The Power of Mentoring

I have been very busy lately as I transition back to my "normal" responsibilities.   I admit to a bit of trepidation about returning to the office after being away for 6 months.  My little bit of anxiety was immediately replaced with gratitude and delight when I found the welcome that was waiting.

I wanted to share a phenomenal trip I had to Olympia and Portland the last full week in June.  Mike and I traveled to first Olympia to meet with Maria Chavez-Pringle, Associate Professor of Political Science at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, and then we traveled onto Portland to attend the General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association.  It was an amazing journey and a fitting finish to my sabbatical.  Each piece of the journey yielded riches I am honored to share here.  Today I will complete my piece on Maria.

I first encountered Maria at a seminar I attended at the University of Washington Tacoma Campus in May.  She was one of the speakers on a panel that focused on Immigration and Latino youth.  I began corresponding with her to try to get a time to meet and interview her and was happy after several mishaps including being stuck in a ten mile back-up on Interstate 5 on our first scheduled date to get a meeting set up with her in her hometown of Olympia last week.

Maria has an amazing story.  I was first drawn to her because she spoke clearly about the inequities in the immigration system and the trends from a political science point of view.  So much of what is wrong is related to policy.  I was further drawn to her when she said that she received her PhD from WSU.

We met at our favorite Olympia coffee house.

Maria at Batdorf and Bronson Roasters

Maria is working on her 3rd book.  She is interviewing first generation Latino professionals who are the first to graduate from college in their families.  It mirrors her own history.  Maria grew up in Orland, California, daughter of farm workers.  Her first language was Spanish.  She experienced daily prejudice in her home community and was subjected to a childhood of what she calls de-Americanization.  Her experience was not untypical for young Latinos.  She was tracked out of the college preparation courses.  She got pregnant at age 16, was rejected and ejected from her family home.  She married the father of her now 30 year old daughter and lived with him for 8 years, learning the trade of dental assisting and then moved to being a pharmacist's assistant.  Her journey to higher education began at a community college and  and then she applied to one college, California State University at Chico because it was close and familiar where she received her BA and teaching credential in Social Science.  She applied to graduate school at Chico and chose Political Science because it did not require her to take the GRE.  After completing her Masters in Political Science at Chico she found her way to WSU where she spent 4 years completing her degree.   She credits the difference in her life to wonderful mentors and helpful community supports that enabled her to get childcare for her daughter, access housing assistance, etc.  I think some of the credit goes to her own determination and desire to make the best life for herself and her oldest daughter and later for her new family (husband and three younger children).  She is very proud of her now 30 year old daughter who is working in Seattle.

Maria shared with me a link to her April, 2015, TedxTacoma Talk on the De-Americanization of Latino Youth.  I highly recommend that you watch her talk.  She talks about living the de-Americanized life and how her experience is different partly because she is a citizen.  She recommended we watch McFarland, USA, the recent movie by Disney.  She said there is much truth in the experience that reminds her of her childhood.  One of my California colleagues also recommended the film.  I think Mike and I will watch it soon (in between stages of the Tour de France..).

The wisdom Maria shared with me was the importance of exposing young Latinos who do not have a history of educational achievement in their families to the opportunities, responsibilities and rewards of completing high school and college.  She spoke of her mentors and the need for youth who are first generation college students (and high school students?) to have mentors that can coach, inspire, encourage and listen. Research shows how powerful mentors can be for youth development.  I spent some time yesterday visiting with Lindsey Karas at Sterling Meadows/Mercy Housing who I profiled on June 3rd.    Lindsey explained the difference that graduate students who spent a year mentoring the first generation Latino high school students in the homework club at Sterling Meadows make in the lives of the students.  The graduate students take the time to visit with the students in the setting of their high school and outside of their community center.

I left Olympia inspired and very glad that I had taken the time to meet with Maria.

I will close this post for today and write separately about the amazing experience we had at General Assembly.

Thanks for reading.

Oregon Encounters

I spent the week in the Central Willamette Valley last week.  My base was in Corvallis, home to Oregon State University. Oregon State University has been endowed with major gifts for building a center for families, scholarships to first generation college students from rural areas and to promote parenting education throughout the state of Oregon.  The Ford Family Foundation has been a leader in the process and has joined forces with other foundations in Oregon, including the Oregon Community Foundation and the Meyer Trust.  The Oregon Parenting Education Collaborative (OPEC) is coordinated by Denise Rennekamp at OSU.  Doris and I were fortunate to be abler to meet with Denise at her office in the lovely Hallie E. Ford Center for Healthy Children and Families.

Pictures do not do justice to the beauty of this building.  The wood all came from Oregon as a condition of the funders who made their fortune in the timber industry.  

It was a pleasure to catch up with Denise who both Doris and I know from our work.  Doris earned her PhD in Human Development and Family Studies at OSU and I know Denise from a multi-state collaboration in which we were both involved for a number of years.   I spent most of the time listening to her share about the evolution of the OPEC Hubs and the real expectation that the hubs are about developing community based sustainable collaborations and not to fund programs long term.  She shared some success stories and some not so successful examples.  I admire the work OSU and the greater statewide community of funders have tackled the need to support parents of young children.

