FREE s Friday, June 22, 2012
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HISTORY MUSEUM UNVEILS 2012 ‘IN THE SPIRIT’ EXHIBIT
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TACOMAWEEKLY 24 YE A R S O F SE R V I C E BE C A U S E CO M M U N I T Y MAT T E R S
Metro Parks warns Hempfest organizer about holding unpermitted picnic By John Larson
such event in Tacoma was held in Wright Park. Police took enforcement actions against some vendors selling items that were considered drug paraphernalia. An article about various summer festivals in the June 1 issue of Tacoma Week-
jlarson@tacomaweekly.com
Will Tacoma Hempfest run afoul of the law this year, even if the event is not going to “officially” occur? Last June the first
ly had a brief mention of Hempfest as “unpermitted” and a “non-official event.” The article stated this was meant to avoid legal issues that occurred last year. Nancy Johnson, communications manager for Metro Parks, read the article. On
June 6 she sent an e-mail to Cat Jeter, a member of Tacoma Hempfest Board of Directors. Johnson informed her that the event planned for June 30 is an unauthorized special event for which a permit is See HEMPFEST / page A8
GLITCH OR GOLD?
FILE PHOTO
ART CAT. Arts activities like the annual
Art on the Ave festival translate into large dollars for Tacoma, a recent study concluded.
Commemorating the end of slavery Gray Middle School celebrates Juneteenth
Could local arts spending really double during a recession?
By John Larson
By Steve Dunkelberger
jlarson@tacomaweekly.com
stevedunkel@tacomaweekly.com
G
ray Middle School held an event on June 19 to commemorate the end of slavery. The Juneteenth celebration stems from June 1865, when Union Army Major General Gordon Granger went through Texas to read a proclamation that slavery was over in the United States with the end of the Civil War. According to Debra Spencer-Grant, a social studies and language arts teacher, Gray is the first school in the area to hold a Juneteenth event. A teacher suggested it, she noted. Spencer-Grant called Juneteenth a time for people to reflect, assess and plan for the future. In January, Gray held a summit that led to the formation of the Black Parent Focus Group. Members of the group helped organize this celebration. “We believe all kids can achieve,” Principal Kevin Ikeda said. Ikeda said racism still exists and poses a barrier to some minority youth. “We still have a long way to go.” Ikeda noted the number of Gray students who have been recognized at recent assemblies for their academic and athletic success. “We will never be satisfied until every student is achieving at high levels.” Erika Shackleford, an eighth-grade reading teacher at Gray, told the story of the tree of life in Africa. It provides shelter, its bark can be made into cloth, its leaves are food and it can store hundreds of liters of water. Karol Brown has done her performance as Harriet Tubman at schools around the area the past few years. She noted that Tubman served as a spy, scout and nurse for the Union Army during the Civil War. She noted next March will mark the 100th anniversary of her death. She urged the youth in the audience to do volunteer work as a way to contribute to their community. Brown said she looked forward to
PHOTOS BY JOHN LARSON
HISTORY LESSON. Karol Brown, above, addressed the audience at Gray Middle School on June 19. Parents and students were encouraged to select free books on a table to take home.
bringing her Tubman performance to the teachers and students. “I look forward to coming back to Gray Middle School.” Roger Chow, director of curriculum and instruction for the district, discussed a pilot project on boosting achievement of young black males done in three elementary schools. It was so successful with the fifth-graders who participated that other districts are asking for information about the project. He said this effort will continue into middle schools and high schools, to achieve the eventual goal: “Not one black male should drop out of school.” There were about 45 people in the audience, a mix of parents, students, teachers and administrators. The
Whopper A5
SOBERING THOUGHTS: Metropolitan Development Council seeks funding to keep sobering center open. PAGE A2
Helping hands A7
Local News ..............A2 City Briefs................A3
majority were black. Chow said some people have complained about efforts such as the pilot project that focus on a particular race or ethnic group, claiming such projects are racist. He said he does not see it that way. Gray is in South Tacoma. Chow said that in some parts of town, an event geared toward parents would draw a much larger audience. He said the cafeteria at Gray should have been filled and urged those in attendance to encourage other people to come to future events. Information packets were placed on tables. Spencer-Grant said they contained lists of suggested books to be read by teenagers. Some books donated by the school librarian were available to be taken home.
A national arts research group set out last year to tally the economic impact of arts operations in targeted cities in America. Tacoma participated, as it did five years ago during a similar study by the same group. The bottom line compari- MANN son was striking, however. The most recent Arts & Economic Prosperity report concluded that people who attended performances, arts or culture events in Tacoma generated some $64 million in direct and indirect spending. That level of spending supports some 1,735 full-time jobs, $40.52 million in payroll, $2.82 million in local taxes and $3.76 million in state taxes. What is interesting is that a look at arts spending in 2007 concluded that arts spending generated only $36.76 million in local economic activity. This spending – $18.9 million by nonprofit arts and culture organizations and an additional $17.86 million in event-related spending by their audiences, according to the report issued five years ago – supported 967 full-time equivalent jobs, generated $17.98 million in household income to local residents and delivered $3.37 million in local and state government revenue. That raises the question of why annual arts spending in Tacoma jumped from $36 million to $64 million in just five years, a time that spanned the deepest trough of the “Great Recession,” the loss of the hometown hero Russell Investments and cuts in arts grants and funding from governments and foundations. “We really thought it was underreported last time,” Tacoma Arts Administrator Amy McBride said. “But we really didn’t have a benchmark.” The 2007 numbers could have been under reported because only 33 of the 100 or so arts organizations participated. The recent study looked at 33 of the 116 groups categorized as “arts organizations.” While that is less than half, 38 percent actually, it is a significant enough return to provide a large enough sample to study. See ARTS / page A7
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