Category Archives: Intentional Communities

July 17, 2020 | :

March 12, 2020. The last time my students and I physically shared classroom space. We were moving into spring breaka week off from coursework and the exciting opportunity to return re-energized to further discuss student development theories. Specifically in this course, the midpoint in the semester is when students started to get it; to reach what, for many students, were new ah-ha moments that accompanied the understanding of development theories.

As a faculty member, my biggest concern was the online (re)creation of a deeply engaged and rich environment, while simultaneously supporting students battling various challenges due to COVID-19 including but not limited to the loss of jobs, mental health conditions, and deaths of family members. In the shift to remote learning, I was intentional about student check-ins, providing space for them to process feelings associated with, and impacts of the pandemicpersonally, professionally, and academically. One recurring classroom conversation was the lack of compassion experienced by many students, professional staff, and faculty across higher education. We were collectively astonished at the lack of humanity during a time of crisis. After several discussions about the benefits of exercising compassion, humanity, and grace (noting the importance of those components to the learning process), I invited my class to co-author this op-ed with me. It was obvious I was not the only one struggling with the idea that compassiona human gesture incorporating love, grace, kindness, understanding, and patienceneeded to be embodied and executed. While compassion is crucial, we call for the adoption of Haos (2011) Critical Compassionate Pedagogy, a commitment to openly critiquing institutionalized policies and practices, as well as engaging in self-reflexivity while centering compassion as a means of reshaping higher education, our communities, our students, and ourselves.

In the following sections, we reflect on our commitment and highlight the transferability of pedagogy to practice outside the classroom. We encourage education stakeholders to (re)consider ways to move toward embodying critical compassion in academic environments, noting that while exercising compassion is important during a pandemic, it should not be limited to moments of crisis. To create a critical compassionate environment is to create one in which open communication is valued and students, faculty, and staff are free to be their authentic selves.

As we engage in efforts to create campus environments that embrace critical compassionate pedagogy, we provide the following questions as a foundation to help move us forward: (a) How do we operationalize compassion in higher education? (b) How do we create a culture of compassion both inside and outside the classroom? (c) How do we challenge educational systems that view compassion as weakness and/or a threat to rigor? (d) How do we prioritize the overall well-being and holistic development of our students in the face of a crisis? And lastly, (e) How do we commit to ALWAYS humanize learning?

Learning from the Pause: Compassion in a Pandemic

The current pandemic is a crash course in pedagogical flexibility for all in higher education. What previously was established as normal life is now on indefinite pause. Educators are forced to rethink syllabi and methods of instruction, while students are figuring out how to survive while remaining successful with new ways of learning. Our resiliency is being tested with added stressors of working from home, losing jobs, facilitating childrens education, having limited access to the outside world all while experiencing trauma of a life-threatening virus. Our daily routines have been disrupted, small businesses are struggling more than ever, and some corporations are marketing the pandemic to their advantage. Is this our new society? Take-out food, staying six feet apart, wearing masks, trucks with refrigerators being used to store bodies at major hospitals in highly impacted areasand still, homework due at midnight.

Dr. Raquel Wright-Mair

The overarching paradigm of higher education upholds dominant ideologies of individualism and meritocracy, seeking to maintain oppressive hierarchies. Such structures have required perfectionism and hyper productivity even under the current pressures of a pandemic. During this time, inequities faced in the academy and society have been heightened, reinforcing power and privilege across institutional structures.

The need for critical compassionate pedagogy is essential and must be prioritized when working in the academy. Critical compassionate pedagogy seeks to listen, understand, empathize, and take action towards creating more equitable structures in education. An ethic of care and attentiveness to others starts with our own cognitive and psycho-emotional well-being and engagement in reflexive practices of how we show up at home, work, and in the classroom with particular focus on our positionalities. Critical compassionate pedagogy requires us to extend open-hearted and open-minded compassion towards others, and recognize the multiplicity of hardships, and the intersections of oppression that individuals face. It should not take a pandemic for society to recognize the necessity of grace, compassion, and kindness. Rather, critical compassionate pedagogy should be utilized to create more equitable and honest spaces for participation, learning, and growth for all.

Our sense of normalcy has dramatically shiftedin this redefinition, we should insist on no longer persisting with standards of the past. As we experience new changes, higher education can learn from the pause. We must sit with our differences and learn the power of vulnerability in sharing our experiences. We must also recognize how current policies and practices are working against equitable outcomes and move towards embodying a compassionate pedagogy.

Processing Loss

The university environment should be a place of solace, fostering a sense of community to push the limits of knowledge. Unprecedented changes have ultimately affected the abilities of academic community members to succeed. Not having graduation ceremonies, human connection, and other shared memories was a loss for many and it is important to have a space to process and grieve. Open invitations by faculty and administrators to debrief the magnitude of current realities and process raw feelings have led to a sense of validation and affirmation for many. Through honest, transparent, and personal interactions, critical compassionate spaces have been created to help individuals cope and grieve lost experiences and opportunities.

However, there is more than simply missing out when it comes to processing loss. Marginalized populations have had to process hypervisibility and adapt to a new reality around them without crucial support structures. Many are experiencing the abrupt loss of important resources instrumental to their wellbeing and success. Community members have been left to navigate a virtual university, often without adequate support and resources. Having community and resources to help process loss is central to healing and surviving. When this does not occur it is detrimental and we risk not acknowledging individuals:

You See Me

Do you remember me?

Remember when I spoke to you and expressed the struggles going on with me?

Or that one time when I had that anxiety attack in the middle of class,

You told me, Its okay, go take five minutes to yourself and come back to reconvene.

Or maybe you remember when I told you that my father just died in front of me from COVID-19.

Not getting a chance to hold him for one last time.

Or when my brothers and sisters are getting shot and killed from the violence surrounding me.

Or my mother crying to me when she lost her job and couldnt help to pay for me to sit in these seats.

Well, actuallyNo.

You dont even know me but you see me.

Physically behind this computer screen, with my covered background hiding my reality.

Missing an online lesson because I have no access to Wi-Fi and couldnt afford to pay the electricity.

Having to mute the microphone because of the police sirens in my community.

My parents outside, fighting about feeding my family and figuring out how to make ends meet.

But still. No compassion.

You see me.

But you still failed me.

Rethinking Compassion in the Academy

The academy is often too unwilling to acknowledge the need to shift dominant ways of understanding in higher education. Becoming comfortable with the uncomfortable is easier said than done. The unwelcoming academy could implement more humanity, kindness and equity. Tomorrow is unknown, but leading with compassion, flexibility, and understanding is what we need to help each other heal in crisis. There is no better time than the present to implement changes and commit personally to work towards a more loving, understanding, and equitable approach to teaching and higher education.

We urge higher education stakeholders to consider the following action items, as they prioritize our call to center critical compassion:

One: Redefine Expectations of Productivity

The effort that individuals are putting in may look different now than it did when we were on campus. Different does not mean less than. Individuals support systems have completely changed, for better or for worse. Everyone is doing the best they can at this given time; effort is demonstrated differently when people are experiencing crisis and trauma. Accept that output from others looks different now, honor what is being contributed and understand that some people are not okay.

Two: Be Proactive and Attentive

To provide proactive and intentional support is to recognize and respect an individuals needs. Take the time to be fully present and engaged. Concentrate on communication (verbal and non-verbal) and be prepared to address them in the moment as needed. Provide students and colleagues an additional level of honest, unscripted support.

