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Category Archives: Community
What You Can Do – What He Does
This is another example of action coming out of our First Thursday Coffee discussions at the Rocket Market.
Submitted by Dr. Barb Brock on behalf of Anthony Stevenson, aka artist Salik Seville
Just think about what you can do to help people…
Artist Salik Seville, (aka Anthony Stevenson), originally from Memphis and a Navy veteran, has been through tough times and knows what it’s like to be homeless, but now has found his place in Spokane. Salik uses his art to showcase what he’s been going through, and offers hope for others to push through. “I just want to inspire others and do my part,” he says. “You might be having hard times or come from a hard background, but you should always think about what you can do to help people.” His work has been showcased at the downtown Spokane Library during the month of February for the past two years. Here is Anthony’s statement for 2017:
“My friends, every year I start out the New Year with an exhibition. I’ve been fortunate to have several artists join me including Denise Robinson, Sage Caberllero, Rachel Dolozal and Jay Cousin, who are contributing their time and talent to help our community.
This is something that means a lot to me. When I first started doing this it was my way of speaking through art about how I see humans. If you are in the area, come check out the art and if you see something you like, all you need is a bag of fresh food and a bag of hygiene products, i.e., hand towels, deodorant, etc to acquire a piece of art. There’s no limit. Meals on wheels and health care for homeless veterans will receive the food, and Spokane county veterans will receive the hygiene products. I will also have some paintings for sale to help the YWCA at the library here in downtown Spokane. I would like to express my gratitude to Mrs. Barb Brock – thank you for getting involved – your help is so appreciated and will never be forgotten. Here’s to good energy, art, and action. Love can change the world.” Salik Seville
Advice for Advocates
Photo by Bob Lloyd from People Rise Up! PJALS
Note from Bob Lloyd: This article was originally published by the Inlander January 26, 2017. Follow the link below to see the original post. Advice for Advocates is a regular feature by Mariah McKay.
Tips for people looking to be the change in these unprecedented times
By Mariah McKay
A roar breaks out as the throng takes its first steps onto the icy streets of Spokane. While no laws or elected positions changed after last weekend’s Women’s March, an era of anemic insider-driven politics officially came to an end. If you are one of the many who feel called to take back our democracy, here are six helpful hints to heed along your journey:
FIND YOUR PLACE
You know those universe maps with a tiny arrow pointing to a dot that says “You are here?” That is you in this new mass movement. Learn about the constellations of groups already working on your issues, rather than reinventing the wheel. Don’t know where to start? Try Google or the “three degrees” approach. Ask someone who knows someone who does. Think about your unique abilities and focus on a role that plays to your strengths.
EMBRACE COMPLEXITY
It is possible for two or more things to be true at once. We are so conditioned to think in “either/or” terms, we often miss out on opportunities in between. Just because your neighbor disagrees with you on one issue doesn’t mean they won’t help you on another. Remember to not see people, organizations or institutions as monolithic.
JOY LOVES COMPANY
Some think you aren’t doing enough unless you are exhausted and miserable. This culture of stress is counter-strategic. The change we seek is a marathon and not a sprint; thus, you must sustain yourself for the long haul. Balance organizing hard with celebration and rest. People are attracted to a movement that is fun and joyous!
THINK AND ACT LOCALLY
The specter of national politics has sucked many into a cycle of emotional reactivity. Turn your existential angst into real-world action in your own backyard. Resources for engaging your congressperson, like the Indivisible Guide (indivisibleguide.com), are also relevant at the city, county and state levels. If just a fraction of the energy displayed at the Women’s March were channeled into local arenas, mountains would be on the move.
PUT PEOPLE FIRST
Revolution is the business of radical relationships. Befriend those who are different from you and find ways to celebrate your common humanity. Abandon name-calling and clever insults. Be as specific and respectful with your concerns as you can be. When reaching across a political divide, don’t immediately dive into issues. Be a person first, and you may be surprised by the friendship that will follow.
In the end, all these tips are about getting outside yourself. Ego is the ultimate enemy of an effective mass movement. Enjoy the liberation that comes with knowing you are not the only one!
Mariah McKay is a fourth-generation daughter of Spokane and a community organizer campaigning for racial, social and economic justice. She currently serves as a public health advocate.
Hidden Figures: A Must See for Mothers and Daughters
5,000+ women marched in Spokane. How many will bring their children to see this story?
Scroll down to see other posts from 4comculture.com
“How I See It From the Edge”
How I Saw: Spokane’s 8,000 Women March by Robert Lloyd
Protester’s sign read stand up! speak up! and these protesters did it this cold Spokane winter day. Some who were lucky made it to inside halls standing and sitting in the warmth and could hear the messages from the Ballroom. Others filled sidewalks for blocks east and west and entertained each other with songs, music, chatter. The Davenport Hotel Coffee and Bar was a hit place to keep warm.
After the March People Rose Up!
Marchers continued on to the Community Building where they shared chili, soup, music, poetry, speakers, a movie, action tables, creative activities for kids and adults, and began networking to take action.
