Sensory Overload

It's About Community and Vision ~ and some Luck

My motivation is, what I keep learning ~ from the people, from the cities, from the governments.  I don't keep doing this because I have so much to offer  ~ I keep doing it because I have so much to learn. ~ Mark Hildebrand, 2 April 2008.

I just returned from a compelling lecture by Mark Hildebrand at U.C Berkeley's Institute of Urban and Regional Development (IURD), in the Global Metro Studies department.  Before today, I'd never heard of Mark Hildebrand, but after today his words will ring in my mind every time I get discouraged with my work, which, lately, has been often.

Mark helped establish the Cities Alliance at the World Bank in 1998, and built it into a global coalition of cities and development partners which, in short, works to create 'Cities Without Slums'. More specifically, Mark's mission through the Cities Alliance was to help cities in developing countries cultivate strategic decision-making in managing urban growth ("City Development Strategies"), to realize the positive impacts of urbanization, and to unleash the potential of cities in managing urban growth to reduce poverty ('slum upgrading') as well as prevent the creation of new slums.

Why was I at this lecture, entitled 'Policy Choices and Slums'?  How did I get to leave work early to attend this lecture on global issues, you ask?  Because the invitation to the lecture pointed out that "slums are not inevitable -- they are the result of failed policies, not poverty.  Policies which anticipate urban growth and promote city-wide inclusion strategies can pre-empt environmental degradation and health risks and help nations realize the positive impacts of urban growth."  And, while we do not have "slums" per se in Oakland, we do struggle with a serious level of poverty and blight, some of it exacerbated over the years by short-sighted land-use policy decisions (or non-decisions) from previous Administrations.  We must also address serious environmental issues, both because of the Port and the impending peak oil collapse.  To compound it all, we also face significant population growth: the projected population growth for Alameda County is 18.3% from 1997 to 2010, and 28.2% from 1997 to 2020.  Here in Oakland, there is intense debate over zoning, land development, and housing issues on how to best manage density and affordable housing, and how to attract business, and how to serve our current residents.  It is a Herculean task.

So, while my job focuses on a tiny corner of the world called Oakland, I often seek out lectures and seminars on global urban development because there is always a parallel in the issues that cities (and local governments) face, whether in California or Cameroon.   What I expected most out of this job is that we truly are directly accountable to everyone in Oakland, not just the voters ~ and in turn, I wanted that to mean that I could directly create change, however small, here within our city limits ~ even change inspired by people and programs on the other side of the world.  Often, too, I am desperate for innovation, for creative development solutions that seem to only occur in developing countries where red-tape doesn't act as a blindfold over vision nor suffocate community voice.  So, I set out to attend a lecture on global poverty, to regain my local focus and inspiration.

According to a 2006 UN-Habitat Report, globally, the slum population is set to grow at the rate of 27 million per year in the period 2000 to 2020.  Mark's lecture focused on Sub-Saharan Africa (where he lived for many years), where 72% of the urban population lives in slums; Latin America and Caribbean, with 134 million slum dwellers; and Asia where slum dwellers make up approximately 60% of the world's total slum population.

Mark discussed the lessons learned in implementing the Cities Without Slums goal in various countries, including innovative programs (and some success) in Brazil, Thailand, and Morocco, as well as shortcomings in several cities.  Ultimately, Mark wants to unleash the potential of cities, noting that the key challenges should serve as guiding goals:

• Cities need to be transformed into proactive developers of urban infrastructure, rather than passive service providers.
• Cities need to mobilize domestic capital.  In Oakland this means creating opportunities for local entrepreneurship, training our work force, and retaining and attracting business.
• We must nurture a well-managed City benefiting the environment.
• We must develop policies predicated on growth.
• We must create a conducive climate for the informal sector.

In other words, Mark said, instead of debating the contribution of cities to development, more energy needs to be spent on unblocking it.  (I wish he would come say this at Open Forum at one of our City Council meetings.)  Overall, Mark stressed the importance of capacity building and coherence at the local government level, and the need to create community building strategies, not just housing strategies.  Mark knows this ~ in addition to the countless cities he has assisted in developing countries, he also built 360 classrooms in rural Chad.  That fact is the one he said with the most pride.

After the lecture, I spoke briefly with Mark, about the parallels between the global issues he addresses in his work and the local issues we face here in Oakland.  I asked him, if he had one element of his model to impress upon our local leaders, what would it be?  He answered simply, "It's about the community, and vision ~ the community vision."

Somehow I overcame my awe of this man and continued speaking with him, eventually asking him how he started in this amazing line of work ~ of life.  He said he is actually an Architect and, decades ago, he tried for about two years to work on this type of urban development.  He said that through a friend he snagged an interview for a job in Tanzania.  It was clear the interviewer was not interested in hiring Mark and so he continued his job search.  A year or so later, a house Mark built was featured in a magazine.  The man who had interviewed him saw the article and called Mark ~ and hired him.  The rest, as they say, is history.  "It's about luck," he said.