Three: Lead with Love

Actions and interpersonal interactions are opportunities to demonstrate transparent and caring leadership. How departments interact with and support faculty, staff, and students impacts relationships and connections. Reflect on what you believe truly matters in this moment, and examine what you are willing to sacrifice in order to create a path toward more equitable campus environments. When making decisions, think critically about the impact on marginalized populations within the academic community who are often excluded from decision-making processes. Reconsider and (re)evaluate decisions from a place of love, remembering the lack of it in the academy. To lead with love means to lead with both compassion and critical action towards creating equitable educational environments.

Four: Use your Privilege

U.S. higher education has long been plagued with inequities, and the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated systemic racism and brought it into full view. As educators, it is crucial that we recognize structures of inequality in our society, and acknowledge the roles we play in upholding them. We must leverage the various privileges we hold as we advocate for change toward equity, and practice humility as we learn to be more critical compassionate educators.

Higher education cannot function effectively without centering critical compassion and showing up with heart. Critical compassionate pedagogy throughout the field, in and out of the classroom, will develop a generation of faculty and practitioners who are able to engage on a deeper and more meaningful level. Leading with critical compassion and vulnerability may be the only way the academy will stay relevant as our society is forced to triage how they will use scarce resources and radically re-envision the delivery of knowledge in a new climate fraught with fear and uncertainty. Now more than ever we should focus on, and execute criticality, compassion, and love.

References

Hao, R. N. (2011). Critical compassionate pedagogy and the teachers role in firstgeneration student success. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 2011(127), 91-98.

Dr. Raquel Wright-Mair, is an assistant professor of Higher Education at Rowan University. You can follow her on Twitter @DrRaquelWrightM.

Dr. Wright-Mair collaborated on this article with her following students listed here: Lauranne Adriano, Jason Artrip, Alana Brown, Marina Ceneviva, Samantha Contrini, Nicole C. Kides, Gabrielle A. McAllaster, Stacie Mori, Lynn Oberkehr and Anna Pietrzak.

Originally posted here:

A Work of Heart: Practicing Critical Compassionate Pedagogy in the... - Diverse: Issues in Higher Education

Senate Republicans plan to unveil their plan next week, which would continue providing unemployment insurance subsidies, tax incentives for employers to avoid layoffs and encourage rehiring, and a new round of checks and direct payments sent by the IRS.

Additional funds for testing and healthcare are also likely to be included, though Republicans may keep the initial line items low to keep the overall price tag under $1 trillion.

The proposal will resemble much of the historically large aid package passed in March (Public Law 116-136). But it isnt likely to include a new round of direct aid to state and local governments, or the full $600 per week unemployment subsidy provided by that law, according to multiple sources familiar with internal deliberations of Senate Republicans. Also notably absent from the expected proposal is a payroll tax cut.

Democrats have made aid to local governments and unemployment subsidies major priorities for the next stimulus phase.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is a gatekeeper for what ends up in the proposal, and Senate committees and their leaders, such as Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), are providing input. A number of tax relief proposals will be part of the discussion, Finance Committee spokesperson Michael Zona said in a statement yesterday. Read more from Colin Wilhelm.

McConnell wants to give federal courts jurisdiction over liability claims arising from coronavirus infections to limit the legal exposure of businesses, schools and other organizations as they reopen, according to a summary of legislation he plans to offer. McConnell and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) are working on a measure to include in the package.

The proposal, which would extend through 2024, would move to federal courts medical liability claims against caregivers that arise from care provided for the virus by licensed health care facilities and medical workers. Like employers generally, they could only be successfully sued if they engaged in gross negligence and intentional misconduct. Read more from Laura Litvan.

Virus Relief Set to Vanish in Series of Fiscal Cliffs: The U.S. faces an urgent set of decisions on whether to extend historys biggest rescue effort or let parts of it lapse.

The government approved more than $2 trillion of extra spending after the coronavirus brought swaths of industry and commerce to a sudden halt. Some measures targeted those who took the biggest hit, like the unemployed and small business. Others were across-the-board, reaching every corner of the economy.

But these programs are due to run out in the coming weeks and months. Each expiration date will test the still-fragile U.S. recovery unless policy makers opt to keep crisis supports in place. These kind of cutoff dates, when past decisions dictate a big change in net government spending unless further action is taken, are sometimes known as fiscal cliffs. They have a history of roiling markets, as politicians take the debate to the brink. Ben Holland and Laura Davison track some of the looming deadlines, and the numbers involved.

New Lockdowns Threatened: Yesterday public officials across the U.S. warned they will wield lockdowns again if people dont immediately act to halt the resurgent coronavirus. The mayors of Houston, Los Angeles and Miami have floated the prospect, along with a top adviser to the governor of Texas. Yesterday, in the absence of a national strategy, state and local officials kept pushing familiar and thus far ineffective preventive measures, but many said they are running out of soft options.

Texas posted its worst day of fatalities, 129, and recorded more than 10,000 new cases for a third-straight day. Florida posted a record 156 new deaths. Read more from Bloomberg News.

Georgia Governor Sues Atlanta Mayor Over Mask Battle: Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) sued the mayor of Atlanta to stop her from enforcing a city mandate that people wear masks in public given a spike in coronavirus infections. Kemp said in a statement yesterday that he filed the lawsuit to force Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms to comply with his executive order blocking Atlanta and at least 14 other local governments across the state from requiring residents to wear face coverings. Read more from Robert Burnson.

Childhood Covid-19 Infections Mount: As the school year draws near, children and teens represent a ballooning percentage of Covid-19 cases in the U.S. as the youngest Americans increasingly venture outside their homes and are able to get tested. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has long maintained on its website that those younger than 18 make up only 2% of cases, state data paints a much less rosy picture. California and Mississippi, for instance, are recording rates nearing 10% of overall cases. Florida has found that about a third of all children tested there are infected. Read more from Anna Edney.

Meadows Calls Faucis 1918 Comparison Irresponsible: President Donald Trumps chief of staff criticized Anthony Fauci for comparing the current coronavirus outbreak to the 1918 flu pandemic, after reprimanding another top White House adviser for publicly attacking Fauci, the nations top infectious disease expert. He suggested that this virus was worse than, or as bad as, the 1918 flu epidemic, Mark Meadows said during a Fox News interview yesterday. I can tell you that not only is that false, its irresponsible to suggest so.

Fauci said Tuesday at an event sponsored by Georgetown University that the coronavirus is a pandemic of historic proportions and when history looks back on it, will be comparable to what we saw in 1918, when influenza killed tens of millions of people worldwide. Covid-19 has so far killed more than 588,000 people worldwide, and more than 138,000 in the U.S., according to statistics compiled by Bloomberg. Read more from Jordan Fabian.

CDC Extends No-Sail Order for Cruises: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has extended its no-sail order for cruise ships through the end of September, preventing vessels from sailing in U.S. waters out of concerns over Covid-19. The extension is the second for an order that dates back to March 14 and was issued after a series of coronavirus outbreaks on cruises. Read more from Jonathan Levin.

Drug Hoarding Stirs Calls for Accessible Data: Protecting existing patients in the next rush to buy up a promising Covid-19 treatment may require a national database of drug supplies and more reporting standards to stop hoarding. The fractured federal response to the coronavirus has pitted facilities against each other for medications and supplies, according to supply chain specialists, doctors, and policy analysts. Read more from Jacquie Lee.

