Maui No Ka Oi, Maui on my mind

August 11, 2023August 11, 2023

Picture of a Maui beach with mountains and clouds in background. Taken in 2018 the last time I was in Maui, I can’t remember which part of Maui I was in when I took this.

Note, added 8/11: No blog post until September. I’m taking a few weeks off before the start of the next school year. Mahalo.

Maui and Hawai’i have been on my mind this week. I’ve been riveted by the news of wildfires devastating parts of Maui and the Island of Hawai’i. People who know me even mildly know I have deep ties to Hawai’i. I grew up there and still consider it home. While I didn’t grow up on the Island of Hawai’i or Maui, they are deeply embedded in our family story, and in times like this regionalism evaporates – we are all connected to the people and places.

I’m using this platform and blog to amplify, give some context, and direct resources to a place many visit but may not understand deeply. I still have a lot of learning to do, especially learning from diverse Native Hawaiian perspectives.

It is cliché to say Maui will rebuild. They will, but for the moment, people are stunned. Many of us not on the island but connected to Hawai’i are reading the news, internet-tab hopping and social media scrolling to look for new video clips, seeing where the grassroots fundraisers are happening, and texting with people back in Hawai’i to make sure they are safe and how we can help. For many Hawai’i is a vacation spot visited for days or if lucky longer amounts of time. It is a place where life is a little easier for a short while and the sun, glorious beaches, and a laid back welcoming attitude are in abundance. Now Maui needs that aloha and kōkua back. This isn’t a matter of charity, if you’ve ever vacationed in Hawai’i, contributed to climate change, eaten a SPAM musubi or Hawaiian plate lunch, watched Moana, contemplated naming your child or pet Malia, or romanticized about Hawai’i now is one of many times for you to give back to the Kānaka Maoli and the ‘āina.

Here are ways you can help:

Donate to reputable organizations, see the list below. If you have friends or family on Maui pass them funds to use at their discretion. They might need temporary housing or know someone who is displaced and needs money to make life more bearable. Grassroots help is often quicker and nimbler than government aid.

Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement

Maui Food Bank

Hawai’i People’s Fund

Maui Humane Society — please consider fostering a pet to make room for others

Pacific Birth Collective – added 8/11

If you have a second house on Maui that is vacant (vacation homes, ADUs), allow someone to rent it. Housing is already tight in Hawai’i and with the thousands of people displaced and needing to rebuild it will become harder to find rentals. The Governor of Hawai’i has already put out a call for people to open their housing to others. I remember after Hurricane Iniki (Kauai), many had to find rentals while they rebuilt their houses.

Donate blood. Burn victims need a lot of blood products to recover. While there hasn’t been an official call for this yet, it doesn’t hurt to donate at your local blood bank anyway. Many of the blood banks work in concert with each other, so while your blood may not be sent to Hawai’i it will backfill for other important needs.

Learn about Hawai’i. For many Hawai’i is a vacation destination, but it is more than that. For a very quick primer that doesn’t do justice to the important history of Hawai’i start here. I also encourage you to read Detours, a Decolonial Guide to Hawai’i. I just pulled out my copy tonight and re-read parts of it to give more context and meaning of what is happening on Maui. Lahaina, the town on Maui that burned, has a very deep history tracing back to the Hawaiian royalty.

Follow the lead of the Kānaka Maoli and the Kapunas. This is their āina and their ohana.

*Note – I purposefully did not put English translations next to ‘ōlelo words. Doing so would make it easy to default to Western meanings versus the intent and spirit of Hawai’i.

A few definitions here:

Kānaka Maoli or Kānaka Oiwi – Native Hawaiians, Indigenous people of Hawai’i

Kapuna – Elders

Āina – Land or water, not just a physical place but also the spirit of the land

Kōkua – contributing selflessly as part of a communityOhana – family, often seen as inclusive of others not just blood family

Finally, Ua Mau ke Ea o ka ʻĀina i ka Pono, Hawai’i state motto May the Life of the Land be Perpetuated in Righteousness.

Additional note, Hawai’i is written with the ‘okina. The ‘okina is not an apostrophe. The ‘okina adds an emphasis, glottal stop, in the written Hawaiian language.

Thank you to our Patreon subscribers. At this time I don’t offer ‘extras’ or bonuses for Patreons. I blog after working a full-time job, volunteer and family commitments thus it is hard to find time to create more content. Whatever level you are comfortable giving pays for back-end costs, research costs, supporting other POC efforts, etc. If your financial situation changes please make this one of the first things you turn-off — you can still access the same content and when/if you are able to re-subscribe I’ll appreciate it.

