Daily Archives: July 31, 2020

Don Heacox, For the Headlight Published 8:12 a.m. MT July 30, 2020

Heacox(Photo: Courtesy photo)

Fr. Gabriel Rochelles, I have never had a harder column to write, published July 19, in the Deming Headlight online was wonderfully constructive but raised some questions. He concluded that we were, as Peter said, strangers in a strange land and to stop pretending we are anything other than that.

Okay. What is the Christian pretension and what does stopping the pretension look like for Christians?

My wife gave me some insight into what the pretensions are. They are jumping on wagons. Social justice, whatever that means and it means different (and therefore divisive) things to different people, is one such wagon.

People jump on that wagon for the sense of presumptive moral superiority and social acceptance it provides them in the communities of which they are a part. It provides a sense of identity and meaning. Christians are, however, to have their identity and meaning foremost in Christ. Consider transgender rights, whatever those may be. Some might see it as essentially Christian to support them. Others may dissent on the basis that Jesus never addressed the issue and a commitment to them would be worldly. The result is division and perhaps to be compromised by this world.

Living both in and apart from this world is tricky to say the least. Fr. Gabriel mentioned the Benedict Option of intentional communities and cited current examples of the Amish, Mennonite, Hutterites, Bruderhof, and conservative Quakers. We respect the Bruderhof and hope to visit a community sometime.

All of the aforementioned communities are pacific and have been persecuted at times for not taking up arms for countries in which they resided. So they have had to flee or endure persecution.

This raises another question, Should Christians try to influence the greater society of which they are a part and, if so, how?

Jehovahs Witnesses and others consciously take no part in political and civic activities, leaving the resolution of those activities up to God. If persecution results, and it has, so be it. Others hop on political wagons. So called evangelicals seem more inclined to the conservative carts and more liberal faiths ride the liberal caravans. Increasingly the carts and caravans are headed in opposite directions with substantial momentum.

The upcoming Presidential Election is being portrayed as a defining moment in the history of this nation and I believe it is. Yet the world has seen many turning points and will likely face many more before the ultimate battle between good and evil.

Perhaps the greatest pretension is that evil does not exist in this world and that we can safely ignore it. The history of the world, at least so far, seems to have a common thread of war and conquest. In an evil-free world, more effort would have been spent in trying to elevate man than in killing him.

An awareness of evil for Christians does not include obsession. Paul told the Christian community in Rome not to be overcome by evil but to overcome evil by good. Dont be overwhelmed.

Ive heard both a physician and a pastor advising to stop listening to the news. One interpretation of Jesus resist not evil is to shrug off slights and get on with ones life. Another is not to engage evil in a way that strengthens it. Instead, strengthen each other realizing we need each others help and Gods.

Don Heacox can be reached at frheacox@gmail.com.

Read or Share this story: https://www.demingheadlight.com/story/opinion/2020/07/30/jumping-wagons-worldliness/5537734002/

Original post:

Inside out: Jumping on wagons and worldliness - The Deming Headlight

The present year and its events could emerge as one of the biggest leadership laboratories of our times for civil rights and Black Iowans, and Iowas leadership programs are gearing up to facilitate pivotal programming to help its classes lead change.

Amy Jennings, executive director of the Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute, has been telling members of this years upcoming Community Leadership Program class: If you want a live case study on leadership, this is the year, because there have been so many things for people to learn, to observe firsthand and to be a part of.

As the Black Lives Matter movement and the global reaction to the killing of George Floyd under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer continue to unfold, community and national conversations about race and racial equity are arguably at a level unseen since the early days of the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

Leadership development programs at both the community and statewide levels in Iowa aim to shine a brighter light on equity and inclusion and build on progress that has been attained in recent years, say the leaders of two prominent leadership organizations.

In separate interviews, the Business Record spoke with leaders of both the Greater Des Moines Leadership Insitutes Community Leadership Program and the ABI Foundations Leadership Iowa program for a look at how well they have addressed equity and inclusion in the past, and whats ahead for this years classes.

We would be remiss not to include that somehow and ensure that our classes are having those conversations, said Jessi Steward McQuerry, director of programs for ABI Foundation, because Leadership Iowa provides that environment to where they can have those informed conversations about whats happening in their own communities, and then be able to share that information back.

Raising awareness

Although Greater Des Moines has received national accolades for being a great place to live and work in recent years, thats obviously not true for all Des Moines-area residents, particularly people of color, said Eugenia Kutsch-Stanton, a research scientist with Corteva in Johnston.

The huge disparity in incarceration rates between African Americans and other Iowa residents is just one example, she said. The recent One Economy report released by the Directors Council outlined wide racial disparities that Black residents face.

Its not the same for everybody in Des Moines, and so we need to raise awareness of that, and have leaders who can speak to that, she said. By doing that, they can get into those rooms, or are already in those rooms, to start having those conversations and allow us to have those challenging conversations.

Kutsch-Stanton, a 2015 Community Leadership Program graduate who is currently the equity and inclusion chair-elect for the Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute, played a significant role in the Leadership Institutes development of its equity and inclusion program. Her community involvement extends to the Chrysalis Foundation, a nonprofit supporting womens issues, as its current board chair. She is an active supporter of LGBTQ rights as well.

A native of St. Louis, her position with what was then Pioneer brought her to Des Moines in 2004. A colleague in 2014 suggested she apply for the Leadership Institutes Community Leadership Program. She did and fell in love with the program.

I think at that time we were just beginning to think about some of these [equity and inclusion issues], she said. There really wasnt any structure or intentionality around it. [The thinking was] that diversity and inclusion were nice to have, and I think that was the same resonant message across the world and corporate America. We knew that we wanted it and that we needed it, but we didnt have any way of actually building that acumen into the programming.

Kutsch-Stanton helped to establish the Leadership Institutes Equity and Inclusion Committee, in 2016. Originally known as the diversity and inclusion committee, the wording was quickly changed, she recalled. I thought [the choice of the word equity] was really forward-thinking, because everyone else in the world was still using diversity and inclusion and even now that shift is still happening, she said.

She still counts herself among the newbies compared with Black leaders from earlier leadership classes who have been active in the community.

We need to have more diverse leaders in all positions; the businesses need this and are requesting this, Kutsch-Stanton said. We are going to have not only a more diverse pool of people that were going to give them, but were also going to raise awareness in topics within these areas so that they can go out and actually start executing on these things.

Bringing an equity lens to community issues

Being intentional about addressing community issues through the lens of equity and inclusion has been one of the key drivers for success, the Leadership Institutes Jennings said.

We have Capital Crossroads as the foundation for our Community Leadership Program curriculum, and we have intentionally looked for the issues within Capital Crossroads that need to be talked about related to equity, whether thats housing, downtown development or education, she said.

We bring the equity lens to all of those conversations, because our vision is a thriving community for all, and [one that is] served by an endless source of civic stewards, and that vision we actually changed as a result of the work that the Equity and Inclusion Committee did.