After that, I introduced myself to the Professor, thanking him for allowing me to barge into his class.  It turns out the lecture I was invited to was actually the regular class of about 10 students ~ I felt like an interloper, bringing local concerns to a class about global issues.  But it turns out the class is conducting a study project on People's Grocery, which is in West Oakland.  The Professor said he'd like to invite me back to the class to discuss local issues ~ and maybe even to give a presentation.  After Mark's lecture, I was humbled and honored (amazed) the Professor even considered me.

And so I left, inspired, motivated, and hoping I can make my way into some kind of luck ~

Tap This

Attention Non-Profit Orgs: The Taproot Foundation is accepting applications for Capacity-Building Service Grants.  The application deadline is December 1, 2007.  You can read more about the Service Grants Program, and apply, HERE. 

[Even better, if you've got skillz, yo, register to do it Pro Bono with them, by volunteering on structured projects.  Every non-profit we all know needs web developers, strategy consultants, brand strategists, and other creative services.]

The Taproot Foundation engages highly skilled business professionals to deliver capacity-building services to nonprofit organizations in New York City, Boston, the San Francisco Bay Area, Chicago, and Seattle.

Unlike traditional foundations that provide cash grants, the Taproot Foundation makes "service grants" to provide nonprofits with critical marketing, technology, and human resources devel- opment services. A grant from the Taproot Foundation can provide an organization with the tools and resources necessary to achieve specific goals and objectives in their strategic plan, marketing/ communications plan, technology plan, and staffing structure.

Applicants must have a mission that fits within one of the following four categories; education (pre-K and K-12); environment; health; and social services. To be eligible to apply, an organization must have 501(c)(3) public charity status or operate under the fiscal sponsorship of a 501(c)(3), and must have its headquarters within the foundation's service area and provide direct benefits primarily or entirely to residents of the foundation's service areas.

You can read a little more about Taproot's history, HERE ~ it got its start in San Francisco, of course!

On Explaining My New Job To My Dad...

I've been off-line for a while now..in case anyone has noticed ~ but damn have I missed some of my favorite blogger-compas (D.T., C.L., Oso, to name a few).  My absence has been partly due to muse-less-ness but also trying to put all my energy into getting this new job I wanted so desperately ~~ like willing it to happen because I left no room in my brain for anything else and so, dammit, it had to come through....and so it did ~ it only took a few months, a huge application process, three intense interviews (even one on the morning there was no hot water in my apartment building), and other Mari-shenanigans I'll tell you about later.

This is me, trying to explain (in our twangy-Spanglish-cluttered way of talking) my new job to my Dad, who, you might remember, lives not just in a Red State, but the reddest of the red: Texas, as in "don't mess with":

Me: Hi Papi ~ so, tengo un trabajo nuevo....(I have a new job).
Papi: Ai, mija (subliminal message: Finally, gracias a Dios.) ~~ que nice.  Que es? (Yes, we really say, "que nice" or "que fancy" or "que bad manners tienes"...ah, but I digress...)
Me (trying to build up the excitement before I explain what the job actually is): I'm so excited, Papi ~ you know, era muy dificile to get into this agency ~ voy a trabajar por el State y tuve three interviews y I had to meet with seven people and take an oral exam y hacer un "role play" and three written exercises and you should be very proud porque it's very hard to get into this kind of job......
Papi: Sí, pero what is it?
Me: Well, voy a ser un Legal Analyst por la Oficina del State Public Defender...[pause, deep breath] on death penalty appeals.....
Papi: Oh. [silent pause] Ai, mija.  Death penalty?  Um, para plaintiffs ó defendants?
Me: Well, papi, only defendants appeal death sentences.....
Papi: Ai, no Mari.  Que?  Defendants?  Sentenced to death?
Me: Well, los defendientes sin dinero -- como se dice 'indigent clients'?
Papi (voice rising): Ai Mari, pero if someone killed one of my kids I would want them to die!
Me (I will see your stern voice and raise you a spot of indignation): Pero Papi, vengeance no es justice!
Papi: His tone implied: "So, if someone murdered me, you wouldn't want them dead?  Ingrata! What kind of daughter are you?"  But I think he said: "Yo se que vengeance no es justícia, pero los que matan deben morir!" (The old "eye for an eye" argument ~ the favorite of the pro-life/anti-abortion crowd.)
Me: Pero papi, Ud. sabe que el sistema no es fair, si el estado kills even just one persona inocente, no es justo!

What I wanted to say to Dad but didn't because it would put him more on the defensive:
In fact, since 1973, 119 death row prisoners in 25 states have been released because of evidence of their innocence.(!)   And Texas, home sweet home, is # 1 in executions but it ranked 50th in high school completion in 2001!