Democrats Fundraising Continues Flowing: House Democrats running for re-election in the most politically competitive districts intensified their fundraising advantage over Republican challengers in the second quarter, as the pandemic complicated campaign operations for both parties. The 29 Democrats seeking new terms in districts Trump won in 2016 had a median of $3 million in cash on hand on June 30, according to campaign-finance reports filed this week to the Federal Election Commission analyzed by Bloomberg Government. Greg Giroux and Emily Wilkins have more.

Lobbyists Bundle $2.4 Million for Trump: Lobbyists bundled $2.4 million for Trump and the GOP from April through June, bringing the total that they have raised to over $10 million since the start of 2019, according to Federal Election Commission records. That includes money raised for the Republican National Committee and Trump Victory. Trump and his Republican Party pulled in $266 million total through the second quarter, according to the campaign. Megan R. Wilson has more.

Wisconsin GOP Lame Duck Move Survives: Wisconsin Democrats cant revive their challenge to the Republican-controlled legislatures enactment of two laws after the 2018 elections reducing the powers of the governor-elect, a Democrat, as the case raises nonjusticiable political questions, the Seventh Circuit decided. While Gov. Scott Walker (R) was still in office, the legislature passed the two laws stripping Gov.-elect Tony Evers (D) of various authority, and vesting authority in legislative committees that would remain under Republican control. Read more from Brian Flood.

Bolton Asks Judge to Throw Out Profit Suit: Trumps former National Security Adviser John Bolton asked a judge to throw out a government lawsuit seeking to seize profits from the sale of his tell-all memoir on the grounds that it illegally spills classified information.The Justice Department is ignoring core constitutional principles by seeking to punish the former top Trump administration official for publishing speech that is embarrassing to the president, Bolton said in the filing late yesterday in federal court in Washington. Read more from Erik Larson.

Amazon, Apple Hire Prominent Critic: Fiona Scott Morton is widely recognized as a top antitrust expert, known for her warnings that American tech giants are stifling competition and innovation. Yet Scott Morton, a Yale University economist and former Justice Department official, is also advising two of the biggest names in tech Amazon and Apple as they confront federal antitrust investigations. She didnt disclose those relationships in papers she recently co-authored outlining how the U.S. could bring antitrust cases against Google and Facebook. Read more from David McLaughlin.

Twitter Says Hackers Targeted 130 People: Twitter revealed hackers targeted just 130 accounts during the cyber-attack this week that compromised some of the worlds most recognizable people, though no passwords were stolen. The U.S. company said the still-unknown perpetrators had gained control of a subset of those accounts and were able to send tweets. Twitter has blocked data downloads from affected accounts as its investigation continues, it said on its online support page. Read more from Kurt Wagner.

Barr Urged to Ban TikTok: More than 20 House lawmakers wrote to Attorney General William Barr calling for a national ban on the popular social media platform TikTok, saying the app represents a security and privacy threat to anyone who has it on their smartphone. The U.S. should not trust TikTok or any other Chinese-affiliated social media websites or apps to protect Americans data, privacy, or security, the lawmakers said, Victoria Hodges reports.

DOD Service to Match Vendors, Investors: A dating service for the defense industry will be rolled out by the Pentagon in the coming months according to the militarys acquisitions leader, after an earlier attempt to match companies with venture capitalists stumbled last year. The department has been working on a system to connect investors with companies that need cash to build new technologies such as drones since May 2019, when it introduced the Trusted Capital Marketplace. Read more from Travis J. Tritten.

Federal Register Dinged for Printing Rules: The Government Accountability Office has determined the Office of the Federal Register, a sub-agency within the National Archives and Records Administration, violated a spending law in publishing documents during the 2019 partial federal government shutdown. The decision is a rebuke to the Department of Justice, which adopted a policy change midway through the shutdown to get around the Antideficiency Act, a law enacted in 1884 that bars federal agencies from spending in advance of a congressional appropriation. Read more from Cheryl Bolen.

NEPA Changes Imperil Communities of Color: Low-income Black and Latino communities will be pummeled by the Trump administrations changes to the nations permitting rules for U.S. infrastructure projects, environmental justice leaders across the nation said. These communities rely heavily on the National Environmental Policy Act to push back against gas pipelines, highways, power plants, and other projects that have historically polluted communities of color more than affluent White neighborhoods, the leaders argue. Read more from Stpehen Lee, Ellen M. Gilmer and Kellie Lunney.

Solar Projects Relied on Rule Thats Changing: A landmark, decades-old law thats been key to the growth of renewable energy in the U.S. is getting a major overhaul, threatening to cut demand for solar projects. Federal regulators this week imposed new limits on which energy projects fall under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act that helped spur a generation of solar and wind farms across the country. More than 30% of solar facilities online today benefit from the law. Stephen Cunningham and Christopher Martin have more.

To contact the reporters on this story: Zachary Sherwood in Washington at zsherwood@bgov.com; Brandon Lee in Washington at blee@bgov.com

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Giuseppe Macri at gmacri@bgov.com; Loren Duggan at lduggan@bgov.com; Michaela Ross at mross@bgov.com

Go here to read the rest:

What to Know in Washington: Senate Republicans Ready Relief Plan | Bloomberg Government - Bloomberg Government

TheCalifornia Fair Political Practices Commission, the states campaign finance watchdog is moving forward with an investigation of drug company executive Michael Weinsteins AIDS Health Foundation on a complaint by California YIMBY for allegedly failing to report tens of thousands of dollars of campaign spending. AHF is the funder of Proposition 21, a rent control measure on the November 3rd ballot, opposed by affordable housing, veterans, labor and taxpayer groups. The title of Prop. 21 is, Expands Local Governments Authority To Enact Rent Control On Residential Property.

The initiative is a revised version of Proposition 10, Weinsteins 2018 rent control initiative to repeal the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act. Prop. 10 failed to pass, 59% to 40% at the polls, despite $25 million in campaign spending by Weinsteins AIDS Healthcare Foundation. Supporters raised $25.30 million, with 89 percent of funds received from theAIDS Healthcare Foundation, Ballotpedia reported. Five ballot measure committee registered in opposition to Proposition 10Californians for Responsible Housing,Californians For Affordable Housing,No On Prop 10,Issues PAC of Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles, andSanta Barbara Housing Providers Against Proposition 10. Together, the committees raised $71.37 million. The committees spent $72.11 million, according to Ballotpedia.

California YIMBY, which stands for Yes In My Back Yard, says yes affordable housing, yes to inclusive, equitable communities, yes to opportunity, and yes to more neighbors!

The FPPC confirmed it is investigating the AIDS Health Foundation for violating multiple state campaign finance laws to oppose Senate Bill 50, a controversial housing bill defeated in the Legislature earlier this year. In the complaint, California YIMBY alleges that AIDS Healthcare Foundation failed to report its spending for radio and social media advertisements, direct mail pieces, a website, and other activities attacking the legislation. Included are controversial and inaccurate mailers from Weinsteins group that were assailed by the San Francisco chapter of the NAACP, and other organizations as racist and offensive.

AHF is aware of the requirements of Californias Political Reform Act and nonetheless disregarded the plain fact these expenses are clearly reportable under California law, the complaint alleges.