The Leadership Institute is also making a concerted effort in all of its programs to include conversations about equity, Jennings said. So its not only the Community Leadership Program, it is the Youth Leadership Initiative, our Community Connect program as well as our alumni programming. So we want that thread of equity and inclusion to run through everything we do, because were not going to achieve a thriving community for all unless we are sure that were all talking about equity.

As an example, when the Directors Council initially released the One Economy Report, the Leadership Institute quickly incorporated conversations about the report into its curricula. And so we are constantly looking for whats going on in the community that we can be sure to shine light on, she said.Kutsch-Stanton noted how the Leadership Institute recently hosted a well-attended pop-up event that in part looked at LGBTQ issues related to equity and inclusion, among them the differences in concerns of gay Black individuals and the gay community as a whole.

With the atmosphere locally and nationally with Black Lives Matter, I think there is a sense of urgency now, because if we want to maintain [momentum], if we want to bring more people into the city and have a diverse population, then were going to have to have a welcoming, inclusive population, she said.

More here:

The journey to equity - Business Record

At the intersection of the COVID-19 pandemic and the national conversation on systemic racism brought on by the killing of George Floyd and protests thereafter, awareness and acknowledgment brings credibility to an organization, Senior Vice President of Human Resources for Delta Dental of New Jersey and Delta Dental of Connecticut Claude Richardson explained during an NJBIZ webinar panel discussion on diversity in the workplace on Tuesday.

If you appear to be tone-deaf to whats going on, if you appear to be tone-deaf to the plight of others in your organization, youre going to lose credibility of your workforce that you understand what it is that theyre going through, what their needs are, and that you perhaps even have their best interests at heart, Richardson said.

Agudosi

Richardson was joined by fellow panelists Amy Flynn, human resources specialist for HR business Insperity; Hackensack Meridian Health Director Diversity and Inclusion Avonia Richardson-Miller; and Genova Burns LLC Partner Rajiv Parikh to discuss how diversity and inclusion have become centrally important in todays business world.

New Jersey Office of Diversity and Inclusion Chief Diversity Officer Hester Agudosi moderated the discussion.

D&I is at the forefront of everything and at the core of everything right now, more than ever, Richardson-Miller said, noting the disparate impact of COVID-19 on communities of color, specifically Black communities; and her and other CEOs responses to the killing of George Floyd.

Richardson-Miller

HMH Chief Executive Officer Robert Garrett put out a statement on Floyds death, unarmed at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis, shortly after it happened. His statement was compassionate, Richardson-Miller said, and really acknowledged what was going on and [had] a level of empathy and cultural intelligence around what the team members within the organization were feeling. His statement wasnt just a statement, she said, importantly, he also made a commitment to action going forward.

Parikh noted that an organizations leadership team should have goals with their D&I work, rather than just conversations; and that the goals arent one size fits all.

Parikh

Everybody knows you have to have them and you should have them, but at the end of those conversations, what do you want to have as your goal? Do you want a more communicative workforce? Do you want less tension, he said. Theres a question [in the Q&A] about internal staff division Do you want to try to alleviate that type of staff division? I think that all of those goals can be accomplished just, you know, by creating kind of a custom methodology for your organization.

Flynn noted that, with COVID-19, it may seem hard for organizations to put a timeline to the implementation of D&I policies and programs.

I know some of our clients are overwhelmed and thinking, this is massive. How am I going to accomplish all of this? she said. Her advice? Start somewhere.

Be able to start with a couple of initiatives that we think, okay, I can start with this and then we keep growing, she said. But really being able to make that commitment.

Part of D&I is managers or employers making sure theyre amplifying diverse voices.

In the age of the perpetual Zoom meeting, Richardson noted that while someone might have something valuable and constructive to offer, being reserved and having others chime in might dissuade them from doing so. Richardson recommends managers go around the squares of any Zoom call, giving participants the opportunity to share what they wanted to but didnt get to.

Richardson

Especially if they know in your meeting thats a routine of yours on and they definitely dont miss the opportunity to contribute, he said. [It helps them] not to be tone-deaf whats going on and helping them to express kind of where do we stand as an organization? and making sure that we dont lose the voice of those that may not otherwise speak up in this type of environment is really important.

As many companies continue to work partially or fully remote, keeping employees connected to one another is a challenge. Flynn suggested that employers offer their employees the chance to come together for varied discussion groups, and shared that one of the employers she works with has started a book group.

After all, the business case for focusing on diversity and inclusion is manifold: According to census data, Agudosi noted that New Jersey is on track to be majority minority in 20 years, banks that had a higher percentage of women on their boards fared better than their peers during the financial downturn of 2008, and diverse companies are more adaptive and innovative than their counterparts.

Flynn

According to Flynn, close to 70 percent of job seekers now are seeking out employers that make D&I a priority.

A webinar attendee from a mid-size conservation-based nonprofit told the panelists during Q&A that his or her organization was having trouble recruiting Black and Latinx people, and asked what could be done to attract that talent.

Richardson-Miller asked them if they were reaching out to historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutes, and Black MBAs or Latino MBAs.

What are your intentional efforts in going after this talent? I think that there just has to be a very thoughtful methodical and intentional approach and making sure that your recruitment efforts are targeting agencies and organizations where that talent exists and where you can connect with that talent, she said.

Everyone matters. Diversity is organic, but inclusion is intentional, Agudosi said.

See more here:

NJBIZ panel: Diversity is organic, but inclusion is intentional - NJBIZ - NJBIZ

With Covid-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement serving a one-two punch to American society, now more than ever has been a crucial time for people to reflect and think critically about how racism has severely affected the Black community.

One of the most evident disparaging impacts of the oppressive system is Black Americas inability to sustain more equitable communities.

As the country expanded its economic power over the last century, the racial wealth gap also significantly widened. Intentional sabotaging, such as theTulsa race massacre in 1921and theRosewood massacre in 1923, and the lack of investment towards growing and developing the marginalized community, has created gross inequality. In fact, according to a2019 report by McKinsey & Company, the median white family had more than 10 times the wealth of the median Black family in 2016 and the gap has continued to grow since.

To further discuss the structural roadblocks that have prevented Black America from building and distributing generational wealth, Yahoo Life spoke with a panel of five Black public figures who are raising awareness about the importance of reinvesting in their communities.

Educate people in a way that they have the information, so when we have the conversation about reparations, its not something to laugh about. Its not something that were not asking for. Its something that were owed, says activist, writer and filmmaker,Kimberly Jones.

The information Jones is referring to is from the2016 survey of Consumer Financesthat indicates Black Americans possess only 2.6 percent of the nations wealth while constituting 13 percent of the population.

Other panelists includeThe Grapevineshost and producerAshley AkunnaandDonovan Thompson, a panelist and producer on the show.Alysha Pamphile, cinematographer and host of theBlack Girl PodcastandDoyin Richards, bestselling childrens author and keynote speaker were also part of the discussion.