I had contacted Denise early in my sabbatical planning about making some program visits and she recommended several exemplary programs.  The one program I connected with is Adelante Mujeres based in the city of Forest Grove in Washington County, Oregon, west of Portland.  I was able to travel to Forest Grove after landing at Portland Airport and before I drove to Corvallis through the verdant orchards of the Willamette Valley.  I was a little familiar with Adelante Mujeres because I had done research on their programs on Denise's recommendation and had met the director, Bridget Cooke, at a WSU event some years before.  

I drove into Forest Grove, a sleepy little college town (home to Pacific University) on Monday morning.  Thanks to my trusty GPS I had no trouble finding my way to the Adelante headquarters.  I was immediately charmed.

Adelante Mujeres: Education, Empowerment, Enterprise

Bridget Cooke, co-founder and director

Adelante Mujeres (Forward Women!) was founded by a small group of low income Latina immigrant women and their allies to improve the quality of life for themselves and their community in 2002.  I highly recommend you visit their website and learn more about the mission and the amazing work that is being done.  Two of the programs Bridget told me about that I wanted to return to visit are the Chicas Program and ESPERE.  I took the descriptions right off their website.

• Chicas is an innovative youth development program empowering Latina girls to develop their leadership potential, adapt healthy lifestyles, develop cultural identity and achieve academic success with high school graduation and college enrollment.
• ESPERE stands for Escuela de Perdón y Reconciliación (School of Forgiveness and Reconciliation) and is a workshop that helps people develop proactive strategies to address and overcome conflict and learn the power of forgiveness. ESPERE trains families to manage conflict with compassion and understanding in a way that leads to healthy, violent-free relationships.

The Chicas program is an afterschool and summer program and soccer camp for girls from 3rd-12th grade.  It currently operates in 13 schools.  The program began in 2008 and has grown exponentially. Bridget shared that the big event everyone was getting ready for was the soccer tournament for the girls teams that were drawn from the different Chicas programs.  Chicas works with girls in the following age breakdown: Grades 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 and 9-12.  Some of the graduates are now on staff with the program.  The Spring 2015 newsletter that Bridget shared with me features the inspiring story of one such young woman.

I am also very intrigued by the ESPERE program.    The six sessions are taught within the context of a a leadership class for Latina women and focuses on letting go of fear, sense of danger, desire for revenge and related feelings that come from historical trauma from being victimized.  Many of the Latinas who have come to this country in recent years have experienced sexual assault, domestic violence and other forms of abuse.  ESPERE provides a space to explore and release the feelings of shame, anger, fear and more.  Bridget reports that it has been very powerful for the women who participate.  I want to know more and to talk with both participants and facilitators.

Adelante Mujeres takes a holistic approach to their work with Latinas.  I have not addressed the other projects they operate.  A visit to their website is worth the time.

I left Forest Grove wanting to return and spend a couple of days there. 

I drove from Forest Grove through the lovely Willamette Valley and was surrounded by hazel nut groves, vineyards and rolling green hills.  It was a great way to travel to Corvallis.  My long journey to Arizona and back has diminished my already lukewarm feelings about interstate freeways.  I arrived in Corvallis to meet Doris at the Multicultural Literacy Center.  The center was filled with color and textiles from around the world.  I was right at home with al those fabrics. I met with the director of Casa Latinos Unidos de Benton County (CLU), Erlinda Gonzales-Berry, and Doris Cancel-Tirado, my host for the week.  Erlinda is the founder of CLU and has returned to be interim director. The purpose of CLU is to provide connection, education, support for Latinos in Benton County.  They nurture leadership in the community.  Erlinda said that two things were currently occupying her time - a Festival (Summer Fiesta) that will be held this Sunday, June 21st, and labor issues.  They have worked with the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries to solve wage and other labor disputes.  The event will be a fundraiser.  CLU works on a very low budget and is looking at ways to create sustainable funding paths, perhaps charging for translation services.

This lovely display was in a storefront window in downtown Corvallis.  I went twice to photograph it and was unable to get a great shot but you get the idea from this and the poster.  I love the embroidered cloth on the table.

I met and interviewed the president of the Organization of Latinas Unidos (ULO), a women's group that are supported by CLU.  Felisa Torres was featured in the Corvallis Gazette Times yesterday for her work as a community volunteer.  Felisa was also recognized by Benton County Health Department with a "public health service award."  Felisa, Doris and I had a great conversation about the development of the ULO group.  It grew out of a group of women who came to Zumba and Cooking classes offered (through a grant Doris wrote) at their children's school.  Once the grant ran out the women who had grown close organized themselves to be able to pay for on-going classes and childcare.  Two of the women became part of the founding board for the ULO.  The original group focused on planning and organization.  The Women's Group meets weekly and they educate themselves and support each other.  Felisa shared with me that most of them had minimal schooling in Mexico and felt the need to grow with their children.  They also wanted to feel better about their lives so they worked on self-esteem and leadership.  The group has been very empowering for each other and have contributed to the community.  About 10 women belong at any given time.  They are cultural ambassadors for health, families and the school and community.  The women were recently asked by the school board to meet with candidates for the superintendent position and their feedback was taken seriously in making the decision.  This group also wanted to be able to talk with their youth about sexuality so they started by taking a class with a trusted community member who helped them create a workshop for the teens.  The idea that a trusted person is delivering information that they understand and feel comfortable with is the secret to their success.

