The Diversity Projekt
Empowerment for All People of Color
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Latina? Who, me?
I was recently invited to speak at at a conference to discuss the ways in which I live and “navigate multiple, sometimes conflicting identities” – as queer, femme, mixed race, transnational, and how said identities influence how I see “life on the margins.” The interesting part….I was invited as the “Latina” on the panel. I needed that part repeated. Me, as the resident Latina.Growing up I thought that I was half German half African American. The Latin aspect only emerged recently when I found my birth father and began talking with his older brother and my half brother. I can’t say that I even have a Latina-consciousness or that I have even really contemplated what that means to me.
I comprehend my gender identity – femme – so much better than my ethnic/cultural identity. I understand it and feel it in every fiber of my being. Being femme is just….its me, my center. I feel profoundly liberated by my femme-ness, precisely because it feels natural and innate without needing to be juxtaposed against something else – butch comes to mind or anything else along the spectrum for that matter. Now, the butch/femme community and the greater LGBT community…that is a bigger can of worms. Nevertheless on a micro level I make complete sense to myself, and really, that’s all that matters. Now, I should back up and qualify that – I didn’t always feel that way. There was a time when I didn’t posses the vocabulary or understanding that described me - ok I am going to leave that train of thought for another day. I digress. Point is I make sense of some of my various identities – femme – and others not so much.
Culturally, I understand and can process being mixed. The individual components rarely ever make sense though. And, honestly…I rarely ever force them to. I know where I belong in the mixed experience. In many ways “home” is far less complicated within the mixed community than any of the other communities that I am a part of.
So, what does it mean for me to be Latina?
Half the time I think that I know very little about what it means to be African American. I do understand the mixed experience – the hybridity. Since ethnic identities are societal/social constructs, can I really claim to be something that I know nothing about? Can culture really be reduced to cuisine, music, and cultural and artistic traditions mixed with a little geographic positioning? If that’s the case, anyone can learn to be any ethnicity of their choosing. I think not! I do think that ethnicity is something that begins as a communal experience that finds expression in individual identity. Hmm….I think I just figured out what I am going to talk about…..
I still have a bit of time to consider since the conference is in November. Nevertheless, I should probably get back to the program committee by mid-February since paper/panel submissions are due March 3rd.
Loving Day
“We loved each other and got married,” she [Mildred Loving] told The Washington Evening Star in 1965, when the case was pending. “We are not marrying the state. The law should allow a person to marry anyone he wants.”
Mildred Loving fought for her right to marry someone of another race in 1960’s Virginia. More than 40 years later we are still fighting for true marriage equality.
Stay tuned…..recap of Philadelphia’s First SwirlPhilly Loving Day events to come!
Related Stories:
Matriarch of Inter-Racial Marriage Dies
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24468808/
The Huffington Post Interview with Loving Day Founder
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-gandin-le/loving-day-its-not-a-hall_b_51358.html
Village Voice Interview with Loving Day Founder
http://www.villagevoice.com/2006-06-06/people/love-actually
2006 Washington Post Article
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/12/AR2006061201716.html
“New Beginnings” at Risk
As many of you know, I have been attending The Well in Feasterville, PA, since January of this year. While my transition from the Orthodox Church to an evangelical Protestant church has been challenging at times, I have begin to make some connections that are important to me. The people at The Well are what have made my transition a little less painful.
Patti is one of those people.
Recently, Patti shared with me that her program at Bensalem High School that provides vital support to teen parents who struggle with staying in school while raising children was in danger of being cut due to the economic budget crisis. This past Sunday she informed us that the program’s closing was eminent unless the School Board was convinced otherwise. I do not live in Bucks Co., PA, so I cannot address the School Boad directly. But I do have this blog and people who continually return to learn about the issues that I care deeply about.I have asked Patti to share with us a little bit about her job at “New Beginnings”, and why cancelling this program will have a detrimental impact on the young parents that have come to reply on their services.
I encourage you to attend the School Board meeting on Wednesday May 27 at 7pm at 3000 Donallen Drive, Bensalem, PA 19020, and if you are a Bucks Co. resident, please consider speaking in support of the continued operation of this program!
TDP: Tell me about your job and how you were lead to your work?
Patti: 16 years ago, when I was ready to re-enter the work force I was looking for a job that would allow me to make a difference in my community while working with the youth population. As a mother of young children, I also wanted a work schedule compatible with my children’s schedules. The pregnant and parenting teen coordinator position at Bensalem High School was the perfect combination of all those requirements.
