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local news Course tuskegee airmen “We’ve created art-space social work, I’m claiming that term,” said Theresa Ronquillo, the faculty advisor for the course. “I think that community-based art practices in social work are a great way to engage people and promote activism. … the idea is to connect with different kinds of communities.” This project is largely unprecedented, since there are few resources for the mixed heritage community to collaborate and share stories in this way. Intergenerational Roots aims to address this gap and spear- head the process of collecting these stories. This project is largely unprecedented, since there are few resources for the mixed heritage community ... “We wanted the main goal to be how to build and engage to the community. Bring our discussion beyond the classroom,” Jaynina Smith-Prince said. Smith-Prince, who just finished her last year as a Masters in Social Work student at the UW, acted as a T.A. for the course-coordinating the stu- dent projects as well as participating in the interviews herself. The course, initially conceptualized by Ronquillo, a part-time professor at the UW School of Social Work, began last fall with getting to know the issues that surround the mixed heritage community. Students reflected on questions of identity, thinking about what it means to answer, “what are you?” or to check a box marked “other” on a form. Topics like how to address discrim- ination, what it feels like to be called not — —- enough, or how race intersects with being a woman or a student were addressed and analyzed by the group. Students spent the second quarter collect- ing recorded interviews from their friends and family about their experiences with dis- crimination, race and identity, finding that a connected, community narrative emerged rather than individual, isolated experiences. “I’ve never been in a class like this before,” Smith-Prince said. “I’m really grateful that, as a part of my education, I had an opportunity to talk with my family and connect with where we came from. It really gives me perspective.” “I created a structure and hoped the stu- dents would drive the direction of the proj- ect,” Ronquillo said. But what makes their project unique is that “we don’t just show a linear, universal U.S. experience, we show a different, intergenerational perspective. We centered this project with mixed heritage in mind, but what came out of it was a deeper course that addressed class and caste and living displaced. We found a generational perspective.” For the third part of the course, spring stu- dents decided to compile the footage into a documentary format, focusing on engaging the community they were hoping to repre- sent, though with only two months in the quarter, students felt the pressure. “What we’re attempting to do—what we are doing, is kind of crazy,” Duncalf said. Photo By susan frIed continued from page 1 tuskegee airman, sgt George w. hickman signs an autograph for anthony motley before a panel discussion about the history of the tuskegee airman sunday may 29th at the Flight museum. the airmen also participated in a memorial Day Ceremony monday may 30th at the museum. “No one’s really done exactly what we’re doing before, so in that sense we feel like we’re kind of pioneers. It’s exciting.” Named after the all too familiar spiel indi- viduals of mixed heritage often give when asked about their background, their film “Beyond the Spiel” is a “work in progress,” Ronquillo said. “We wanted to be able to show something on Thursday and to also invite the public to help shape the direction of the film.” “We thought it would be the best way for whatever exhibit we do to get feedback from community members,” Smith-Prince said. “We focused on the notion that even though it is the end of the year, this project is not ending. We’d like to keep going.” Though some of the students are graduat- ing, others have expressed interest in con- tinuing next year. Ronquillo said they might give the film’s rights to MIXED, the mul- tiracial student organization on campus that sponsored the course. District continued from page 1 trict spanning hundreds of miles across the northern border of the state. Other districts would be expanded or squeezed, depending on their population concentration. Currently, a group of nonprofits called the Win/Win Network, is lob- bying to create a majority people of color district for the first time in the state’s history. The proposal would run from Southeast Seattle to Federal Way. Powell said they have a number of criteria for creating the new dis- trict and reforming existing dis- tricts, number one of which is mak- ing sure districts are “practical.” That means making districts con- tiguous and compact, not splitting communities of interest and ensur- ing they contain roughly the same number of people. Powell said she wants the com- mission to avoid gerrymandering districts – that is carving up districts to the benefit and detriment of spe- cific political, social or ethnic groups. In many states, minority communities have been historically gerrymandered into different dis- tricts ensuring they will never have a majority vote. The commission was established in 1983 by voters, effectively taking the control of redrawing district lines from the people who benefit- ted most – the legislature. Commissioners are not allowed to hold public office during their time on the commission and they aren’t allowed to run for office for an additional two years after they’ve left the commission. The new district may be attracting a congressman who is losing his district due to population atrophy in Ohio. Democrat Rep. Dennis Kucinich, who has made several presidential runs, is toying with the idea of relocating to Washington state in order to keep his job. oregon In Oregon, the legislature decides on boundaries. As history shows, it’s been decades since the legisla- ture has been able to do this job. During the last census, when law- makers failed to produce a map that could be agreed upon by the gover- nor, Secretary of State Bill Bradbury was forced by law to cre- ate one. If lawmakers fail again, it’ll be up to Secretary of State Kate Brown to redraw district boundaries, a job she says she has no interest in pursuing. “I have said from the beginning that the diverse, unique, and knowl- edgeable perspectives of the 90 leg- islators, augmented by considerable public input, could produce a sound and reasonable plan,” she said in a statement. “Having these varied voices at the table is better for Oregonians than one person draw- ing a map, no matter how much public involvement is included.” House and Senate Redistricting Committees released their plans on June 7. All plans can be reviewed on their website http://www.leg.state.or.us/redis- tricting SCHEDULE Commissioner Meetings begin at 10 a.m. on the second Tuesday of each month.* The agenda for public forums*: 6 p.m. - Pre-forum Open House 6:30 p.m. - Introduction of Commissioners, Redistricting Overview (interactive webcast begins) 7 p.m. - Public Comment and Meeting Summary Meetings and forums Meeting Type City Date Location Public Forum Wenatchee Thursday, June 9 TBD Public Forum Seattle Monday, June 13 TBD Commissioner Meeting Olympia Tuesday, June 14 J A Cherberg Bldg. - Hearing Room 3 Public Forum Auburn Tuesday, June 14 TBD Public Forum Bremerton Thursday, June 30 TBD Public Forum Tacoma Monday, July 11 TBD Public Forum SpokaneTuesday, July 12 TBD Commissioner Meeting TBD TBD TBD Public Forum Walla Walla Wednesday, July 13 TBD Public Forum Moses Lake Thursday, July 14 TBD Commissioner Meeting Olympia Tuesday, August 9 J A Cherberg Bldg. - Hearing Room 3 Commissioner Meeting Olympia Tuesday, September 13 J A Cherberg Bldg. - Hearing Room 3 Commissioner Meeting Olympia Tuesday, October 11 J A Cherberg Bldg. - Hearing Room 3 Commissioner Meeting Olympia Tuesday, November 8 J A Cherberg Bldg. - Hearing Room 3 Youth continued from page 1 ect,” stated Food Bank Executive Director Joe Gruber. “We’ll have room to accept sig- nificantly more food donations and offer outreach and training onsite so more cus- tomer families can be linked to the impor- tant services they need to help meet their basic needs.” The agency distributes 40,000-45,000 pounds of food each week. (www.udistrictfoodbank.org) The vibrant University District is a good place for the apartment complex, Lee said, as residents access transit nearby, and be close to jobs and educational opportunities in the neighborhood. “In these times of economic devastation, young people become the last to bear the burden of homelessness and the last to be considered for help out of homelessness,” said YouthCare Executive Director Melinda Giovengo. YouthCare provides emergency services, housing, education and job train- ing for homeless and runaway youth. (www.youthcare.org) An estimated 800 to 1,200 young adults are homeless in King County and there are few housing options linked with appropriate services to address their needs. The Low Income Housing Institute is a non-profit organization with a portfolio of over 1,800 affordable housing units in the Puget Sound region. LIHI’s housing serves low-income and formerly homeless individ- uals and families most in need including seniors, youth, veterans, large families and people with special needs. (www.LIHI.org) June 8, 2011 The Seattle Skanner Page 3