Despite the continued historic and deep-rooted mistreatment of Black Americans, the panelists agree it isnt too late to lay down the foundation to fuel the economy and increase the wealth in the community in order for future generations to close the gap.

As a Black community, we have to get more comfortable with the idea that we can change the narrative. We just need to have the vision and the dream, and then the people around you to help you process it and do that, Pamphile says. Thankfully, we have these people in our community who are willing to fight for what they know is right. Fight for what they know needs to be changed, regardless of how many years it took us to get here. If we didn't have these people, we would be back to square one, she added.

With so many institutionalized barriers, financial equality wont happen overnight, but resources such asOfficial Black Wall Street,Black Owned Everything,WeBuyBlackor theEatOkra appare great places to start.

Watch the video above to learn more about how we can effectively redistribute wealth in the Black community.

Video produced by Kelly Matousek and Gisselle Bances

For thelatest coronavirus news and updates, follow along athttps://news.yahoo.com/coronavirus. According to experts, people over 60 and those who are immunocompromised continue to be the most at risk. If you have questions, please reference theCDCs andWHOs resource guides.

More from Yahoo Life:'This is the only way to get real change': How Black Americans are using their purchasing power as a means of protest on #BlackOutDay202013 Black-owned beauty brands at Nordstrom, Sephora and Ulta right now8-year-old boy organizes Black Lives Matter protest for children: 'Kids can make a change in the world'

Want daily lifestyle and wellness news delivered to your inbox?Sign up herefor Yahoo Lifes newsletter.

Continued here:

Experts on the importance of redistributing Black wealth: 'We can change the narrative' - AOL

Share This Article:San Diego County healthcare workers conduct COVID-19 testing at SDCCU Stadium. Photo by Chris Stone

San Diego County public health officials reported 13 new community outbreaks of COVID-19 Friday, raising the number of outbreaks in the past week to 38.

Support Times of San Diego's growthwith a small monthly contribution

Three of the outbreaks were reported in business settings, three in restaurants, two in restaurant/bar settings, two in hotel/resort/spa settings, one in a health care facility, one in a faith-based setting and one in a grocery store.

The number of community outbreaks far exceeds the countys goal of fewer than seven in a seven-day span. A community setting outbreak is defined as three or more COVID-19 cases in a setting and in people of different households.

A total of 91 outbreaks have been reported in July, more than double the number reported in June and more than the number reported from March through June.

The county reported 380 new COVID-19 cases and three deaths, raising the regions totals to 29,048 cases and 561 fatalities.

On June 30, the county reported a total of 14,623 cases. It has nearly doubled its total in 31 days.

Of the 9,066 tests reported Friday, 4% were positive, dropping the 14- day rolling average of positive test cases to 5.4%. The states target is fewer than 8% of tests returning positive.

While these numbers appear to be steps in the right direction, County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher said Wednesday that since the county has realigned to focus testing on more vulnerable populations due to dwindling testing supplies, it may not reflect the true extent of the pandemic in the region.

Of the total positive cases, 2,521 or 8.7% required hospitalization and 642 or 2.2% were admitted to an intensive care unit.

The three people whose deaths were reported Friday were a woman and two men who died between July 20 and July 29, and their ages ranged from 69 to 79. All had underlying medical conditions, as have 95% of those who have died from the illness.

According to county data, 57% of adult San Diego County residents have underlying medical conditions such as high blood pressure, heart and lung disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity. These conditions put such people at risk for serious illness should they contract COVID-19.

Of the total hospitalized during the pandemic due to the illness, 71% have been 50 or older. The highest age group testing positive for the illness are those 20-29, and that group is also least likely to take precautionary measures to avoid spreading the illness, a county statement said.

Some San Diegans think theyre not going to get sick and therefore are not following the public health guidance, said Dr. Wilma Wooten, the countys public health officer. What they dont realize is that they could get infected and pass the virus to others who are vulnerable.

An amendment to the countys public health order, which went into effect Wednesday morning, now requires all employers to inform employees of any COVID-19 outbreaks or cases at a place of business. Previously, the county recommended employers disclose outbreak information but did not require it.

We are continually adjusting and making refinements, Fletcher said. We believe most entities are acting responsibly, but this will ensure employers inform their employees.

Speaking at the countys daily coronavirus briefing on Wednesday, Fletcher and county Supervisor Greg Cox said the county is rapidly attempting to recruit more Spanish-speaking contact tracers and investigators and increase testing in the South Bay, where communities are reporting the highest rates of COVID-19 in the county. The percentage of Latino contact tracers and investigators hired by the county is currently 25%.

The head of the Chicano Federation of San Diego County was critical of the countys response, saying it had not taken actions to reflect its demographics in contact tracers an inaction which could be exacerbating cases and reporting in the countys Latino population.

We were told repeatedly that the county was working diligently to hire people from the community to serve as contact tracers, and that they were being intentional about making sure contract tracers and investigators were representative of the community. They lied, Chicano Federation CEO Nancy Maldonado said in a statement Wednesday.

The County of San Diego has failed Latinos at every step of this pandemic, she said. Lives have been destroyed because of failed leadership. The response from the county has been irresponsible and San Diego Countys Latino community is paying the price.

Latinos make up 61% of those hospitalized in the county from the virus and 45% of the deaths. They compose around 35% of the countys population.

Cox and Fletcher also said they would be bringing a plan for a safe reopening compliance team before the full Board of Supervisors. The team would supplement health order enforcement, including investigating egregious violations, outbreaks and conducting regular checks of the countys more than 7,500 food facilities.

New enforcement could include a compliance hotline for tips, additional staff for investigations and outbreaks, and coordination with cities to send a team to conduct investigations.

City News Service

San Diego COVID-19 Outbreaks Total 38 in Past Week, Including 13 Friday was last modified: July 31st, 2020 by Ken Stone

>> Subscribe to Times of San Diegos free daily email newsletter! Click here

Original post:

San Diego COVID-19 Outbreaks Total 38 in Past Week, Including 13 Friday - Times of San Diego

Drew Hart

There is more support than any time in our history, in this moment, said Dr. Drew Hart, author, professor, activist and Harrisburg resident about the current attention on racist policies in this country.

He hopes that this interest and activism are not superficial.

There is the potential that something really meaningful could flourish from this, he said.

How do we move from this cursory concern to profound change?

Not in the way one might think, according to Hart. We must start at the root and unlearn and relearn much of the knowledge we have acquired, not just about Black history, but about American history or real American history. In his book, Trouble Ive Seen: Changing the Way the Church Views Racism, Hart give readers an opportunity for this relearning.

He described historical practices like red-lining, an intentional federal government system of color-coding neighborhoods to keep minorities and immigrants out of predominantly white neighborhoods, and the withholding of GI Bill benefits like low-interest loans and mortgages from Black veterans.

