May 2010 Volume 2, Issue 8

The Diversifieds

May is...

Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month

Jewish American Heritage Month

Clean Air Month

National Foster Care Month

Women‟s Health Care Month

American Wetlands Month

Family Wellness Month

Awareness Dates:

The Diversifieds are a publication of the EDRC of

Grays Harbor College. The mission of the EDRC is

to promote awareness, respect, and equitable

treatment of the diverse individuals and groups

that exist within our campus and surrounding com-

munities. The EDRC is open to all!

Please come visit us in the 200 building.

A publication of the EDRC at Grays Harbor College

1 Beltaine (Pagan and Wiccan)

1 Lag B‟Omer (Jewish)

3 Constitution Day (Japan) + (Poland)

4 Youth Day (China)

5 Cinco de Mayo (Mexico)

6 National Day of Prayer (U.S.)

8 Victory Day, WWII (France)

9 Mother‟s Day (U.S.) + (Finland)

10 Mother‟s Day (Mexico)

13 Ascension Day (Christian)

17 National Day (Norway)

18 Shavuot (Jewish)

19 Ataturk and Youth Day (Turkey)

20 Independence Day (Cuba)

21 Battle of Iquique (Chile)

23 Declaration of the Bab (Baha‟i)

23 Pentecost (Christian)

24 Victoria Day observed (Canada)

25 Africa Day (Zambia) + (Zimbabwe)

25 Independence Day (Jordan)

26 Independence Day (Republic of Geor-

gia)

28 Visakaha Day (Buddhist)

29 Ascension of Baha‟u‟llah (Baha‟i)

30 All Saints Day (Christian)

31 Memorial Day observed (U.S.)

So let‟s take a look at what we can do for our families this month either to en-

courage them or just to let them know that we are there and care for them.

There are several ways to do both of these things.

First of all you could call one or two of your family members and say “Hi”. Make

sure that they have been having a good week or even a good month. Also re-

mind them how much you care and love them. Hearing I love you or I care about

you makes a person feel good about themselves. Not only does it help with self-

esteem, it also makes a person feel worth something.

Secondly make plans to spend time with your loved ones. Especially the ones

that you never get to see or call. And don‟t forget about the ones that you see all

the time. Make a family day by going to the beach or to the park maybe for din-

ner or a picnic.

Make a day and go for a bike ride or a walk with your kids or a family member.

Make healthy food choices by looking

at the food pyramid and planning out

the week‟s meals and giving everyone a

chance to have something they like.

You could also do a family game night.

Talking to a family member or a loved

one can help reduce stress in one‟s life.

Don‟t forget that having family meet-

ings once a week helps keep you and

your kids on track. Plus it helps so that

the family members or your loved ones

know what has been bothering each

other. And you can plan things for the

next week, like what you would like to

do as group activities or simply spend-

ing time together. This way you know

when you will be spending time with

family or friends.

So remember that family is a really

important part in our lives and we all

need to let each other know “We care

about and appreciate one another.” So

call a close friend or family member

and let them know.

Campus Happenings

ASGHC Elections May 13th

Ballots can be cast at all GHC campuses. Contact Cal for more info: 538-4078

GHC One-Act Plays May 13th-15th

7:30 PM nightly & 4:00 PM Sat. Bishop Center for Performing Arts

Project Mayhem May 19th

10:00 Am—3:30 PM Food, music and fun for students.

Visit the EDRC table!

Diversity Discussion May 20th - 2:oo PM

EDRC Foyer—200 building

Advising Period Begins May 24th

Scholarship Ceremony 7:00-9:00 PM

Memorial Day May 31

No Classes

Nonviolent Communication June 1st

Led by the Mediation & Settlement Center

May is Family Wellness Month By Stephany Murray, GHC Student

The Students of Color Conference is held every year to support

Washington State students to become more active advocates of

their own education and life choices. This year was the 20th an-

nual SOCC and the theme was “Generation of Change: We are the

Future!” This year the conference had an awesome turnout of

850 students which created maximum capacity. The conference

workshops were guided by five main themes: Identity Develop-

ment, Awareness of Others, Skill Development, Social Justice/

Social Activism, and Personal Development. Each of these

themes had 10-13 workshops per session over three days.

