Farm Fresh.

This past Saturday I picked my own produce from the ground!

Micah and I went with some friends to their friends' farm in Petaluma, which is about an hour north of SF. They were having a cookout/campfire. And sometimes it's just a nice change of scenery to get out of the city. Plus, we were told we could pick our own produce, who passes that up?

By the way, this is our newest addition, a kitchen cart.

As I was picking green beans with this other girl, we talked about our simultaneous feelings of connection and disconnection. Seeing the farm. Pulling and picking the produce. Feeling the dirt. I was connected to where my food was coming from. I was connected because I was harvesting it. And, yet, I had done none of the work to get the plants to that point. In fact, in some cases, I did not even know how to pick the produce. Is there a special way to pull green beans off a plant? Am I doing it wrong? I am disconnected from the process of how food is grown.

It was great to be out there on the farm, but it also has caused me to think again about the complexities of food production, both local and not. How do you support smaller entities on a tight budget? How do you encourage the local food movement, while realizing that this might come at a cost to small, "local" farmers in the international market? Farmers that have been forced to produce food not for their own local market, but for the U.S. How do you mobilize for provision laws for farmers, knowing that these also bolster large, factory productions that do damage, socially and environmentally?

Lots and lots of questions...

Wish I had some answers.

On a positive note, Micah and I sure brought home some farm fresh loot. We got green beans, cucumbers, lemon cucumbers, squash, radishes, kale, beet greens, chard, and turnips.

First up on the farm fresh menu was kale chips. Now, I had never made, or even had, kale chips before, but given all the rage around them I thought they'd be a fun experiment. I read a number of different recipes and decided to keep things simple. I washed and dried the kale, then torn it into "chip size" pieces. Put them in a bowl and tossed with olive oil and a sprinkling of sea salt. Spread onto a baking sheet (don't over crowd the chips) and baked for 7 minutes (or until crisp) at 350 degrees.

And, I'm happy to report that I really liked kale chips!

For dinner, I wanted to use some of the squash Micah picked. And when I saw this recipe for Flatbread Pizza with Sausage and Squash, I couldn't pass it up.

We also made a salad to go with it. Unfortunately, I hated the taste of the beet greens. They tasted really salty to me, so we ended up with an abbreviated version of a greek salad. But, oh my word, this garden cucumber was the absolute best. SO crunchy. SO tasty.

I'll keep you posted on whatever else we make this week from our farm fresh produce.

SB 1070.

The recent law passed in Arizona that makes it a criminal act under state law to be an illegal immigrant makes me sick. The deep-seeded racisim not only underlies the bill, but champions it as well. It is disconcerting. Not only is it a high cause of concern to individuals that are Latino or of Latino descent, but the bill criminalizes activities of those helping illegal immigrants. I guess this makes being a social worker in Arizona illegal too!!

Racially profiling Latino people (especially in a state where there is a large portion of people with latino heritage) who may or may not be in the US illegally is no answer to an immigration system that is completely broken.

Racial profiling is illegal. You cannot stop a person based on looks, appearance, or race. Who do you think police are going to suspect are in the US illegally? Who are they going to stop and ask for documentation? Some white lady (nevermind that she's from Canada and has overstayed her visa)?

Yeah right! Not to mention, only authoritarian regimes begin with asking people to carry around some form of identification. The nazi regime forced jews to wear the star or david. The Franco dictatorship in Spain forced people to carry around ID papers & if caught without them you were jailed or worse.

What this law does is change the role of state & local police. Their primary goal is no longer protection of civilians, but weeding out illegal immigrants. This is of major concern. Crimes against immigrants are already heavily underreported & this law will only exasperate fear in victims. Is that what we want? To push a population further into invisability?! To deny them the most basic of protection? To even in some ways encourage crime? To make it ok to rape, rob, or beat an illegal immigrant, because the perpetrator knows they cannot go to the police!

From my experience working with Latina immigrants, a law like this is detrimental to fostering healthy relations between marginalized populations & the police. This law is not an answer to the numerous consequences associated with high rates of illegal immigration. It is not even a quick fix, & it will not act as a deterrent. I think the policy ideology of "let's do something just to be doing something" leads us down paths that are harmful to all, mainly because they do not have enough foresight to see their own ramifications.

mr.president.