Adrienne, Agent001, Aimie, Alayna, Alessandra, Alessandra, Alex E, Alexa, Aline, Alison FP, Alison P, Allison, Amanda, Amber, Amira, Amy, Amy K, Amy P, Amy R, Andie, Andrea J, Andrea JB, Andy, Angelica, Angelina, Ashlie, Ashlie B., Aya, Barb, Barbara, Barrett, Betsy, Big Duck, Brad, Brenda, Bridget, Brooke B, Brooke DW, Cadence, Caitlin, Calandra, Callista, Cari, Carmen, Carolyn, Carrie B, Carrie C, Carrie S, Catherine, Chelsea, Christa, Christina C, Christina S, Clara, Clark, Courtney, Dan, dana, Danielle, Danya, Debbie, DeEtta, Denyse, Dennis, Dennis F, Diane, Don, Ed, Edith, Edith B, Eileen, Elizabeth, Emily, Erica J, Erica RB, Erin, Gene, Genita, Hannah, Hayden, Heather H, Heather M, Heidi and Laura, Heidi, Hilary, J Elizabeth, Jaime, Jake, James, Jane, Janet, Jelena, Jen C, Jen E, Jen H, Jena, Jenn, Jennet, Jennifer, Jess, Jessica F, Jessica G, Jillian, Jody, John, Jon, Jordan L, Jordan S, Josie, Julia, Juliet, June, Karen, Kate, Katharine, Kathryn, Katie O, Kawai, Keisha, Kelly, Kiki, Kim, Kimberly, Kyla, LA Progressive, Laura, Lauren, Leah, Leslie, Lily, Liora, Lisa C, Lisa P-W, Lisa S, Liz, Lola, Lori, Lyn, Maegan, Maggie, Maile, Maka, Maki, Marc, Mareeha, Marilee, Mark, Matthew, Maura, McKenzie, Melissa, Melody, Meredith, Michael, Mickey, Migee, Mike, Milo, Mindy, Misha, Molly, Nat, Natasha, Nicole, paola, Peggy, PMM, Porsche, Rachel, Raquel, Rebecca, Robin, Sally, Sandra, Sarah B, Sarah D, Sarah H, Sarah KB, Sarah R, Sarah S, Sarita, Selma, Sharon B, Sharon Y, Shaun, Shawna, Siobhan, Steph, Stephanie, Su, Sue, Sue C D, Susan, T Wang, Tania DSA, Tania TD, Tara, tash, Tim, Titilayo, Tracy G, Tracy TG, virginia, Vivian, Ward, Wendy, Willow, and Zan

If you subscribe to the blog, thank you. Please check fakequity.com for the most up-to-date version of the post. We often make grammatical and stylistic corrections after the first publishing which shows up in your inbox. Please subscribe, the sign-up box on the right sidebar (desktop version). To see what Erin is reading and recommended books check out the Fakequity Bookshop. I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org where your purchases support local bookstores. I earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. The commission goes into purchasing books by POC authors or about disabilities to donate to high-poverty public schools.

Would You Rather – Social Justice Values edition

August 4, 2023

Picture of two Black person hands palm up, left side hand has Yes written in white ink, other hand has No written in white ink, white background. Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com

Would you rather

Here is a game to play with yourself to help clarify your social justice values.

Imagine these are double-sided cards, you have to choose one – no middle ground, no waffling and saying ‘Well if I do this, I can have both’, you can only choose one.

A special thank you to Vivian for giving me this idea a while ago. We should get together to write another version based on school budget choices, yes?

How to play: You can only choose one option, either the choice in Column A or Column B. Rationalize with yourself why you made that choice — there is no right or wrong, but thinking through why is important.

Column A Column B

Listen to community members	Listen to ‘experts’
Fund a popular exclusive music program that has allowed many students to go college on music scholarships or at the very least access high quality music instruction	Fund a remedial reading program needed by students close to failing
Free lunch for public school students in low-income Title 1 schools across the state	Fund three student health centers in rural areas without access to medical centers
10 shelter beds	10 slots in a drug treatment program
Fund a school counselor or social worker	Fund a school resource officer (SRO) (law enforcement in school)
Continue an advancement placement class that only 12 students take but helps to propel them into top colleges	Start a new language class targeting newer immigrants potentially serving 30+ students
Fund school construction in an area that is overcrowded but affluent	Fund school construction in a heavily POC neighborhood for a building in desperate need of repair
Move fast and try different solutions	Slow down and listen to community members before trying something new
Scrap existing systems or programs to start over completely	Work at incremental changes and build on what is already in place
Create an emergency fund for families in need	Continue funding an afterschool program in an affluent part of town. If you take it away, you’ll face political backlash.
Work from the inside to make change	Advocate, agitate, organize from the outside to put pressure on an organization to change
Fund a youth program that continually deficits but is targeted at POC youth in lower income communities	Fund a profitable STEM program funded by corporate foundation money that is inclusive of POCs but open to all
Hire a staff member with excellent formal credentials (e.g. college degree, references from well-connected people, etc.) and is competent but not from the community being served	Hire a staff member who knows the community and has already done the job informally, but doesn’t have a degree
Provide staffing for a popular sports program that brings in donors and funding to the organization but most of the funding is restricted to sports, 20% of the donations can support other programs	Fund and staff an intergenerational learning program asked for by POC communities
Hire a company that is cheaper and fast	Hire a company that charges more and will take 3 days longer but is POC owned
Create a program on your own and launch it because it is faster and easier and force it on people	Take a longer time planning but include other voices in the process
Require staff to come back to an office because it promotes community and coming together	Invest in technology to allow people to work effectively remotely because it allows for geographic reach and it is what the staff want

As you were reading through these choices were you thinking about the potential racial implications of your choices? Were you thinking about who is impacted most by the decision? What about the political side of decision points – there are always political considerations, such as who will you hear from and not hear from, what are the power differentials, who has the time and energy to advocate for their side.

While I set this up as a binary choice, often these choices are multi-faceted and there is more information associated with the choice. You may have organizational culture or guiding principles to help a decision point become more clear, or there may be a set of other laws or policies that force a decision point.

I hope it was an interesting tabletop/computer screen activity to help you think through your values and nudge thinking a certain way.

Disability Faux Pas BINGO 2

July 28, 2023July 31, 2023

This is the final week of Disability Pride month so I thought I’d close out the month with a second BINGO card on Disability Faux Pas BINGO. It is always more fun to play with two cards and to see who gets to BINGO first, or in this case loses cause they fill their card with faux pas.

Special thanks to Carrie and G.B.N. for helping with this BINGO card. They provided so much good material last week I had enough to make a second BINGO board. They’ve both taught me a lot about disabilities and disability justice over the years.