According to CaliforniaYIMBY, In recent years, AIDS Healthcare Foundation has established itself through its political disinformation campaigns, running an array of dirty tricks campaigns that deploy aggressive lobbying tactics, and undisclosed political spending to advance its secretive agenda.With an annual budget of $1.5 billion, Weinsteins organization has grown into a powerful political and lobbying group for Weinsteins pet causes with ample resources to ensure compliance with the law.

Weinsteins violations of the lobby disclosure provisions of the Political Reform Act appear to be an intentional attempt to deny the public vital information regarding the organizations lobbying expenditures, California YIMBYs CEO Brian Hanlon said in a statement in February. While were confident this is a violation of state law, were also disturbed by the fact that it goes against the spirit of charitable organizations, a cornerstone of American civil society. Rather than devote resources in accordance with their healthcare mission, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation chose to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars dishonestly attacking both SB 50 and state Senator Scott Wiener for authoring legislation to make California more affordable and inclusive. While it is Michael Weinsteins right to oppose affordable home building, it is not his right to violate political finance law, and to spend charitable dollars for political purposes, possibly in violation of tax law.

In February, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said the AIDS Health Foundation was delinquent in its nonprofit status after the group failed to file documents required to meet the requirements to claim charitable standing in the state.

Last August, Senator Ben Hueso (D-San Diego) alsocalled on the Attorney Generalto investigate the AIDS Health Care Foundation, charging thatthe group was fraudulently misusing savings from a federal drug-discount program designed to help low-income patients.

The FPPC finedthe AIDS Healthcare Foundations committee in 2018 for its failure to disclose political campaign spending on Measure S, a housing ballot measure in Los Angeles.

Advocacy at AHF has been pushing the boundaries in the name of basic human rights for over thirty years, AHF says on its website. Its as fundamental to our organization as the care we give our patients. AHF has advocated for reducing drug prices, and has sued numerous pharmaceutical companies over exorbitant drug prices and antitrust and patent violations.

You can read California YIMBYs complaint here.

Go here to read the rest:

FPPC Probing Weinstein's AIDS Health Foundation for Campaign Finance Violations - California Globe

When Charlotte Lartey was 4 years old, she discovered her sister standing in a bathtub, screaming in pain after pouring bleach on her skin so that the other girls at school would stop calling her ugly and evil.

About eight years later, a boy who had already directed an ethnic slur toward Larteys brother, stabbed her in the chest with a needle and told her to die.

During the first week of her first year as a teacher at Jordan High School in Sandy, Utah, a student scratched the N-word into her classroom door. In her second year of teaching, she walked into her classroom one morning and found LARTEY HAS EBOLA written in large letters across all of the whiteboards.

As the only Black educator at Washougal High School, Lartey wants to make sure young people of color in Washougal dont experience the same discrimination she endured as a youngster growing up in a predominantly white Utah community.

Its very clear that some of the things that happened to me are still happening to kids today, Lartey said. Ive healed, and found inner peace about my experiences, but the world is the same.

In a recent email to the Washougal school board, Lartey said she was dismayed when district leaders had shot down a proposal from the teachers union to hire an equity-and-inclusion teacher.

It was very disappointing to hear from the district that they are not interested or willing to spend any money on equity, or in hiring new personnel to help the district advance the equity goals, Lartey stated in her email.

Although she praises Washougals school leaders for the districts recent efforts to improve its anti-discrimination policies, Lartey said she would like to see district administrators take additional actions to show theyve put their money where their mouth is.

Racism is alive and well in Washougal, just like it is everywhere else, Lartey said. Ive seen Confederate flag-waving. Ive heard (white) kids make slave-owning jokes, slave-whipping jokes, cotton-picker references. Ive heard them say the N-word and that its OK for them to say it.

The school district has made equity one of the six pillars of its new strategic plan, and said the equity component is a major part of the districts newly created assistant superintendent role.

We commit to engage in intentional efforts to identify disparities that create opportunity gaps and act to eliminate the achievement gap, Washougal School District Superintendent Mary Templeton stated on a message posted to the districts website. We further commit to challenge and disrupt systems that are perpetuating institutional biases and oppressive practices, as well as develop culturally responsive school houses. We have not accomplished all that we need to as it relates to our work with equity, but please know that as we engage in this work together, we will need to count on our courage, commitment, honesty and be gracious with one another as we aspire toward true systemic change.

My first year here was the hardest Ive ever had as a teacher. I experienced some things that made me want to walk out of the classroom. I said, Wow, Im not sure how much longer I can do this,' Lartey said. Its been tough at times, but I wouldnt stay here if I didnt feel it was a good place for me to be. There are a lot of good people here that are ready to do this work if someone leads the way, and the same cant be said in Utah, so Im remaining patient.

We need an anti-racist system

Lartey recently completed her second year as a member of Washougal Highs career and technical education department, teaching health sciences, medical science, bio-medicine, anatomy, physiology, medical terminology and health.

Margaret Rice, the districts CTE director, said Lartey brings a wealth of knowledge about AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination), a nonprofit organization that provides educational strategies to help schools move to a more equitable, student-centered approach to prepare all students for college, careers and life, and has been able to apply AVID strategies to her health science classes.

Rice also praised Larteys work leading staff development on AVID practices and for founding a Black Student Union club at the high school.

(She) has a passion for the awareness and elimination of racial injustice, Rice said.

Ive always stood up to racially biased harassment since I was kid, so it feels like Ive been preparing for social justice work my entire life, Lartey said. There is a lot of work to be done to change the educational system, but knowing how much work there is to do is fuel in itself.

As chair of the Vancouver-based Washington Education Association (WEA) Riverside chapters political action committee, Lartey keeps tabs on the latest legislation, as well as on local and state government practices, policies and positions. She interviews and endorses candidates for elected positions and urges other educators to run for school board positions and write to their elected officials about important issues.

WEA-Riverside is a regional council of 15 local education associations that represents more than 4,600 educators in Southwest Washington. Lartey also works with the groups equity committee, which works with school districts in Battle Ground, Ridgefield, Camas, Washougal and Vancouver to create a network of educators of color and help them to hold administrators accountable for their actions.

The Washougal High teacher is a member of the Washougal Association of Educators teachers unions bargaining team, which is currently negotiating for new teacher contracts in Washougal.

In the educational system, there is systemic racism, but it manifests itself on a variety of levels, Lartey said. We see micro-aggression, interpersonal acts of racism, oppressive practices for educators of color and higher discipline rates. We need to create anti-racist systems. Its not enough to not be racist anymore. Too much needs to be fixed. The system is racist, and we need an anti-racist system to (replace) it. Its daunting, overwhelming and isolating work. But its important.

Lartey will also be a part of a webinar panel series along with several other BIPOC (Black, indigenous and people of color) educators in Washington called Collectivist Action through COVID-19 and a Revolution, created and organized by Estefa Gallardo, a member of the WEA board of directors. The four panel discussions, which will be hosted by Zoom, will focus on the varying activism work that is largely being led by educators of color around the state.

Lartey will participate in The B in BIPOC: Black Educator Experiences in a Very White Washington, which will begin at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 23 and can be viewed at action.washingtonea.org/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=426230; and Uprising in Rural and Small School Districts, which will begin at 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 6, and can be viewed at action.washingtonea.org/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=426232.