Doris and I had an interesting conversation with Felisa and afterwards about a statement that I have heard from several sources, that Latinos do not volunteer.  Doris and Felisa and Adelante and many I had seen on my journey belied that notion.  Doris pointed out that the word "help" was more characteristic of what happens.  Latino culture has a more communitarian (as opposed to individualistic) orientation to life.  Helping the family, the school, the neighbor all happens because it helps the community in which the families live and work.  Both Felisa and Doris stated that the community needs us.  Doris also pointed out that a shift in frame of reference is important for understanding the phenomenon of helping.  She stated that volunteering is something that often comes from a place of privilege.  Having time and/or money to volunteer is often something that is a condition for doing worthy work.  It gave me much to think about as I prepare to return to my usual duties where so many of the volunteers who work with our programs have time and money.  

Doris and I traveled to Eugene the next day to visit an agency that has been serving Latinos in Lane County for 42 years!  Centro Latino Americano started as advocacy group and is now a multi-service center.

Service Directory for Centro

Trevor and Doris

Doris and I met with Trevor Whitbread, Program Manager, who gave us an overview of all the services the agency offers. He spoke passionately about the services they are providing for "minority" at risk to keep them out of the juvenile justice system and for those who are already involved with the system.  They have developed a successful mentoring program and work with a number of community partners.  They have developed a community impact model in which many sectors of the community (education, health, parks and recreations, workforce preparation, social services) team up to help steer the youth towards positive futures.  Both Doris and Trevor spoke to concerns about Eugene being a center for Human Trafficking which is a concern statewide.  I was surprised to hear that Eugene was a center in the state where issues of forced labor, sex trafficking and ongoing issues with coyotes and immigration paths arise.  I wonder what the landscape is in my state?  

Trevor also spoke about a successful women's support group that has grown out of the Alcohol and Other Drug treatment program but is not focused on addictions as much as support for life.  

I asked Trevor for what advice he might share with others and that I would add it to my blog.  He said that is very disappointed in the inequities in education that still exist and that any way we can tell the stories of of the "other side" (realities of life in the Latino immigrant community) we should.  We need to make the message about the life challenges that these generous people face accessible to both politicians and the general public.

I think I will stop for today.  I will write one more time about my visit to Oregon and some insights Doris shared with me that I think need to be recorded.

As always, thanks for reading.

Lessons Learned in NYC, Part One - Worker Justice

I have decided to write first about what I learned about worker justice issues in NYC and beyond.  I will start by stepping back to my first full day in the city and one of many experiences my colleagues at Cornell University Cooperative Extension in New York City (CUCE-NYC) arranged for me.  They set up a very busy two days of meetings, listening sessions and informal conversations.  I was very fortunate to get time to speak with KC Wagner, who is the Director of Workplace Issues at the Worker Institute in the Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR) School at Cornell University.  The ILR is part of the land grant structure and does a fair bit of work on promoting workplace fairness, health, safety, equity and social justice under the land grant or outreach banner.  I was really impressed because as far as I know, my own land grant university does little in this area.  I had an intense conversation with KC and Emily Mandell, a graduate student, who were working together on the Nanny Training project and who are now engaged with training elder caregivers.

Emily and KC

I will leave it to my reader to follow the weblink to learn more about the Worker Institute and the fine work they are doing.  The ILR was founded in 1945 to help NY workers with collective bargaining and is a leader in work on national and international workplace issues - the focus is very broad.  I love it that some of the work focuses on the workers themselves and not just the people, organizations and institutions that employ them.  This interview helped me shift my focus for this trip to the conditions that blue collar and unskilled workers endure and have for many decades (and I could say centuries).  We may not have called the skilled laborers of the past who built cathedrals, castles, tenement buildings, roads, etc, blue collar but I think there is a parallel.  I also think of the names we have used for people who help with the household work for more affluent classes: drudges, slaves, servants, chorewomen, etc.  The names have often lacked the panache that they deserve.  I digress.

KC excitedly told me about several projects with which she is involved and how she sees her work one of translating research and education into practical applications.  She worked tirelessly on helping establish the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights for NYC.  She is now working with a collaborative that provides a 35 hour training for caregivers, first for Nannies and now includes elder caregivers.  

I realized early in our conversation just how important labor issues were in the state of New York and in the city.  I came into this trip wanting to know more about the conditions that impacted the immigrant population (past and present) and knew that would be one of the themes of this trip.  I was not disappointed.  I will write more about what I learned about the sweatshops and garment industry in another day or two.  For now I am going to focus on the issues that challenge the current immigrants, especially the women who seek work as house cleaners.

