Poets highlight impacts of oppression and the media portrayal of people of color
by Kirsten Garcia, Department of Natural Resources and Parks
This summer I’m interning with the Department of Natural Resources and Parks in the Wastewater Treatment Division. I’m providing cross-sectional support to the Environmental and Community Relations and Finance and Administration sections on policy changes, planning outreach, communications, and budgets.
In my first week with DNRP, I assisted with and observed the June 15 poetry symposium on “Reflecting on Race and Racism through Spoken Word, Story, and Conversation,” an Equity and Social Justice project created by the Wastewater and Solid Waste divisions. About 90 King County employees listened to and reflected on work by local poets Anis Gisele and Shin Yu Pai.
One employee commented that “this experience reminded us of the need to be cognizant of what we should do to create space for all people’s points of view.”
Anis Gisele
The audience listened intently to Anis Gisele’s poems about inter-generational pain, long-term impacts of oppression, and under-representation. Gisele addressed growing up within a patriarchal society in the Philippines where suppressing feelings is a result of centuries of colonization. In one of her poems, she referenced the first time she met her therapist who spoke of how her skirt reminded her of all the time she’s spent in Haiti doing community service work. Gisele questioned whether her white therapist was trying to help her the same way she was trying to help the community in Haiti – through a white person’s filter of the “other.” I nodded in agreement with Gisele’s words because many of her experiences resonated with me.
I, too, question how readily someone who doesn’t understand the oppression and struggles I’ve experienced would be able to help me. Our institutions and services need to better reflect the diverse populations they serve. For example, last year, as a student worker in the University of Washington Tacoma’s Office of Equity and Inclusion, I along with my colleagues noticed that while our university prides itself on a “diverse” campus, our staff and faculty do not reflect who we are as students.
Gisele’s poems demonstrated the struggle and conflicts that people of color face. They made me consider how Filipino culture has shaped me. They reflect my own activism, such as my involvement last year as community outreach coordinator for the Filipino Student Association at UW Tacoma.
Shin Yun Pai
The two poets took turns performing their work. Shin Yu Pai’s poetry dealt with the way people of color are portrayed in the media: either in a negative light or not at all. She referenced the death of an Asian American college student who set himself on fire, a tragedy that wasn’t acknowledged in the news or on campus. On the other hand, the media directed much attention and support to Amanda Knox who was awaiting trial for murder in Italy. Pai’s poetry also described how the BODIES…The Exhibition resembled bullet holes in unidentified specimens because the exhibit displayed bodies of Chinese migrant workers without proof of their consent.
The audience asked questions such as, “How has the city of Seattle compared to anywhere else that you’ve lived?” Gisele said that in Seattle she’s met people with similar life experiences. Pai agreed, saying that Seattle was a place where she saw her values reflected in the community. “Being in Seattle has allowed me to speak my narrative and start the life I want to live with my partner,” she said.
The discussion was not confined to issues of race and racism, but also touched on other topics such as the poets’ thoughts on gentrification and transgender rights. Gisele and Pai offered ways King County employees can move forward in creating a more equitable workplace. These are among the ideas mentioned:
We must be mindful of and vulnerable and compassionate to others’ experiences. We must recognize credibility and understand that although we have events with microphones and speakers, we cannot just use this platform. It is important to immerse ourselves within the community and go to where the people are. We must not forget that we need to be culturally sensitive, aware, and appreciative of the diverse communities we serve.
The symposium showed me how poetry can be used in civic discourse to dive deeper into the conversation on race and racism. I am thankful for the opportunity to have heard the experiences of these poets and the discussion it generated among the county employees in attendance. I’m hopeful that such events spark change in our daily lives, in the workplace, and beyond. The next poetry symposium is September 13 at Eastgate Public Health Center (14350 Southeast Eastgate Way, Rooms. A & B, Bellevue, WA 98007), which will feature two young poets – Kiana Davis and Djenanway Se-Gahon. I hope to see you there.
Kirsten Garcia will be a junior this fall at the University of Washington Tacoma where she is pursuing a Bachelors of Arts in Healthcare Leadership with a minor in Business Administration.
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Partnering eases transition from incarceration to society
*Correction: This article incorrectly lists Dave Murphy as the current interim Director of the Community Corrections division. Saudia Abdullah is the current Director, starting in August 2015 and confirmed by counsel in October 2015.
Each year in Washington state, hundreds of inmates are released from correctional facilities after completing their sentences with $40, a bus ticket, and whatever they had on them upon entering.