He agreed on that point....yes, there is no justice in an unfair system.  And I agreed, sort of, with him ~ I assured him that if anyone ever dared hurt him, yes I would wish him dead, but that doesn't mean I'd actually want him sentenced to a pre-meditated, state-sanctioned death ~ "Ai Papi, if you were murdered well, how could I ever live with one death, much less two ?"   I explained to him how and why I unequivocally oppose the death penalty as a public policy, no matter how I might ever feel about one single case ~ that I could never let my grief distort my judgment or legal principles.  I think it made little sense to him, but I felt in his response a certain pride in my convictions ~ I was the strong, independent daughter he had raised, after all, so this is his fault (I pointed out).

We struggled to find a way, in 3 languages (including the Spanglish),  to find more we could agree on in this morbid conversation.   I could hear what he was thinking, because he has said it before: "Wait a minute, you're saying you don't want your emotions to dictate your legal stance on this issue....um, but you're the most damn emotional person we all know ~ I mean, you say you're emotional about everything else you do. Y hesto?"  And so there's the gray area ~ the nuance between emotion and passion, or compassion ~ and I constantly struggle with that apparent dichotomy ~ or rather, I struggle in explaining it to people ~ what seems like contradictory explanations are really two sides of the same coin.  But that's a post for another long, rainy night.

There was an awkward silence ~ a big Spanish sigh between us, trying to fill the vast distance between our political views, a difference of opinion seemingly marked by each of the 1,928 miles which separate us. He was probably wondering, yet again, whose child I was.  He switched tactics and tried to be more supportive, asking, "Ok, bueno, it's a permanent job verdad?"  ~ Finally, an answer he would like: "YES."

There ~ I thought we were back on track.  But oh no, then came the next question: "Bueno, bien, y el dinero?  Permanent means more money, right?"
Me: "Um, well, actually, Papi, I took a pay cut."
Silence.  Silencio.  A lot of it.
Papi: "Ai, Mari.  Mija.  How many degrees do you have now?  Y pa qúe?" ~  Then he nearly started on the usual lecture about how he came to this country with only a high school education and worked so hard so that we would earn more than him.....sometime in his lifetime....please, just a little more, por favor....But he stopped himself and asked, "Ok, but what exactly vas a hacer?"

Me: Well, voy a investigate the criminal case and conviction y voy a hacer legal research and writing y I'll go out in the field to interview the client and family members.
Papi: Vas a interview your clients?  Where?
Me: Well, papi ...in prison ~ remember, they're on death row, they can't very well come to the office. (Oy vey, why did I have to get into details? And why that tone in my voice?)
Papi: Mira. Ma-ri-sa (uh-oh, he's using my full name, emphasizing the three syllables, oh this is bad....) ~ I don't know about this! No señor, vas a ir a death row ?

I decided this was not the best time to go into further details on the new job, nor to tell him my other news ~ that my thoughts on Alberto Gonzales were quoted in the cover story of the latest issue of the Freedom Socialist newspaper.  I opted instead for the usual, safe route: "so, how hot is it in Texas today Dad?"

I'll spare you the rest of the conversation ~ but will say that the good thing about this discussion with my Dad, as someone pointed out to me, is that he didn't just skim over the news with a paternalistic "that's nice mija."  Years ago, he would have never voiced his opinion, or listened to mine.  I realized that somehow over the years, we have learned to talk to/with each other, and listen, and disagree ~ without yelling (too much).  This is a big step for us ~ and after I hung up the phone, I admired my Dad even more, if that's possible. 

So, I spent the past couple of weeks explaining to my Dad the importance of habeas corpus petitions and the vital nature of the public defender system (which Texas lacks!), and I think I am slowly convincing him that I did just snag an incredible, challenging job, one full of opportunity and, thankfully, secure State benefits, not to mention one that reflects my personal convictions.  Tomorrow is my first day so wish me luck ~ ! ~ After I get settled in, I'll write more ~ I won't be able to write about my case work, thanks to that pesky notion of confidentiality, but other stuff is going on and so I'll find time to catch up on my blogging.

 

Barack Obama Spoke in San Francisco Today

I saw Barack Obama speak today in San Francisco ~~ only a couple of weeks ago, Susie Tomkins Buell organized this fund-raiser and I was fortunate enough to volunteer at the luncheon. As I drove to the City, I thought to myself, how is it that we are having a fund-raiser in San Francisco for some guy in Illinois running for the U.S. Senate? And it struck me, with a dash of hopeful idealism, of how connected and united people are feeling across the country ~~ how we are discovering that the common thread that links so many of us is indeed a desire to revive traditional Democratic ideals.......and this became clearer to me when I heard Barack speak today.