The first session I attended under Identity Development was the

Racial/Ethnic Caucuses: Chicano-as/

Hispanics/Latino-as. During this session we

got in groups of five students, and we were

asked 3 questions: How does your upbring-

ing affect you today? What are the miscon-

ceptions that your race/ethnicity is con-

stantly labeled? What do you want other

races/ethnicities to stop doing or saying

about you? After sharing our answers indi-

vidually in our group we were asked to share

one thing that everybody in the group agreed

upon. The last question was the most power-

ful. Before sharing our answer as a group we were given each a

balloon to blow. But to our surprise, we were asked for each and

every one of us to stand and shout out our response individually

and pop our balloon as hard as we could.

During the second part of this session, I was enraged to learn

about what was going on in another state of this country. Arizona

passed a new law that makes racial profiling legal, and in effect,

requires police to stop people based on their race and ethnicity.

Arizona's new law, SB 1070, says that police can question anyone

they have “reasonable suspicion” of being an undocumented im-

migrant. Translation: police can now stop and harass people for

no other reason than that they are brown-skinned or speak Span-

ish. So many thoughts were going on in my head and the ones

that stuck out the most were “Are we going to be treated like the

Black people were? Is there going to be another civil war? How

long is this going to last? Are my relatives in Arizona endangered?

Stupid Governor of Arizona and all its white people! My people

work so hard. Not all of them are bad. Let my people go!” After

9:15pm on Thursday, April 22, 2010 my mentality of “land of the

free” in this country changed. I have to do something.

The second session I attended was under the Awareness of Oth-

ers theme and was entitled How Islamic Fundamentalism Violates

the Fundamentals of Islam. This workshop addressed the histori-

cal evolution, rationale, and manifestations of Islamic fundamen-

talism and how its conceptualization and practices violate core

Islamic teachings. I learned about Islamic law, the Qur‟an, the five

articles of faith, violence as a solution to problems, and the eti-

quette of jihad. What surprised me the most was when Ernest

Johnson, the presenter told us the ways that Christianity over-

lapped with Jihad. It was a very interesting and enriching work-

shop for me because I was born and raised into Catholicism and

my family put it in my head that any other religion other than Ca-

tholicism was bad. I believed that motto up until Friday April 23,

2010 at 11am. I left that workshop feeling relieved that not all

Muslims are terrorists and the ones who are are the ones who

misinterpret the Qur‟an by still using violence as a solution to

problems. The religion of Islam seems peaceful and genuine.

Every religion has its good and its bad but we as people cannot

judge for we are not God himself.

The third session I attended was under the theme Personal Devel-

opment, and was entitled

Ponle Sabor: The Healing

Art of Cuban Rueda de

Casino Dancing. This

workshop was my utmost

favorite. We all learned

how to dance Cuban

Rueda de Casino. It is

square dancing but salsa

style. This dance took

teamwork and my first

partner was Brian Shook.

He too can say he had a

heck of a good time. We learned how to be either a follower or a

leader. I was the follower and Brian was the leader. We also

learned about the history behind both the dance and music. The

Cuban dance was created as an escape to all of the bad things

that were happening in Cuba at the time and people were able to

express themselves through dancing this type of dance. All in all

the Conference was an awesome learning experience for me and I

had a great time getting to know more about my fellow class-

mates.

Students of Color Conference

By Natalie Betancourth, GHC Student

Page 2

Volume 2, Issue 8

In honor of Women‟s Health Month I want women to think

about the negativity they put in their lives.

We are bombarded with negative self-images through the

media on what we should wear, how thin we need to be, and

how we will never be that „Super Woman‟ like every other

woman in the magazines that stock the supermarket shelves.

We compare ourselves, degrade ourselves and silently criti-

cize ourselves every day. We fester in

our guilt of not being able to measure

up to some standards that society

seems to pressure us to be.