BINGO Card, square with peach background, text below

Since the graphic isn’t screen reader friendly, the text of the BINGO card is below. Please make sure to see last week’s BINGO card too. If you’re wondering about why some of these phrases are on the BINGO card poke around on the blog for past blog posts about disability. The more we learn the less we’ll trip up.

BINGO Board

Overshares with disabled people

Says they will ‘pray’ for a disabled person

Is surprised to learn a disabled person is a parent

Is even more surprised to learn a disabled person is their boss

Segregates disabled people, e.g. they belong in Special Education classrooms

Complains about how long it takes for a bus to load a wheelchair

Asks a disabled person “What’s wrong with you?”

Not being direct in asking about a disability

Excluding people with disabilities from decisions that impact them

Compalings about captioning blocking the screen

Only talk about disabilities with people with disabilities

Calls people with disability ‘brave’

Calls caregivers ‘selfless’

Blames bad events on mental illness – “The shooter must be mentally ill.”

Thinks people with non-visual disabilities are ‘faking it’

Will only hire people with disabilities for entry level jobs

Dismisses accessibility requests as ‘asking for too much’ or ‘inconvenient’

Disaster plans do not take into account disabled people

Believes willpower can override a disability: “They can XXX if they try hard enough.”

Labels people with disabilities as uncooperative

Calls in sick or books a meeting during the anti-ableism training

Believes they can diagnosis disabilities with what they learned on Instagram and TikTok

A few more book recs to help you learn more

Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to Be an Ally

Read This to Get Smarter: About Race, Class, Gender, Disability & More

For a bit of fun and not to learn about disability, but for a middle grade novel where disabilities are intertwined in a story but not the central part Sal & Gabi Break the Universe. I share this title because we should expose young readers to disabled characters, especially where their disability is not the main focus.

Here is a picture book about the history of the American with Disabilities Act: All the Way to the Top: How One Girl’s Fight for Americans with Disabilities Changed Everything.

More titles on the Fakequity Bookshop page. I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org where your purchases support local bookstores. I earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. The commission goes into purchasing books by POC authors or about disabilities to donate to high-poverty public schools.

Opps, I said that: Disability Faux Pas BINGO

July 21, 2023

July is Disability Pride Month. To reflect and learn about disability pride I put together a BINGO board on things not to do wih and around people with disabilities. We’ve all slipped up, but knowing and learning is part of being an ally and growing. If you’re wondering why some of them are on the board take a moment to learn about it. A special thank you to Carrie and G.B.N. for helping with this post. They are both connected with different parts of the disability justice community and I’ve been fortunate to learn from them and with them.

Since Canva is horrible at visual accessibility, I’ve put the text below. When I find a better solution to Canva I’ll make the jump to a new platform for visual graphics, in the meantime, Canva do better.

BINGO board text:

Special needs

Does not say disability

Pets a service dog

Event site is not wheelchair accessibility

Doesn’t provide access information

Calls everything crazy

Praises Temple Garadin and Helen Keller

“But you don’t look disabled”

Refers to disability justice as being “PC”

Puts their chihuahua on the disability seating on public transit

Shushing kids when they ask about disabilities

Asks invasive questions about a person’s disabilities

Tells random disabled people they’re inspirational

Uses the word suffering when referring to disability

[Believes] ramps and curb cuts are for babies in strollers and rolling luggage

Discussed disability in terms of severity or “functional level”

Uses euphuisms like disAbility, special needs, differently abled

Refers to their hip replacement as the same suffering

Touches people’s mobility aids

Shouts at a Deaf or Hard of Hearing Person

Shouts at a Blind person

If you’re looking for some good books to learn more about disability justice here are a few to consider, bypass Temple Grandin and/or about Helen Keller and try some of these:

Heart Berries a Memoir by Terese Marie Mailhot

Year of the Tiger by Alice Wong

Disability Visibility by Alice Wong

Fighting for Yes!: The Story of Disability Rights Activist Judith Heumann (picture book) by Maryann Cocca-Leffler (Author) Judith Heumann (Afterword)

Stay tuned, I may have enough material to make a second BINGO board on this topic.

Summer Reading List

July 14, 2023

Book display in a hallway of diverse books at Freedom Schools summer program.

It feels like it is finally summer. Including the longer days for lounging with paper books or audiobooks. Summer is also when I hit my public library to pick up a summer book bingo board and challenge myself to find some new and interesting books to fit their categories. Some of the categories on the Seattle Public Library and Seattle Arts & Lecture bingo board include: Joyful, Includes a Recipe, Recommended by an Independent Bookseller, Translated, Manga or Graphic Novel, Audio or E-Book, and so many other good categories.

Here are a few summer reading recommendations that might fill your summer reading goals too.

*The links below take you to my Bookshop affiliate page. If you order Fakequity gets a small amount back which goes into buying POC authored books or books about disabilities to donate to predominately POC schools or youth programs.

Sal & Gabi Break the Universe – This book is filling the ‘joyful’ square on my summer book bingo board. It is a hilarious middle grades novel featuring two Latine students who are not likely to become friends but circumstances and a bit of magic bring them together. Sal and Gabi explore alternative universes, a bit of magic, a dead chicken, Sal’s diabetes, and Gabi’s odd-family arrangements. I listened to it on audiobook and it made my walks very enjoyable. I can’t wait to read the second book.

Chinatown Pretty – Gotta love the Asian elders and their fashion. The book also touches upon cultural neighborhoods, which helped me appreciate Seattle’s Chinatown/International District even more. CID is now labeled a threatened cultural neighborhood and this book helps to remind us why we need to preserve neighborhoods for their rich history and more importantly the people of the neighborhoods. This will fill my recommended by a bookseller bingo box since I saw it on display at Third Place Books.

