The Diversity Projekt
Empowerment for All People of Color
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Archive for January, 2009
Mobilize Your Network to Pay it Forward
Not a day goes by without reports of some company (or companies) laying off employees, cutting services or closing down completely. We all know far too many people who are desperately seeking a job or on terrified of being next on the chopping block.
Looking at this morning’s job loss report, there doesn’t seem to be a single industry that has been spared. While some industries are experiencing gentle nudges (nursing/medical, pharma), others are feeling the recession like a ton of bricks.
Financial analysts seem to agree that we haven’t hit bottom. In fact, we still have quite a ways to go. The new Obama Administration and other government officials are trying to put systems in to place to halt the hemorrhage. Yet, the kicks keep on coming!
As a development professional at a public charity, I am concerned. Yet, many direct service agencies are holding steady, while foundations and other non profits are starting to seriously feel the crunch. I feel increasingly helpless, particularly as more friends take their place in the unemployment line.
While I don’t have any concrete solutions to the present, disastrous job market, I know that there is one thing that we can all do…..
….watch out for each other. As the economic forecast worsens, we need to pull together, as a community, to support each other. We should be doing this anyway, but it is particularly vital in this environment.
Some suggestions:
If your company is still hiring, pass along the information. Post it in your blog, on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc., and send an email to your network. We spend so much time building our social networking capacity. Let’s put it to work.
If you have experience in resume and cover letter writing, offer your assistance. A second set of eyes can make a world of difference. I often miss small errors, especially after working on several drafts.
Offer to serve as a reference. You don’t have to have been someones superior in order to provide an effective reference. Collaborations, whether professional or on a volunteer basis, provide you as much insight into an individuals’ work habits, as supervising the individual does.
If you are in a position that allows you to make vendor decisions at your current position – web design, printing, professional development, temporary staffing – make sure to keep people in your network in mind. Pass on the love!
If you are fortunate enough to have a job, consider giving to local direct service agencies – soup kitchens, food banks, homeless shelters, animal rescues, senior centers, etc. If we learned anything from the recent election, it’s that every little bit counts. Your $5 donation can make a tremendous difference in someone’s life.
If your birthday is coming up, encourage your friends to donate to your favorite local charity (fellow blogger, Rosetta Thurman led the pack recently on this brilliant idea).
….and lastly, make sure to take care of yourself – physically, emotionally, spiritually AND financially.
Obama, Mixedchicks and Community Action
I often forget that I am an immigrant. While I have lived in the U.S. for a little more than a decade and had considerable contact with U.S. (military) culture growing up, I still feel quite foreign. I have a hard time viewing myself as American. However, when I am in Germany, I feel more American than when I am here in the U.S. It probably has more to do with my perception of myself, than how I think others view me.
Nevertheless, throughout this entire election season, I have felt extremely connected to my American-ness. I have participated in the German electoral process. I was quite aware of the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections, which left me with a very weiry perception of the U.S. electoral system. This election was extremely redemptive for me. It reminded me of the awesomeness of possibility in America, as well as the potential of the American spirit.
This election was also extremely transformative for me on a personal level. Participating in community activism, both directly relating to the election and with specific social justice issues, gave me the confidence to take some personal steps. I took active steps to move from the private to the public sector. I was comfortable (yet miserable) working in the private sector and new that I wanted to do good professionally. Fear prevented me from taking that leap. I gained the necessary courage through my volunteer work over the last year.
I joined the Nationalities Service Center shortly after the election. For the first time in my life, I feel like I am exactly where I am supposed to be. Over the last couple of weeks, I have had opportunities meeting and speaking with several of our clients. While I have not experienced any of the devastation and hardships these individuals have, I can relate to the culture shock of coming to America and the challenges of adapting to American culture and live. Yet, the lessons I have learned while adapting to American life, are invaluable and help me on a daily basis in my work.
I am working from home today. I could have watched Obama’s swearing in and speech via CNN live stream, but I really wanted to see everything. While Germany has a significant minority population, having a person of color as chancellor is highly improbable. Germany lags light years behind the United States with race relations (due in part to American Jim Crow policies of the 40s and 50s). Nevertheless, I am extremely blessed to see the inauguration of America’s first African American president, while residing on this side of the Atlantic.
