, mean-- Hungry yet today despite the dream. Beaten yet today--O, Pioneers! I am the man who never got ahead, The poorest worker bartered through the years.
Yet I'm the one who dreamt our basic dream In the Old World while still a serf of kings, Who dreamt a dream so strong, so brave, so true, That even yet its mighty daring sings In every brick and stone, in every furrow turned That's made America the land it has become. O, I'm the man who sailed those early seas In search of what I meant to be my home-- For I'm the one who left dark Ireland's shore, And Poland's plain, and England's grassy lea, And torn from Black Africa's strand I came To build a "homeland of the free."
The free? Who said the free? Not me? Surely not me? The millions on relief today? The millions shot down when we strike? The millions who have nothing for our pay? For all the dreams we've dreamed And all the songs we've sung And all the hopes we've held And all the flags we've hung,
The millions who have nothing for our pay-- Except the dream that's almost dead today.
O, let America be America again-- The land that never has been yet-- And yet must be--the land where every man is free. The land that's mine--the poor man's, Indian's, Negro's, ME-- Who made America, Whose sweat and blood, whose faith and pain, Whose hand at the foundry, whose plow in the rain, Must bring back our mighty dream again.
Sure, call me any ugly name you choose-- The steel of freedom does not stain. From those who live like leeches on the people's lives, We must take back our land again, America!
O, yes, I say it plain, America never was America to me, And yet I swear this oath-- America will be!
Out of the rack and ruin of our gangster death, The rape and rot of graft, and stealth, and lies, We, the people, must redeem The land, the mines, the plants, the rivers. The mountains and the endless plain-- All, all the stretch of these great green states -- And make America again!
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Tandia Lake
by Martin Field
The lake was still. As still as a lake could be. The air was stagnant, yet serene. The kind of night where the quietness takes you away into another dimension of eeriness and you contemplate your station in life. The wind was passive and pine trees sullenly drooped to the ground, tentatively kissing unpruned bushes of mulberry. Jahn was on the western bank unrobing, preparing for a chilly evening wash. He was a handsome man. Rugged looks and neck length, unruly brown hair washed against skin tanned from years of work plowing cornfields in the sun-filled lands of Tandia. His muscles were honed and biceps bulged as he stretched backwards, his hazel eyes twinkling in the moonlight. Carefully he dipped his right foot into the waters, preparing himself for an unaccounted for chill. Happy with the temperature, Jahn continued his descent into the lake, stopping only once at the waist, then dove under to reemerge eight feet further. Water playfully ran down as Jahn wiped back his hair. As a child he had been scolded for wanting long hair. "What are you, a girl?" his father would say. But as Jahn sprung into adolescence, his yearning to stay true to his own desires overpowered his father's lack of understanding and machismo. And now, at the age of 30, he had come into his own sense of self-worth. Jahn paused to reflect upon his childhood with a chuckle. It was odd that it took him until 30 to finally feel comfortable with himself, as most men began to realize themselves at a younger age. But growing up without a mother and an unemotive father crippled his own ability to flourish emotionally. Jahn questioned himself and his motives. Did he do things to appease his dad, or because he truly wanted to do such? Was he as emotionally unresponsive as his father or was that who he was? Why did he lack the ability to connect in relationships on a higher level than just mere physical attraction? Whatever the case, Jahn's life had been lackluster and solitary until the last few months. That is when he had met Jakob. Never did he think he would be smitten by a man nor woman, but Jakob presented himself in a manner unbeknownst to Jahn. Jakob was coy and gentle, sarcastic and open, caring and sincere. Jakob first approached Jahn to buy some freshly plucked corn and the two immediately hit it off. Since then the two had been inseparable, though, in Jahn’s heart he knew his father would have frowned upon their relationship. "Are you some kind of sissy?" his father would have said. Jahn silently waded through the lake's muddy water and got tangled in lily pads. He absent-mindedly pulled them from his body and backed away, as the green vines and white flowers slowly floated away on the wake. The breeze picked up slightly, but only for a second. Though enough to send a shiver down Jahn's wetted back. He peered up into the ether noticing a star shooting across aimlessly. Jahn closed his eyes and made a wish to himself. "I want to be happy." He paused and smiled at the irony of that wish and his life. Was he not happy now? Now that he had found someone? Wasn't that what life was about? It had become apparent to Jahn that there was something missing, but he could not wrap his mind around what that thing was. He was independent, had a house, a farm, a lover... a lake where the trout were plentiful. Everything he thought a man should want. Yet there was a mystery shrouding him. An enigma that could not be brought to light.
To continue this story please visit the EDRC for the full-length version...
Deadline for submission in next month’s newsletter is Feb. 28
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.
Equity & Diversity Resource Center 360-538-4247
DIVERSITY COMMITTEE Committee Chair: Brian Shook The Diversifieds Staff: Erin Frasier Becky McCullough
Room 219 1620 Edward P. Smith Drive Aberdeen, WA 98520 edrc@ghc.edu http://www.ghc.edu/edrc/brochure.pdf