She asked me how long I would be in NYC and highly recommended that I arrange to visit people involved in workplace justice issues in Brooklyn.  I learned about one of the only corners in the country where female day laborers gather seeking housecleaning jobs.  It is in Williamsburg, a working class area of Brooklyn.  I was able to contact Yadira Sanchez at the Worker's Justice Project in Brooklyn and she invited me to come meet her in Williamsburg.  I offered to take her out to lunch.  Mike and I came as arranged to meet at the corner where the women gather each day in hopes of finding a cleaning job,  most of which are in homes of Hasidic Jews who live in the area.  When we found our way to the corner and Yadira there were many women milling about, waiting and hoping for work that day.  It was already 11:30 am.  Some may have already worked once that day.

Day laborers in Williamsburg

We found Yadira and with her were Angel and Maria, both of whom work with the Worker's Justice Project.  The women gathered around us.  We were so different that we stuck out.  Yadira introduced me and I gave a little speech about myself, my sabbatical and wishing them well in their lives and thanking them for their attention.  Yadira, Angel and Maria then led us to a Mexican restaurant where we could talk and we had a wonderful meal and a very animated conversation about the conditions under which these women work, the work that Yadira and her team are doing to ameliorate the conditions and their hopes and dreams for the future.

Maria, Yadira and Angel.  All three are from Mexico.  

I wanted to spend the rest of the day talking with them.  We all had to go our separate ways sadly for me.  I heard from Yadira today.  She asked if I would be writing about our visit on my blog because they need publicity.  They felt that it was a relief to have a real conversation and not to have to speak in sound bites about their work.  I decided to make their story a priority for today's writing.

They told me the story of the really poor conditions under which the women labor.  The Hasidic tradition is to clean all floors on hands and knees and to use harmful chemicals to do that to make sure they are as clean as possible.  They hire the day laborers to clean anywhere from 2-8 hours a day and much of the work is done on their hands and knees on hard surfaces.  Yadira shared with me some of the physical damage that is being observed in the workers.  They have seen a number of women who have hardened calluses on their knees that impact their ability to walk.  They see raw skin from the hands all the way up the arms that do not heal and are being irritated daily by harmful, and possibly carcinogenic chemical cleaners.  They know of women who organs are being permanently pushed in because of the position they must maintain for hours at a time on their hands and knees.  Cleaning synagogue floors may take a full eight hours when done on hands and knees.  They report a more frequent rate of miscarriages than one might expect and postulated that the daily exposure to cleaning chemicals and the constant position of being on hands and knees may contribute.  

The Worker's Justice Project is working with the women on several fronts.  They are giving the workers who will come a 10 hour OHSA training on the recognition and use of harmful chemicals.  They are addressing intimidation in the workplace and standing against being asked to do things that are unsafe.  They are also teaching them about worker rights.  They are creating a housekeeping guide for both employers and workers and are making some progress on identifying leaders within the Hassidic community who can help that community be part of the solution.  They have begun a campaign entitled Stand Up to Clean Up that says it all.  The art work is great.  Take a look at the pictures and the stories.  It is a campaign that makes sense and the time is now for action!  I admire that the Worker's Justice Project has formed a cleaner's cooperative.   Maria was the first member.  She began as a day laborer on the corner.  She enrolled in English and computer classes through the Worker's Justice Center and is now the bookkeeper for the cooperative.  She uses Excel.  I was impressed because I have still not mastered Excel.  She has become a spokesperson for the group.  Maria is from  the state of Puebla, Mexico.  There is a large group of immigrants from Puebla in the NYC area.  Most are recent immigrants.  

The work with the women is only one of the things these devoted folks do.  I was really inspired and grateful to get a closer look at this project. I would like to have had time to shadow Yadira for a week.  I asked Yadira and Angel about their stories and passions.  We ran out of time before I could hear much from Angel who studied business in college and who was applying that the work on labor and social justice.  Yadira helped co-found the Worker's Justice Project after being involved with the plight of the day laborer when her husband became involved.  She got involved in an organization for day laborers that she loved because it connected her with the community.  When it closed, she used her organizational skills to help found the Worker's Justice Project with Executive Director, Ligia  Guapia.  One of the most gratifying parts of conversation came when I asked Yadira what about the work she does makes her most hopeful.  She answered:

• She really wants to see changes and to see the workers protected under the law. She wants the law to be enforced for safety and dignity.
• She wants women to retrieve what they have lost (in coming to this country, working as virtual slaves under very harmful conditions, etc).  She said that "our country (Mexico) has failed us and this country (US) has failed us.  I want these women to believe in themselves and to know they deserve support.  This is hard work - you have to be emotionally and psychologically healthy to survive."  

She stated as had KC and others across this journey that social justice is very important.  Social justice is not something that lip service fixes.  Taking real steps can make a difference.  The Worker's Justice Center is one beacon for that work.  I was really glad I took KC's advice and reached out to Yadira.  My visit with in Williamsburg was one of the many highlights of my trip to NYC.