In my 16 years as coordinator/counselor, the program has expanded to include a fatherhood component that provides support and information for teen dads. We also developed a summer camp program with an emphasis on parenting skills while simultaneously helping students address issues (day care, homelessness, etc.) that may interfere with a return to school in September (camp was always funded by an external grant and has never been paid for with school district monies). Bensalem Township has partnered with the other Lower Bucks County School districts to apply for State grant funds that offset a portion of the cost of the New Beginnings program.
In my part-time position as coordinator/counselor, I provide direct services, access to community services, educational and group support, and advocacy support within the school system and the community for student participants. The number of students varies from year to year, but has been gradually increasing for the past four years and has peaked at 27 students at this point in time. Eleven of those students are due to graduate, which means that there will be at least 16 pregnant or parenting students expected back in the fall.
New Beginnings has maintained a graduation rate of over 90% throughout the 16 years I have been here. That is an excellent standard that will be impossible to maintain without specialized support.
TDP: What is the recent school board decision?
Patti: The school board voted in the proposed budget to completely cut the New Beginnings Program, along with 4 teachers, a secretary, and a non-teaching assistant (a discipline position). All of these positions are at the high school, so the general cuts will create a higher student/staff ratio, meaning there is less all around support for the high school population within our district, not to mention the complete loss of specialized support for pregnant and parenting teens.
TDP: How does it impact the students in your program?
Patti: The students in my program will be left with no specialized support to assist them in the process of accomplishing graduation from high school. As these students navigate the maze of pre-natal care, day care and day care subsidy, health insurance, health complications (for themselves & their children), three-generational living, financial stressors, educational pressures, and the list goes on; there will be no one within the school district to be sure that these kids get access to the supports that they need in order to succeed. Inevitably some of this population will fall through the cracks, drop out, and struggle to find a way to support themselves and their families.
TDP: What do you think are the long-term repercussions if the school board’s decision stands?
Patti: Long term, the consequences of a higher drop out rate will inevitably lead to a higher rate of welfare dependence for a longer period of time. Today’s teen parents will struggle to help their children succeed educationally because they’ve been left without adequate support to accomplish the goal themselves. There will also be a toll of a higher incidence of crime, drug & alcohol abuse, and other less appealing alternatives because good choices may seem out of reach for these kids.
TDP: How can people help? What are some action items?
Patti: Let the decision-makers know that you believe in paying a small amount of tax money now to prevent the large financial, personal, and societal cost that will ensue if we don’t. Voice your support at school board meetings ~ the next school board meeting will be held at 3000 Donallen Drive, Bensalem PA 19020 on May 27th, 2009. The final budget will be voted in at the board meeting on June 10th, 2009.
You can also express your support for the New Beginnings Program (the support program for pregnant and parenting teens at Bensalem High School) by emailing the school board members as follows:
Harry R. Kramer, President - hkramer@bensalemsd.org
Eugene A. Rothenberg, Vice President – erothenbe@bensalemsd.org
James A. Bodnar – jbodnar@bensalemsd.org
Dr. Lewis J. Brandt – lbrandt@bensalemsd.org
Rose Jacobs – rjacobs@bensalemsd.org
Carol T. Jones – cjones@bensalemsd.org
Carol L. McGuire – cmcguire@bensalemsd.org
Heather D. Nicholas – hnicholas@bensalemsd.org
Dr. Stephen C. Nowmos – snowmos@bensalemsd.org
And, you can contact the Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent and Acting Director of Pupil Personnel as follows:
Dr. James D. Lombardo, District Superintendent – 215-750-2800Ext. 4100 email: jlombardo@bensalemsd.org
Dr. William J. Gretzula, Assistant Superintendent – 215-750-2800 Ext. 4103 email: wgretzula@bensalemsd.org
Ms. Tammy Wood, Acting Director of Pupil Personnel – 215-750-2800 Ext. 4108 email: twood@bensalemsd.org
Seeking the Cranberry, Part I
So, I am reaching back to my original blog – Seeking the Cranberry. It was born as I was breaking through a spiritual plateau of sorts. Most of those old posts were posted in private mode. I may re-post them to the public, but it suffices to say that I was going through an awkward and somewhat uncomfortable period of spiritual growth. While I am not in that same place today, the name of the blog “Seeking the Cranberry” is still profoundly relevant. (I am considering reopening the blog, but that is beside the point.