As Barack was walking over to the dining room from the VIP reception, he made it a point to stop and thank us, the volunteers working at the registration table. He shook my hand, looked me straight in the eye and thanked me after I told him what an honor it was to volunteer for his event. He took a picture with all of us and I'll post it up here later. I have volunteered at a lot of political events, and I can tell you, not everyone stops to thank their volunteers. It matters. And this was just the beginning of my personal introduction to Barack Obama ~~ the man many say will be our first African-American President.

At the podium, Barack joked with the crowd of several hundred people: "Face it, 18 months ago, you didn't know who I was." And he described to us how unsure people were, even Democrats, that he would win the primary. The way he began his speech today was striking, memorable, and strategic magic ~~ he told us, "People said, well, who is this guy? So, he's brought health care to kids and seniors in Illinois, he's drafted state legislation to make education more affordable, and reformed the death penalty system in Illinois after 18 people on death row were found to be innocent. He has a family, and seems pretty ethical, and has a fancy law degree from Harvard ~~ why's he want to go to the U.S. Senate?" Brilliant. Immediately, he informed the crowd of his accomplishments, his training, his education, his family, and his commitment ~~ nearly redefining what it means to want to be in politics. I was hooked. And then he went on.

Barack explained how "we see politics as a business.......not a mission." And he went on to explain why politics is in fact a mission ~~ a mission to improve our country, a mission to nurture a feeling of connection between people who seemingly have nothing in common. And I thought about that. I mean, what do I ~ a single, Latina, law graduate who rents an apartment in Oakland ~ have in common with an elderly widower who owns his home in suburban Chicago? As Barack describes, when that senior citizen has to decide each month between paying for groceries or paying for his prescription medication, well, that makes my life a little poorer. When a child across the street or across the country can't read, that makes my future a little bleaker. Barack explained that some ideals are not amenable to legislation ~ the idea of hard work, self-respect, and a feeling of security ~ but some are: the idea that people who want to work hard should be able to do so at a living wage, the idea that our parents can age with dignity, the idea that education for all is vital......these are the consistent values that come up when you talk to people, one-on-one, no matter how different they appear ~~ and this discovery was a consequence of that hopefulness that emerged when Barack won the primary. He went on to tell us about several of the individuals he has met along the campaign trail ~~ families, and working parents, and unemployed individuals, and children, and senior citizens ~~ many of whom couldn't even say his name a few months ago.

Barack took this hopefulness to the Democratic National Convention. He described how nervous he was before his speech, mentioning, "Bill Clinton spoke the night before I did......he was pretty good." As we laughed, he told us how his nervousness disappeared up at the podium at the Convention ~~ because all he was doing was transmitting the stories he had been hearing for the past 18 months...."the cumulative effect of these stories, the aggregate effect, is that what's going on is unacceptable ~ it's un-American ~~ a world that is a little meaner, a little poorer, is unacceptable to pass on to our children." Barack has two kids, two young girls ~ and he told us more about how his children, how his family, and how being a father impacts his passion for politics ~ his mission of political change.

Barack told us the story of how he went to speak at an event in August, next door to the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. You may remember that on September 15, 1963, eighteen days after the March on Washington, several Ku Klux Klan members planted a bomb in the Church ~~ four little girls who were changing into their choir robes in the basement were killed in the explosion, which also injured 20 people. Barack told us what it was like to be in that Church.....he told us, he is "standing on the shoulders of those four little girls, brick-by-brick, building a bridge that is directly connected to these four little girls." As a father, he could feel the profound anguish that those families must have felt at the loss of their children. And he remembered also the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott, when African-Americans in Montgomery, Alabama boycotted the segregated city buses, and women would walk miles to get home after spending all day cleaning someone else's house. Barack told us these stories to illustrate that "our sacrifices, in comparison, are small ~~ which means we have to be joyful in our work....when we compare what we have to give up to what has been given to us, we should be joyful;" although I add that it's a bittersweet feeling in that the struggles continue, nearly a half-century later.

Barack then told us a funny quip about his opponent, Alan Keyes ~~ when Keyes said that Jesus would not vote for Barack, Barack wanted to ask Keyes for the name of that pollster ~~ Barack has a host of more important questions to ask Jesus than who He's going to vote for.

And so Barack ended on a funny, and hopeful note. Then, he quoted Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and said:

Let us realize that the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.

But Barack reminded us that the arc does not bend by itself ~~ it bends because we bend it, because we pull on it, because we insist that it bend in the direction of justice. And so I, too, want to keep tugging at that arc. Later, when I got home, I looked up that quote and found that it is from Dr. King's final address to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, on August 16, 1967. The speech was entitled, "Where Do We Go From Here?" ~~ and Dr. King's final book, published the year before his death, was entitled, "Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?"