Miracle & Wonder by Malcolm Gladwell was another audiobook. I scoured a list of good audiobooks and had put this on hold at the library, when it popped up as ready to borrow I thought “Why did I put a book about an old-white-singer on my list,” but decided to give it a try and I’m glad I did. Malcolm Gladwell wove together a fascinating story about how Paul Simon grew into his music and has stayed relevant as a musician for decades. As an audiobook, it is fascinating since it includes their conversations and music. It is truly a book only Gladwell could weave together.

I wanted to eat Mayumu, like I wished the cookbook was in 3D and edible. The Filipino American desserts in this cookbook are colorful, playful, imaginative, but yet still down to earth. The recipes look doable and delicious. I also appreciate the author is practical in a way more bougie cookbook authors have moved away from. Such as in the opening Abi Balingit included a line about sharing a kitchen with roommates – I’ve never seen any other cookbook author acknowledge they have to share a kitchen with non-family members.

‘Olelo No’eau: Hawaiian Proverbs & Poetical Sayings is filling my translated bingo book box. I found it while wandering through the library. I saw it and flipped through it and decided it had to come home with me so I could study it more. ‘Olelo – Native Hawaiian language, is having a resurgence after being nearly wiped out due to missionaries in Hawai’i and white influence. Seeing this book and reading it helped me have a deeper appreciation for indigenous languages and gratitude for the movement to keep them alive.

For the Indigenous author square I have Project 562 on that box. This book is gorgeous and so much more than a coffee table book. It tells so much about Indigenous people in the US and the diversity within Native communities. This is a book only a Native person could bring to life and we’re lucky the author did it for us to learn from, it is a gift we don’t deserve.

I can’t get this picture book out of my head, Can We Please Give the Police Department to the Grandmothers? I picked it up at a bookstore and read it while standing at the shelf. I then came home and googled the title and found the author started it as a poem that became a book. The premise of the book is exactly what the title says and takes us into an alternative universe that should be much more of a reality in modern America. I’ve used it with groups to demonstrate how we can envision something different and the language we use to talk about race is important. Pick it up and read it, so good.

My kid LOVES graphic novels and manga. She’s given me assigned reading this summer. On her list of graphic novels I have to read are: City of Dragons Book 1, Tidesong for the sea creatures square on the bingo board, and Parachute Kids. All of these are by Asian authors. I may assign her (which never works, but if I covertly leave it lying around) When Stars are Scattered she may pick it up. When Stars Are Scattered is a very good graphic novel sharing the author’s immigrant journey from a refugee camp in Kenya and his brother’s disability.

Sí, Se Puede: The Latino Heroes Who Changed the United States isn’t released yet, but I was lucky to see a preview copy online. It is a great book talking about Latino history in the US in a graphic novel format. Once it is out I plan on borrowing it from the library or buying my own copy to really read it more deeply. I wish it was out now so I could read it during the summer but I’ll wait.

I hope you find some good new POC authored books or books about disabilities to fill your summer reading list. There are so many more I didn’t list, stay tuned I’ll share them in the future.

What I learned in middle school about race

June 30, 2023

No blog post next week. I’m taking the week off to rest my brain and enjoy the holiday week.

Today was a crap day for many. The Supreme Court ruled to reject affirmative action in college admission. The ruling will hurt us all, especially Black, Latino, and Indigenous people who want to attend their choice colleges. I’m not going to write about this tonight but encourage you to learn more about it. We now have to work 100 times harder to rebuild and outsmart racism.

Tonight’s blog post was written by my kid who just finished middle school. He offered to write something so I gave him the challenge of writing about what he learned about race in middle school. The essay is very much his voice with some light editing by me to clean it up and clarify in a few places.

What I learned in middle school about race

In my three years of middle school, I learned much about race identity and how it defines but is also confining to each one of us. These stereotypes are such a widespread thing. Stereotypes are common even among kids as young as middle school. During my middle school years, I have been introduced to many stereotypes and my views on stereotypes have evolved for what I believe to be the better.

While in middle school I have seen and heard some racist stereotypes that were just ruled as a joke and no further thought was given. Examples are “Straight A-Asian kids,” assuming if you are an immigrant you immigrated from certain countries, and other more harmful stereotypes. Many people do not see this as an issue, but this could turn into a problem if other racist policies are turned into jokes like these.

However, I don’t believe this will be the case because among my school’s community if there is even a hint of racism the kid perpetrating it will be hunted down and will never live down what they did. While this may be the case in my school I can not say the same for other schools and how they deal with their stereotypes and racism.

Because my school is proactive about squashing racism where rears its head, I have not been exposed to it to the extent that many people in other schools have. Stereotypes are a quick way back to a much more racist world. In middle school I learned how they can harm people and how harmful they can be to people firsthand; I would not wish this on anyone for any reason. If elected education officials were to make quashing stereotypes a number one priority, then it would eliminate many other problems. As a student please work at eliminating stereotypes in schools.

Entitlement BINGO 2

June 22, 2023

It is time for another BINGO board. Fakequity brings you Entitlement BINGO 2. Like the original Entitlement BINGO board, this is a bit in jest and tongue-in-cheek. It is a way to poke fun at annoying things people say and do so we can recognize privilege and call it out gently, kindly, or silence it when needed.

Since the image above isn’t screen reader friendly, here is the text of what is in the boxes. If you’re confused about why the phrases are showing up on the bingo board, reflect on why it might be there and then watch to see how it shows up in groups. Self-reflection is a great way to learn and to be a better ally. For this BINGO board, I’m not going to write out why I added the terms– you all are smart enough to figure it out.

