17 minute read
COMMUNITY
August Calendar of Events
SCHOOL EVENTS
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Aug 25: First Day of School. Read the letter from the Superintendent at www.davis.k12.ut.us/departments/riskmanagement/covid19/school-reopening
Syracuse Arts Academy
Aug 13-14: Back to School Night
Aug 18: First day of school
Aug 19-21: Early Out
FUN THINGS TO DO
Davis County Fair is CANCELLED
Aug 1: Steven Cubed @ Peery’s Egyptian Theater 7 p.m.
Aug 1 - 2: Australian Shepherd Dog Show @ Legacy Events Center. Free to public
Aug 3 - 8: Antelope Island Spiderfest - VIRTUAL visit https://stateparks.utah. gov/parks/antelope-island/2020-spiderfestival-virtual-version/ for more details Aug 14: Backpack & School Supplies Giveaway. @ Alpine Church, Riverdale 5050 S. 1275 W. 5 p.m. - 7 p.m. The student and a guardian need to both be present to receive the supplies. If you'd like to donate items, please contact alpinecares@alpinechurch.org
Aug 15: Water Lantern Festival @ Jensen Nature Park 5:30 p.m. Get tickets at waterlaternfestival.com
Aug 20: Alice in Wonderland @ Perry’s Egyptian Theater 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Aug 22: TedX Ogden @ Peery’s Egyptian Theater 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.
CITY EVENTS
Aug 4: Planning Commission @ Syracuse City Hall 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Aug 11: City Council Business Meeting @ Syracuse City Hall 6 p.m.
Aug 18: Planning Commission @ Syracuse City Hall 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Aug 25: City Council Work Session @ Syracuse City Hall 6 p.m.
National Parks Update:
Arches National Park roads, trails, park store, and restrooms are open. The visitor center, campground, and Fiery Furnace remain closed. Canyonlands National Park roads, trails, park stores, and restrooms are open. Campgrounds will open July 1, 2020. Visitor centers remain closed. Entrance fees are being collected. Capitol Reef National Park is fully open with implementation of our final phased resumption in operations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The visitor center and Gifford House are open with social distancing measures in place. In Zion National Park, Kolob Canyons Area, Scenic Drive, and Visitor Center are temporarily closed to all traffic. Park shuttles have resumed modified operations-tickets required. Book tickets in advance on Recreation. gov. Private vehicles are not allowed on the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive when shuttles are in operation. Bryce Canyon is increasing recreational access and services. Visit nps.gov for more details.
OPEN!
Although visitor centers are closed, some parks are still open!!
STUDENTS: Welcome back to school, whatever it may look like!
Flitton Art Donations
BY RYAN SPELTS
In a time when it seems the world has been turned on its head, it is so good to hear of those who are doing good. Syracuse resident, Carol Flitton, is an advocate of reaching out and doing something for others. Plus, she leads by example. Carol is appreciative of the efforts that our first responders make every day and wanted to do something to recognize them. The sacrifices they make are often unknown to the general public, but they put themselves in harm’s way as part of their work. They protect our land and our properties, along with our personal safety. She also believes that the police officers have been given a great deal of criticism lately and not enough praise for those that perform their duties bravely and with honor. When Carol was searching for a way she could personally say thank you to these valuable men and women, she turned to her personal talent as a professional artist. A few years back, she started to donate large works of art to various organizations as a personal thank you. Previously, she has donated paintings to the Huntsman Cancer Institute, the Layton Fire Department, Layton Police Department, and Weber State. This year, she has donated to Kaysville Fire Department, Syracuse Fire Department, Clinton Fire Department, and Farmington City Fire Department. These are very special and personal ways for Carol to show her appreciation for hard work in some of the toughest jobs in our communities. Carol has devoted the last two years to creating and donating these beautiful paintings to say thank you to those in scrubs and uniforms. Thank you, Carol, for being a shining light in dark times. Thank you to Barry Flitton for bragging to us about his wife and her awesome service. Surprise Carol!