Clearly, the question remains. Where are we going? Where do we want to go? How? The crowd ~ inspired by Barack's words, optimism, hope, and challenge ~ milled around after he left, discussing these issues. Sometimes, I feel terrified walking up to people and introducing myself, attempting to discuss politics ~ because it's a very personal discussion, revealing your values, goals, morals, and deepest desires for our country. But, like Barack, that fear and nervousness utterly disappear when the conversation begins ~ because all I am doing is connecting one-on-one with an individual, sharing stories ~ the fact that we happen to deconstruct national and global issues is a hopeful consequence of our private connection. So, I met Cliff who works in computer sales in Silicon Valley and is going to telephone 50 college swing voters; I spoke with a couple of women who want to join the East Bay for Kerry carpools that go up to Reno every weekend to register voters; I bumped into my Con Law professor from law school, who mentioned he is friends with Barack and had already held a fundraiser for him last month, and plans to keep donating to progressive candidates ~~ and I snagged his email address so I can tell him about "Emerge" later; I saw Robert Mailer Anderson, the San Francisco author and artist, and I was surprised he remembered me ~~ you may recall I blogged about Robert and his cousin, Zack, a few months ago when they designed the "Got Democracy?" posters ~~ Robert told me that he and Zack rarely "do this sort of thing," i.e., attend political fund raisers, and that they are registered Greens ~ but Robert and his wife just had their third child, and they feel a compelling need to get involved in this election ~~ I told him to volunteer anywhere and everywhere he can, but if he can't, to keep donating money to progressive candidates; Robert is working on another novel and was on his way to The Magic Theater to discuss his first play, which he just finished; then I chatted with Robin Williams for a bit. Yep, you read that right: Robin Williams. Before the luncheon, I was at the registration table when Williams walked up; my heart was racing when I saw him; I was nervous and didn't want to say or do the wrong thing ~~ but he is so soft-spoken and genial and unassuming! He had registered under another name and so no one knew he was coming; he was not seated at the "VIP" table but at table 11 ~ where I ended up! I checked him in, and he made a point to look at my name tag and thank me by my name; when I asked him if he wanted me to show him to the VIP Reception, he politely declined, and just wandered in, alone, into the main dining room. Later, after the luncheon, I joined a conversation that one of my fellow "Emerge" graduates, and one of the co-founders of "Emerge," was having with Williams ~~ about women in politics, and Margaret Thatcher, and how tough women have to be in effecting political change.

I mean, can you believe my day?

And the point is, what do I have in common with computer sales guys in the South Bay, or artists and writers in San Francisco, or celebrity comedians, or a legal genius who clerked for the U.S. Supreme Court, or even some guy from Illinois?

Passion.
For.
Change.
and
Politics.
and
Democratic Ideals.
and
a Return to Real Traditional Values ~
compassion, community, civil liberties.

So, my plans continue for my own mission ~ working in Nevada on a campaign, and working to Get Out The Vote to win Nevada's 5 electoral votes. Finances may prevent me from committing full-time to the campaign, but I hope I work that out soon. For now, here is a photo of our volunteer group with Barack ~ that's me in blue right next to Barack! ~ :)

AdvoKit: FREE software to manage your grassroots political campaign

I haven't been able to post in a couple of days because I spent the weekend in San Francisco, at the 21st Century Democrats training I blogged about last week. Hoo-Boy, I learned a lot and have about 100 posts in my head, which I will start downloading from my brain in little chunks. First and foremost, I'll start with the end of the training ~~

Henri Poole, the organizer of Dennis Kucinich’s Internet campaign, and Dan Robinson, who ran the national Meet-Up list for Howard Dean’s campaign, spoke to us about their "Campaign Software Revolution" ~~ Henri and Dan designed AdvoKit, a software program that is FREE and OPEN SOURCE (meaning users can modify it to suit their needs) to manage grassroots political campaigns ~~ they call it a "Voter Relationship Management" program, and it just went into general release.

You can see a Demo, and download the program for FREE, at the AdvoKit website. The program, which has already been beta-tested, was designed for grass roots activities but is also being used by larger campaigns, such as the New York state Democratic party in two Senate races, as well as the "Yes on B" (school bond) campaign in Berkeley, CA; the Verified Voting Foundation is using a modified version of the program. (BTW, if you live in the Bay Area, the Verified Voting Foundation is looking to hire an Office/Volunteer Manager, a Webmaster, and a Development Manager ~ check out the job announcement, posted on September 6, 2004, here.)