On Thursday I got to check off number 2,487 on my list of things I want to accomplish in life. I checked off seeing a current U.S. president speak live. And, to make it even better, that president was Barack Obama! Couldn't get much better than that. Seriously, have you ever listened to this man speak? I had the great privilege of hearing him in San Francisco during his presidential campaign, and of course the many speeches I've heard him give on t.v., but each time his pose, his eloquence, and his passion blow me away. Yes, Clinton had a knack for speaking as well, but Obama, how can I put this, well, he's mastered the art.

I'm sure all you out there are wondering how I managed such to snag such an opportunity. Well, perhaps not, but I'm going to tell you anyway.

It was a Michael Bennet fundraiser. Who's Michael Bennet? He's one of the Colorado State Senator's appointed by the governor after Ken Salazar (who was the elected senator) was appointed Secretary of the Interior. In his year in office, Bennet has proved himself as a change maker, pulling strong for healthcare reform and alternative energy. Since the election is this November, campaign season has arrived once again. He's not up for re-election, but he's seeking election. Micah and I went to hear him speak at a small forum one Saturday a few months ago. And what I gathered from that and hearing him on Thursday, Bennet seems to be energetic about eliciting change (not some unruly concept, but real, tangible, see-it-through-your-own-eyes change). He's not a politician by career, just in the last year did he really become one. Before that he was the Denver mayor's chief of staff and then superintendent of Denver Public Schools. One might say he isn't the most well-spoken of politicians; but he's clear and concise even if he speaks no magical language.

The energy in the room was pretty magnificent. There was a ready flow of "amens" and shouts of approval. I know I was excited.

During campaigns, I often get discouraged with the amount of cruel banter that goes back and forth as each candidate attempts to prove themselves to the American public. During speeches, it is the good that is presented, not the bad or even the average. And during the excitement of a crowd, it is easy to feel as though I'm participating, as though I'm a "good" citizen that cares about the future of my country. In real life, I often play less than an active role; letting other people take the lead or show their concern.

As I stood in the auditorium on Thursday, I felt hopeful. I felt hopeful that there are politicians that care. I felt hopeful that there are citizens that are participants of democracy. And, I felt hopeful that I might even be one of them.

Mr. President, I know you're not perfect. I know you can't reverse the course of the last eight years. But, I also know that you're trying. I know that you've made progress, even if it's not what I had expected. I challenge you to continue working, continue listening, continue reveling with the complexities of life.

Oh, and thanks for coming to Denver on Thursday. I know you were busy, meeting with the Dalai Lama in all, but I for one enjoyed hearing you speak!

complex.

There's no denying that racism is still very real in today's U.S. society. At times race relations are desperately swept under the proverbial rug, and at other times race is at the forefront of political news, everyday conversations, and therefore on our minds. Currently, we find ourselves in the latter.

The last couple of days, I have found myself thinking a lot about the heightened frenzy supposedly revolving around President Obama's policies and in particular the debate on national health care reform. And in these days, I have noticed my blood pressure rise, my heart beat in rapid succession, all while feeling a concurrent sense of hopeless disbelief. It is not simple anger that I feel when I see signs smearing, "Bury Obama's healthcare plan with Kennedy" and "Barack Hussein Obama The New Face of Hitler". I am appalled and furious. I am washed away in a tide of inability to respond in rational, meaningful, and constructive ways.

The hatred flows not from opposition to our current president's ideas, plans, or policies; it is the undying efforts of certain individuals and groups to present Obama as a terrorist, a communist, a socialist, a Nazi, a whatever to present him as a part of "them" and not "us." It would be ignorant to play this off as nasty party-line fighting and name-calling. Avoidance of naming racism when we see it is the easy way out. It would let us off the hook. So, in the last few days, I have attempted to allow a broader understanding of how racism plays an integral role in politics. I have revisited the complexities of electing the first African American president; the role of diplomat he must play in order to maintain peace. And in this sense, I applaud former president Jimmy Carter for publicly speaking what Obama cannot.

What is going on can little be summed up in an lacking blog post, but the importance of engaging in conversation around racism and its impacts is certainly no less.

lion of the senate.

I got up this morning eager to purchase my soon to be duvet cover from the crate and barrel outlet mall in new jersey. I was so excited.

At 8:27am, Micah sent me a gmail chat "cnn.com now!"