I thought I would close with two more pictures.  KC shared her art work with me.  She goes to the Folk School in North Carolina each year and she has been using printing on fabric to connect her work life with her art.

What the day laborers deserve.

The last is a piece of glass art that greeted us when we stepped off the subway at Marcy Avenue to  meet Yadira after an awesome trip over the Williamsburg Bridge.

Beauty is everywhere.

My next post will focus on my visit with the CUCE-NYC group.

Thanks for reading.

Latino Resilience Enterprise at Arizona State University

I traveled to the Tempe/Phoenix area this week for a whirlwind visit with the Latino Resilience Enterprise team at the T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics at Arizona State University.  I became familiar with the amazing work that is happening within the LRE by attending a series of sessions at the National Council on Family Relations 2014 meeting in Baltimore, MD.  I was fortunate to make connections and to work with Dr. Rebecca White, one of the co-directors of LRE, to arrange a visit.   Thanks to the LRE and especially to Stefanie Fuentes for their care and time in making it a productive day for me.

Stefanie showing off the gorgeous bow she put on the bag they gifted me with as a memory of my day.

I spoke with Rebecca to get an overview of the work LRE is engaged with and to gain an understanding of her work directing the Success in Latino Neighborhoods project.  Rebecca generously shared a number of articles that she and others in her group had published and also gave me a recommendation for a book I have just ordered: Immigrants Raising Children: Undocumented Parents and their Young Children By Hirokazu Yoshikawa, Russell Sage Foundation Press, 2012.

Rebecca's project is one of seven initiatives listed on the LRE website.  I want to spend some time talking about her work before moving to other work of the LRE.  Rebecca is funded by the William T. Grant foundation as an early career scholar.  It is a prestigious award that will fund five years of her work.  Her first graduate student for the project comes from our very own Washington State University Vancouver Human Development Program.  Elizabeth (Liz)  Burleson came south to work with Rebecca and the neighborhood project.  She is a statistics whiz and was also drawn by the strong statistical analysis focus of the program.  I remember Liz from our regional NCFR conference when she was the undergraduate poster winner.  It was great to connect with someone from home.  I was delighted to go out to lunch with Liz and Michelle Pasco, Rebecca's first year student on the neighborhood project.  We had a conversation that ranged from statistics, the hard work being a graduate student requires, life and work balance and the reasons they both chose to come to ASU.  

Liz Burleson, data whiz and second year graduate student and WSUV graduate.

Michelle Pasco, first year student, UCLA graduate.

Both young women are working with a project in which they are using photo elicitation with youth in Latino neighborhoods gather qualitative data about what the youth perceive are the strengths and challenges of living in their neighborhood and they are also working with a large data set that comes from Los Angeles where there are many such neighborhoods.  Some of the preliminary findings that Dr. White reported are that Latino youth receive increased ethnic orientation beyond what the parents are providing and that this increased orientation and Spanish language use act as moderators and protective factors against substance abuse and other risk behaviors.  I came away with more questions than answers as always but I was really enriched by what I learned and from the resources I now have for deepening my learning about the benefits ethnic identity has on adolescent growth and development.

I met with several other students.  Many thanks to Diamond Brave, Danielle Seay, Chelsea Derlan, and Sara Douglass for sharing their work with me.  

Diamond, Danielle and Chelsea are all involved with the Supporting MAMI project.  MAMI stands for Mexican-origin Adolescent Mothers and their Infants.  I had a little familiarity with the project because I had attended a session that Diamond gave at NCFR in Baltimore.  If you have been following my blog you are aware of the interest I have in the issue of teen parents in the Latino populations.  These young women were engaged in significant work with their mentors in understanding the connection between parenting/family stress and family support and its influence on child development and parental mental health in these moms.  The study is longitudinal, having the 204 adolescent mothers and their children and extended families for six years.  I asked them both for the takeaways from their work.  They provided me with path analyses of their work.  My early work in statistics during my graduate studies helped me enormously.  Diamond's work showed significant negative relationship between parenting efficacy and economic hardship on adolescent parenting stress and that the adolescent stress negatively impacted the adolescent's endorsement of their child's readiness (academic and social emotional) attend kindergarten.  This finding seems very intuitive and has many implications for how teen pregnancy and parenting is handled on the school and community levels.  

Chelsea works with the Family Stress model and found that economic pressure and maternal depressive symptoms are connected to co-parenting conflict between the grandmother and the mother and are compounded in future years with co-parenting conflict with the father and increased hassles for the mother that result in the both acting out and internalizing behavior problems in the 6th year of the study.  I asked Chelsea where the salient points of intervention could be made that might mitigate these effects on both mother and child.  She pointed to year three of their data when the depressive symptoms emerged and in year 4 when the mother-grandmother co-parenting conflict emerges and influences the child's later behavior.    My mind was spinning with possibilities for education and support.  