Here's what AdvoKit can do for your campaign:

• Support Voter Identification and Get Out The Vote (GOTV) Workflow ~


• Walk Lists


• Phone Banking


• Scripts


• Detailed Follow-Up


• Complete Volunteer Management Solution ~


• Tracking by Volunteer


• Real-Time Reporting Interface


• Personal and Group Work Monitoring


• Voter File Uploading ~


• Standard Fields


• Custom Fields


• Flexible Organization Modeling ~


• Traditional Ward/Precinct Organization


• Dean-Style Organization


• Friend-to-Friend Organization


• Supports Multiple Communication Modes


• Door-to-Door


• Traditional Phone Banks


• Virtual Phone Banks


• E-mail


• Postal


• Instant Messaging

Henri and Dan are also the principals at CivicActions LLC, an Internet campaign consulting firm. Their motto is "Empowering Democracy from the Edges" and their work "defines, designs, builds, deploys, and operates mission-critical Internet solutions for progressive campaign organizations."

I myself know several people running for local elected positions in the Bay Area and am going to tell them about AdvoKit. I participated in a simulated campaign a few months ago and I can tell you that this software is invaluable ~~ Dan mentioned that it can manage three million names in its database! If any of your friends are running progressive campaigns, tell them about this software.

Ok, so there is MUCH MORE to come ~~ STAY TUNED and check this site frequently for other useful information I learned at the training, and, more importantly, other big news, which I hope to announce on Wednesday night. (Yep, that's the teaser to make you come back.) ~ :)

More Marvelous Moms

My friend Tirien, a kick-ass mom in her own right, tells me about her Godsister, Rachel Neumann, who is preparing to take her 1-year-old daughter with her to protest at the Republican National Convention in New York. In her recent article, Loving in the War Zone, at AlterNet, Rachel writes:

Recent articles have gushed on about how fashionable, how hip, how now motherhood was. And if you judge only from the omnipresent pregnant bellies in People, you can see their point. But it is only the accessories of motherhood that are fashionable – the clothes, the stroller, the organic canvas carrying devices, the large but reassuringly temporary belly. The truths of motherhood, as Susan J. Douglas and others point out, are particularly unfashionable. National healthcare? Yesterday's news. Subsidized childcare? Almost nonexistent. And free speech – something I've found that babies and their mothers are often particularly fond of – well, indulge in it at your own risk, gas mask recommended.

I often struggle with the thought of having children ~ do I want to bring a child into this world? do I want to really endure the physical pain of childbirth ~~ look, I'm a vain sissy when it comes to pregnancy, I don't know if I can do it. Do I want to "sacrifice" my career and individual freedom for the sake of raising an amazing kid? Don't get me wrong, I know I would be an amazing mom ~ I mean, my mom raised me right. But do I want to? I have thought about this for many years and "compensated" for the kids-issue by volunteering in youth programs and mentoring teens and adoring my nieces and nephews and babysitting my friend's S&M's brilliant kids ~ for now, that is enough for me and I am glad I can do these things full of joy, rather than envy at not having my own children. Thank God my biological clock seems to be on snooze right now ~ in fact, the batteries may have even fallen out, who knows ~ but I don't seem to hear any "ticking". What also helps me evaluate these issues is the work of amazing moms such as Tirien and Rachel; and my brilliant friend of 20 years, whose initials are ~ appropriately enough ~ glo, in Chicago who applied to law school when she was a single mom of a 4-year old and now works as an Assistant Appellate Defender in Chicago; and my amazing friend Michele (of S&M fame) who treats her 3-year-old like a smart adult; and my own mom ~ tenacious and humble ~ who labored long days in the Southern California heat, bent over in a strawberry field, for seven months while she was pregnant with me. Damn. These women give me faith ~ faith that the world may not be as devoid of humanity as it seems sometimes, confirmation that women are by far the stronger gender, inspiration that maybe one day I can live up to the standards these women create for all humankind. Thank your kick-ass mom today for putting up with your teenage bullshit, and for encouraging you in whatever way she could, and for loving you unconditionally, even when it didn't feel like she did.

Today, Roxanne, over at Rox Populi, encourages us to Celebrate Women's Political Voices ~ check out Roxanne's blog, especially since she includes lil 'ole me in her list of kick-ass women bloggers.

An Afternoon with Dolores Huerta ~ Sunday, August 8, 2004 ~ and a Spanish Sonnet for You

If you live in California and/or are Latina/o and/or a social activist and/or are simply familiar with the civil rights movement in this country (hell, if you have a pulse), then you know Dolores Huerta, the most prominent Chicana labor leader in the United States, and the co-founder (along with César E. Chavez) and First Vice President of the United Farm Workers union.

When Dolores received a $100,000 award for her lifetime of service, she gave the money away to be used as the seed money for the Dolores C. Huerta Foundation. Recognizing that "immigrants are the new civil rights movement," the Foundation's mission is to train a new generation of organizers to build informed Communities of Conscience, working for fair and equal access to health care, housing, education, jobs, civic participation, and economic resources for disadvantaged communities with an emphasis on women and youth.