There are two different narratives in America, Hart explained. Black stories include oppression, brutal policing and the constant scrutiny of whites. White stories are centered around American pride, opportunity and wealth achieved by hard work. By challenging the white narrative, white Americans challenge their identity.

If you are in a social bubble, when your narrative always gets told, then you take that for granted, he said. That becomes the instinctive way that you interpret everything that happens around you.

In other words, people begin to think that their perspective is the only perspective, and they spend little time listening to other peoples experiences.

Even though they [whites] may not have any lived experience in these [Black] communities, they dont have the meaningful, substantive relationships from a variety of people in those communities to receive these stories, and yet they have an immediate response to events in the Black community, he said.

His book described this as going with your gut, a practice that white Americans need to set aside in order to understand the struggles of the Black community.

To sustainably turn this present progress into change, people need to invest time into their neighborhoods, find ways to participate in community good, hold police accountable, and link arms with those who are oppressed, said Hart.

For those who doubt the racism and oppression against Blacks and respond that All Lives Matter to the cries of injustice, You are not listening to what Black people have been saying, Hart said.

This response to Black Lives Matter is also a result of not recognizing racism, he said. People hearken back to crosses burned on yards, segregated lunch counters and whites-only water fountains to define racism. However, according to Hart, racism is a chameleon, adapting to the current situation just as it has done throughout American history.

After slavery was abolished, Jim Crow laws took effect. These laws, which lasted into the late 1960s, allowed for segregation, decided where Blacks could work and travel, and disallowed voting rights. The war on drugs followed, which incarcerated Blacks at a higher rate than whites and provided for much tougher jail sentences for the use of crack cocaine, used more by Blacks, versus the use of powdered cocaine, used more by whites.

These racist policies are fueled by the idea of white supremacynot the skinhead white supremacy many people are familiar with, but the accepted, often unconsciously held idea that whites are superior to Blacks. Harts book points out that white people need to begin to examine their assessment of Blacks and other minorities.

Society labels white teenagers who use drugs as experimenting, as a normal part of growing up. However, it labels Black teens who engage in drug use as thugs and a threat to society.

In fact, Hart has experienced that a Black mans mere presence often labels him a thug. The book dives into these experiences and the fact that they happened in an unlikely placea Christian college.

That Christians foment racial division may seem unconscionable, but Christianity has not only participated in but has perpetuated and justified racial oppression and remained silent in its midst. Within the pages of Trouble Ive Seen, Hart calls out the church and urges it go beyond its complacency.

Christianity has racial work to do, as does Harrisburg, according to Hart. Substantial conversations regarding race need to be had and neighborhoods like Uptown and Allison Hill need more investment.

[There are] no simple answers, but until we talk about the root problems, we wont get to anything meaningful, he said.

This weighty work is what birthed Harts next book, Who Will be a Witness: Igniting Activism for Gods Justice, Love and Deliverance, due out in September. During his countrywide speaking engagements, people often ask whats next or how to we do racial justice.

I realized they need a little more help thinking through this, he said.

Even with the focus on racial matters right now, those working on the long, uphill cause of justice know this is an ultramarathon not a sprint. When asked if he has hope for the future, Hart measured his words. He said hes not hopeful in the optimistic sense but in another way.

Im hopeful in the sense that we can be the hope, he said. Im more interested in the practice of hope, of exercising hope, of living hope for others.

For more information on Dr. Drew Hart, his activism and books, visit http://www.drewgihart.com.

View post:

Different Lives, Different Narratives: Messiah College Professor Drew Hart on the divisions between Black, white America - The Burg News

History can be a powerful teacher, even when it involves a Rose Bowl queen.

Back in 1957, the Tournament of Roses named Joan Williams as Miss Crown City, the predecessor to the current Rose Queen. Then officials learned that she was African American and suddenly the city curtailed official duties of the honoree, according to an obituary for Williams, who died last year at age 86.

She was not invited to ride on a parade float. In fact, that year Pasadena decided against entering a float in the parade at all.

But in 2015 58 years later the city extended an apology and offered Williams an invitation to ride in the first float of the storied parade.

For 130 years, the spectacle on the first day of every new year has captured the attention of millions of people around the world. The parade was started as a showcase of sorts of the abundance provided by California weather, and also of its benefactors, the stalwart Pasadena scions who created it. For most of its history, the Tournament of Roses, which includes a foundation and committees that consist of volunteer members, reflected the epitome of Pasadenas old guard the white and male establishment.

In recent years, the organization has moved forward in fits and starts on its way to reflecting the Pasadena of today diversifying the ranks of volunteers, committee members and staff who keep it going. Its membership has grown to include more African Americans, Latinx and Asians, according to numbers provided by the organization.

As the community has become more diverse, so have the efforts to make the membership reflect that, says Tournament of Roses CEO David Eads.

Those efforts include adding at-large committee members who are ethnically diverse, says Laura Farber, the organizations immediate past president. Farber was the organizations first Latinx president; her term ended with the most recent festivities in January. She now chairs the committee that oversees football game management, a position never before held by a woman.

The committees are the pipeline by which executives, officers and presidents are promoted. All those who have served as president have come up through the committee system after years of service. The at-large members are chosen for their diversity.

I think that was intentional, observes Farber, an immigrant from Buenos Aires. We can at least make sure we are providing an opportunity to people from a variety of viewpoints. I credit the at-large positions for diversifying the organization.

The Tournament of Roses 935 members now number more women than men and are younger 43 is the average age of the latest class, Eads says. Its members are 11% African American, 20% Latinx and 20% Asian. Pasadena residents overall are almost 10% African American, 34.4% Latinx, 16% Asian and 36.5% white.

The committees oversee all the activities and the foundation that donates $200,000 to local nonprofits annually. They are what helped promote the Tournament of Roses first Asian American president in 2014, the first African American president two years ago and Farber one year ago.

An attorney with Pasadena law firm Hahn & Hahn, Farber says she first learned of opportunities to volunteer with the Tournament of Roses from other attorneys at the firm. She had never thought about it because she had the impression she would not be welcome.

Of course I would have never envisioned people like myself getting involved, she says. Im glad that I was encouraged to do so.

Farber has served on nine committees over 26 years and believes its important for young people from all walks of life and all socio-economic backgrounds to see people of color in prominent positions. With that in mind, she made a point to visit all of Pasadenas public schools and different community groups to invite them to visit the Rose Bowl headquarters while she was president.

You need experience to lead, she says. It took time. It took an investment. We are reaping the fruits now of the work we did over many years to bring this change.

Farbers notable contributions to the organization included bringing on three Latinas as grand marshals of the parade, something that had never been done before. Actresses Rita Moreno and Gina Torres joined Olympic gymnast Laurie Hernandez for the festivities this past January.