Something You Can Do Personal Actions You Can Take
Something We Can All Do: Life Under Trump #3
Defend an institution. Follow the courts or the media, or a court or a newspaper. Do not speak of “our institutions” unless you are making them yours by acting on their behalf. Institutions don’t protect themselves. They go down like dominoes unless each is defended from the beginning.
Let’s Commit Ourselves
Martin Luther King Day Celebration 2017
OK, we had our celebration with speeches and the march.
Now Let’s Commit Ourselves
Since 2008 news and social media have done nothing but complain about what politicians did and did not do. If they have not accomplished goals and objectives it is no one’s fault but your own. If you are not satisfied with the 2016 election I suggest that you step up and do something about it.
From the list below, choose the issue you feel needs action, list the issue and the name of an organization that works on that issue in the comment box below and fill in your contact information. If you do not know of an organization, volunteer to start such an organization. I will pass your contact information on to the appropriated organization. Also I will collate the information everyone contributes and post the results at this site 4comculture.com. To stay aware of current posts at this site in the right hand side bar SUBSCRIBE to receive an email notifying you of new posts (a couple per week).
What Will You Commit To
Protest (Civic Disobedience, Non-violent direct action, Go to jail), Government service, Social justice, Political action, Political parties (Democratic, Republican, Independent, Progressive), Employment (Jobs and training), Housing, Healthy food production, Education (K12, College), Environment (Climate change etc.) Community organizing, Social justice, Community service, Social services, Health and safety, Drug abuse prevention, Community security, Reproductive rights, Hunger, Homelessness, Race relations, Human relations, Art and culture, International affairs, Belief systems (Humanism etc.).
MLK Week Kicks Off!
After the showing of the documentary film 13th at Bethel AME Church at 10 am on January 14, across town at the Spokane Public Library PJALS (Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane) sponsored a 5 hour hands on workshop: Love > Hate: Bystander Intervention Training which covered:
Being Resistant to Assertiveness
- Self-defense
- Continuum of Oppression / Nature of Prejudice
- The Spinach in Your Teeth Theory and Overview
- Putting Assertiveness into Context
- Assertiveness Model & Calling In
My observation as I photographed the workshop was that it was excellent. I thought that the information below that was listed on a wallet sized card was a good tool for it was an excellent tool for using white privilege to intervene in oppressive situations.
Assertiveness Model
Breathe.
Describe the problem or name the problem behavior. “The situation is ______.”
Tell why the behavior is wrong or say how it makes you feel. “That’s not ok because _____.” “I feel ________when you _____.”
State your needs or give a direction. “What I/we need is _____.”
Be firm and persistent.
Practice Assertiveness!
Act like a self-respecting equal: You are! You have a right to your opinions, decisions, and to say NO with no excuses. Be persistent!
Visual: Straighten your spine. Breathe deeply. Make direct eye contact. Take up space.
Vocal: Speak in a firm tone. Don’t end statements with question marks.
Verbal: Think & talk about yourself positively. Don’t self-limit with lead-ups or tags. State your needs. Use “I feel ___.” Clarify. Say what you mean directly.
Support others in solidarity and unity.
Red Alert! Red Alert!
MLK Week Kicks Off
On January 14 in a small inland northwest town MLK Week kicked off with the Netflix documentary 13th:
Sandy Williams, publisher of the Black Lens News and Rev. Walter Kendricks president of the Spokane Ministers Fellowship started the week of Martin Luther King Jr. Celebrations with the screening of the Netflix documentary film 13th at Bethel AME Church in Spokane hosted by the Rev. Lonnie Mitchell.
Spokane Washington 2015 Census Data
After the screening the audience – predominantly white residents of the inland northwest – broke up into small groups for discussion. How did they feel? What did they need to do about it?
- I wish all the kids in our school district could see this.
- I never heard of the organization ALEC.
- I have 4 family members with a total of over 100 years in prison plus one with 3 strikes you’re out.
- I think we need political action.
- I take Netflix and I have never seen this before.
- I worked on both sides of this issue – as a corrections officer on the inside and as a youth counselor on the outside.
- The corrections industry is a cesspool.
- We need to talk about self responsibility.
- Black people need to have serious discussions about race also.
- White people need to check out SURJ (Showing Up for Racial Justice). PJALS is starting a SURJ Spokane branch.
- Look into Hope Cafe : Washington State Department of Corrections initiative.
- We can send out information to follow up on this meeting.
- Subscribe to Black Lens News.
- We can join forces with a group started on the west side of the state called Black Prisoners Caucus.
- There is a small group that meets the First Thursday of every month at the Rocket Market at 43rd & Scott at 10 am and discusses actions that may be taken to build the community we would like to live in.
As the meeting at Bethel AME was ending a workshop called
Love > Hate: Bystander Intervention Training
was being held by PJALS across town at the Spokane Public Library. This workshop gave hands on experience in how to challenge oppressive statements.