Despite yesterday's power outage, Green River Community College is back up and running! And we have a bunch of exciting events this week!
Cinco de Mayo Celebration
May 5, 2010
12-2 pm and 7-9 pm
Main Dining Room, Lindbloom Student Center
Latino Student Union is providing dancing, clowns, food, and celebration to mark the anniversary of the Battle of Puebla. This event is FREE!
The Hapa Project: Kip Fulbeck, Speaker
May 6, 2010
7:30-9 pm
Main Dining Room, Lindbloom Student Center
Captivating videos, performances, and writings, unique monologues and multimedia shows combine with stand-up comedy for a powerful and politically charged edge, leading audiences to honestly consider, "Who Am I?" Professor and Chair of Art and an affiliate faculty of Asian American Studies and Film Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Fulbeck has performed and exhibited in over 20 countries. His critically acclaimed books Paper Bullets: A fictional Autobiography, Mixed: Portraits of Multiracial Kids and Part Asian, 100% Hapa features photographs of multiracials of Asian/Pacific Islander descent.
Who Are You?
May 7, 2010
11 am-2 pm
Main Dining Room, Lindbloom Student Center
Who are you? Where do you come from? Students share their backgrounds and life experiences through performance. Check out this unique program!
Spring Jam
May 7, 2010
7 pm-12 am
Main Dining Room, Lindbloom Student Center
Heat up the student center with Latino Student Union and Latin Rhythms Club! Dance the night away with good music and great company. Sign up in Student Life to pre-purchase tickets.
A Taste of the Rainbow: LGBTQ Leadership Conference
May 8, 2010
8:30 am-3:30 pm
Lindbloom Student Center
Join students, staff, and faculty from colleges around the Puget Sound region to learn how to be stronger advocates for the LGBTQ community. Workshops on topics such as motivation, becoming a more effective ally, diversity within the LGBTQ community, and mental health issues in the LGBTQ community highlight the day. Dr. Patrick Chapman will deliver the keynote, and the day is capped off by a screening of "Straightlaced: How Gender Got us All Tied Up." FREE program, suggested $5 donation.
And if that's not enough, check out our full calendar of events! May is a busy month at GRCC...no excuse not to get involved!
Bryce Hughes
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Friday, April 16, 2010
Day of Silence Today
Join the Queer and Allies Club today as they march and rally in recognition of the National Day of Silence, happening across the nation. The Day of Silence is a movement to draw attention to the silencing effects of anti-queer bullying, name-calling, and harassment that young people face in schools on a daily basis. Often participants take a day-long vow of symbolic silence, culminating in some sort of "breaking the silence" rally or demonstration.
Students at Green River are gathering in the Kennelly Commons at 12:05 pm for a silent march followed by a rally by the water wall to break the silence. Join us!
Bryce Hughes
Students at Green River are gathering in the Kennelly Commons at 12:05 pm for a silent march followed by a rally by the water wall to break the silence. Join us!
Bryce Hughes
Friday, April 2, 2010
Is the unemployment crisis actually abating?
Today the news came out that while the nation's unemployment rate has remained steady at 9.7%, the economy actually added 162,000 jobs during the month of March. Most of these were either people who had been full-time being hired part-time, temporary jobs, or jobs with the Census, but it was the most jobs added in nearly three years.
Economists believe we are seeing the signs of recovery.
But is the crisis abating?
Jacob posts on the blog "Coffee House Talks" about the fact that while the national unemployment average is leveling out, the unemployment average for Black males continues to increase. Somehow any economic recovery is not being felt equitably, and Jacob has a brief but helpful deconstruction of where that inequity might originate.
Has anyone else seen this for other communities? Thoughts on structural inequities pervasive in our economic recovery? Please share.
Bryce Hughes
Economists believe we are seeing the signs of recovery.
But is the crisis abating?
Jacob posts on the blog "Coffee House Talks" about the fact that while the national unemployment average is leveling out, the unemployment average for Black males continues to increase. Somehow any economic recovery is not being felt equitably, and Jacob has a brief but helpful deconstruction of where that inequity might originate.
Has anyone else seen this for other communities? Thoughts on structural inequities pervasive in our economic recovery? Please share.
Bryce Hughes
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Welcome Back Week next week!
With next week being the first week of Spring Quarter, drop by Diversity and Multicultural Affairs to celebrate the new quarter! There will be all kinds of activity in our area throughout the week so drop by the office and check it out!
Bryce
Bryce
Friday, February 26, 2010
Do we really have the right to vote?
Do we really have the right to vote?
The Black Student Union had members of the African American Writers’ Alliance read poetry this week in celebration of Black History Month, and this question came from one of the speakers. Before reading on, I want you to stop and think for yourself—do you feel you have the right to vote?
The speaker had written a poem regarding Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, regarding preclearance, and how federal protection against states creating arbitrary requirements for people to be able to vote is not a permanent law and has to be renewed every 25 years. But for me, this got me thinking about what the question is truly asking: do we really have the right to influence the political process?
When she asked the question, I responded back with, “Well, I guess that depends on how you define the right to vote. Do I have the right to fill in circles on a piece of paper? Yes. Do I truly have the right to exercise influence over the process? That’s a different question.” And it’s one I’m posing here. So do you really have the ability to exercise your influence?