Farber also opened up the parade entries to a more global audience, which brought in bands and floats from countries that had never participated before.

Farber and Eads made it their goal to broaden the organizations membership, to bring in many different groups within the community, not just ethnically diverse groups and women.

Farber says she wants people from all economic classes to feel welcome to the festivities and to Wrigley Mansion, the Tournament of Roses headquarters. She has joined committees with the local NAACP to help businesses during the current economic downturn.

Farber wants to encourage participation so that more people who represent the community at large move into executive positions. Many members of the Tournament of Roses committees come from nonprofit organizations that work to support the community and create an overlap of interests.

The foundation grants $200,000 annually to nonprofit groups offering programs in education, sports and recreation, and the visual and performing arts. It offers a scholarship for high school football players nationwide and funds local nonprofits in their fundraising efforts.

To increase participation, Eads says the organization has participated in community parades and events, such as the Black History Parade, the Latino Heritage Parade and the San Gabriel Valley Pride Festival. It has been a deliberate effort, he says.

We continue to evolve. We try to keep a balance between holding on to our values. The joy and excitement of the Tournament of Roses and our traditions are only enhanced when we have an inclusive membership, Eads says.

But while there has been progress in reflecting the community, that progress should not be taken for granted, says former Pasadena developer Jim Morris, who once protested the lack of diversity of the Rose Bowl with an actual roadblock of the coronation festivities. He and other activists persisted in efforts to bring awareness to what they saw as stagnation in getting the organization to better reflect the community.

Morris fears there are efforts to eliminate those at-large positions that helped elevate Farber, Gerald Freeny, the first African American president, and Richard Chinen, the first Asian American president.

Morris also believes the foundation can do a better job of supporting local communities of color rather than donating to organizations in economically well-off cities such as San Marino and La Caada Flintridge.

Along with the encouraging changes brought on by diversifying the membership, Morris hopes that diversity broadens and that more history of the event be known that, for instance, the land on which the Rose Bowl and the Wrigley Mansion reside was once owned by an African American.

Morris is encouraged, however, to see the recent demands for structural change in the country and believes it will benefit all people if these changes are enacted.

Theres a hope that this change is going to be meaningful, he says, adding that when more people are included in organizations such as the Tournament of Roses, everybody benefits.

Eads too looks forward to seeing the tournament continue to embrace and reflect all people of Southern California today. It makes for a better organization. We are stronger for it.

Link:

Creating a Tournament of Roses that celebrates the diversity of Southern California - OCRegister

NYPD officers clash with protesters. (Tayfun Coskun / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

On July 28, a couple of hundred protesters in Manhattan watched helplessly as 18-year-old trans woman Nikki Stone was snatched off the street by plainclothes officers, shoved into an unmarked van, and taken who knows where.Ad Policy

Protesters who attempted to intervene were met with pepper spray to the face. Shortly after, video of the kidnapping was posted on Twitter for the world to see.

Stones crime that warranted a literal kidnapping? Allegedly damaging police cameras and spray painting.

In the months since the murder of George Floyd sparked nationwide protests against systemic racism and unjust policing practices, weve witnessed in person and on video federal and local law enforcement officials terrorize and brutalize protesters with impunity, making it ever more clear that were on the road away from democracy and getting closer to fascism. Just days before, we watched federal officers in Portland, Ore., snatch a protester in similar fashion. So, naturally, when Stone was taken, messages of fear and confusion proliferated quickly online. Were these federal officers? NYPD? Without clear markings, were these officers at all? An NYPD social media account came forward to take credit for the kidnapping, while also falsely claiming that officers were assaulted with rocks and bottles.

To those outside New York Citys border, and some within, this was new, novel, and terrifying. To those of us who have fought police terror in the city, its the same NYPD weve always known.

The division responsible for Stones kidnapping is known as the warrant squad. The name makes it sound like the officers ride around town like the A-Team, taking down the toughest criminals with unorthodox tactics, but for the right reasons. Quite the opposite. The warrant squad marshals the full weight of the departments multibillion-dollar budget to terrorize the citys most vulnerable communities.

A 2015 investigative report by John Surico for Vice highlighted the warrant squads repeated raids of homeless shelterswith a majority of arrests coming for nonviolent, minor offenses.Current Issue

Subscribe today and Save up to $129.

When I asked homeless people why this is happening, most said it was to meet quotasthe statistics-based policing that critics (and even some police officers) say is encouraged by One Police Plazaand that the homeless arrests can act as fodder for the stats, Surico wrote. This, they argued, may explain why the raids fluctuate: Some months have low numbers, perhaps meaning the cops dont need as many arrests; when the raids go up, the cops are presumably in need of some juice.

As a former public defender, Ive witnessed this police work masquerading as public safety up close. In the early years of my career, parades of warrant squad detainees were regularly marched into court, the rattle of chain gang shackles filling the room. Some were partially clothed, others missing shoes. The infractions that justified their appearing in this dehumanizing state were almost always dismissed. One by one, they were unshackled and sent on their waythe state acting like nothing had ever happened. Until the next raid.

Unlike many of the warrant squads incursions over the years, what happened to Stone on Tuesday night was witnessed by hundreds of thousands of people via cell phone cameras and social media. Several New York City Council members joined the righteous torrent of outrage, but many chose to look good rather than to do good when the time arrived to hold police accountable.

Last month, a multiracial coalition of New Yorkers did their part in working to disempower an out-of-control police force by advocating a $1 billion divestment from NYPD and an investment in social services. Those efforts were met with political chicanery when the City Council passed a budget that failed to cut the police budget in any meaningful way. The same legislators who are standing up now to express outrage and demand answers about Stones arrest sat down when their time came not just to demand accountability but to make real and lasting change.

If you like this article, please give today to help fund The Nations work.

What happened to Stone should be a wake-up call to anyone who thought police violence would confine itself to Black, brown, and poor communities. That she was snatched from a dense throng of protesters shows the sophistication of NYPD surveillance. This was an intentional act meant to send a message to protesters: Speak out, and you too can be disappeared. If this happened in another country, wed be condemning the regime responsible, as we frequently do when foreign regimes that arent allies use their police forces to brutally suppress dissenting speech.

But it is easy to call out oppression beyond our borders, harder to do so when our government is waging violence and oppression against our own people. Difficulty cannot be a deterrent. History shows what happens when we fail to uproot oppression. The prophetic prose of Martin Niemllers First They Came rings loudly in my head. First they came for the Communists / And I did not speak out / Because I was not a Communist What started in the dark of night at homeless shelters is now in the streets in broad daylight. We are the last to speak for us. If you have not been already, its time to start shouting.

See the article here:

The NYPD Took a Step Toward Fascism When It Kidnapped Nikki Stone - The Nation

Q&A

No More Secrets, a Mount Airy-based nonprofit, is doing the work to combat Philadelphia's period poverty.