As I went back and forth between CNN and MSNBC, I was in awe of the crowds that came out to watch President Barack Obama take the oath of office. I can’t find the appropriate words to express how profound this historical day is. Not only are Americans in every state glued to their TVs (or freezing in DC), but people all across the world are eager to see our America’s first bi-racial president take the oath of office. This mixed-chick is very proud!
Nevertheless, as an immigrant and as a mixed chick, seeing Barack Obama take the oath of office is awe inspiring. It speaks to the awesomeness and possibility of what America stands for. Although somewhat battered and bruised, the American spirit is alive and well.
Not only does this moment signal a new era in American leadership, but it also ushers in a new committment to community, both nationally and locally. I cannot remember another MLK Day where so many people got out into their communities. At NSC, we had over 30 volunteers attend an orientation and participate in a day of service. Many will most likely continue to volunteer their time and talent to our organization. Several of my friends participated in service activities throughout Philadelphia – painting schools, cleaning up playgrounds, collecting books, etc. I can only imagine how our clients, refugees, asylees, and other immigrants, perceive this moment.
I am under no illusion that things will miraculously fall into place and our problems will be solved over night. We are inheriting a hot mess that. But, it is not an insurmountable disaster.
There are many things we can do to maintain plugged in:
1) Enter the public sector. Many non profit organizations are still hiring. I recently transitioned from the private to the public sector. It is the best decision I have ever made. I am doing good and making a descent living at the same time.
Check out Idealist.org, Opportunity Knocks and in the Philadelphia area, the new Philadelphia NonProfit Information listserv. To tap into public interest networks, check out YNPN, ChangeMakers, Change.org and USAService.org.
2) Volunteer at your local YMCA or community centers. Become a Big Brother or Big Sister. Visit the elderly in retirement homes. Volunteer with the Special Olympics. Volunteer as a literacy or ESL tutor. And, if you are financially able, donate to charities that provide direct service to vulnerable communities.
3) Taking special care of ourselves, physically, emotionally and spiritually. If we aren’t well, we cannot achieve our full potential in helping others.
How are you being the change in your own community? What are you doing to remain plugged in?
Unusual Silence
I usually call it like I see it. If I think something is incorrect, I say so. If I think someone is acting like a bigot, I let them know. Very rarely do I remain silent when I think something is off.
Yet, this is exactly what I did this past holiday. My reasoning is quite understandable (at least from my perspective), yet it still does not sit right with me. I chose politeness and “etiquette” over my principles, and I feel crappy about it.
I spent the Christmas holidays with my sister and her friends. They are nice people and were a vital support system for my sister when her relationship with Christina’s father crumbled. Yet, these people are straight up rednecks – pick up truck driving, wrangler jeans wearing, confederate flag flying Rednecks!
I have a hard time biting my tongue. I slipped once or twice, especially when it came to baby daddy. Yet, I am quite surprised that I didn’t flip on a few occasions. God knows I had every right to. I didn’t bother to tell my mother, as I knew what her response would be – I am overreacting, I am being ridiculous, I am being too sensitive.
I felt quite uncomfortable with Old Glory all around me – blankets, mini-flags and screen savers. It was all just a bit too much for this mixedchick. I don’t even know if they realize that I am a mixedchick. Surely they had no clue that I am queer.
While I am disturbed by the circus that was Christmas, I am more appalled by my silence. I felt too uncomfortable to say anything and I felt too trapped to be able to remove myself from the situation. I did have a brief reprieve when I met my Swirlie sister and her family for brunch on Friday.
I should have said something to my sister (at least in private). Letting her assume everything was fine may not have been the most honest approach. Yet, you live, you learn, and you move on!
Philly Joins Swirl to Launch Intercultural Community and Dialogue
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Kathrin P. Ivanovic
Co-Organizer, SwirlPhilly
215.776.1172
kathrini@swirlinc.org
Jen Chau
Executive Director, Swirl Inc.