They are released into society without any training on how to deal with reintegration or changes in the way we live. Many have served long-term sentences and find they don’t know how to navigate even simple tasks such as the public transportation system.
Unable to get a job or apply for housing due to their felony records, many slip back into their previous criminal lives.
“Most inmates don’t want to go back once they get out,” Carla Lee, deputy chief of staff with King County Prosecuting Attorney, said. “They did their time, paid their services and now they want to get back to their life.”
But it can be very difficult for inmates to do so. Unable to pay bills while in jail, released inmates find themselves facing large debt which they are unable to pay, along with court-related fees and fines because their status as a felon reduces their job possibilities.
King County, along with partners Washington State Department of Corrections and Columbia Legal, are trying to make it easier for inmates to reenter society.
To do so, King County and its partners have a cross-system policy action team to develop new policies and practices. In doing so, they developed the Risk Need Responsively principle (a process that considers individual characteristics when matching offenders to services), to help identify and determine which inmates would pose the greatest risk to themselves upon reentry to society. These are inmates who have stayed within the system for longer periods of time and would have the most trouble upon reentry.
King County now works to develop and identify community partners, evaluate existing policies to determine if they are align with Risk Need Responsively principle, and track inmates with the goal of easing the reentry process. The County identifies community partners who can assist inmates upon their release from prison, such as housing and health providers, or inmates who have been through the system and now serve as a guide to help newly released inmates navigate the outside world.
“When they get out they may have told to go left,” Patty Noble-Desy said. “But they will turn right because that’s what they know and they don’t know how to get where they are suppose to go.”
Noble-Desy is King County’s Recidivism Reduction and Reentry Senior Project Manager. By working with the community, inmates have the resources to help them start out on their feet. When communities are involved, it creates a safer environment because inmates do not have to turn to their old ways to survive, Noble-Desy said.
Educational programs for inmates while they are incarcerated help them transition into society easier upon release.
But it isn’t all about focusing on when inmates leave the prison system. King County is focused on creating programs within the jail that would help inmates learn necessary life skills for their reentry. These programs involve schooling and financial help while inmates are incarcerated.
“We track our programs to see if they are effective or not,” Dave Murphy, current interim division director for Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention’s Community Corrections Division, said. Some of the most effective programs have been enhanced case management and housing vouchers, along with health services provided in jail, which had the best outcome of all programs. Programs are developed to work with Risk Need Responsively, but are also tailored to what the inmates actually need.
“We listen to them to what they want,” Murphy said. Because King County is trying to reduce the amount of people entering jail each year, programs need to be designed with the inmates’ needs and wants in mind, Murphy said. “Each case is different and so our model is changing to fit them individually.”
But more importantly, King County is trying to keep people from being incarcerated in the first place. Currently more than half of the jail and prison population are people who are incarcerated for petty or insignificant crimes. Two-thirds of the population will be released after three days of being booked and will have a permanent criminal record that will bar them from jobs and housing, Murphy said.
To keep the prison population low, King County works with all first responders to assess the scene upon arrival, Noble-Desy said. If they determine the person causing the disruption is not a threat to themselves or others, they are urged to take the suspect to a service center rather than book them immediately.
“It starts well in advance,” Patty Noble-Desy said. “We try to get engaged before they get involved with law enforcement. Sometimes they just need a little help getting back on track.”
With this model, King County hopes to stop “recycling” inmates, or seeing the same people return time after time because they are stuck in a criminal rut.
“With everyone on board, from the Executive to the warden, Washington State Department of Corrections and the community members, we can work together to divert people from jails and get them the help they need,” Murphy said. “This has never happened before.”
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Social Media Spotlight: King County International Airport Facebook and blog
King County International Airport is one of the busiest primary non-hub airports in the nation. The airport serves small commercial passenger airlines, cargo carriers, private aircraft owners, helicopters, corporate jets, and military and other aircraft. Stay up to date with everything that is happening at the airport.
Follow the King County International Airport on Facebook and The Centerline blog today!
Click here to view all King County social media pages.
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Tech Tip: A new free application for presentations
If you are bored with PowerPoint and Prezi makes you nauseous, our Office 365 application has something in between and it’s really easy to use. It’s called Sway. You can find it in the upper left hand corner tile in Office 365. It’s free and there are no restrictions for county users.
Once you log in (it’s automatic when you login into Office 365) you open Sway and it brings up easy plug and play instructions. Then hit Get Started and Create. Pull in videos, maps, photos and text. It’s drag and drop or you can storyboard. The tools are so simple, editing on the fly is easy. This three-minute tutorial does a good job of explaining how it works and here’s a simple finished product. It’s much more visual and interesting than PowerPoint.