An acquaintance recently indicated that she was unaware that I am Christian, that I have a dog, or that I am lesbian. Yeah, three somewhat random facts, I suppose. So, I am going to dedicate a few posts on TDP to shedding a little bit of light on who I was most taken back by her surprise that I am Christian. Sure, I don’t shout it from the rooftops. Nor have I taken out a full page ad in the local paper, but I do talk about my faith. I’ve blogged about my struggles and baggage. Well, perhaps not on TDP. I am and what I believe in. This could be opening a massive can of worms, but here we go.Growing up, my sense of spirituality was something private. Although we attended church regularly and attended catechism class, we were never really a part of a Christian fellowship or community. We moved around far too often. It’s probably why I am slightly uncomfortable or uneasy about outward expression of my inward spirituality – particularly at church service. I don’t get the lingo or the mannerisms. While my personal relationship with Christ is a central part of my life, I definitely don’t feel a part of …I am not even sure what to call it – evangelical culture.
People often assume that my spiritual baggage is directly proportional to my sexual orientation and are often perplexed when I indicate that being lesbian poses absolutely no spiritual or religious struggle in and of itself. I’ve never had to journey to a point of reconciliation of my faith and sexuality as many queer Christians have. I’ve never felt pressured to pretend to be straight. I came out when it was right for me to do so – perhaps it was more an evolutionary process. Even my coming out wasn’t necessarily a painful, agonizing or frightening experience. I just sort of announced it one day. Not surprisingly, everyone around me (including my parents) already knew. So, that wasn’t a big deal.
I am a loyal reader of SisterFriends Together and have over the years read many stories from current and former victims of the sexual rehabilitation movement (Exodus International, etc.) I feel extremely lost in the political maze of this debate It never occurred to me that others had an issue with my faith and sexuality until I moved to the U.S. I don’t feel more or less sinful because I am queer. The “conflict” (if you can call it that) between my faith and sexuality is definitely one that is externally imposed. Most of my baggage stems from the many non-apostolic trends and scare tactics of radicalism and fundamentalism in modern Christianity. My estrangement has often been from the corporate manifestation of religious institutions, not from God himself. I have definitely taken several steps back from communal worship – until recently anyway.
I was raised Lutheran. I was baptised by a female Lutheran minister in Germany in the early 1980s. I imagine that was a semi-big deal. My father was raised Serbian Orthodox but often deferred to my mother when it comes to my sister and my religious upbringing. I attended catechism classes during our short stint in Michigan in the late 80s. I always had lots of questions – many of which remained unanswered until early adulthood. I have always been curious about different expressions of faith. I did attended a Russian Orthodox church regularly several years ago, yet returned to attending Lutheran and other protestant fellowships. While I think Church Slavonic is beautiful, I began to miss hearing the liturgy in a language I could understand. I still practice many Orthodox traditions – rule of prayer and meditation, regular confession, etc.
While I grew up mostly with Lutheran forms of worship, fundamentally, I am grounded as a follower and worshipper of Yeshua. I look to the Christ-centered truth as revealed in the apostolic traditions and canonical scriptures, as well as several gospels excluded at the Councils. I also believe God is universal, manifested in both the masculine and feminine. Mother Wisdom constantly reveals herself to me – whether as Chochma of the Old Testament or Sophia of the New. She speaks to me even when I turn away from her. She has been with me long before I knew her name. Consciousness through God’s grace (or gnosis) has been healing, liberating and redemptive. Some may call me gnostic, yet I reject many elements that get lumped into ‘gnosticism’ these days. Yet, while I embrace God’s masculinity and femininity, I also embrace the triune essence of God (God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit/Sophia), as well as Yeshua’s full humanity and fully divinity.
…..to be continued
**In Part II I will dissect some of my core beliefs. For now, sleep is on the horizon.
Changing European Demographics Reflected in Miss Switzerland Pageant
The recent controversy surrounding the crowning of the new Miss Switzerland, Whitney Toyloy, made its way into the Swiss Tagesanzeige. Many respondents to the article voiced concern about Ms. Toyloy’s age influencing her ability to balance title year responsibilities and maintaining her school obligations. Meanwhile, other respondents questioned whether she could adequately represent Switzerland, as she is not “100% Swiss.” Some even flippantly suggested that beauty pageant should be renamed “Miss Multicult”. This is yet another example of antiquated racial prejudices and stereotypes that remain all too prevalent throughout Europe.
Nevertheless, the ethnic representation of those participating in the Miss Switzerland pageant reflects a more realistic snapshot of the demographics of Swiss society, than the xenophobic assumptions would lead to believe. Women with Indian, Haitian, Turkish, Balkan, American and Congolese backgrounds participated in the pageant. The new Miss Switzerland is multi-ethnic – of American, Chinese, Panamanian and Swiss heritage.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License
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