ENTITLEMENT BINGO:

Says “I’m confused…” “I don’t understand…” as a way to gain attention

Keeps their camera off during Zoom meetings so they can multitask, aka not pay attention

“[Insert group] had enough attention, what about XXX”

Continually misgenders other people

Makes the group reschedule a meeting because of their FOMO

Continually mentions their travel plans

Forwards emails with no context and expects you to understand them

Insists their idea is the only right idea

Confuses Black people for each other

Talks about how ‘diverse’ their neighborhood or workplace is

After someone tells a story, they tell their own story to bring the focus back to them

Mentions the college/club/workplace within five minutes of meeting them

If you enjoyed this BINGO board, hit that search box and type BINGO. There are other bingo boards on the blog. Enjoy.

Adrienne, Agent001, Aimie, Alayna, Alessandra, Alessandra, Alex E, Alexa, Aline, Alison FP, Alison P, Allison, Amanda, Amber, Amira, Amy, Amy K, Amy P, Amy R, Andie, Andrea J, Andrea JB, Andy, Angelica, Angelina, Ashlie, Aya, Barb, Barbara, Barrett, Betsy, Big Duck, Brad, Brenda, Bridget, Brooke B, Brooke DW, Cadence, Caitlin, Calandra, Callista, Cari, Carmen, Carolyn, Carrie B, Carrie C, Carrie S, Catherine, Chelsea, Christa, Christina C, Christina S, Clara, Clark, Courtney, Dan, dana, Danielle, Danya, Debbie, DeEtta, Denyse, Dennis, Dennis F, Diane, Don, Ed, Edith, Edith B, Eileen, Elizabeth, Emily, Erica J, Erica RB, Erin, Gene, Genita, Hannah, Hayden, Heather H, Heather M, Heidi and Laura, Heidi, Hilary, J Elizabeth, Jaime, Jake, James, Jane, Janet, Jelena, Jen C, Jen E, Jen H, Jena, Jenn, Jennet, Jennifer, Jess, Jessica F, Jessica G, Jillian, Jody, John, Jon, Jordan L, Jordan S, Josie, Julia, Juliet, June, Karen, Kate, Katharine, Kathryn, Katie O, Kawai, Keisha, Kelly, Kiki, Kim, Kimberly, Kyla, LA Progressive, Laura, Lauren, Leah, Leslie, Lily, Liora, Lisa C, Lisa P-W, Lisa S, Liz, Lola, Lori, Lyn, Maegan, Maggie, Maile, Maka, Maki, Marc, Mareeha, Marilee, Mark, Matthew, Maura, McKenzie, Melissa, Melody, Meredith, Michael, Mickey, Migee, Mike, Milo, Mindy, Misha, Molly, Nat, Natasha, Nicole, paola, Peggy, PMM, Porsche, Rachel, Raquel, Rebecca, Robin, Sally, Sandra, Sarah B, Sarah D, Sarah H, Sarah KB, Sarah R, Sarah S, Sarita, Selma, Sharon B, Sharon Y, Shaun, Shawna, Siobhan, Steph, Stephanie, Su, Sue, Sue C D, Susan, T Wang, Tania DSA, Tania TD, Tara, tash, Tim, Titilayo, Tracy G, Tracy TG, virginia, Vivian, Ward, Wendy, Willow, and Zan

Say What You Mean – Linguistic Care

June 16, 2023

Neon letters in a pile, some letters backwards, on a concrete floor. Photo by Meta Dizayn on Pexels.com

Earlier today I was flipping through my notebook to look for a topic for today’s blog post. I found a cryptic shorthand note in a bubble from a presentation my former intern gave for his doctoral thesis. The note said something like ‘linguistic care’ in one bubble, with a line to another bubble that said ‘anti-ableist language’ in another, circled by place as a big bubble. It was a brilliant presentation that I won’t rehash because it was too brilliant for me to share correctly. What I will share are ways we should consider being more thoughtful with our language – a way of taking linguistic care.

Say What You Mean

The English language is filled with a lot of euphemisms, as I’m guessing many other languages are too. It is important for us with the privilege and power of being in the language majority to take care with our language and use it to create belonging, not use it to exclude people from understanding. Creating a culture of linguistic care means thinking about who is on the receiving end and how they understand language.

Over the years I’ve worked with interpreters and appreciate how hard a job it is. Interpreters have to take in what someone says, quickly make sense of it, then flip that information into another language. It takes a lot of quick thinking and skill to accurately interpret. A friend was telling me as a training exercise around spoken language she has people form a group of three, then asks one person to tell a story or answer a question to the second person, the third person has to listen and after the first person spoke for 30-seconds repeat the story back. Even doing this just in English without another language component is very hard.

In working with interpreters, I’ve learned how important it is to use care when speaking. Speak slowly and with breaks to give them time to catch up. Avoid idioms and euphemisms, or more plainly – say what I mean. The same goes for working with translators – say what you mean I remember a native Chinese speaker with good English skills, asked for help translating the term ‘light dinner’ for a school flier. I tried to help to untangle the very English term but failed miserably. Small dinner didn’t feel right, she wasn’t familiar with the term appetizers (another hard English word to figure out), and in the moment I didn’t think of saying something like small portions of dinner foods – literal but accurate.

Some of this also applies to people with disabilities. A colleague was telling me how she worked with a client who mentioned needing language accommodations. He had a traumatic brain injury which resulted in his having an audio-processing disability. To make it easier for the client my colleague met with him over Zoom, turned on the audio-captioning, and recorded the conversation. After the meeting, she sent the recording to the client so he could review it. She also followed up with written next steps, making sure to bullet point the action items so the client could easily reference it. These steps didn’t cost any more money or much more time, but they were important steps to ensure the client could understand the language used in the meeting.