diversity in
our community
BY AMON PIERSON
Our community is like a home. While it has a few cracks, the foundation is sound. The walls are values that our community upholds, such as honesty and friendship. The appliances and furniture are like the people in our community; we have wide array of shapes, sizes, colors, and styles. Our community, our “home,” has so many different types of people that come from a multitude of different backgrounds. During this chaotic time, understanding of different experiences is important for our community to develop and maintain a happy and healthy “home.” This article serves as a lens into new and different perspectives, it serves as an examination of the diversity we have in our community. I grew up in northern Utah. I went to Weber High, and my best I have faced isn’t intentional. I have been called the n-word, friend lives five minutes away. I have roots here. Growing up, I dirty, been compared to a monkey, etc. Those comments are so always felt “othered” or “different” than the rest of the school common.” While these comments at Hall have been detrimental kids. Because of the “othering” I experienced, I created my to her experience with our “home,” she has an amazing attitude own community of friends and family, which helped me make about it. She says that she has enjoyed living here and that a “home” here for myself. My hope for our community is for it the racism she has faced has given her the opportunity to to be open, so that everyone is able to live as their authentic educate the members of our community on her experience. selves. She says, “Seeing people I’ve grown up with learn and grow to As a Black and gay man, this community or my “home” has understand, in any amount, the racism that people face in our left me with mixed feelings. It is not exempt from the racism community is so heartwarming.” and homophobia that is present across the country, but at the Next, I decided to ask creator of the Butterfly Coils Project, same time, it is a serene, beautiful place to live. These two hairstylist, and mother of five, LaTonya Jackson, about her conflicting feelings show the balancing act between exclusion experience in our community. The Ogden native says, “My and inclusion that is present in our community and have left experience was great, with some random issues of racism and me with mixed feelings. I have at times felt both included and feeling like I didn’t belong sprinkled throughout here and there. loved in our community, yet at other times, I have felt excluded. But I come from a huge family…so I have a ton of aunties and My perspective isn’t the only one that matters, though. Good cousins that I grew up with…I was young though; I couldn’t friend of mine and fellow Weber High graduate, Jaida Hall, wait to get out of here and see what else the world had to says that her experience of this community has been “mostly offer.” Jackson’s experience is similar to what most people of positive.” Growing up, Hall says, “I am biracial and was raised color experience in our “home.” As an adult, Jackson moved by my white mother. I would occasionally see my father, who to Lawrenceville, Georgia, back in 2002, and came back to is a wonderful person, on weekends. But I only would see my northern Utah in 2005. She says that her move back here has white family, I would only play with my white cousins, and had made her realize that northern Utah is home. She says, “This is mostly white friends. With all of these people around me during where my people are. And in the end, life is what you make it my very influential years, I lost touch with my Black side. I wherever you are. Utah isn’t all bad. It’s definitely calmer, and a would wake up and look at myself, wishing I was white. It’s so good place to raise kids. Diversity has improved over the years, weird to look back at my past self and remember that she hated and I think that’s helped bring more culture to our state.” being Black. Because I love being Black now.” While a person In our community, Jackson has had a strong impact on of color’s (POC) proximity to white people isn’t a negative diversity. As a “natural-born leader and fixer,” Jackson is or bad thing, it is obvious that Hall’s experience with our motivated to do something about the issues that directly affect community has projected a negative self-image onto herself. her and her family. She says, “In high school, my friends and I She continues, “To be fair, though, I did have some people who initiated the first-ever black history assembly. When I worked kept me in check. But, as I’ve grown up, I realize how important my corporate job, I was the only black person in my office, it is to have friends that are people of color.” Like myself, Hall but I never let that stop me from giving my all and creating has created a micro- community that is a part of our larger a new training department that our division was lacking. If I community to help become more comfortable with her “Black know I can bring value to a situation, I try to step up. The color side.” These micro-communities are important to the survival of my skin shouldn’t matter, but it’s important that people of people of color in a community that is primarily white understand diversity helps bring awareness to things that you because it provides the opportunity to connect with people that wouldn’t have otherwise thought of because of your limited share similar experiences. experiences. Diversity helps broaden perspective, and that’s As Hall grew into adulthood, her experience has continued important in so many areas of life when you’re dealing with to be laced with racism. She says, “I think a lot of the racism people.” Jackson’s tenacity to enact change and to create more diversity in the spaces that she inhabits is inspiring. In our