Why? Who are we living for exactly?

When do we get to feel good about

who we are and feel strong about the

people we have become? When do we

get to look in the mirror and not think

about all our flaws but about how

beautiful we are? When do we get to not second guess every

choice we make with our partners? Our children? Our fami-

lies? Our friends?

I think the best thing we can do for our health is let go of the

perception that we have to be perfect women. Perfect as de-

scribed by Merriam-Webster‟s dictionary: 1. a: being entirely

without fault or defect. Wow, that is not asking much of a per-

son.

To be entirely without fault or defect? I am in so much trouble.

I wear glasses, have stretch marks, have numerous scars

from various surgeries and run-ins with the pavement from

when I used to skateboard, I eat too much, talk too much,

sing off key, procrastinate on research papers, I drink too

much caffeine, I laugh so hard that I cry, I get angry and cool

down quickly, I overspend, I don‟t do the dishes every night, I

let laundry get out of control, I let my kids eat in the living

room sometimes, I forget to lotion after showers, I hate to

dress up on the weekends, can‟t leave my house without eye-

liner, I facebook too much, and… oh, there is so much more

that I can go on and on about. But I don‟t think these things

are defects; they make up who I am. I

am proud of who I have grown to be-

come. I am proud that I can see myself

and my faults and know that I am a

strong woman who is capable of great

things.

We need to radically change the way we

view ourselves and other women in this

world. We need to help empower one

another and not tear each other down. I

hope that I can live in a world where I can teach my daughter

that she can be anything she wants to be and no matter what

that is… she is a work of art. She is a beautiful, unique girl

who will grow into a beautiful and unique woman. We need to

start fostering this type of thinking in our youth and ourselves

and shift the paradigms the world tells us we need to have.

So for Women‟s Health Month, I challenge you to tell a woman

how great she is. I challenge you to look in the mirror and tell

yourself how great you are.

I challenge you to tell a woman how great she is. I challenge you to look in the mirror and tell yourself how

great you are.

I grew up in a predominately white community without any real

knowledge of other races and ethnic backgrounds. The little

knowledge I had of diverse people came from my father‟s very

racist and prejudiced family. Even with that as an influence, I had

a hard time accepting others‟ ways of thinking. Since my younger

years I have had a lot more experiences with diversity. I have

lived in many areas with a very diverse and mixed population.

Still, I attended the Students of Color Conference with a really

limited understanding of what exactly diversity was. I was a little

scared and very overwhelmed the first day. I myself identify as

Native American. I am however very light skinned and have blue

eyes. I really believed I would not be welcomed among the other

Native Americans at this conference. On the first day we were

instructed to attend the Caucus of what race we identified with. I

was terrified to say the least. I was sure I would be met at the

door and told I did not belong there. To my relief and surprise I

was not only welcomed, but I was accepted, not based on my skin

and eye color but on what was in my heart. We all then began to

share our stories of struggle and triumph. It was at this point that

I knew deep in my inner being that I was where I belonged.

I myself would have considered this conference well worth the

trip at that point. But my personal experiences had just begun. I

was part of this huge blending. Not each group huddled together

with their own. Everyone mingled and interacted with everyone

else. It truly became a “melting pot” of peoples. In a room of

seven hundred students of all colors, backgrounds, political views

and diverse life experiences we were united in hope and change.

Even when we disagreed, it was done with respect and dignity.

Many leaders believe this is the generation of change. I could

never understand why that was until I attended this conference. I

see a future for this country that is different from anything we

have ever known. I see a people united as people, not by their

cultural backgrounds or the color of their skin, but by the drive to

make this place better for everyone.

Page 3

The Rainbow

By Katie Main, GHC Student

Women’s Health Month

By Jen Anderson

Committee Chair:

Brian Shook

The Diversifieds Staff:

Erin Frasier

Rob Hitt

Diversity Committee

Equity & Diversity Resource Center

360-538-4247

Room 219

1620 Edward P. Smith Drive

Aberdeen, WA 98520

edrc@ghc.edu

http://www.ghc.edu/edrc/brochure.pdf

Calling All Writers! The Diversifieds are an extension of the GHC campus

and our surrounding community. We would like to

welcome and encourage students and staff to submit

articles for publication in The Diversifieds. This is a

monthly publication. Please contact Erin Frasier at

efrasier@ghc.edu for next month‟s topics and to sub-

mit articles, poems or artwork.