Inclusive Language

Other ways we to create inclusive language can include:

Avoiding genderized terms – instead of boys and girls, use terms like friends; instead of brothers and sisters, try fellow XXX, instead of pregnant women – pregnant person
Pronouns – Sharing your own pronouns, and being mindful of other people’s pronouns.
Stop saying mental, crazy, dumb, special needs, OCD, derp – learn about disability justice
Use first person language – instead of saying homeless, say the person without a house; instead of saying victim or survivor, say the person who was impacted by. For this point, please check with the person you are referring to. Some people and some communities do not like person first language and prefer being explicit with naming or sometimes reclaiming terminology.

There is so much more to explore around language. It is a topic we can continually refine, change, and adapt to. Please share with me or someone else how inclusive or exclusive language has shaped you and your relations. We can practice more linguistic care with each other, an important step to working for racial equity.

Adrienne, Agent001, Aimie, Alayna, Alessandra, Alessandra, Alex E, Alexa, Aline, Alison FP, Alison P, Allison, Amanda, Amber, Amira, Amy, Amy K, Amy P, Amy R, Andie, Andrea J, Andrea JB, Andy, Angelica, Angelina, Ashlie, Aya, Barb, Barbara, Barrett, Betsy, Big Duck, Brad, Brenda, Bridget, Brooke B, Brooke DW, Cadence, Caitlin, Calandra, Callista, Cari, Carmen, Carolyn, Carrie B, Carrie C, Carrie S, Catherine, Chelsea, Christa, Christina C, Christina S, Clara, Clark, Courtney, Dan, dana, Danielle, Danya, Debbie, DeEtta, Denyse, Dennis, Dennis F, Diane, Don, Ed, Edith, Edith B, Eileen, Elizabeth, Emily, Erica J, Erica RB, Erin, Gene, Genita, Hannah, Hayden, Heather H, Heather M, Heidi and Laura, Heidi, Hilary, J Elizabeth, Jaime, Jake, James, Jane, Janet, Jelena, Jen C, Jen E, Jen H, Jena, Jenn, Jennet, Jennifer, Jess, Jessica F, Jessica G, Jillian, Jody, John, Jon, Jordan L, Jordan S, Josie, Julia, Juliet, June, Karen, Kate, Katharine, Kathryn, Katie O, Kawai, Keisha, Kelly, Kiki, Kim, Kimberly, Kyla, LA Progressive, Laura, Lauren, Leah, Leslie, Lily, Liora, Lisa C, Lisa P-W, Lisa S, Liz, Lola, Lori, Lyn, Maegan, Maggie, Maile, Maka, Maki, Marc, Mareeha, Marilee, Mark, Matthew, Maura, McKenzie, Melissa, Melody, Meredith, Michael, Mickey, Migee, Mike, Milo, Mindy, Misha, Molly, Nat, Natasha, Nicole, paola, Peggy, PMM, Porsche, Rachel, Raquel, Rebecca, Robin, Sally, Sarah B, Sarah D, Sarah H, Sarah KB, Sarah R, Sarah S, Sarita, Selma, Sharon B, Sharon Y, Shaun, Shawna, Siobhan, Steph, Stephanie, Su, Sue, Sue C D, Susan, T Wang, Tania DSA, Tania TD, Tara, tash, Tim, Titilayo, Tracy G, Tracy TG, virginia, Vivian, Ward, Wendy, Willow, and Zan

Never Start a Meeting with Work

June 9, 2023

For the East Coast readers, I’m so sorry you are dealing with wildfire smoke. We on the West Coast have lived through a few recent smoke storms and understand how horrible they are. Take care of yourselves. Today is also Ocean Day, so for the sake of the sky and the ocean let’s figure out how to make meaningful changes to address climate change.

Lehua ohia red flowers – Flickr Emily Jung Miller

Never Start a Meeting with Work

A few months ago I attended the Collective Impact Conference online. It is a conference I enjoy and made a point of signing up again this year, especially when I saw the lineup of keynote speakers. Krista Tippett, the host of the podcast OnBeing was one of the speakers. While watching the conversation with Tippett she talked about how rituals in gatherings are important. When I heard this, it made me realize how I miss the ritual and format of meetings that I used to host.

Process versus Ritual

A former boss pointed out how I despise process. She was wrong about many things, but right about that one. I don’t have the patience for processes. I often want to tackle problems and understand them, not deal with security design reviews, trainings to be in compliance with mandates, or absentminded protocols. But over time, I realize I do enjoy intentional steps to relate and understand problems. Rituals can help lead us to relationships, versus processes that are transactional.

At my former job, we collectively developed rituals and a cadence to our meetings – much of it centered on POC comfort and well-being (sounds frou-frou, but it really wasn’t). Everyone would arrive and settle in. I’d mingle and say hello, welcome new people, then we would start. I’d give everyone a “relationship building” prompt/question and actively encourage people to find someone new to talk to. For the introverts I told them don’t fear it would be a short conversation so if they got squirrely there was an out. After the relationship building question, we’d come back together and have more rituals, than the main part of the meeting. People knew the format and settled in quickly because they knew what to expect. The rituals and practices helped us to have a heartbeat to the meeting. It also gave us a collective center to come back to when we needed to recenter and come back to our group values of being anti-racist, centering POC voices, and valuing relationships versus practices. People said our meetings felt different and that is why they came.

