Table of Contents

Editor's Note

Cover Story

Taste Buds

Events Calendar

February 2008

© Copyright ColorsNW Magazine

- Doing It Justice
- iSalud! [To Your Health]
- The Reading Room
- News Briefs
- Diversity Matters
- Gumbo Recipe

Roots of Empathy Redefines Classroom Hierarchies
 
A recently launched program in Seattle Public Schools is taking the term ‘bully’ from the playground to the classroom, from student banter to an observation
process using the power of the parent/child relationship.

The program brings a parent and baby into an elementary classroom, and gets students to observe the interactions between the two. Students are guided in understanding the baby’s reactions and labeling the baby’s emotions; in doing so, they become better equipped to describe and comprehend their own feelings and the feelings of others.

By addressing empathy in young students, participants of the Roots of Empathy (ROE) program are less likely to physically, psychologically and emotionally hurt each other through bullying and aggressive language. Research by the Seeds of Compassion Initiative demonstrates that the benefits of this program endure in the classroom environment for, at a minimum, three years. The ROE curriculum includes activities beyond infant observation, including literature, art (painting to express inner feelings without using words) and music.

Roots of Empathy was developed in 1996 in Toronto, and only very recently launched in the U.S. market. The Seattle Public School District is the first in the country to officially integrate the program into core curriculum; 10 regional classrooms (grades 1-6) have incorporated ROE lessons, including four schools in Seattle (Dearborn Park Elementary, Sacajawea Elementary, John Stanford International School and West Seattle Elementary). The program plans to expand to 20 classrooms this year and 30 in 2009.

“It’s a pleasure and an honor to work with Seattle-area schools and Seeds of Compassion organizers to help in creating a more civil, caring society by building empathy among schoolchildren,” says ROE founder Mary Gordon in a recent press release from Seattle Public Schools. Since its inception, the Roots of Empathy program has reached more than 150,000 children in more than 6,000 classrooms across Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and now, Seattle.

In April, the Seeds of Compassion Initiative will host a community event in Seattle to celebrate and explore the relationships, programs and tools that nurture and empower children, families and communities to be compassionate members of society. The event will feature the Dalai Lama and other dignitaries. For more information, go to www.rootsofempathy.org .  Meg KRUGEL

Key to Bone Marrow Transplant Success Found in Ethnic Diversity

For those diagnosed with certain types of aggressive cancers and other life-threatening diseases, blood and bone marrow transplants make cures possible
by replacing the patient’s compromised immune system with a healthy one. The success of these types of transplants depend on how well the donor and recipient are genetically matched.
 
While close relatives (especially brothers and sisters) are more likely to be matched for the human leukocyte-associated antigens (HLA), the National Cancer Institute estimates that only 25 percent to 35 percent of patients are able to be HLA-matched with a sibling.

Among non-HLA related donors, the match success rate is greatly improved when the donor and recipient have the same ancestral genetic and ethnic background. According to the World Marrow Donor Association, based in the Netherlands, however, the chance of finding a potential donor for patients of North Western European origin is much higher than for patients from other ethnic groups.

Enter the MAVIN Foundation, a Seattle-based nonprofit which helps to build healthy communities that celebrate and empower mixed heritage, transracial and transnational people, adoptees and families. MAVIN (www.mavinfoundation.org) began working in 2001 to recruit bone marrow donors of mixed heritage and from other minority groups on behalf of a multiracial Seattle child who was diagnosed with leukemia. Since then, MAVIN has recruited more than 12,000 prospective donors, 26 percent of whom are of mixed-heritage backgrounds and 42 percent from ethnic minority groups.

The most recent addition to their efforts is the BMT (Blood or Marrow Transplant) Basics website at www.bmtbasics.org , which gathers information and resources for Washington families of color with children up to age 21 who need to undergo a blood or marrow transplant to treat life-threatening illnesses. The website, designed to address health inequalities related to lack of sufficient diversity in the transplant pool, provides information that “mixed-heritage families need to know about finding an unrelated donor for their child,” says Colleen Delaney, director of Cord Blood Program at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. For information, www.bmtbasics.org.   Carolyn J. WRIGHT

GUMBO

From the kitchen of Minty Jeffrey, ColorsNW co-founder
(An adaptation of the gumbo recipe by gospel legend Mahalia Jackson, as published in the Los Angeles Times’ California Cookbook)

INGREDIENTS (Makes 10-12 servings)
Oil
4 large blue crabs
4 lbs shrimp
1 lb cooked ham,
cut in 1” cubes
1 lb link sausage, sliced
1 lb salt pork, cut in ½" cubes
2 (1 lb, 12oz) cans whole tomatoes
4 bay leaves, crumbled
2 large onions, diced
2 large green bell peppers, diced

DIRECTIONS
CLEAN CRABS, discarding spongy substance in main shell, reserving meaty portions. Clean shrimp, reserving shells. Place shrimp shells in deep saucepan with water to cover generously and simmer 30 minutes or longer to make a broth.