Founder Lynette Medley (right) and her No More Secrets team are working to end period poverty in Philly at a grassroots level. | Photos courtesy No More Secrets.

I realize Im getting my period when I go to the bathroom with cramps and find that quite suddenly, Im bleeding heavily. I grab two Midol, a tampon that Ill have to change soon, and, depending on the pain level, a heating pad, and get on with my day. Some days, the pain is debilitating, and my body feels weak and woozy. Some days, I can tolerate it well. Regardless, I never have to worry about blood leaking everywhere. I can afford the tampons I prefer, the size that works for me, and pads for extra lining when I need it.

For much of Philadelphia, the reality is different.

Women all over Philadelphia wake up with their periods their uteruses contracting, often painfully, to help expel their lining and no supplies to help them manage the pain or the blood flow. Theyll miss work or school, or try to manage the bleeding in other ways, like by using kitchen towels or old rags. Theyll ruin clothes and underwear because of this. Theyll ration pads and tampons to get through. And theyll do it again next month.

This is period poverty: the inability to afford products for dealing with menstruation. Its an issue most often associated with developing countries (a UPenn sophomore won an Oscar last year for her work depicting the issue in New Delhi), but its actually common throughout the United States.

One local organization is trying to change that reality here in Philly. No More Secrets, a sexuality awareness and counseling organization, was founded in 2012 by Mount Airy-based sexual health counselor Lynette Medley, 51, who delivers daily care packages with her daughter, Nya McGlone, 28.

Medleys nonprofit delivers almost 200 three-month supplies of menstrual products in the Greater Philadelphia area each week, undaunted by thunderstorms, 95 degree weather and COVID-19. A normal day for the No More Secrets crew means upwards of 50 deliveries of menstrual products in the city and suburbs.

And what theyre doing is sorely needed. A 2019 study of American cities found that two-thirds of low-income women didnt have the resources to buy menstrual products at some point within the past year. In Philadelphia, almost a quarter of our citizens live in poverty, with Black Philadelphians being about twice as likely to live in poverty as white Philadelphians. And, for some reason, period products which are a human necessity for health, sanitation, and attending work or school arent covered by Medicaid or SNAP. Theyre also not uniformly available in our public schools. In addition to the years of work by No More Secrets, newer organizations like the teenage-run Menstrual Equity Project have been seeking to fill the gaps in Philly schools recently, but this problem mostly continues, as it has for years, without a government solution in sight.

In July, No More Secrets launched its latest social action campaign, #BlackGirlsBleed, to help raise awareness of and end period poverty, address systemic racism in the menstrual health space, and decrease stigma about menstruation in Black communities.

I chatted with No More Secrets founder Lynette Medley to find out more about #BlackGirlsBleed and period poverty in Philadelphia and what we can do about it.

Lynette Medley delivering supplies in the Philly area. | Photograph courtesy of Lynette Medley

Philadelphia magazine: How did you decide to launch your latest social media campaign?Medley: With #BlackGirlsBleed, we are really intentional about entering a space that is not really welcoming to Black bodies and Black organizations. We are really trying to push the envelope and get donations that are actually going to do good. We are trying to ask people to be inclusive of our efforts. Its funny, because we are small very small and we have been doing a lot, because it is our passion.

How did you first become aware of the extent of period poverty in Philadelphia?Im a therapist and sexual awareness counselor. I got into this space because of a situation with a client who was referred to me for acting out sexually. This 13-year-old young lady was sent to me for help.

I asked her, What is going on that you are acting this way? She said, Its just that I will do whatever I can to get a pad or tampon for me and my siblings! My mouth dropped. I was shocked.

I said, What are you talking about?! She said she would do whatever she could everything from stealing to selling her body. I said, You are kidding me!

I said we could fix it. We could call somebody. I told her, Im sure there are resources out there let me call these people. She told me, There are no resources.

Of course, I said we could fix it. We could call somebody. I told her, Im sure there are resources out there let me call these people. She told me, There are no resources. I said, Well, lets call together.

We start calling. I start calling my friends and the city and the health department and the schools. They said they could give her one pad or tampon, but not multi-day supplies. I told her, Dont worry, I am sure there is a bank somewhere. There was no bank. There were no resources. I said Well, doesnt public assistance cover it? She said no. I started calling the government, the state, and to my surprise, nothing covered it. I was shocked. And that is how I got into this space.

So there were no government resources, and you had to take matters into your own hands?Yes. I started collecting and distributing menstrual product donations immediately. I started with saying we were gathering toiletries for teens to raise money. I was aware that there is a stigma, and I didnt want to ask directly for funds for tampons. I didnt know how the community was going to donate, you understand? I wanted to keep it soft so it wouldnt shock them.

We started small, giving out small care packages, and worked our way up to having a menstrual supplies bank that we manage. Everything is still organic. We still have dont have a corporate sponsor; we dont have brands that are funding us. Everything has been from donations and marketing what we do ourselves. When we created the menstrual supplies bank, the people that need these supplies told me that they dont have money to travel to even pick up these supplies they need them delivered. Thats how we started the delivery service.

There is a stigma, and I didnt want to ask directly for funds for tampons. I didnt know how the community was going to donate, you understand? I wanted to keep it soft so it wouldnt shock them.

That is fascinating. I think many people dont understand that this problem isnt only happening in developing countries its a Philadelphia issue.Thats very true. I get frustrated sometimes, but at the end of the day, I think there is really a lack of education and awareness about it. I feel like we arent talking about it enough. I dont think women talk about it enough in general. I started this #BlackGirlsBleed campaign because I really think there is a deficit in communities of color. The purpose was to amplify the voices of Black women, and also to reach out to different brands and suppliers and say, I see your pages, but I dont see people that look like us talking about our experiences. I really just want to decrease the stigma in the communities of color specifically.

For example, not everybody dealing with this is living in total poverty. Many women who ask for donations are hourly wage earners struggling to meet their families needs. Usually when people find me to get products, I find out that their attitudes towards their periods are generational. Theyll say, My mom did it, and my grandmother did it. We all stayed home, couldnt go to school, and we just used this or that. People are still using pieces of rag and pieces of comforter and socks and thinking that its okay. I have had parents and they work, and they are just trying to buy food, and they are trying to pay for utilities, and they and their children use paper towels because there isnt another option for them. Its so much deeper than people imagine, because we really arent talking about it. People dont have a space to talk about it.

What is period poverty, by your definition?Menstrual equity and period poverty are two different things. A lot of large organizations say they address period poverty. If you are giving someone a lunch bag with three tampons and two pads, that is not period poverty; that is menstrual equity. Its, I am giving you this for a moment until you can get other things.

Period poverty is, I dont have any pads; I cant get access to pads or tampons; me and my family need monthly supplies. Period poverty is when you are rationing pads between your sisters every month. That is a whole different conversation. But all these organizations are saying period poverty. So you give me two tampons in the little brown bag , and they are talking about solving period poverty! That is for what, one day? A half-day of my cycle?