Help support the Foundation and La Causa at An Afternoon With Dolores Huerta and Friends on Sunday, August 8, 2004, from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Join Francisco X. Alarcón, one of the nation's most prominent Chicano poets, Kaylah Marin, singer-songstress-poet-artist, and Dolores' many friends at Café de la Paz at 1600 Shattuck in Berkeley, CA, (510) 843-0662. If you can't be there, well, please consider mailing your tax-deductible contribution to: Dolores C. Huerta Foundation, 255 Ninth Street, Suite 205, San Francisco, CA 94103. ~ :)

Tickets for the Buffet and Program are $60, or Sponsors at $100, $250, or $500, and Founding Members at $1,000. To RSVP or for more information, call (415) 621-2665.

I can't wait to attend this event, not just to support the Foundation but because Francisco X. Alarcón is one of my all-time favorite poets, and his book de Amor Oscuro - Of Dark Love is by far one of the most intense, passionate collection of poems I have read on love and loss ~~ I am going to take my tattered copy next Sunday and hope he signs it for me. The book is hard to find but you can probably order it directly from the publisher. The collection features 14 sonnets in Spanish, with facing page translations in English by Francisco Aragón (who translated Federico Garcí­a Lorca's poetry). Here, then, is my favorite (the English version, pero aquí­ está la versión en Español):

XI
since I met you on the road,I am no longer the same, a blind manno more, tripping on his own shadow,I am no longer deaf to landscapes
to follow you swiftly I've tossed asidemy cross, rid myself of those violinsalways playing soap opera tunes,I no longer walk, I run barefoot
ever since I heard the rumor of your voice,all other words ring hollow to me useless, cumbersome, bewitching
this is why I no longer want to write poemsbut live them with you: embersblazing in a fire outside language

What or who has opened your eyes and ears to a different vision and different tune in life? What makes you run and shine and blaze with life and live it out loud? Ai, my list is long.....

Update on Wal-Mart Class Certification ~Life in the Frat Lane

You might remember my previous post, discussing the class certification of our gender discrimination case against Wal-Mart. You can take another look at Judge Jenkins' 84-page Order re class certification, here.

On July 6, 2004, Wal-Mart filed its Petition for Permission to Appeal with the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Wal-Mart's primary argument is that it has a "fundamental right" to rebut each class member's claim on an individual-by-individual basis. In a nutshell, Wal-Mart argues that each of the 1.5 million to 2 million women must individually prove that Wal-Mart discriminated against her and must prove her individual damages. If this were true, then no judge would ever grant class certification on a case of any significant size because the individual hearings would render the action "un-manageable."

As the plaintiffs'/appellee's Reply Brief/Opposition to Appeal (filed today, July 19) eloquently explains, there is clear statutory authority and 25 years of Title VII jurisprudence indicating that liability and damages in an employment discrimination class action can in fact be determined on an aggregate basis using statistical analysis.

Wal-Mart also used its enormous size as a crutch to argue that Judge Jenkins committed legal error and "misapplied" the federal rule governing class actions. Those arguments get pretty technical and if you are interested in the details, I encourage you to read both briefs, hyperlinked above (they are 20 pages each). Otherwise, you can read the press release we issued about the appeal, here.

The Ninth Circuit will probably spend 60-90 days to decide whether to accept Wal-Mart's appeal. If the Ninth Circuit denies the Petition for Appeal, the case will move forward to trial. If the Ninth Circuit accepts the appeal, it may then still affirm the class certification, or it may overturn the class certification entirely, or it may modify the terms of the class certification. We are all holding our breath, as we "hurry up and wait."

American corporations are closely watching the Wal-Mart case and the class certification developments, especially in light of large settlements in two recent gender-discrimination cases. Boeing Co., in a private class action, recently agreed to change its employment and compensation practices and pay up to $72.5 million to as many as 29,000 current and former female workers in its Seattle-area aircraft plants. The Boeing class action alleged that Boeing's compensation and promotion practices denied equal pay and advancement opportunities to women employees. Similarly, Morgan Stanley, in a class action filed by the EEOC, recently agreed to pay $54 million to settle allegations that it systematically underpaid and failed to promote women in its institutional equities division.

A New York Times Editorial recently quipped that "Life in the Frat Lane" cost Morgan Stanley the $54 million. The "Frat Lane" and "Good Ole Boy's Club" are indeed what get these corporations into trouble. Morgan Stanley isn't the only culprit either ~~ Smith Barney and Merrill Lynch have also paid out more than $100 million to settle sex-bias suits. Women are not only underpaid and underpromoted at these huge corporations, but often, as at Morgan Stanley and Wal-Mart, must work in demeaning, offensive, or sexually hostile environments ~~ meetings get scheduled at strip clubs or Hooters restaurants, male employees celebrate birthdays with breast-shaped cakes, female employees are called names or told to stay home and care for their families, the list goes on and on. The seemingly huge settlements in Boeing and Morgan Stanley cases are probably equal to the bonus pay that one or two top executives might receive. Still, I hope it hits them deep enough in their pocket to really change their policies and to eliminate gender discrimination.

