Years ago, Professor Walter Stafford of the Wagner Graduate School at New York University gathered a diverse group of women of color, and the Women of Color Policy Network (WOCPN) was born. The group included experienced and seasoned leaders of academic institutes, of not-for-profit organizations, graduate students and others. Professor Stafford and the students conducted research and produced reports on a number of issues including the under-representation of women of color in NYC's government workforce.
I was a member of the WOCPN and of the fledgling Roundtable of Institutions of people of Color. At that time, I was Executive Director of the Grand Street Settlement, a position that I held for 20 years (from 1995-2015). Melissa Garcia was one of the graduate students working with Professor Stafford and the WOCPN. Over the years, our paths would cross, and last summer Melissa and I met for lunch and talked about reconvening members and friends of the WOCPN and its later iterations. The first step in the reconvening,a meeting, took place on December 3, 2016. We will meet again in January 2017 to reconnect and to assess the state of our communities in the wake of November 8, 2016. Perhaps we will brainstorm about next steps.
I am encouraged and energized after reconnecting with Melissa and I look forward to continuing the dialogue and to reconvening our brilliant and dynamic group.
Saturday, December 3, 2016
Monday, November 28, 2016
On this first Monday after Thanksgiving 2016 there's a lot to think about and a lot of planning to do and actions to take. First, please note that because people of conscience should not engage in free advertising for Trump, his name will rarely be uttered here. Instead we will refer to "The D" or to DJT (Donald John Trump).
The D's handlers are having a very public and undiplomatic fight over who we will be saddled with (by them) as Secretary of State. His handlers can't handle him or themselves! And The D will have control of the nuclear codes and of the well-being of this entire nation! Wow! Of course, he probably will turn over those responsibilities to others because he has fact-free twitter tantrums to take. He can't be bothered with intelligence briefings; Pence is said to be participating in those. Can this be further evidence of what some suspect is The D's aversion to intelligence? Inquiring minds want to know.
Most of The D's tweets are diversions that set the media off on wild goose chases while he and his minions carry on and appoint or plan to appoint some of the least qualified,least experienced,least knowledgeable,least balanced bunch of amateurs and/or extremists to cabinet positions and positions in the White House with little scrutiny from the tweet chasing hordes. That said, The D's tweets suggesting that the popular vote was stolen from him deserve follow-up. While the Russians may not have hacked the vote, voter suppression may have skewed votes in his favor. So let's make sure that there is a real and thorough recount in every state if possible,and of every vote cast in whatever form it was cast. Special attention should be paid in states, such as North Carolina, where voter suppression measures were/are in place.
Let The D prove his claim that the popular vote was stolen from him. We can help by volunteering to help with the vote counting. We owe it to our fellow countrywomen and men and The D deserves it.
We cannot afford to go along with business as usual.
The D's handlers are having a very public and undiplomatic fight over who we will be saddled with (by them) as Secretary of State. His handlers can't handle him or themselves! And The D will have control of the nuclear codes and of the well-being of this entire nation! Wow! Of course, he probably will turn over those responsibilities to others because he has fact-free twitter tantrums to take. He can't be bothered with intelligence briefings; Pence is said to be participating in those. Can this be further evidence of what some suspect is The D's aversion to intelligence? Inquiring minds want to know.
Most of The D's tweets are diversions that set the media off on wild goose chases while he and his minions carry on and appoint or plan to appoint some of the least qualified,least experienced,least knowledgeable,least balanced bunch of amateurs and/or extremists to cabinet positions and positions in the White House with little scrutiny from the tweet chasing hordes. That said, The D's tweets suggesting that the popular vote was stolen from him deserve follow-up. While the Russians may not have hacked the vote, voter suppression may have skewed votes in his favor. So let's make sure that there is a real and thorough recount in every state if possible,and of every vote cast in whatever form it was cast. Special attention should be paid in states, such as North Carolina, where voter suppression measures were/are in place.
Let The D prove his claim that the popular vote was stolen from him. We can help by volunteering to help with the vote counting. We owe it to our fellow countrywomen and men and The D deserves it.
We cannot afford to go along with business as usual.
Saturday, November 26, 2016
Giving Thanks and Taking Action
Welcome! I am excited to reactivate this blog which I started in a celebratory mood after Justice Sonia Sotomayor joined the U.S. Supreme Court. In those days, many were filled with hope and members of the Latinx community, including me, were bursting with pride. Things changed on November 8, 2016.
Much of the language and events in the lead-up to election night 2016 gave cause for concern among people of conscience and good will of all political persuasions. On Thanksgiving 2016 people of conscience and good have cause for alarm.