What can change at a policy level? In the majority of the United States, these items are still taxed. I dont really get into that conversation about the Pink Tax, because the populations we serve whether its taxed or non-taxed, they still cant pay for it. A dollar or two is not going make a difference for them. These people have stood in lines all summer in the heat trying to get food. Some people would call me and say they need period supplies so they can go get food, because they are bleeding and they dont have toilet paper or paper towels. They cant go get supplies because they are bleeding.

I have had meetings with city officials and with the Department of Human Services and the Department of Public Health. I have gotten rebuttals like, This is not an issue in the community. How can you prove it? Where is the research? There does need to be more research so we have the evidence to show. I think this needs to be on the risk assessment for the Department of Human Services as risky behaviors, like housing insecurity and food insecurity.

Tell me more about the #BlackGirlsBleed Campaign this past month.#BlackGirlsBleed is a movement that we started in July of 2020 addressing the systemic racism in the practices of the menstrual space. The menstrual space is really a white space. There are not many people of color in these commercials and at these companies. We realized because of that, menstrual brands and menstrual movements have not historically uplifted Black communities or Black organizations. They dont like to give us resources even though we are on the ground doing the work. I want to highlight the disparities. I want to highlight that Black girls bleed and share their stories. We realized that women in our communities dont see people like them talking about their menstrual cycles, talking about their periods. Its not just menstrual equity its self-esteem-building, and changing the conversation and helping to empower young women to love themselves.

Their experiences are different than they might see in ads. Ill ask girls, What do you see in the commercials? They talk about people who are surfing and swimming and high-diving, but they say, That is not my experience.

We need to get to reality and be able to get to talk about these issues and not feel shame. It is really just a way of highlighting their voices and amplifying how they feel in our community. We want to get rid of the generational stigma within communities of color. I want women to start seeing more people talking about it. Women in our communities often suffer in silence.

Not everybody dealing with this is living in poverty. Many women who ask for donations are hourly wage earners struggling to meet their families needs.

Photograph courtesy of Lynette Medley.

Do you partner with schools or other local organizations?We do all the deliveries. We delivered to the School District of Philadelphia when it was open. When we delivered to them, they were called RED boxes resources for education and distribution. We would give a huge bin filled with pads, tampons, wipes, whatever the school requested. The school system only supplies feminine products to a very small number of our hundreds of schools. And, they only distributed size-one pads. Nurses who got these supplies told us, We need heavier; we need thicker; we need this size; we need variety.

Thats true. A thin size-one pad would be useless for me and many women I know.Yes. Its not like anyone is asking for a certain brand. I am trying to fit the needs of the people that I am serving. If you are giving size-one pads to a child in poverty who already has an irregular or heavy period, and they are having clots and they are in class, they cant use it. They will tell me, I am still not going to go to school, because I will be there bleeding over this size-one pad on the one uniform I have, and my mom doesnt have regular running water, so I dont know when it will be washed.

I have women who have been in the EARN program. They tell me, I get fired every time because I dont have pads. I only have one outfit to wear to work, and two pairs of underwear, and the boss will ask, Why do you keep going to the bathroom? Its because I have one dollar-store pad and I leak through it every five minutes. These are conversations we just dont have. People are really suffering, and it is actually keeping some people in poverty.

I dont feel as though it is a handout, because I feel that its a disgrace and discriminatory in nature to not address menstrual rights in our communities. I feel it is a human rights issue. Im just giving them what they need to live their lives.

Is there any ever hesitation or shame from people about receiving these boxes of pads and tampons from you?We used to be like thieves in the night and go out to deliver at night, in the dark. Then one day, one of the recipients in our community, Amirra Jenkins, asked me, Why are you not thinking business? Why are you not posting this on IG so people know what you are doing? We took a picture, and soon we started seeing all these girls posting it on social media. So now, people all want to take a picture with us. They want to change this perception.

It was so surprising to me, but the girls feel proud that this is a movement. Its a movement for these girls and women to say, This makes no sense that this happening, and to take a stand. I dont feel as though it is a handout at all, because it is a disgrace and discriminatory in nature to not address menstrual rights in our communities. I feel it is a human rights issue. Im just giving them what they need to live their lives.

To donate to No More Secrets, visit their website here. You can also follow them on Instagram here.

Want to hear more from us? Join Be Well Philly at:FACEBOOK|INSTAGRAM|NEWSLETTER|TWITTER

View original post here:

Not Everyone in Philly Has Access to Pads and Tampons. Thats a Problem. - Philadelphia magazine

The outrage was instant and loud. And warranted.

No Latinx creatives appeared in any of the major categories when nominations for the 72nd Emmy Awards were announced earlier this week. How is that even possible, people raged, especially given One Day at a Times tongue-in-cheek laughs, Vidas queer joy and Los Espookys oddball humor?

The erasure of Latinos is not exactly news, though. Over the last five years, 82% of nominees in 19 Primetime Emmy categories were white. A mere 1% were Latino.

As the subsequent backlash to this years nominations reignites debate about Hollywoods failure to represent Latinx characters on-screen, a movement toward inclusion behind the camera is taking place behind the scenes.

One morning in 2015, about 20 Latinas took up every single chair on Gloria Caldern Kelletts patio and she had made turkey burgers for everyone.

The Latina TV Writers Brunch Group began that very day at the One Day at a Time showrunners house, and today it includes about 155 members. Co-founder Judalina Neira is amazed that the group has multiplied fivefold.

The cast of One Day at a Time includes, clockwise from bottom left: Justina Machado, Isabella Gomez, Rita Moreno and Marcel Ruiz.

(Adam Rose / Netflix)

I think thats such a testament to the explosion of growth and the representation that were gaining, she said recently on a Zoom call. Its still not enough, but were gaining.

Neiras group, which she co-founded with fellow TV writer Diana Mendez, was inspired by Black Women Who Brunch and a similar group for Black men in the industry. In turn, La Lista, the Latina TV Writers Brunch Groups online talent directory developed by Mixed-ishs Emilia Serrano, inspired the Latinx Directors co-founders who recently launched their own database.

From La Lista to the Latinx Directors database to the inaugural Latinx TV List, the vastly underrepresented community is collaborating throughout Hollywood to bridge Latinx talent with executives and producers and to foster solidarity among one another.

Our purpose is really to get us into the rooms where our voices can be heard, where our unique point of views can be heard, where our experiences can be heard, Mendez told the L.A. Times in the same Zoom interview with Neira. And keep us in those rooms and keep us moving up the ranks long enough to take ownership of those stories and be in charge of the rooms.

Diana Mendez co-founded the Latina TV Writers Brunch Group in 2015.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

La Lista answers the question Where are the Latino/a writers?, which the duo often hears floating around the industry. The list began as an internal resource to keep the group organized, but soon enough others began to ask for it.