The WEA board and WEAs Black Caucus have endorsed this project, and it would be great to have our local communities tuning in as we have these conversations about educationalactivism and racial and social justice, Lartey said. I am really excited about this.

Read more here:

Racism is 'alive and well in Washougal, just like everywhere else' - Camas Washougal Post Record

Kirsten Stevens-Wood, a lecturer at Cardiff Metropolitan University explores the different international communities that have created fairer communities where relationships and the environment are given primacy.

Frankie lives in a six-bedroom house on the outskirts of Leeds. She is her own landlord but doesnt own the house. Instead, she is part of a co-operative housing group: together, they have been able to buy the house and then rent it at an affordable price back to themselves as tenants.

Just a few miles away, another group has secured funding to design and build an eco-community of up to 30 households, including what is known as a common house: a shared house with a kitchen, laundry, workshops, a meeting space, guest rooms and gardens.

Much further away in north-east Germany is a 37-acre site where a group of people live and work together sharing food, childcare and resources. They have created a community where relationships and the environment are given primacy.

All three of these are examples of intentional communities: groups of people who have chosen to live together in a way that reflects their shared values.

These communities come in a variety of shapes and forms, from squats and housing co-operatives to communes and co-housing communities.

Intentional communities are by no means a new idea, but they have often been cited as the experimental spaces or testbeds for the future.

They are sometimes considered as utopian experiments where groups and people strive to create a better life.

Many people are looking for antidotes to ever-increasing consumption and feelings of social isolation. There is no single solution, and we will need to look at all aspects of our lives, from the way we consume to day-to-day practices.

But for some, the solution is to be found in communal living and intentional communities. It may be that some of the ideas being tested in these communities can create the blueprints for the towns and cities of tomorrow.

Alternative lifestyles

There is some evidence that intentional communities are formed as responses to the concerns of society at any given time.

Back in the 1970s, many new communities were formed as a backlash to mass urbanisation and industrialisation. Such groups bought up rural property, often with land, and attempted a back to the land lifestyle informed by ideas of self-sufficiency.

Many of these communities failed, but some still function successfully today, often in their original form.

For example, Canon Frome Court collectively manages a 40-acre organic farm in Herefordshire. Together, the community grows much of its own food and keeps cows, sheep and chickens.

It is difficult to estimate the number of intentional communities worldwide, but they are certainly in the thousands.

In the UK alone there are around 300 listed (and many more that are not), with new communities springing up every year.

If we were to use intentional communities as a gauge of social discontent, then the multiple pressures of housing, lack of community, an ageing society and, of course, climate change would be central to this feeling.

Look a little deeper, and these problems are actually part a much wider group of social concerns around consumption, global inequality and planetary limits.

In mainstream society, the solutions to these interlocking ideas are presented as top-down measures made via policy, legislation and global agreements, but also as personal choices made by individuals and groups: driving and flying less, consuming more ethically, eating a more plant-based diet, changing the way we work and live.

Those within intentional communities would say that they have been ahead of the curve on this for many years, with ideas such as vegetarianism and self-sufficiency often central to their way of life.

They often occupy the necessary middle ground between government policy and individual action. The documentary maker Helen Iles named her series of films on intentional communities Living in the future.

Living in the future

So what can we tell about possible directions of wider society from the intentional communities of today?

Some rural communities have embraced low-impact development.

For example, Rhiw Las, a rural eco-community in west Wales, has created a sustainable settlement based on strict ecological guidelines.

Meanwhile, urban-based communities, such as Bunker Housing Co-operative in Brighton, look to create high-quality affordable housing for local people. Such co-operatives are based on the principle of collective control and management of the property.

They enable groups of people who might not have access to secure housing to form a legal entity, which enables them to collectively buy and own property. They also have the capacity to incorporate or support co-operative businesses, such as food or printing co-ops.

Urban housing co-ops are particularly relevant in areas where house prices and rents can be prohibitively high and exclude certain groups, such as precarious workers or younger people.

Housing co-ops can offer secure housing options that also empower people and enable them to live within their means.

The group Radical Routes (a network of radical co-ops) also suggests that when people are freed from excessive rent payments, they are then freer to engage with their communities and participate in social change.

Todays urban communities capitalise on urban cycle networks and public transport. They are also more likely to engage with green transport options such as electric carpooling and on-site workspaces to reduce travel entirely.

Fishponds Co-Build, a prospective community on the edge of Bristol, has created its own sustainability action plan. Together, they have outlined ways they intend to reduce their carbon footprint through communal living.

The ideas fermented in past communities, such as straw-bale building and shared ownership, are being developed in exciting and creative ways to transform rural and urban living.

This can incorporate new building techniques, such as PassiveHaus design in Lancaster Co-Housing, and the development of alternative spaces, such as car-free neighbourhoods.

Intentional communities may not be the solution to all our problems, but they certainly represent an area of experimentation in the ways we share space, shape community and provide a peek at potential ways forward in uncertain times.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here.

Photo Credit Pixabay

More:

Communities experimenting with greener and fairer ways of living - Environment Journal

This might not seem the most ideal time to move into a new place with a bunch of other people striving to form a close-knit community, but when youve been waiting years for this to happen, its also no time to be too choosy.

The first households began moving in June into the new Richmond Cohousing community, a four-story, 19-unit condo building in Manchester that has been in the works for almost a decade.

It felt so surreal to move in, said Meg Lessard, who arrived with husband, David, and their 3-year-old son, Elliott. I cant believe were finally here.

Said Rachel Lucy, another resident, Its been a really long time coming.

Cohousing is an intentional community built around shared spaces such as a large kitchen and communal dining area that stresses neighborly connectedness, cooperation and governance. A common misconception is that cohousing is a form of communal living. It is not.

Participants in a cohousing community own their own dwellings individually and do not share their incomes or anything like that, though they do share things like ironing boards and coffee grinders.

The organization is legally structured as a condo association with all residents participating in management and decision-making through what it calls modified consensus not simply an up-or-down, yea-or-nay vote, but an effort to find solutions in the middle ground that everyone can support or at least live with.

The cohousing concept originated in Denmark and was introduced in the United States in the early 1980s. Some communities feature single-family dwellings, while others, such as the Richmond community, include condos in a single building.

According to a directory on the Cohousing Association of the United States, there are more than 300 such communities across the nation, including those that are established, under construction or in the formation stage. Richmond Cohousing joins six other established cohousing communities in Virginia with others in the works.

I wrote about the Richmond group in 2015 as it searched for a site to build its community and then again in December 2018 when it had settled on a location on Porter Street in the rejuvenated Manchester neighborhood and secured a developer.

The building includes one-, two- and three-bedroom units each with its own kitchen, which is a frequent question priced between the high $100,000s and the high $300,000s.

About 10 families have settled in, while others are moving in gradually. Four units remain unspoken for and will be rented if they are not sold. The other units are owner-occupied, the residents having been involved in planning for years and building a rapport with one another through regular get-togethers.

Residents range in age from 30 to 85. The only child so far is Elliott Lessard, though Rachel Lucy, a registered nurse, and her husband, Theo Cisu, a surgical resident at VCU, are expecting a baby in October.

The attraction of cohousing is obvious: a built-in community in which everyone who joins cohousing is really committing to community, sharing, knowing each other, conflict resolution, said resident Ann Kramer.

Ive lived all over the country, said Kramer, a counselor who is recently widowed. My husbands work took us to a lot of different cities. I learned early on that when you move to a new city ... if youre going to have community, you have to get out of your home and make connections. With cohousing, you sort of already have it.