Deadline for submission in next month’s newsletter is

May 29th

Understanding & Improving Your Credit

By Kristina St. Louis, GHC Student

On Thursday, April 29, I went to a Money Smart workshop called Understanding and

Improving Your Credit. I chose this workshop because I have been in debt for five years now, and

would like to know more about fixing my credit. I learned that it is relatively easy to fix credit; it

just takes a while to reflect on your credit reports. The presenter shared a few steps we could

take towards establishing credit. Regularly adding to your savings account goes a long ways to-

wards showing responsibility and reliability. Holding a job for more than one year, not moving

around to many different places, and paying your bills on time all help to show that you are a re-

sponsible person. Opening many lines of credit can hurt your credit. When you apply for any type

of credit card or loan, those salespeople are checking your credit. Each time someone checks

your credit for an application, it is called a hard hit. There are also soft hits, which is I didn‟t know

about. Those are when you are filling out an application for a job or for a house or apartment.

There was quite a bit of information that I was really excited to hear. There are many

ways that you can improve your credit. Viewing your credit score/history at least once a year lets

you know: 1) if you have anything outstanding that you maybe forgot about 2) if older bills have

dropped off your credit report 3) if anyone is trying to use your identity. Also, the longer you are

with a bank or the longer you have a credit card, even if you do not use it, helps your credit score.

The presenter also told us that when you apply for a car loan, the dealership can charge you extra

interest and they do not have to tell you that they are doing so. The bank the dealership deals

with may give you a deal at 5% interest, and then the dealership could charge you 7% and keep

the extra 2% themselves. I had no idea that they were able to do this. A good way to prevent this

from happening is to get pre-approval from your bank for the car loan. This also helps your credit

by having only one financial institution checking on your credit report.

Many things can happen to you if your credit is bad. I have a little experience with this.

Your car or home insurances premiums could be higher. You could be applying for a job and be

turned down because of your credit report. Stores, cell phone companies, and other places like

that could also turn you down based on your credit score. The presenter also told us that using a

finance company like American General should be used as a last resort. They can charge very

high interest on any loan that they give you.

I also asked a few questions regarding the debt that I have and the presenter gave me

some really good insights on what to do to get it straightened out. This workshop was very inter-

esting, informative, and the presenter was very knowledgeable about the subject. I am really

glad that I went to this, and hope that next time these workshops are held I will be able to attend

more of them. I will definitely take what I learned and apply it not only to myself, but to my chil-

dren as well so that they will be able to have excellent credit when they are older.

FREEDOM IS NOT FREE

I watched the flag pass by one day.

It fluttered in the breeze.

A young Marine saluted it,

and then he stood at ease.

I looked at him in uniform

So young, so tall, so proud,

He'd stand out in any crowd.

I thought how many men like him

Had fallen through the years.

How many died on foreign soil?

How many mothers' tears?

How many pilots' planes shot down?

How many died at sea?

How many foxholes were soldiers'

graves?

No, freedom isn't free.

I heard the sound of TAPS one

night,

When everything was still

I listened to the bugler play

And felt a sudden chill.

I wondered just how many times

That TAPS had meant "Amen,"

When a flag had draped a coffin

Of a brother or a friend.

I thought of all the children,

Of the mothers and the wives,

Of fathers, sons and husbands

With interrupted lives.

I thought about a graveyard

At the bottom of the sea

Of unmarked graves in Arlington.

No, freedom isn't free.

-Kelly Strong

Memorial Day On May 5, 1868, the Grand

Army of the Republic estab-

lished Memorial Day or Decora-

tion Day as the national day to

decorate the graves of the Civil

War soldiers with flowers.