I follow current events very closely. The hand-wringing and the commentary by Monday-morning-quarterbacks about what and who (in their opinion) brought about the outcome of November 8, 2016 has become tiresome. It's time to focus on the here and now and on the future without losing sight of the past. This is a time for people of conscience and good will to be vigilant, to position themselves to speak truth to power, and to speak and stand up for what is true and good and ethical. There's much to be more to be said about all of this but today I reactivate this blog by sharing an experience from four years ago that touched and moved me.
"Dear Friends,
As I rode the bus home from work last night, a woman sat next to me and asked whether I could lend her some coins to complete her bus fare. I was able to relate to her plight, because I have had the same thing happen to me. I gave her the change in my pocket and another passenger also chipped in. She thanked us profusely, and expressed embarrassment at finding herself in need of help. She explained that she had worked all day at a cleaning job. She was grateful to have had work, but embarrassed that her brown hands were grey from the Ajax she had used to do her work. I told her that hers were the hands of a hard working person and that there was no shame in that. I asked whether her hands ever became dry and whether the skin cracked from the dryness, as mine do. We talked about hand lotions and moisturizers. She showed me a paper on which a woman, whose soft hands she had admired, had written Lubriderm and Cocoa Butter. She was planning to try them on her rough, work-worn hands. When I arrived at my stop we wished each other well, and exchanged Thanksgiving greetings. She expressed gratitude for the blessings in her life, including the cleaning job she'd had that day, and for the kindness of strangers. It was my good fortune to have been one of those strangers. The ride home was a holiday gift from "the universe" to me. :) I wish you and your loved ones a special Thanksgiving holiday, with emphasis on the "giving" part. xoxox"
Here's hoping that you had the kind of Giving Thanks Day that you hoped you would have! My day was filled with friends, family and colleagues with all their wonderful diversity, intelligence, kindness and generosity. My daughter Marisol and her dear friend George and I spent the entire day together. Brunch at the home of my colleague Mitch, lunch with my 92 year old mom, Julia, and dinner with our friends and extended family at the home of the Salazar family were all filled with joy and an abundance of delights.
Stay tuned for more on this blog.
Welcome! I am excited to reactivate this blog which I started in a celebratory mood after Justice Sonia Sotomayor joined the U.S. Supreme Court. In those days, many were filled with hope and members of the Latinx community, including me, were bursting with pride. Things changed on November 8, 2016.
Much of the language and events in the lead-up to election night 2016 gave cause for concern among people of conscience and good will of all political persuasions. On Thanksgiving 2016 people of conscience and good have cause for alarm.
I follow current events very closely. The hand-wringing and the commentary by Monday-morning-quarterbacks about what and who (in their opinion) brought about the outcome of November 8, 2016 has become tiresome. It's time to focus on the here and now and on the future without losing sight of the past. This is a time for people of conscience and good will to be vigilant, to position themselves to speak truth to power, and to speak and stand up for what is true and good and ethical. There's much to be more to be said about all of this but today I reactivate this blog by sharing an experience from four years ago that touched and moved me.
"Dear Friends,
As I rode the bus home from work last night, a woman sat next to me and asked whether I could lend her some coins to complete her bus fare. I was able to relate to her plight, because I have had the same thing happen to me. I gave her the change in my pocket and another passenger also chipped in. She thanked us profusely, and expressed embarrassment at finding herself in need of help. She explained that she had worked all day at a cleaning job. She was grateful to have had work, but embarrassed that her brown hands were grey from the Ajax she had used to do her work. I told her that hers were the hands of a hard working person and that there was no shame in that. I asked whether her hands ever became dry and whether the skin cracked from the dryness, as mine do. We talked about hand lotions and moisturizers. She showed me a paper on which a woman, whose soft hands she had admired, had written Lubriderm and Cocoa Butter. She was planning to try them on her rough, work-worn hands. When I arrived at my stop we wished each other well, and exchanged Thanksgiving greetings. She expressed gratitude for the blessings in her life, including the cleaning job she'd had that day, and for the kindness of strangers. It was my good fortune to have been one of those strangers. The ride home was a holiday gift from "the universe" to me. :) I wish you and your loved ones a special Thanksgiving holiday, with emphasis on the "giving" part. xoxox"
Here's hoping that you had the kind of Giving Thanks Day that you hoped you would have! My day was filled with friends, family and colleagues with all their wonderful diversity, intelligence, kindness and generosity. My daughter Marisol and her dear friend George and I spent the entire day together. Brunch at the home of my colleague Mitch, lunch with my 92 year old mom, Julia, and dinner with our friends and extended family at the home of the Salazar family were all filled with joy and an abundance of delights.
Stay tuned for more on this blog.
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