Danielle was looking at the transition of maladaptive parents within the MAMI sample.  She has found that teen parents who are parented with psychological control more likely to engage in punitive discipline and have higher potential for abuse of their own children.  Effect size is small but robust. We wandered into a long discussion of incidence and effects corporal punishment and authoritarian parenting because I have a long standing interest in the subject.  Danielle had experience working in India before she came to ASU and was doing community training to reduce the amount of corporal punishment and shaming being used as a control mechanism in a secondary school.  I enjoyed our conversation.

My last interview of the day was with Dr. Sara Douglass who is completing her two-year post-doctorate work with the Foundational Director of the LRE, Dr. Adriana Umana-Taylor.  She had just completed the "pilot" study of the IDENTITY project in which they compared 4 groups of 9th graders that received the newly developed curriculum that helped youth explore their ethnic identities with 4 groups of youth that not receive the lessons. Initial findings of the project are that family messages about ethnic-racial identity assist young adolescents in exploring their identity but less so as kids age.  They are less likely to come to resolution of their ethnic-racial identity as a result of family messaging and need some support from other sources, including their parents for creating their own identity.  The benefits of cultural pride are well documented.  Sara gave me some great resources with which to follow-up.

Dr. Sara Douglass

I was exhausted and completely sated with new knowledge by the time I left the LRE.  I had the misfortune of coming down with my husband Michael's generously shared cold that morning.  I was really glad that I took the time to visit Tempe on March 31st.  I was surprised and pleased to know that the city was closed to observe Cesar Chavez's birthday. He is an honored man throughout the SW.

My selfie!

Sign on City Hall 3/31/15

This was a long post so if you made it all the way through I appreciate your attention. I am writing on day 3 of this danged cold and wanted to remember this amazing visit.

Thanks for reading!

More NorCal Reflections

My last visit in California before we headed north was with Dr. Lucia Kaiser.  Lucia is an Extension Nutrition Specialist with University of California at Davis and is in the final stages of her career at UC.  I was somewhat familiar with Dr. Kaiser's work having seen it highlighted at professional meetings.  I had never met her before and was charmed by her warmth and her commitment to her current project.  I was glad I had the opportunity to interview her.

Lucia in her office.

Her project focuses on delivering messages about parenting and obesity prevention to newly immigrated residents of the Central Valley in a rural area near Fresno.  About 400 parents are involved in the study and only about half participate. About 79% are Mexican immigrants and there is a fairly low acculturation level in the group.  Some of the things they are learning are that parenting around food is a difficult thing to influence, especially when the cultural norms are different from those being taught.  The more hands on, the more impact on and involvement of the students.  They have gone to having a promotora teaching hands on cooking classes and moved away from some of the more didactic classes. They also have formed a walking club to promote physical activity.  This fits with what we have experienced as well.   Lucia shared that the mothers are getting mixed messages about the obesity risk their children face.  They are using health report cards to share with the parents weight and Body Mass Index (BMI) information.  Lucia was not understanding why the report cards were not really influencing behavior until she dug a little deeper.  The area physicians were advising the parents not to worry, not to put their kids on diets and were assuring them they would "grow out" of their fat stage.  This is a common concern in our country and it speaks to the need to help the medical community understand the importance of non-diet interventions for children.  I am working on a study that is focusing on helping both parents and preschoolers understand about satiety and becoming aware of their cues for satisfaction and fullness.  Lucia and her team took a community awareness approach and used simple graphic examples to compare the obesity rates in the general population and in the targeted community.

The color of the folders represent obesity rates in the normal population and then the targeted community. Green represents normal weight, yellow, at risk and red obese.  The comparisons between the right side (average population) and the targeted community (left) speak for themselves.

The parents were able to see the differences and Lucia reported that the "lights went on" (my words).

Lucia hopes to continue this work in a consulting role in other communities after she retires this fall.

We had a very interesting discussion about the role of trauma in her study community and in the immigrant community as a whole.  I have been asking about trauma all along the way on this trip and about teen parents and the status in each community where I have made program visits.  I shared my experience of visiting with the women in the Kino women's shelter in Nogales, Sonora.  I shared what I learned about the high incidence of rape for women who attempt the border crossing.  Lucia and I shared tears.  It was good to see that she was not hardened to the reality of what was happening.  She spoke about rape as well.  She has colleagues in school of nursing who are finding rape is an issue with teens and that some of the evidence points to the field workers.  I am concerned about the culture of sexual assault that is created by the inhumane conditions on the borders and during the journeys through both Mexico and the US.  I know it is compounded by impoverished lives folks are forced to lead and the shadows in which many exist.   I am aware that the fear of reporting a rape can be exacerbated by fear of the law, immigration issues, cultural silence about rape.  It is not a good situation.  This was not the first time I heard concerns about sexual assault of young Latinas on the trip.  

I cannot help but think that the trauma exists at the community level and is exemplified in a variety of ways.  I wonder how much trauma, post traumatic stress and the threat of loss and grief affects the choices people are making about food and their weight? Good questions to which I do not have the answers.  To assume that there is no impact would be a mistake.  Lots to think about.