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community, people like Jackson and Hall are doing great work to educate and create a more inclusive and diverse community. Given that we live in an area without many people of color, Jackson has been able to connect to her culture through her family first. Jackson asserts, “My grandparents and parents made sure we always understood where we came from. Getting out of northern Utah a few times a year brought perspective and helped me realize that life is never just what you see in front of you. In addition, I’m always looking for ways to educate and expose my kids to things that will teach them and make them feel proud about who they are as black children through technology, the arts, theater, movies, and music.” Her family, another form of community or “home,” is her part of connection to Black culture. She hopes to pass on generational knowledge of Blackness to her children through Black visual culture. Like Hall and me, Jackson has been able to integrate her own community of friends and family into our larger community. Throughout all of her experiences with racism, Jackson chooses to take the high road and “roll with the punches.” She said, “[I] try to promote change where I can, and just do my best to be a good person and lead with love. It’s not always easy, but if I know I want to protect my peace, I have to. My motto is, don’t bother me, and I won’t bother you. I mind the business that pays me.” Next, from Roy city, I will turn to Annette Mifflin. Originally from London, England, Mifflin came to northern Utah with her husband, who was in the military and stationed in Germany, where they met. Like me, Mifflin has had mixed experiences with our community. She said, “I lived in Utah during the Olympics, and Utahns are overwhelmingly friendly and helpful. I was offered a job here, and I knew that Utah was a great place to raise a family…When I left Utah 12 years ago, the one thing I would miss is the landscape. The parks, the hiking, the skiing”. For Mifflin, Utah was a safe and comfortable place to raise a family and live. She said that, while it has been difficult to connect with other people of color, there is access. “I said to my husband ‘I just need one black friend.’ I am not affiliated with the church; I’m actually Episcopalian, and I think there’s
The hall family
-LaTonya Jackson
only one other person of color [in my church]. My daughter is partnered with a Black man, and my husband has Black extended family, so it’s hard to get in contact with people, but there is access.” Although she doesn’t think racism is a problem in our community, she said there is definitely room for improvement. Mifflin’s mixed experiences with our “home” is due to the fact that though northern Utah is a friendly and comfortable space, it is also a space where it is hard to connect with other people of color. Mifflin has had an interesting time connecting with diversity in our area. As a member of the Weber County Democrats, she said, “…I have met so many great and diverse people, such as Malik Dayo, who put me in contact with the Black Lives Matter movement, where I was able to speak at one of the rallies. I also substitute at Ogden High, where there are no Black high school teachers, so my experience with diversity has been interesting.” Focusing on her engagement in city planning and education, Mifflin says, “I don’t get out much, but I am on the Roy City planning commission where I am the only person of color, and I don’t think that there are any people of color on the school board. Those children need to see people that are like them. When they’re in there day-to-day life, they need to see example of themselves.” Here, Mifflin underscores the importance of having people of color in positions to enact change. Although her time in northern Utah has been mostly positive, she has experienced instances of racism. While there is no part of our community that is “harmful” to her identities, she has been weary of the police. “I don’t ever speed, but now that things have changed since the murder of George Floyd, I have been hyper vigilant and cautiously aware.” Originally from California, Roger Magana has lived in northern Utah for eighteen years. Like many people of color in our community, Magana has experienced some racism. Magana says, “It definitely depends on the city. Like when I was in Farr West, and I would go to the store, I could tell that they didn’t want me there. There are people out there that are racist.” Despite this, Magana has had a positive experience in our community. He says, “It’s nicer here than where I came from. California is too crowded and there’s lots of crime. When I first came here, my dad and I lived in South Ogden on 38 th and Adams. From 24 th Street to about 36 th ,they would call it the ‘ghetto,’ and I would drive through there and think that that isn’t a ‘ghetto’ compared to California.” For Magana, northern Utah is a safe and calm place for him and his family.
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Call for a FREE Estimate Finally, I will turn to Vy Trinh, operations manager for the company that publishes this magazine, Connection Publishing. Vy grew up in Vietnam and came to Utah for school ten years ago. Her experience living in our “home” has been mostly positive. Trinh said, “I have been pretty fortunate to get a nice neighborhood where people are tied to each other. Although I do have a few experiences with racism that are minor here and there, it’s not aggressive.” Like Hall and Jackson, Trinh has had a mostly positive experience with our community. To connect with other people of color and her culture, Trinh keeps in close contact with her family in Vietnam. Additionally, when Trinh moved into her neighborhood, she made it a point to introduce herself and come in contact with people that she did not know. While living here, Trinh has taken the high road when dealing with racism. She said, “I treat them with kindness or kill them with kindness. Every time I know that someone is being racist toward me, I am super, extra nice to them to make them more comfortable and have a different opinion about race. I tend not to think about it much because they have different or no information about race. I try to educate them.” Again, like Hall and Jackson, Trinh sees racism in our community as the opportunity to educate people and help the community become more inclusive. In her experience with race, she said, “I don’t really see color, I don’t want to say ‘hey this is not diverse, we should bring in more’ as it’s much more dependent on which city you’re in.” The testimonies you’ve read today are just some of the many experiences that our community members have had at “home.” This article is a reminder of the diversity we have in our area. It is an insight into the lives of some of your friends and neighbors who maybe haven’t had the same experiences as you while living here. In this turbulent time, it is more important than ever to see the diversity that our area has to offer and to understand that this diversity makes us stronger. I hope that this article is a step forward in understanding those different perspectives.
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