GRADUATION DAY! Emerge: Women Leaders for a Democratic Future

Last night (Thursday, July 1), I graduated from the seven-month intensive political leadership training program known as Emerge: Women Leaders for a Democratic Future. About a week before the graduation, my name, along with the names of two of my "fellow Emerge'rs", was drawn from a hat to say a few words and address the attendees. I didn't really prepare a speech and thought I would just speak off the cuff and from the heart ~ especially since I thought the graduation would consist of the 20 Program Members and a few of our loved ones ~ "no big deal," I thought, "I can speak to a small group of friends". Right? Right?

Well, my first clue that this was indeed GOING TO BE A BIG DEAL is that the graduation was scheduled to take place at San Francisco's beautiful City Hall, in the elegant and marbled South Light Court. More clues: When I arrived, I noticed the CROWD of people (gulp), then I noticed the PODIUM set up in the Light Court (gasp), facing a THRONG OF CHAIRS (I feel faint) ~~ oh, and then I began reading the formal PROGRAMS laid out on each chair; um, it appeared I would be speaking AFTER THE MAYOR and BEFORE CONGRESSWOMAN LYNN WOOLSEY (pick me up from the floor now, please). Oh, I also noticed the reporter from KQED (recording the entire event for, I learned later, inclusion in a larger story in a few weeks), as well as Supervisor (and future Assembly Member!) Fiona Ma and the Fire Chief, Joanne Hayes-White. Well, I'm no "slow pony," so I had it figured out by then that I had been wrong, very wrong, about my assumption. (Remember what they say ~ "when you assume, you make an ass out of you and me.")

But this is how I work best. My adrenaline and "auto pilot" kicked in and I got to work, doing what I seem to do well, which is to say, talking. I introduced myself to the Mayor and was glad he remembered me from our other meetings. Our group took photos and mingled with the guests. I barely remembered that my personal life is in, shall we say, shambles, right now. I mean, how can you worry about your pitiful personal life and the last $6 in your bank account when you have the Mayor's attention and you hear these words coming out of your mouth: "My Fellowship is wrapping up so I want to send my résumé to your office and hope to work in your Administration." I mean, one would have to be "ON" in this type of situation, no? Pure Game Face. Top Of Your Game. I learned last night, that I seem to be a master of this art form.

Activist Music

We all have heroes and role models, and it's great when those people are actually also your friends. One of my local heroes, and friends, is Greg Lamboy, an extraordinary musician, singer, and songwriter, who uses his talents to "make a ripple" in our vast sea of humanity. Whether Greg is performing solo, with his acoustic trio, or his full band, his music combines words of truth with impassioned lyrics. He not only writes and sings about social issues, but he donates a portion from each CD sale to homeless outreach organizations, such as Operation Dignity, which provides emergency and transitional housing to homeless veterans and non-veterans. This year, Greg is also working tirelessly on the John Kerry for President campaign ~ he not only volunteers night and day with East Bay for Kerry, but he donates his time and music by performing at house parties. In his "spare time," he performs at an eclectic mix of locations such Irelands 32, a pub in San Francisco, and Santana Row, a swanky shopping district in San Jose.

I met Greg in January, at the California Democratic State Convention. I had just entered a political leadership training program, Emerge: Women Leaders for a Democratic Future, and our table was next to the John Kerry table at the San Jose Convention Center. Greg was one of the first people I met and he was the lucky recipient of my very first Emerge business card ~ we took a photo of the exciting moment when I handed him a card and he gave me a John Kerry t-shirt. Remember that in January, Howard Dean (before "the yell") was still in the lead and so Greg was on the John Kerry team before it was even cool. Greg gave me a CD and we later danced the night away at the "Young Dems" party, even though, technically, we were both over the age limit. We laughed as we watched undergrad Dems drinking, cavorting, and dancing in their khakis, some of them even hooking up for the evening! It was scandalous! So, since then, Greg has not only taught me how to play darts and imaginary-strip-poker (don't ask) at The Albatross in Berkeley, but he has also taught me a lot about personal sacrifice ~ even when he struggled to pay rent or bills, he was trying to figure out how to keep recording music, keep volunteering, and keep inspiring people to work on social issues. I have seen Greg work his tail off for John Kerry and I fully expect Greg to play at the Inauguration and maybe be named head of the National Endowment for the Arts.

Check out Greg's music ~ it is in fact very good. At Greg's web site, you can listen to and download songs, buy a CD, make a donation, or, if you live in the Bay Area, check out his tour schedule. I guarantee you, you will have a great time, make a difference, and be inspired to keep making a difference.