And there it was, Edward (Ted) Kennedy passed away late Tuesday night after a long battle with cancer.

A year ago from yesterday, he spoke at the DNC and enthused the crowd, "I have come here today to stand with you to change America, to restore its future, to rise to our best ideals and to elect Barack Obama president of the United States."

Mr. Kennedy, you will be dearly missed. Your passion for the United States was remarkable. Your dream that there was always something to be done to make it better is inspiring.

isn't it ironic?

Tonight after work I went to Tortilla Heights, a yuppy Mexican restaurant. To say it was crowded would be an understatement. It was packed. It was packed with wealthy whities in their mid to late twenties partying it up with tecate beer, margaritas, and tequila. What were they celebrating? Well, cinco de mayo of course. I guess I can't really judge, because obviously I too was there. I'm white, not necessarily wealthy, but I've got my bills covered. I also was drinking a margarita.

But, isn't it ironic that we "celebrate" a holiday that isn't even really celebrated in Mexico? Here's a HUGE stereotype, but it is the people like those in Tortilla Heights that belittle, look down on, or worse simply ignore people from Mexico (and other Latin American countries) all year round. But then May 5th rolls around and the first thought is to "celebrate" Mexico by throwing back a six pack of Dos Equis. Por ejemplo, the manly crew that was chillaxing next to me at the restaurant admittly joked the holiday was simply another excuse to get drunk. They joked as time after time the latino busboy carried away their dirty drinking glasses and dishes only so they could be replaced by more.

Maybe I'm reading too much into my brief experience. Maybe cinco de mayo is an excuse to drink just like st. patrick's day or oktoberfest and maybe that's not wrong. But, maybe, just maybe, there's a reason I felt embarassed and insensitive for participating in the Tortilla Heights' cinco de mayo festivities. And, maybe next year, I should evaluate more critically what I do.

new beginnings

I thought it appropriate to reflect a little bit more on the inauguration. So, here it is:

As I sat in front of the tv on tuesday (jan 20) watching the historic inauguration of Barack Hussein Obama, I pondered what this new beginning means for our country. I thought of the millions of African men, women, and children that were bound and beaten, who were used as free labor in our "free" society. I thought of the great joy that must have come from the Emancipation Proclamation issued by Abraham Lincoln on September 22, 1862 declaring freedom to all slaves. I thought of the immense anger and frustration that proceeded as those emancipated still did not enjoy the same freedoms as white Americans did. I thought of the courage of Rosa Parks, Fred Shuttlesworth, Martin Luther King Jr, Coretta Scott King, Roy Wilkins, and thousands more as they combated the racism, hypocrisy, and prejudices of American society. I thought of the tragic shooting ending the life of Martin Luther King Jr. far too short. And I thought of the thousands more that continued his fight, their fight, our fight, and continue to do so today.

In this moment in our young country's life, we should rejoice. We should smile, jump, clap, and sing at the top of our lungs that after 233 years an African American was elected to the highest leadership.

So what does this mean? Well, honestly, I won't pretend to know what it means. Because, really, I could never fully understand what this moment means. I will never know the emotions flooding through elderly African Americans who can still vividly remember a time when they were not allowed to sit in the front of the bus. I will never know what this inauguration truely means to an African American 7-yr old who's belief that he can be president just got a little stronger. But, even though I will never know what this new beginning means for our country from the perspective of a race that is still thoughtlessly brushed aside and ruthlessly told their place, I KNOW that it is monumental.

Barack Obama cannot solve all our problems (God knows we have WAY too many). His strength and intelligence demonstrate a dedication to empowering our people, to promoting healthy foreign policy, and to creating good, balanced government at home. He cannot fix everything. He may not fix much. He may even fail. But whatever he does, he is the United States' 44th president and this is a new beginning.

Where were you when the first African American became President of the United States of America?

I was in San Francisco, in the Western Addition neighborhood, in my apartment, in the living room. I was sipping Good Earth tea and eating a bowl of Life cereal with slices of bananas.

I was PRESENT for the Inauguration of President Barack Obama!!