She appreciates the variety of her surroundings, being within walking distance of downtown and the James River Park System.

The Lessards are self-described introverts who still want to be with people.

When we lived in a single-family home, it always felt like a little extra work to make plans, she said. It took a lot of organizing to just hang out with each other. To be able to spontaneously hang out with people had a lot of appeal.

Both of the Lessards grew up in military families and having a really close-knit community wherever we lived, said Meg, a clinical research coordinator at Childrens Hospital of Richmond at VCU. Her husband works at Capital One. We could see how important and valuable that was, and we were looking for something similar.

Lucy and Cisu joined Richmond Cohousing in 2018 and have been helping to plan the development of the community and getting to know their future-and-now neighbors, which has already paid off, she said.

It has been really wonderful to be surrounded by a community, especially while moving, Rachel said. Moving is just an inherently stressful thing. Its just so nice to have people around willing to help.

Shes even recognized a pleasant, distinctive vibe even doing something as mundane as taking out the trash and running into people they actually know.

Living in our everyday houses, most of us dont get to see friends like that unless its scheduled ahead of time, she said.

What has been slightly disappointing is the inability to use the indoor common areas for activities such as meal preparation and meal sharing because of the coronavirus pandemic.

However, the new residents have discovered the beauty of the common space on the rooftop, which theyve turned into their primary gathering spot. All the while they keep a safe social distance and enjoy one anothers company, Rachel Lucy said.

The roof deck has been amazing, Meg Lessard said. Its breezy, and the views are wonderful, and there are no bugs.

She said the family goes up to the roof after dinner, and their son will say, Are my friends coming up, too?

Link:

Richmond's first cohousing community opens into Manchester - and there's room for you - Richmond.com

In 1946, George Orwell wrote, But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought. These words convey a fundamental truth about the relationship between what we say, the perceptions we hold, and the imagery we evoke through our linguistic choices. Some words or phrases are widely understood to intentionally hurt or provoke, but plenty of others have less obvious insidious and corrupting effects.

The events of the past several weeks have spurred a renewed call to recognize that words matter, particularly in the struggle for racial justice. This has led major media outletsincluding the Associated Press and The New York Timesto capitalize Black, a simple and long overdue signal of respect for the shared identity, history, and experiences of people who identify as Black. For years, other organizations and writers have been advocating for the use of more humanizing language that acknowledges peoples circumstances without defining them by the same.

This awareness has implications for not only how we talk about people, but also the places where they live. Journalists, practitioners, and researchersincluding those of us at Brookingsoften employ short-hand labels such as distressed places, struggling neighborhoods, high-crime areas, or any such combination of deficit plus geography to describe communities impacted by racism, disinvestment, physical destruction, and economic exclusion. But just like the labels we attach to people, such language reduces these communities to only their challenges, while concealing the systemic forces that caused those challenges and the systemic solutions needed to combat them.

At the Bass Center for Transformative Placemakinga center focused on the economic, social, physical, and civic well-being of communitieswe are committing to avoid such labels in our work and employing intentional, systems-informed, and specific language about place. This commitment is not intended to be symbolic, but instead to be more consistent withand true toour efforts to effectively co-design and communicate research and strategies aimed at eradicating systemic inequities and creating more connected, vibrant, and inclusive communities. Our commitment stems from three fundamental truths about how language impacts how we think, and what we do:

Language about place matters, because it can be used to justify actions taken toward people. The United States has a long history of using coded language about place to justify policy and practice decisions that impact people. Take the term blight for example, which transposed the language of disease onto places, with devastating consequences for the people of color living within them. The designation of an area as blighted was used to justify numerous racial injustices throughout the 20th century, including urban renewal, eminent domain, and the displacement of thousands of Black families. Some in power (including our current president) continue to use itoften in combination with terms such as high-crime, inner cities, and other racially coded language as a way to rationalize over-policing in Black neighborhoods, provoke anti-immigrant sentiment, and advocate for policies favoring wealthy investors over long-time residents.

While blighted is at the far end of a continuum of thinly veiled yet harmful language, place language can also produce negative consequences even when its not explicitly infused with racist tropes. Terms such as distressed or disadvantaged further a narrative in which certain placesmostly neighborhoods of colorare seen as un-investable due to their perceived inability to generate profit or political support. These terms paint an image of places beyond repair, where residents ought to move away from or that need to be fixed by outsiders. Such terminology disregards a communitys strengths and assets, as well as the dedicated community leaders that have long been leading strategies to improve neighborhood conditions.

When language about place obscures systemic causes, it impedes systemic solutions. As Urban Institute researchers recently argued, ahistorical and decontextualized language (whether it be about racial disparities, crime, or poverty) focuses on a communitys challenges and minimizes its long-standing injustices. This can lead to ineffective policy solutions that target the symptoms, rather than the root causes, of those injustices.

A robust body of research shows that most contemporary conditions of community distress and disadvantage are not natural conditions or produced by the actions of residents. They are the result of intentional public policies and private actions sustained over generations (including slavery, Jim Crow, discriminatory housing ordinances, federal highway programs, predatory lending, inequitable public education systems, over-policing, and mass incarceration, to name just a few). When we fail to draw the explicit connection between historical and contemporary practices of discrimination shaping the conditions of places, we leave it up to the reader to determine who is to blame for distress, furthering stigma and racism while making it harder to advance structural solutions.

Vague language about place can prevent unique, tailored strategies. Simply naming systemic inequities isnt enough. The term historically disinvested, for instance, accurately calls out a root cause of distress. But it is often used as a catch-all term to describe places grappling with socioeconomic injustices, when in reality, historical disinvestment is just one tool of structural racism that has been implemented in conjunction with an interconnected set of policies and practices aimed at chipping away places economic, social, physical, and civic foundations. Moreover, the challenges wrought by disinvestment cannot be remedied by an infusion of capital alonea strategy often employed with mixed results in communities across the country.

To generate effective solutions, language about place must be specific about the inequities shaping conditions in places, as well as those places unique histories, contemporary circumstances, assets, and strengths. This means resisting the tendency to lump remarkably unique places under a single label. No place is simply just high-povertythat may be a challenge the community is facing, but communities shouldnt be vaguely categorized as poor without meaningfully considering the whole place, the wholeness of the people who live there, and the holistic set of solutions needed to support them.

Shifting language will not repair the decades of harm and stigmatization inflicted on communities, but it should prompt us to be explicit about the systemic sources of their conditions, precise about the systemic solutions needed to combat them, and understanding about how language influence peoples lives. The breadth of a communitys qualities and characteristics cant be captured by one term or stylistic change. But throughout our work, the Bass Center will strive to employ language that embodies the following principles:

We hope other researchers and writers also embrace these principles, so that we can collectively stamp out George Orwells corrupt thought and envision transformative policies, practices, and interventions that holistically support places and the people within them.

Here is the original post:

Recognizing that words have the power to harm, we commit to using more just language to describe places - Brookings Institution

5 min read657 views and 108 shares Posted July 13, 2020

Lebanon County has received a $300,000 federal grant to increase its COVID-19 testing capacity.

In an interview with LebTown, Welsh Mountain Health Center CEO Jackie Concepcion said a program to launch testing will begin this Tuesday and will continue Tuesdays and Thursdays through the end of August.