Although the list has led to getting Latina writers in the room where it happens, in front of showrunners, the women still see a trend: Black and brown writers are asked to repeat the same level over and over. That is, theyre barred from climbing the ladder toward becoming showrunners.

At the same time, just 4.7% of screenwriters are Latinx, even though Latinos make up 18.3% of the U.S. population. A solution to that disparity lies in whos hiring.

We feel that putting writers of color in positions of authority, and in hiring positions specifically, leads to more people of color being hired regardless of their ethnicity, Neira said. When I staff my room, whatever show I have in the future, I will absolutely make sure that theres a wide spread of representation.

Neira works as a co-executive producer on the upcoming Netflix show Girls on the Bus. Mendez is a co-producer on The Rookie. Neither one is interested in perpetuating Latinx stereotypes on-screen. According to a USC Annenberg report, 24% of all Latino characters in the top films of 2017-2018 were depicted as lawbreakers across a range of violent and non-violent crimes.

Judalina Neira has been told not to write about Mexican families, to keep it generic, keep it general. Today, she says, that would be unheard of.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

The whole reason why I wanted to become a writer was because I was sick of seeing the same cholos, vatos, the maid, and thats it, as far as Latino characters, Latinos being the criminals, Mendez said. There is a very strong activist blood running through the veins of all of our members.

After the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25, empathy permeated the group. A sense of solidarity exists among them, they said, and the need to uplift all people of color is built into [their] DNA.

While Brunch Group members were protesting in the streets and calling the L.A. City Council, top entertainment companies were declaring their support for diversity and inclusion again. Alberto Belli, a Latinx Directors database co-founder, isnt seeing results from studio diversity and inclusion programs.

They were committed to diversity, he said. And then they just released another letter after Black Lives Matter that theyre committed to diversity. And youre like, wait, werent you committed to diversity 10 years ago?

Belli was selected for the Sony Pictures Television Diverse Directors Program. Hes from Mexico, based in L.A. and comes from a computer-science engineering background all traits that appear in bright blue when you search his name on the Latinx Directors site.

The database itself comprises an accordion of nine filters, from cultural identity/heritage to self identification, including gender and sexual identity. Those categories brim with intention: The team scratched nationality in favor of chosen cultural identity, and chose self-identification to allow directors to showcase their perspectives.

Clockwise from top left, directors Joel Novoa, Diego Velasco and Alberto Belli, co-creators of the Latinx Directors database.

(Joel Novoa, Diego Velasco and Alberto Belli)

No more stories about us, without us, they say. And with good reason: Between 2007 and 2018, only 4% of top films were directed by Latinos. Just one of those directors was Latina.

But co-founder and Arrow director Joel Novoa pointed out that, because the L.A. Latinx community spans so many cultural identities, those differences can cause friction at times.

Its such a diverse culture that I think thats one of our strengths, and at the same time, its one of our weaknesses, he said. Because what can become a strength of all of us being united, at the same time, makes us all work separated.

But those facets are beginning to draw together. When writer and producer Carolina Paiz, the wife of third Latinx Directors co-founder Diego Velasco, showed him La Listas website (shes a member), the Orange Is the New Black TV director was inspired. He took the idea for a related database to Belli and Novoa in April 2019, and Latinx Directors was born.

Just open the door, Velasco said. Im not asking for anything extra. Just give us a shot and I promise you will not you wont realize the spice you didnt have in your life until you work with us. And let us bring our spice to the work that weve done.

One way to crack that door ajar is through amplification and tantalizing deals. Hulu, the Black List and an array of partner organizations did just that with the inaugural Latinx TV List, which was announced at the end of June.

Writer and producer Paloma Martinez frantically revised her TV script, checking it for grammar in the passengers seat as her mom drove them home from Northern California. Three months after submitting it (and two other pilots), her family gathered around at lunch to hear her announced as a winner.

Martinezs script, El Borde, or The Edge, a story about the environment, mutation and cultural fusion was one of 10 selected. Beatrice Springborn, Hulus vice president of content, reached out to propose that the streaming giant meet with all 10 writers and offer a script deal to two of them.

The first word that comes to mind is recognition, Martinez said. Weve been there: Weve been writing, weve been hustling, weve been working our way up in the ranks, from assistants up to executives. Especially being a woman of color, being BIPOC, LGBTQIA, is like when if youre not what the industry is used to, they tend to want someone to vet you.

And vet the scripts they did. Latinx writers submitted scripts through the Black List, a screenplay-rating platform, which read them for quality then passed on a select group to the Latin Tracking Board, the National Assn. of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP), Remezcla and the Untitled Latinx Project (ULP) to evaluate.

Boom, said Black List founder Franklin Leonard. Heres a bunch of great scripts. Not only can the Black List validate their quality, but these other organizations in the Latinx community can vouch for their excitement about this version of representation in the community.

The Black List founder Franklin Leonard.

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Among those organizations, the ULP, an offshoot of the Latina TV Writers Brunch Group, reached out to champion latinidad in the industry. Just as the Black List released the first Latinx List for feature screenplays last summer, the ULP hopped on board to partner for the subsequent Latinx TV List.

Vida writer and ULP member Lindsey Villarreal wanted to see stories about identity, sure, but she also wanted to see Latinos doing normal stuff usually attributed to white people.

If you really read the scripts on this list, theyre not falling into these stereotypes, she said recently over FaceTime from a cabin in Big Sur. Nobodys in the cartel, nobodys doing a drug run, nobodys crossing the border. Its all just slice of life stuff, thats [what] we want to be in those stories that are populating network shows right now.

Those winning scripts were announced at this years NALIP Media Summit. Spearheaded by NALIP President Ben Lopez, the association joined the other judges to score scripts.

Think of it as like the perfect alliance, United Nations, almost like the Avengers coming together for a very specific subject, he said. And here we are; it was successful.

It was successful, perhaps, because it was deeply intentional. Each of these organizations and groups places intersectionality front and center: NALIP made sure that queer readers read stories about LGBTQ identities, for instance.

And each piece of the Latinx TV and film community centers the Black entertainment community first. Members of the Latina TV Writers Brunch Group look up to Black writers as an example and protested on their behalf in the recent demonstrations. The first category under the Latinx Directors Cultural Identity/Heritage filter is Afro-Latinx (the second is Indigenous-Latinx). NALIP has been pushing to increase access for Black and Afro-Latinx communities.

Many folks from our community identify [as] Black first, rather than Latino, or they identify as both, Lopez said. And thats important: to listen to that community, our community.

The Latinx community in Hollywood is multifaceted, but it shares a common goal: to uplift creatives of color.

Fundamentally, the goal of the film industry is to make film and television about everybody, the Black Lists Leonard said. And if youre not doing that, youre failing. So this industry has been failing for as long as its existed. And its long overdue for us to stop failing on this front.

View original post here:

How Latinx creators are blazing their own paths in Hollywood - Los Angeles Times