Rituals in New Spaces

I’m now in a different organization and getting my sea legs. As I settle in, I realize I miss some of my former meeting rituals to fall back on with my new peeps. As the noob, I know I can’t just go in and disrupt the known patterns. I’m starting to find ways to bring in some of the rituals from my past work life into the new space – not all but some of the ones that work. Slowly as a new group we’re finding new rituals and finding ways to build relationships that center anti-racism and anti-ableism.

I’m also experimenting with how to create rituals that stick and work in online spaces. I remember when we first pivoted to online, it was neat, even comforting to keep gathering even remotely. At a certain point though the efficiencies of online also meant being ultra-efficient and not taking time to practice the rituals of the past. We had to rethink why we’re gathering and use the practices and rituals that support that why. Online spaces are here to stay, so we need to make them better and more relational.

Rituals that Stick

For me here are a few of the rituals I think will stick:

Opening with a purpose and invite people to participate in the opening – invite everyone to share in some way. In person it can be introduce themselves to someone new. Online – have everyone briefly introduce themselves or use the comment function.
Talk about why we’re gathering or meeting – what is the purpose and why the people invited are there – acknowledging their wisdom and knowledge, especially the wisdom of people traditionally overlooked – Black and Indigenous partners, elders, the wisdom of the place (e.g. the land or building).
Closing. Priya Parker, author and facilitator, wrote “Never end a funeral with logistics.” I am trying to create more rituals around closing meetings with gratitude and acknowledgment. Acknowledging we did something important together, gratitude to the POCs who shared or the allies who adjusted their thinking, and thank people for levity and fun.
Rinse and repeat – doing these same practices over and over again so they stick and become rituals. Adapt them as needed to fit the group and changing times, but also hold to core elements.

What rituals are sticking with you?

Adrienne, Agent001, Aimie, Alayna, Alessandra, Alessandra, Alex E, Alexa, Aline, Alison FP, Alison P, Allison, Amanda, Amber, Amira, Amy, Amy K, Amy P, Amy R, Andie, Andrea J, Andrea JB, Andy, Angelica, Angelina, Ashlie, Aya, Barb, Barbara, Barrett, Betsy, Big Duck, Brad, Brenda, Bridget, Brooke B, Brooke DW, Cadence, Caitlin, Calandra, Callista, Cari, Carmen, Carolyn, Carrie B, Carrie C, Carrie S, Catherine, Chelsea, Christa, Christina C, Christina S, Clara, Clark, Courtney, Dan, dana, Danielle, Danya, Debbie, DeEtta, Denyse, Dennis, Dennis F, Diane, Don, Ed, Edith, Edith B, Eileen, Elizabeth, Emily, Erica J, Erica RB, Erin, Gene, Genita, Hannah, Hayden, Heather H, Heather M, Heidi and Laura, Heidi, Hilary, J Elizabeth, Jaime, Jake, James, Jane, Janet, Jelena, Jen C, Jen E, Jen H, Jena, Jenn, Jennet, Jennifer, Jess, Jessica F, Jessica G, Jillian, Jody, John, Jon, Jordan L, Jordan S, Josie, Julia, Juliet, June, Karen, Kate, Katharine, Kathryn, Katie O, Kawai, Keisha, Kelly, Kiki, Kim, Kimberly, Kyla, LA Progressive, Laura, Lauren, Leah, Leslie, Lily, Liora, Lisa C, Lisa P-W, Lisa S, Liz, Lola, Lori, Lyn, Maegan, Maggie, Maile, Maka, Maki, Marc, Mareeha, Marilee, Mark, Matthew, Maura, McKenzie, Melissa, Melody, Meredith, Michael, Mickey, Migee, Mike, Milo, Mindy, Misha, Molly, Nat, Natasha, Nicole, paola, Peggy, PMM, Porsche, Rachel, Raquel, Rebecca, Robin, Sally, Sarah B, Sarah D, Sarah H, Sarah KB, Sarah R, Sarah S, Sarita, Selma, Sharon B, Sharon Y, Shaun, Shawna, Siobhan, Steph, Stephanie, Su, Sue, Sue C D, Susan, T Wang, Tania DSA, Tania TD, Tara, tash, Tim, Titilayo, Tracy G, Tracy TG, virginia, Vivian, Ward, Wendy, Willow, and Zan

I am writing from the lands of the 29 federally recognized and non-federally recognized tribes in now Washington State, including the Coast Salish people — Duwamish, Muckleshoot, Suquamish, Snoqualmie, Snohomish, and Native American organizations that have treaty rights and have been here since time immemorial. I give my thanks to the elders, Native and Indigenous colleagues and relations, and the land itself. Fakequity pays “rent” to Native organizations in Washington and Hawai’i; a small act to repair and work to be in more justice-based relations.

Can AI teach about race?

June 2, 2023

Cute Wall-E robot, yellow body, triangle wheels, binocular eyes, behind a fuzzy background with a green plant. Photo by Lenin Estrada on Pexels.com

I’ve been playing around with a few different AI (artificial intelligence) websites for fun. One of them will take a picture and alter it however you choose. I took my headshot and told the AI to add a circus lion. I’m not showing the picture, it was a bit risqué. Another time I directed the AI to add sushi or put a Star Trek theme around me. It was funny to see what came up and a great way to burn 20-minutes. AI has a lot of potential, but it isn’t foolproof. In today’s NY Times there is an article with a dire headline: “A.I. Poses ‘Risk of Extinction,’ Industry Leaders Warn.” Since I’m not extinct yet, I didn’t ask ChatGPT to write this blog post.

Presently, AI can help to educate about race, but for the near future we need to invest in our own learning with time and personal experience.

Paul Simon – What’s a white dude has to do with it?