I am almost half way through this sabbatical and I have more questions than I have answers.  I suspect this is part of the process.  I am certainly learning a great deal so far and look forward to the next 3 months.  I will continue to blog.  I am finding it very helpful for my own learning.  One of the gifts of this time away from my normal duties is having the time to reflect and process.  I have always enjoyed journaling and I am finding a renewed energy for that in this blog.  Upcoming is a trip to Arizona, a trip to New York City, work with a colleague and scholar in Oregon and time to start working on fund proposals for our Fortaleciendo Familias program revision.

Thanks for reading.

Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services Visit

Creating programs based on the needs of the community is a wonderful strategy for successful outcomes.  I have seen many programs based on community need over the years.  Sometimes they are successful and sometimes they fail for a variety of reasons.  Sometimes the organizational structure is not strong enough to support the program, sometimes the personnel change and the new personnel are not a good fit for the service and sometimes the vision for service is linked to one dedicated individual who is not able to sustain the program.  

I found several examples of thriving non-profits on my travels.  Two I have already written about - No More Deaths in Tucson and The Bethlehem Center in Visalia.  I was delighted to visit the Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services Agency at their Oak Park Center on March 17th.  Mike and I were warmly greeted by Lorena Carranza, who is the Parent Education Program Manager at the Oak Park facility and the parent educator for the most of the classes delivered there.

Lorena Carranza
Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services

I was really happy that I took the time to visit this agency. Their mission statement reads: Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services (SFBFS) is dedicated to assisting those in need by alleviating their immediate pain and problems and moving them toward self-sufficiency and financial independence.  I encourage you to visit their website to learn more about the agency.  It was their website that caught my attention when I was searching for places that were offering parent education in Spanish in the Sacramento and Yolo County areas.  

The agency was started as a Food Bank by Father Daniel Madigan in 1976 in the basement of his Oak Park Church.  It is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit agency and is affiliated with the local Catholic Archdiocese in some way.  It was a revelation to me to see the deep connection between the Catholic Church and the Latino immigrant populations in California.  It should not have surprised me but it did.  What I know of Washington State and the communities in Western Washington that I have served over the years is that the church was not as responsive to early waves of immigrants.  Perhaps that is related to the more migratory stream that used to populate our agriculture industry.  I remember serving a community in SW Washington where there were two catholic sisters( nuns) who were community based working with Latinos and other faith communities were filling the gap.  All sorts of denominations were involved.  I was surprised at the time about what one of the sisters referred to as a crisis within the church that the Mexican immigrants were not being served and were basically being abandoned by the church.  Part of the lack of service was probably due to a shortage of Spanish speaking priests.  This was in the mid-1990's.  I still wonder if that is why we see so much religious diversity amongst our immigrant population or if that diversity is everywhere.  

Fr. Madigan was clearly a perceptive servant leader.  He noticed a number of single mothers in the food bank lines and began a Mother-Baby program in 1992.  Mothers could come to classes at the center.  If they attended at least one class a month, they would be eligible for a monthly distribution of diapers, clothing and formula.  There were 8 classes a month offered, all on the same topic, 4 in Spanish and 4 in English.  All were focused on caring for children from birth to 2 years. SFBFS found out people wanted more when they did focus groups in 2011.   They asked Spanish, Russian and English groups of parents what they wanted and why they were not drawing fathers.   All groups asked for more topics, and to extend the topics to cover children up to age 5.  SFBFS changed the name to Parent Education Classes and now offer specific workshops for fathers.

The bulletin board with all the classes/workshops listed.

Lorena had just finished teaching a stress management class in Spanish when we arrived.  It was one of 11 workshops that would be available that week.  Lorena shared with us that parents still earn points that they can trade for baby/child clothes, supplies and diapers when they attend classes.  I love the relevant incentives.  When parents come, all the children spend time in the well equipped and engaging nursery and preschool area.  One of the weekly offering is Story Time for parents and their little ones.  Lorena reported that about seventy percent of the parents who come to the center are Latino and of those a large majority are undocumented.  Lorena shared that SFBFS under the auspices of Catholic Charities of Sacramento is offering six workshops this spring on DAPA, the executive order that offers Deferred Action for Parental Arrivals.  Lorena reported that there was a great deal of hope and excitement in the community she serves and in her agency around DAPA.

Lorena gave us a tour of the Oak Park Center.  The building is lovely.  It holds space for children, youth and parents to learn together.  It houses afters school programs, a teaching garden, classrooms for English learning, computer classrooms for adults and youth, the clothing bank for the parenting program, administrative offices and early learning spaces.  I was really impressed by the comprehensive range of services that grew out of a church basement food bank.  