A Journey

It all started about 6 years ago when I stopped believing in the United States. I found out that my white america was very, very different than the america that many other people experienced. I was abruptly and insecurely pushed off the "proud to be an american" ledge. I was mad. I was mad at my parents who I then assumed fed me lies all throughout my childhood. I was mad at my school, my church, and my religion for "hiding" the truth of the real world around me. If I had to repeat this journey again, I would still be angry. I would have still fought with my parents on the phone over and over again about the inequality that plagues america and the false claim that one can be whoever they want to be. I would have still questioned the christian church and its commitment not to evangelize to the world, but to provide physical relief and to heal and mend the pain felt by people across the U.S. I would not have changed the anger, because the anger was what I needed to feel. Anger at the United States was part of what drove me to where I am now. The anger was constructive, but the depression that followed was demobilizing. After a couple of years, I gave up. I would not listen to any message of hope, because it seemed to be false hope. It seemed as though the hope was belittling the suffering. God was not powerful and loving, she/he was an imaginary friend people made up to make life a little bit easier. My passion and my energy spent, I came to San Francisco.

What I found in San Francisco, I still cannot put into words. I CAN tell you that this city has changed me. The mixture of the crazies, the yuppies, the gays and lesbians, the disadvantaged, the hippies, the hipsters, the immigrants, and me changed something. San Francisco and all its san franciscans gave me hope.

I still feel anger to this day at the injustice around me. My hope is that this anger will never go away, but instead that it will keeping me fighting to change lives, policies, and laws. I hope that I never reach the point that I am numb to the homeless man asking me for money. I hope that I never make a decision to deny people their full constitutional rights under the law. I hope that I never see poverty as a "their" issue and not an "our" issue. I hope that I never grow out of trying to understand individuals' situations and I hope I never see someone as not deserving.

My hope was further extended by the presidential nomination of Barack Obama. And I am now happy to say that he will be the next president of the United States of America.



Barack Obama's campaign to the white house was nothing but historic. As I watched the votes flood in last night, it made me proud for the first time in my adult life to call myself an american. It made me proud watching the tears stream down Rev. Jesse Jackson's face. It made me proud to think of the many eldery african americans that never thought they would see this day come with their own eyes. It made me proud that my generation was essential to this shining moment. It made me proud.

Congratulations Barack Obama and Joe Biden!

today is the day...

Today is the day to exercise your civic right. Today is the day to exercise your civic duty.

Stop reading my blog and go VOTE!

'letter from 2012 in obama's america'

Dear Dr. James Dobson,

I am a 24-yr old female. I am a college graduate. I am a daughter, sister, and friend. I work at a non-profit. I live in San Francisco. I am a Christian. AND you don't scare me. I read the letter published by your organization Focus on the Family and I am concerned. I am concerned about the fear you ignite in other Christians. I am concerned that this fear not only divides us, but it fans the flames of racism, homophobia, and creates a xenophobic america.

Let me inform you that my almost 25 years of life have molded me into the person I am. Yes, I am still learning, and for that matter I hope I don't ever stop. However, I am informed. I know where Barack Obama and John McCain stand on the issues. I know their economic plans and where they stand on foreign policy. I know Barack Obama will fight for "the least of these" among us. On Tuesday, November 4, 2008, my convictions will lead me to vote for Obama. They will lead me to think of those who do not have healthcare, who have had their retirement stripped away because of lack of regulations, and those who are fighting on behalf of our government an ill-waged war in Iraq. I will think of those among us who do not have a voice. I will think not only of unborn children, but of young children, teenagers, and adults who die because they do not have health coverage, shelter, or adequate food. I will think of men and women who have born the burden of the disastrous decisions of the last 8 years. I will look at the broad horizon of attacks on human life and cast my vote for Obama. Please, don't de-value what I care most about. Don't say my youth is mis-guided or ignorant.

You are obviously knowledgeable in that fear can change minds and affect decisions. But is fear the method of influence from the "Land of the Free?" Since when did OUR passion for loving God get replaced by fearing the other? Tell me Dr. Dobson, what did the writing of your letter really accomplish?


Dr. Dobson, PLEASE stop using God, my God, to promote your political platform. Please allow Christians, allow me, to examine the world, examine America, examine politics, and examine the candidates for president for ourselves. I urge you to be civil. I beg you to be respectful.

Sincerely,
cg



(for those who haven't read the letter: http://focusfamaction.edgeboss.net/download/focusfamaction/pdfs/10-22-08_2012letter.pdf)