The coolest thing about Sway is that it conforms to whatever device you are viewing it on – tablet, desktop, smartphone AND it’s stored in the cloud so you can see, send or store it anytime, anywhere.
KCIT is working hard to provide county employees with tools that are totally mobile and fast. We think you’ll like this new tool.
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Kudos! RASKC June statistics show 200 pets found homes
Regional Animal Services of King County secured forever homes for 200 animals, the highest number so far this year.
Working in creative ways to engage the public and also ensure animal health and well-being is paying off in a huge way, making sure we continue to deliver on our promise to transform animal services, lowering euthanasia rates and finding a home for animals in need.
Kudos to RASKC employees and volunteers who make it possible for loving animals to find families and individuals who care about them, while doing so in a way that benefits King County and our communities!
For more information about pets adopted, animal intakes and other information, view our monthly Statistics At A Glance.
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Go check out ParkFinder: the new interactive map to locate King County parks and trails
Crossposted from King County Parks
YAY for GIS! Now you can find ALL of our regional trails, backcountry trails, natural areas and parks on an interactive and easy-to-use virtual map. You can even search specific amenities and activities such as picnic locations, fishing locations and soccer locations. Go monkey around with it: http://gismaps.kingcounty.gov/ParkFinder/
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Furry exterminators saving taxpayers money and saving their own lives
The King County South Wastewater Treatment Plan was recently highlighted on KIRO 7 for the creative way in which barn cats are helping the facility deal with rodents. Barn Cats R Us is a volunteer program that rehomes feral cats to barns and garages. They hunt rodents and also save King County taxpayers money as facilities no longer have to call exterminators.
The cats are promoted as “organic rodent control” that keep facilities from using pesticides and chemicals that can potentially harm children, pets and wild animals. The feral cats are placed in a location and require minimum care, only needing warm, safe shelter, steady food and fresh water.
For more information about the barn cat program, visit the Barn Cats R Us website. To read the full story on KIRO 7, click here or view the video below.
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Patchouli, Tibet, and a Hope for Mangoes
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Crossposted from Expanding the Narrative, personal stories of government and public service
When I was a boy, a very young boy, I lived with my mother and father on a houseboat in the Bay Area. This houseboat was a part of a hippy enclave that was ‘squatting’ at an unofficial dock constructed by said squatters. We didn’t have running water. My mother would fill up a huge copper bowl for our water use. There were no guardrails on the docks for a little boy like me. I fell into the water so often that, eventually, this became a catalyst for us to move.
The community did what one would think hippies that were not particularly political would do; drink, smoke, and wander about seemingly aimlessly to a boy like me.
Read more at Expanding the Narrative
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Racism, Injustice and Public Health
By Dr. Jeff Duchin, Health Officer
Crossposted from Public Health Insider
The horrible violence of the past week, with the killing of black men by police officers in Baton Rouge and Minneapolis and of white police officers protecting peaceful demonstrators in Dallas, revolting and deeply offending to all, has left us feeling confused, helpless and frightened. As a public health community dedicated to promoting conditions under which all persons thrive in good health, how can we respond?
First, we need continue to renounce and work to end violence against all persons, adults and children, in all its forms. This includes gun violence and other forms of physical violence as well as sexual violence and emotional and psychological violence.
Read more at Public Health Insider
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Children and Youth Advisory Board members leading change in many ways
Crossposted from Best Starts for Kids
For Best Starts for Kids, we’ve had the fortune of working with a broad range of community and content experts through our Children and Youth Advisory Board (CYAB) . The CYAB brings together many leaders working to create a healthier place for all King County children and families. Two members recently have been recognized for their instrumental contributions.
Zam Zam Mohamed is the CEO and Co-founder of Voices of Tomorrow. She also works closely with other community partners to eliminate racial and ethnic achievement gap that exists for East African children and families living in King County. She was highlighted in the Seattle Times in the article: Seattle-area Somali community unites to embrace state’s new child-care standards
Brian Saelens is a professor and researcher at Seattle Children’s Research Institute at the University of Washington. In his work, Dr. Saelens identifies strategies at all levels that help children and families eat healthfully and be active. Thomson Reuters, a global information agency, identified him as one of the world’s “most influential scientific minds.” He was recently featured in: Pushing the boundaries: UW Medicine’s list of ‘most influential’ scientisits.
Read more at Best Starts for Kids
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