We all know what it takes to run for office. Often you have to have multiple connections in your community ahead of time, and a significant amount of money to jump-start a campaign. If you’re considering running for U.S. Senate—possibly any state-wide or national office—or higher, unless you’re a millionaire, you’re fighting a tough uphill battle. So running for office will be out of the question for the vast majority of us. And even though we have several political parties, if all our candidates are coming from the same neighborhoods, school systems, and colleges, how will our votes influence the issues that they bring to the legislative process for action?
Another example that comes to mind are the Proposition 8’s and other constitutional amendments and laws barring same-sex couples from having the right to marry in the states in which they pass them. Even though it’s “technically” a more democratic process to be able to vote on laws and similar items through the popular vote process, is it necessarily fair to put every item related to state laws and constitutions to a vote? Is it fair to put civil rights to a popular vote? Often civil rights need legislation to be enacted because they are unpopular at the time, yet are the greater good for society in the long run. No one voted to provide marriage recognition for opposite-sex couples at the time the United States and individual state constitutions were written. No one voted to provide civil rights to White men at the founding of our nation. Does it truly represent a right to influence the political system when other civil rights are placed before the people for a popular vote? Or is it a cover for denying queer people the right to influence the process to protect their civil rights by claiming the results of a popular vote as the fair outcome?
We don’t vote for our President; we vote for electors who vote for the President. We don’t vote directly on bills and laws (which is, frankly, a good thing), we elect people to represent us to do so. And only around 50% of our country votes regularly, mostly affluent, White, older Americans who are NOT representative of the diversity of our nation, especially those Americans who need greater protection under the law.
So, I ask you again, do we truly have the right to vote in this country?
Bryce Hughes
The Black Student Union had members of the African American Writers’ Alliance read poetry this week in celebration of Black History Month, and this question came from one of the speakers. Before reading on, I want you to stop and think for yourself—do you feel you have the right to vote?
The speaker had written a poem regarding Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, regarding preclearance, and how federal protection against states creating arbitrary requirements for people to be able to vote is not a permanent law and has to be renewed every 25 years. But for me, this got me thinking about what the question is truly asking: do we really have the right to influence the political process?
When she asked the question, I responded back with, “Well, I guess that depends on how you define the right to vote. Do I have the right to fill in circles on a piece of paper? Yes. Do I truly have the right to exercise influence over the process? That’s a different question.” And it’s one I’m posing here. So do you really have the ability to exercise your influence?
We all know what it takes to run for office. Often you have to have multiple connections in your community ahead of time, and a significant amount of money to jump-start a campaign. If you’re considering running for U.S. Senate—possibly any state-wide or national office—or higher, unless you’re a millionaire, you’re fighting a tough uphill battle. So running for office will be out of the question for the vast majority of us. And even though we have several political parties, if all our candidates are coming from the same neighborhoods, school systems, and colleges, how will our votes influence the issues that they bring to the legislative process for action?
Another example that comes to mind are the Proposition 8’s and other constitutional amendments and laws barring same-sex couples from having the right to marry in the states in which they pass them. Even though it’s “technically” a more democratic process to be able to vote on laws and similar items through the popular vote process, is it necessarily fair to put every item related to state laws and constitutions to a vote? Is it fair to put civil rights to a popular vote? Often civil rights need legislation to be enacted because they are unpopular at the time, yet are the greater good for society in the long run. No one voted to provide marriage recognition for opposite-sex couples at the time the United States and individual state constitutions were written. No one voted to provide civil rights to White men at the founding of our nation. Does it truly represent a right to influence the political system when other civil rights are placed before the people for a popular vote? Or is it a cover for denying queer people the right to influence the process to protect their civil rights by claiming the results of a popular vote as the fair outcome?
We don’t vote for our President; we vote for electors who vote for the President. We don’t vote directly on bills and laws (which is, frankly, a good thing), we elect people to represent us to do so. And only around 50% of our country votes regularly, mostly affluent, White, older Americans who are NOT representative of the diversity of our nation, especially those Americans who need greater protection under the law.
So, I ask you again, do we truly have the right to vote in this country?
Bryce Hughes
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Welcome to Diverse Reality!
Hello Everyone!
Welcome to Diverse Reality, the new blog from GRCC's Office of Diversity & Multicultural Affairs! Keep up to date with the latest news, events, editorials, comics, commentary, and the latest monthly cultural celebrations! Feel free to leave comments (comments will be moderated), stories, useful information and thoughts. AND MAKE SURE TO DROP BY THE CAP OFFICE!!!! (located in the LSC Building on the Main campus 2nd floor!)
Thanks!
Welcome to Diverse Reality, the new blog from GRCC's Office of Diversity & Multicultural Affairs! Keep up to date with the latest news, events, editorials, comics, commentary, and the latest monthly cultural celebrations! Feel free to leave comments (comments will be moderated), stories, useful information and thoughts. AND MAKE SURE TO DROP BY THE CAP OFFICE!!!! (located in the LSC Building on the Main campus 2nd floor!)
Thanks!
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