The garden space

I was even more impressed by Lorena and her poise and commitment.  She moved to Sacramento as a newly married young women from Monterrey, Mexico.  Her husband was offered a job because of his unique skills.  She did not know English when she arrived.  A twist of fate led her to learn what she called "hospital" English because of a condition with which her daughter was born.  Lorena spent a lot of time in and out of medical centers with her daughter during her early years.  When she was declared well, Lorena came to the SFBFS to enroll in English classes and she has stayed ever since. Her English is beautiful.  The agency is obviously part of her extended family.  She has been on staff for over seven years.  Lorena talked about the stress of moving to a different country and having to adapt without family nearby.  She teaches stress courses at the center.  I imagine she is amazing because she has learned how to overcome stress in her own life.  I believe this is an incredible gift to the families who come to the center and would be good for all of the families we want to serve.  My journey has made me so  much more aware of the trauma associated with immigration, especially for those who are undocumented.  Speaking with Lorena and Jose in Tucson also reminded me that stress, trauma and grief are also present for those who immigrate legally or who are born to immigrant parents.  This gives me much food for thought as I think about what to add to our lessons.

As Mike and I drove away felt deep gratitude for the gifts SFBFS was giving the community and for the gift of time and presence they gave me on my visit!

Thanks for reading!

Borders and Heroes

 Dear Readers,

We are in the third day of Borderlinks experience and have more to come.  I am quite overcome with feelings and had a difficult time getting to sleep last night.  We have been witness to the following.  I will likely write more later about each of these pieces but I wanted to write something while my images are fresh.  In the past three days we have -

*Witnessed people whose only crime was entering the country without documents for the purpose of working and surviving brought before a judge in a Federal immigration court in leg and hand shackles to be sentenced in groups of 8-10 to time in one of our private prisons, aka Detention Centers, some for up to 6 months.  All were plea bargains.  No pictures were allowed.

*Spend time with recent deportees in a community kitchens run by the Jesuits in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico.  We have seen radical hospitality in the setting and people with very little hope and much determination treated to a Valentine's Day meal of posole, tortillas and more with balloons all around and brought to tears with the gift of music and love.

Outside the Kino Center where the meal was served.  

Pre-meal agreements and fun!

Valentine's Day Breakfast: Posole and torillas.  Horchata to drink!

Reproductions of murals and balloons decorate the wall.  Every effort is made to create hospitality and dignity in this setting.  I sensed that the memory of this  meal would help these folks at least for this day.  

*Met with women in a shelter who were all separated from their children, several had just completed 75 days in a cruel detention center before being returned from the detention center to Mexico and being dropped off to find that their money was stolen from someone within the system.  While in prison they suffered sexual abuse from prisoners and horrible treatment.  As one of the women said, "we are not criminals, we want to return to our children who are citizens and to work honestly."  There were so many tears from these beautiful young women and those of us who were privileged to hear their stories.  I lay awake last night thinking about them and hoping they will live to see their children and not be either incarcerated again, sexually exploited by narco terrorists or killed or neglected by coyotes, drug cartels or even our own border patrol or left to die in the desert.  We did not take pictures of the women but we listened and the stories and their faces live in my memory.

Some of the artifacts she shared with us. 

Shura with children's clothing.

*Heard stories from heroic Tucson area residents.  I do not think any of these folks would identify themselves as heroes but in my mind they are.  We heard from Emrys Staton who is a minister in training and one of the founders of the No More Deaths/No Mas Muertes organization that began leaving water in the desert 10 years ago to help save lives.  I hope to interview him in more depth next week.

Emrys, No More Deaths or No Mas Muertes

This morning we visited the co-organizer of the Green Valley Sahuarita Arizona Samaritans.  She is an amazing woman who moved to Green Valley from Berkeley CA and found that people were dying in the desert near her home.  She has organized a group of over 200 Samaritans in her area to help stop deaths in the desert.  Our group gathered in her hope around a table of artifacts that she had found in the desert near Green Valley.  She told the stories of what happens through the artifacts.  It was sobering.  She would not consider herself a heroine.  She told us that she is burdened every day with this work and she never gets away from it.  She is a powerful advocate for change.  She shared with us a powerful book of images by photographer Michael Hyatt: Migrant Artifacts; Magic and Loss in the Sonoran Desert published by Great Circle Books, Los Angeles.

This afternoon we spent time hearing stories of the sanctuary movement from Central American refugees that began in Tucson in the 1980's.  Rev. John Fife, one of the principals of the movement who was arrested with 15 others on a number of charges and later given 5 years probation, told the story of the movement from his experience.  He summarized the current US policy on the border of excluding the poorest of the poor from entering our country through a safe border as a gross violation of human rights and international law.  Strong words and strong convictions backed up by a deep faith in what should be done to protect all people and for the children who are now suffering as they are separated from their parents for a number of reasons.  He urged that our country develop a much broader view of what being a refugee means and how we can broaden the new sanctuary movement to protect children and their families.

I have been riding a roller coaster of despair, worry and hope over these last few days.  I think this experience will influence the rest of my sabbatical and my life for sometime to come.  I will not forget.

We finish here tomorrow and move a bit south where will be visiting agencies that serve families in Santa Cruz County, Arizona, including some in Nogales, Arizona.

Thanks for reading.