Each event will offer free COVID-19 testing to county residents as well as the distribution of free masks, hand sanitizer and information packets concerning ways to limit the spread of the virus. In addition, two of the events will include the distribution of food donated by the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, Concepcion added.

Prior to receiving the funding, we had been in conversations with the PA Department of Health because Lebanon County has been a hot spot, especially in Lebanon city on the north side of town where there has been elevated levels of COVID-positive cases particularly among minorities, Concepcion said. If you remember a few weeks ago, when everyone was going yellow or green, Lebanon was being held back because it was still a hot spot.

While two of the events will be held at the health centers 920 Church Street location, including the one this Tuesday, the other six will be held at various locations around the city.

We are collaborating with Latino Connection and Aetna Better Health to use their mobile unit called CORA, Concepcion said. Between now and the end of August, CORA will allow us to get out into the greater community. Were opening up the testing to anyone in the community who has symptoms but also to anyone who has been in close contact with someone who is positive. We will also provide testing to anyone who believes they may have the virus.

Concepcion said she is grateful to have access to CORA which is short for the Spanish word corazn, or heart to increase their testing outreach within the community.

If people have barriers to get to our testing site, they dont have to worry, Concepcion said. Well be able to offer testing at that very local level of where these people live thanks to CORA.

George Fernandez, CEO, Latino Connection said his organizations participation helps fulfill their mission to bring together members of the Latino community and his clients, including those from the healthcare industry.

Latino Connection remains committed to the community and intentional in partnering with organizations providing valuable resources to underserved populations, especially amidst the current state of the world, Fernandez said in a written statement. The time is now more than ever to mobilize and improve outreach, access and increase testing in vulnerable communities, especially those areas of the state with surging COVID cases.

Concepcion said food, which has been donated by the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, will be distributed this Tuesday and on Tuesday, Aug. 11. Two boxes, one filled with dry goods and one with fresh produce, will be provided per car or to those who are walk-ins to the event.

The food bank has generously donated 150 boxes of dried food and an additional 20 pounds of fresh produce, Concepcion said. So not only will they be getting fresh, wholesome foods, but we will be giving them free information on everything related to COVID on top of that.

Andy Dessel, Health Innovations Manager, Central Pennsylvania Food Bank. said the food distribution is part of an ongoing effort to help people in their time of need.

As the COVID-19 situation continues to present challenges to our neighbors, the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank understands the essential connection between access to nutritious foods and health, Dessel said in a written statement. The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank is proud to once again partner with the team at Welsh Mountain Health Center to help meet the health needs of the Lebanon community particularly those affected by the health and economic consequences of COVID-19. Central Pennsylvania Food Bank and Welsh Mountain are committed to ensuring that all community members have access to nutritious foods and high quality healthcare services.

Concepcion said the testing and food distribution are part of an ongoing effort, and part of the centers mission, to address social determinants of health, which are the economic and social conditions that influence individual and group differences in health status.

All of our centers have social workers whose jobs are to address issues around food insecurity, housing, education needs, employment or anything that is a barrier that often prevents them from being healthy, Concepcion said. What weve found through screening our patients is that many of our clients have food insecurities.

Read more: [Photo Story] Local leaders tour Lebanon Community Health Center

Concepcion added that food insecurity is a major issue within the Latino community and the main reason they are partnering with the food bank at two of these events.

Weve found that many of our patients in Lebanon have food insecurities, Concepcion said. We have people who dont have enough food to get them through the month. Others are diabetic and have diet needs and when we speak to them about getting healthy and becoming more active, they tell us they dont have enough food to make it through the month. Or, they dont have healthy foods in their homes.

Concepcion added that this eight-day testing program, along with the food distribution, is part of an ongoing initiative with the goal of helping people improve their health. At a previous event, the local food bank distributed 200 boxes of food to about 120 cars and to walk ups.

All of the boxes were gone within 1.5 hours, Concepcion said. So there is this need, a huge need here in Lebanon County.

Testing & Food Distribution (5 p.m. to 7 p.m.)Lebanon Community Health Center 920 Church Street, Lebanon

Testing (1 p.m. to 3 p.m.)Webster Manor 1012 Brock Drive, Lebanon

Testing (5 p.m. to 7 p.m.)River of Life Church 825 N. 7th Street, Lebanon

Testing (5 p.m. to 7 p.m.)Living Christian Church 370 N. 7th Street, Lebanon

Testing (10 a.m. to 12 pm.)Village Apartments 201 Village Drive, Lebanon

Testing (10 a.m. to 12 p.m.)Optimist Park 1400 Elder Street, Lebanon

TENTATIVE Testing (5 p.m. to 7 p.m.)St. Benedict the Abbot Church 1300 Lehman Street, Lebanon

Testing (5 p.m. to 7 p.m.)Lebanon Community Library 125 N. 7th Street, Lebanon

Testing and Food Distribution (5 p.m. to 7 p.m.)Lebanon Community Health Center 920 Church Street, Lebanon

TENTATIVE Testing (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.)Free Bird Chicken Plant 2609 US 22, Fredericksburg

Testing (5 p.m. to 7 p.m.)Walnut Street Park 1551 Walnut Street, Lebanon

Read all of LebTowns COVID-19 coverage here.

Is there a story you think LebTown should report? Let our newsroom know using the form below.

Help us provide journalism Lebanon County needs.If you are thankful for LebTown, consider joining as a member. Members get an inside look at our publishing schedule each week, plus invites to a members-only Facebook group and happy hours.

Learn more and join now here.

Subscribe to our newsletter for updates each weekday at 3 p.m.

Follow this link:

Welsh Mountain receives approval as COVID testing center, thought to be first walk-up facility in county - LebTown

Around the country, communities of color continue to be among the hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic. So in many of these communities, local leaders are stepping in to try to help solve a problem they say is years in themaking.

In Richmond, Va., crews of local firefighters and volunteers have been fanning out across the city, going door to door with plastic bags, filled with masks, hand sanitizer, and information about stayinghealthy.

Local health officials say African Americans and Latinos make up the lions share of positive cases here, and 23 out of 29 local deaths from the virus so far have been among thosegroups.

On a recent visit to a public housing complex, Lt. Travis Stokes with the Richmonds fire department said that result was sadly and entirelypredictable.

Its always gonna affect the lower-income communities and the minorities, just for the simple matter of fact that theyve been dealing with things for many, many years, Stokes said. It hasnt gone away; its stillhere.

Richmonds coronavirus data mirrors national statistics that show the vastly disproportionate impact of the coronavirus on communities of color. According to Centers for Disease Control data, Black Americans are hospitalized at about five times the rate of white Americans. For Hispanics, the rate is four times that ofwhites.

Stokes, who recently completed a doctoral degree in health sciences, is helping lead the effort, which targets areas with high rates of poverty and pre-existing health conditions, and with significant numbers of residents who are racial minorities. All are groups considered at heightened risk for thecoronavirus.

Richmond is partnering with the Commonwealth of Virginia to distribute tens of thousands of bags of personal protective equipment in an effort to help address the racialgaps.

Dr. Danny Avula, Richmonds public health director, said another goal is building trust with people who might be fearful of government officials after a long history ofoppression.

Our response to that was, OK, weve got to be on the ground more; weve got to engage in more face-to-face conversation, and we have to find credible voices and faces in those communities to be able to carry the message, Avulasaid.