917.291.5227
jenchau@swirlinc.org
www.swirlinc.orgSwirl, Inc. Launches Chapter in the City of Brotherly Love
Swirl, Inc. has partnered with Kathrin P. Ivanovic and Alexis Jeffcoat, two emerging young non-profitleaders in Philadelphia, to launch and grow of a new, local chapter.
Philadelphia, PA, January 4, 2009 – Swirl, Inc. recently joined with Kathrin P. Ivanovic and Alexis Jeffcoat to launch its 11th local chapter in Philadelphia, PA. Kathrin is a freelance writer who speaks regularly about cultural diversity and transnational race relations. Kathrin hosts The Diversity Projekt on diversity and currently serves as the Director of Development for the Nationalities Service Center. Alexis is a graduate student pursuing her Master of Arts in Humanities at Arcadia University. She previously managed volunteers at Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia and just finished developing a volunteer program for Dress for Success Philadelphia. She has also worked on the planning committee for the Walk for Paws, a major fundraiser for the Chester County SPCA.
Philadelphia joins the SwirlFamily in 2009, during this historic time in American history. SwirlPhilly will work to build a community in Philadelphia that draws on its vibrant heritage and abundance of cultural diversity. While many individuals have called Philadelphia home for generations, Philadelphia is also home to one of the largest new-immigrant communities in the country.
Swirl has developed a two-pronged philosophy and vision focused initially on community building followed by programming focused on diversity advocacy and education. Through local community building, Swirl aims to challenge the idea that all individuals should be able to fit in one neatly packaged racial identity, label, or ethnic group.
Swirl provides space for individuals who want to explore their identity, relate to others with similar experiences, or initiate community-led projects aimed at changing the way that society understands race and identity. Local chapters ultimately focus on growing and building capacity, and expanding programming to include a broader constituency.
“While Swirl continues to recognize the importance of building communities that support mixed heritage individuals, couples, and families, we increasingly aim to collaborate with a diversity of communities. If we are going to improve the way that we deal with race and identity in this country, it is imperative that we come together. It is easy to talk about tough issues in the comfort of our own communities, but how often do we come together cross-culturally? This is what Swirl aims to do, and I am excited for this sort of space to be created in Philadelphia.” says Jen Chau, Executive Director and founder of Swirl, Inc.
Swirl, Inc. is a national multi-ethnic organization founded in 2000 that challenges society’s notions of race through community building, education, and action. Swirl is active in: Atlanta, San Francisco Bay Area, Boston, Washington, D.C., Houston, Miami, NewLondon, New Orleans, New York City, Philadelphia and Phoenix.
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The Year That Crept By
I still can’t believe that 2008 is over and that a new year has begun. I spent this New Year’s Eve making brunch for myself and the puppy. We even shared some bubbly. I thought about goiing out, but I don’t like driving on New Years – too many drunk drivers on the road.
I have had a lot of time to reflect recently and realized what an interesting year 2008 really was. While live was bumpy at times (quite a bit), the year ended on a definite high note.
I left a position that was making me increasingly unhappy. I successfully completed my Master’s degree. I transitioned from a corporate position to the non-profit sector, quite seamlessly I might add. Thanks to some earthly and divine intervention, I secured my dream position with a nonprofit whose mission I would support even if I weren’t working there.
My dad re-joined the U.S. Army and began a (very long) two year deployment. My sister moved in with my parents. I got to spend a lot of time with my baby niece.
I located my birth father, along with a surprisingly large birth-family. Things didn’t turn out as I had initially hoped, but perhaps it will just take a bit of time.
As 2008 ended in a high note, 2009 is getting off to a terrific start. I have several new ventures on the horizon (post forthcoming). I have a fantastic position with incredible potential for growth, both personally and professionally.
I also want to make more personal time. I can’t recall the last time I paused to meditate. It used to be a part of my daily routine. I also intend to spend more time with friends and family. After spending 20 days with my family (between Thanksgiving and Christmas), I remembered why I love being around my family. They are all really amazing people. Although we get on each others’ nerves at times, we are still solid – a team!
I am apprehensive to make actual resolutions every year, so this is as close as it gets for me.
May you have a safe, healthy and prosperous 2009! Thank you for reading my blog in 2008 and I hope you continue to return in 2009!
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