On my daily dog walks, I’m listening to Malcolm Gladwell’s book Miracle and Wonder, Conversations with Paul Simon. When the book popped up on my library queue, I paused and thought “Why’d I put a book about a white dude on hold?” but since it is a Malcolm Gladwell book I decided to give it a try. I’m glad I did. The audiobook is excellent. Both Gladwell and Simon’s voices are narrating the book and they interweave Simon’s singing.

While listening to the book I also thought about a podcast I had just listened to about AI technology. I realized AI can’t teach about race deeply (yet) because it doesn’t know how to draw upon different life experiences and weave them into a cohesive narrative. AIs can give you academic and basic answers about race. I tested the theory by asking ChatGPT to write a few paragraphs about race. It spit out some decent answers. But some of the best race work can’t be done by an AI because it doesn’t know how to take abstract concepts and blend them to push thinking or experiment with its writing to find the right tone, mix of thoughts, or interesting ways of forcing new thinking.

Gladwell talked about cultural immersions and experimentation as being part of Paul Simon’s musical genius. Simon’s music is influenced by many different sources and he experimented all the time. He wasn’t afraid to try something and deem it not usable or up to his musical standards. Gladwell talks about how different great musicians of that era were influenced by different radio channels they could pickup which introduced different types of music – such as Gospel, jazz, Mexican music, etc. Simon also talks about how he can’t imitate other sounds, he found it necessary to hop on a plane and record in different locales to ensure he was hiring musicians with those authentic sounds to get his music right. The riffing off different musicians led to some of his best music. His music is known for its South African, gospel, and playing with sounds (non-words la, la, laaa, sound).

Respectfully immersing ourselves into different cultures is important to learning about race. Being uncomfortable and around situations that are different helps us learn, build empathy and tolerance, and forces new thinking. It helps to break the known neural pathways that lead to our biases. It also gives us a bigger reservoir of experiences to draw upon when we encounter a new situation.

Gladwell included an audio clip of an NBA player (I can’t remember which one, and I can’t find it in the audio book at the moment) who recounted in detail how a game went. The player was re-living the game in his head for the interview. Gladwell talked about how having these detailed memories and deep mental bench of experiences allowed the basketball star to play at a peak level. He could quickly draw on his memory to adjust his game versus being like me on the basketball court – looking like a stunned deer. For us non-NBA players having deep diverse experiences allows us to bring richness and nuances to understand race and adjust our work to be deeper and better and more quickly responsive to POC community needs.

Currently, I doubt an AI can make these quick pivots and draw on diverse experiences to get race work right. If we think about where AI’s are drawing their information from it is from published material. Who currently has access to being published favors privileged people – white, formally educated, English literate (for English generating AIs), access to publishing privilege, tech literate, etc. Some will say the internet breaks down barriers to being published, that is true (this blog is proof of that since it is self-published – mistakes and all), there isn’t equal access to the internet.

No AI generated posts yet

I joked with a friend that I should take a week off and allow ChatGPT to write a few posts. But nah, the AI wouldn’t have the same personal nuances. Maybe I’ll test it out by asking ChatGPT to write about race combining Malcolm Gladwell, Paul Simon, and an unknown NBA player to see what it gives me.

Adrienne, Agent001, Aimie, Alayna, Alessandra, Alessandra, Alex E, Alexa, Aline, Alison FP, Alison P, Allison, Amanda, Amber, Amira, Amy, Amy K, Amy P, Amy R, Andie, Andrea J, Andrea JB, Andy, Angelica, Angelina, Ashlie, Aya, Barb, Barbara, Barrett, Betsy, Big Duck, Brad, Brenda, Bridget, Brooke B, Brooke DW, Cadence, Caitlin, Calandra, Callista, Cari, Carmen, Carolyn, Carrie B, Carrie C, Carrie S, Catherine, Chelsea, Christa, Christina C, Christina S, Clara, Clark, Courtney, Dan, dana, Danielle, Danya, Debbie, DeEtta, Denyse, Dennis, Dennis F, Diane, Don, Ed, Edith, Edith B, Eileen, Elizabeth, Emily, Erica J, Erica RB, Erin, Gene, Genita, Hannah, Hayden, Heather H, Heather M, Heidi and Laura, Heidi, Hilary, J Elizabeth, Jaime, Jake, James, Jane, Janet, Jelena, Jen C, Jen E, Jen H, Jena, Jenn, Jennet, Jennifer, Jess, Jessica F, Jessica G, Jillian, Jody, John, Jon, Jordan L, Jordan S, Josie, Julia, Juliet, June, Karen, Kate, Katharine, Kathryn, Katie O, Kawai, Keisha, Kelly, Kiki, Kim, Kimberly, Kyla, LA Progressive, Laura, Lauren, Leah, Leslie, Lily, Liora, Lisa C, Lisa P-W, Lisa S, Liz, Lola, Lori, Lyn, Maegan, Maggie, Maile, Maka, Maki, Marc, Mareeha, Marilee, Mark, Matthew, Maura, McKenzie, Melissa, Melody, Meredith, Michael, Mickey, Migee, Mike, Milo, Mindy, Misha, Molly, Nat, Natasha, Nicole, paola, Peggy, PMM, Porsche, Rachel, Raquel, Rebecca, Robin, Sally, Sarah B, Sarah D, Sarah H, Sarah KB, Sarah R, Sarah S, Sarita, Selma, Sharon B, Sharon Y, Shaun, Shawna, Siobhan, Steph, Stephanie, Su, Sue, Sue C D, Susan, T Wang, Tania DSA, Tania TD, Tara, tash, Tim, Titilayo, Tracy G, Tracy TG, virginia, Vivian, Ward, Wendy, Willow, and Zan

FAKEQUITY

Fakequity=Fake Equity. Fakequity is bad. It shows up as all talk and no action.