Leaders and activists around the country are grappling with similar challenges as they try to reach the people at greatestrisk.

In Massachusetts, officials are hiring local workers from community health centers to work as contact tracers who can, in many cases, literally speak the language of the people theyre trying toreach.

Michael Curry, an official with the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers and a member of the NAACPs national board of directors, said thats important at a time when many people are trying to navigate complicated and sometimes conflicting messages from healthofficials.

Its all so confusing and it makes people very distrustful even moreso distrustful of the system hence why you need to be very intentional about who communicates with them, Currysaid.

In Mississippi, NAACP leaders say theyve been distributing masks to people living in hotspots for thevirus.

Dr. Oliver Brooks, president of the National Medical Association, a group representing black physicians, says efforts like these are a goodstart.

Its really important, because literally right now, people are dying, so you need to have an acute response, Brookssaid.

But Brooks says preventing another crisis like this one will require substantial, systemic changes to improve access to food, housing, employment, and healthcare for people ofcolor.

We have to address the social determinants of health. That is what is putting us at higher risk for poor outcomes, he said. Its the same old story, but thats what needs to bedone.

Angel Dandridge-Riddick, 34, has worked as a nurse and sometimes visits her mother in the public housing complex in Richmond called Creighton Court. On the day of the supply distribution, she said she appreciated the effort to provide protective equipment to people here, but cautioned that its only a smallstart.

What theyre doing is great but to have one hand sanitizer and a few masks if you have three other people in their home that work in different areas, theyre gonna need their own hand sanitizer. One bottles probably gonna last you a week, Dandridge-Riddicksaid.

Whats more, she said, its hard for many of her neighbors to stay healthy during a pandemic, when they often lack basichealthcare.

Im just being honest, a lot of people out here in Creighton Court dont know anything about health care coverage; all they know is Medicaid, she said. And if they cant get it, they dont haveanything.

Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney says the problems that have compounded this pandemic for many people of color have been around for a long time, and without major structural changes, they will still be around when the pandemic is over. Stoney said he hopes this crisis gives way to long-termchange.

We cant go back to where we were pre-COVID-19; weve gotta go to a different place that ensures that each and every citizen of this country gets the best, Stoney said. No matter what neighborhood they live, or the color of their skin.

Explore Nearby Adventures

See the original post here:

In Minority Neighborhoods, Knocking On Doors To Stop The Spread Of The Coronavirus - OPB News

Bellingen is a buzzy little town straddling the gorgeous Waterfall Way, which links the serene beaches of the New South Wales mid-north coast with the escarpments of the Great Dividing Range. Bello to the locals, its had many lives, from timber-mill town and dairy hub to hippie hideout, environmentalist holdout and hipster hangout.

Logging trucks still roll through town past the hemp store, butter factory-turned-craft centre, spiffed-up Victorian and Art Deco shopfronts, and an edgy Japanese restaurant in a ramshackle wooden house. Locals sing in a Gumbaynggirr-language choir at the community centre. Hearthfire Bakery creates breads from local flours and, across the road, second-generation butchers, Thorns Gourmet Meats and Smokehouse, sell some of the countrys finest pork, beef and small goods. Local kids play in the acclaimed Bellingen Youth Orchestra when theyre not rewilding in the bush. And as the sun sets across the lime-green alluvial valley, everyone is invited to join Bellos progressives on Friday nights at the Cedar Bar (at least in pre-Covid-19 times).

Aboriginal elder and Gumbaynggirr language teacher Micklo Jarrett explains how our Dreamtime stories describe the ocean 120km east of where it is now, which proves our people have been in this region for more than 10,000 years. Today, the Gumbaynggirr people have been active in stopping logging for wood chips in the nearby Nambucca state forest. All we want to do is preserve the land for everyone, he says.

Meanwhile, the National Parks Association of NSW is lobbying the government to establish the Great Koala national park nearby, to link protected forests so the dwindling koala population can thrive again.

Journalist Peter Geddes turned up with his family in the 1970s. Hes working on a documentary about Bellingens hippie era, when alternative lifestylers rented houses for $2 a week and used to ride into town on horseback. We made something out of nothing and eventually the old-timers came to accept that Bellingen turned out pretty well with a sustainable lifestyle, he says. Im a little surprised how straight its become, though. People wear clothes now.

Yet, Bello has held on to its free-thinking spirit, and over the years has attracted creative types inspired by the beauty of the surroundings. Peter Carey was living in a Richard Leplastrier-designed treehouse in the Promised Land, across the Bellinger River, when he conceived his Booker prize-winning novel Oscar and Lucinda, which is inspired by the little church in Gleniffer.

Bellingen remains a bubble of progressive politics in National party heartland. Kevin and Lowanna Doye are part of the new wave. After cycling from the UK to Sydney (it took over a year and a cargo ship was involved) to highlight the environmental impact of air travel, they moved into one of Bellos 27 multiple-occupancy intentional communities and opened Kombu Wholefoods in 2004, to sell local organic produce at affordable prices. Bellingen shire ranges from subtropical coastal regions to 1,500 metres elevation on the escarpment so they can source everything from mangoes, bananas, avocados, macadamia nuts and pineapples to all sorts of greens, pumpkins, potatoes, carrots, citrus and stone fruits.

I live in a beautiful place connected with my family doing something I believe in. Our philosophy is all about strengthening the local community.

In times like these, it all makes perfect sense.

The Bellingen Community Markets are held every third Saturday at Bellingen Park. Sample orange Jaffa and caramelised fig and marsala gelato at Bellingen Gelato.

Browse Australian fashion brands, linens and beauty products at the Art Deco HYDE Bellingen, as well as Emporium Bellingen in the 1900s Hammond and Wheatley building.

In normal times, the festival calendar (Camp Creative, the Bellingen fine music festival, The Bellingen readers and writers festival, etc) is brilliant.

Whod have thought Middle Eastern street food and hip Japanese fusion would be the local go-to spots in a NSW country town but this is Bellingen, after all. Qudo dishes up dazzling barramundi teriyaki and sushi rolls infused with greens, while Zaatar cafe offers falafel, hummus plates and lamb kofta in fluffy pita bread. Black Bear cafe is the spot for breakfast on the sunny terrace. And for excellent pizzas, craft beer and a pared-back urban vibe, head to Bellingen Brewery.

Rent a cottage in the Promised Land through Airbnb and other agencies. The best campgrounds are Reflections Holiday Parks beside the Kalang River estuary in Urunga and a free camping site next to the general store in Thora, on the drive up the escarpment to Dorrigo.

Go canoeing on the Bellinger River to spot sea eagles, azure kingfishers, flooded gums and dairy cow river crossings, or drive the loop around the Promised Land and dip your toes in Never Never Creek.

Visit the Dorrigo Rainforest Centre for escarpment vistas of the Gondwana rainforest, or hike into the world heritage-listed rainforest on the two-hour Wonga Walk.

Walk the Urunga boardwalk along the river estuary to the spectacular Hungry Head ocean beach.

Almost halfway between Sydney (5.5 hours drive north) and Brisbane (five hours drive south); Bellingen is around 30 minutes drive south-west from Coffs Harbour airport. While there is some public transport available in the area, having a car is strongly recommended.

Here is the original post:

A visitor's guide to Bellingen: 'Im surprised how straight its become people wear clothes now' - The Guardian