POUR OIL INTO HEAVY SKILLET to a depth of 1/8”. Heat and add ham, sausage, and salt pork. Saute until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Pour meat mixture into large kettle and add 1 can of tomatoes and enough broth, drained from shrimp shells, to cover generously. Add crumbled bay leaves, cover and simmer for approximately 30 minutes.

HEAT 2 TABLESPOONS MORE OIL in same skillet and add onions, green bell peppers and garlic. Saute until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Add vegetable mixture and chicken parts to kettle (gumbo pot) and simmer 30 minutes longer.

IF DESIRED, HEAT 2 TABLESPOONS OIL in another heavy skillet, add okra and cook, stirring often, until it is lightly browned and loses its stickiness, about 30 minutes. Add shrimp to okra and saute 3-4 minutes longer, or until shrimp turns pink. Stir in 2 tablespoons sugar and parsley. Combine seafood and okra in gumbo pot, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve over hot rice in deep soup bowls.

A FEW NOTES ABOUT GUMBO:
- People from different regions of the Gulf Coast make gumbo differently; there is absolutely no “right” way to make gumbo, although any good pot of gumbo will beg the taster to differ.
- Some cooks use a roux (a thickening agent of flour and butter) for the gumbo base and some don’t. Typically, Creole gumbo involves the use of roux and traditional Cajun gumbo does not.
- All gumbo and jambalaya aficionados will say the key is the rice. It must be of very high quality and must be long grain (and lawd, please no instant!)

‘Bur Bur and Friends’
Reading inspires get-up-and-go in kids of color

Welcome to the world of Bur Bur. In this award-winning new children’s book series “Bur Bur & Friends,” young readers wander through a potpourri of adventurous outdoor activities with either Bur Bur and his family or Bur Bur’s multihued friends and their families. The books offer an earnest look at biracial families from a child’s point of view: In “Bur Bur’s Fishing Adventure,” young Bur Bur sets out on a fishing excursion with his daddy, who is Caucasian. Near the end of the tale, father and son deliver their hard-earned prize to Bur Bur’s African-American mom, and the sweet family delights in the day’s catch.

In early 2007, Farmer’s Hat Productions – a Minnesota-based publishing company – released the multicultural young-reader series with three books, all featuring Bur Bur: “Bur Bur’s Fishing Adventure,” “Bur Bur’s Boating ABC’s” and “Bur Bur Throws out the First Pitch.” Last November, another “friend,” Anna, and another book, “Anna Goes Hiking,” were added to the collection.

Farmer’s Hat Productions was born out of a need experienced by two mothers of young biracial boys. Former stockbroker-turned-stay-at-home mom JoAnne Pastel and friend Kakie Fitzsimmons were “unable to find books that encouraged children of all ethnicities to participate in an active lifestyle.”

Curly-haired Bur Bur is the result, and the books exude warmth and real personality. Modeled after Pastel’s son who is nicknamed “Bur Bur,” the series’ characters are reminiscent of the type of kids you’d find on the playground of many inner-city schools. In terms of race and ethnicity, Bur Bur’s friends represent the changing face of “diversity” in our communities. However, the traditional construction of Bur Bur’s parents (and Anna’s, too), models the “nuclear family” ideal, with one mommy and one daddy; thus, they are less representative of the many diverse forms of families children know today. Perhaps that topic will be explored in a future book, and with a future friend.

Pastel and Fitzsimmons are in the process of expanding their line to include other products such as toys, music and software, all featuring Bur Bur’s diverse friends who cheerfully promote self-esteem and healthy eating habits through recreation and outdoor exploration.

The hardcover, fully illustrated books retail for $14.95 each and can be purchased through the company website: www.burburandfriends.com.  Carolyn J. WRIGHT

News Briefs

Latino playwright receives fellowship at Evergreen State College
Rodrigo Duarte Clark, playwright, actor and artistic director of the El Teatro de la Esperanza theater group in San Francisco, has been selected as the Evans Chair Visitor at the Evergreen State College in Olympia for the spring quarter. The Evans Chair was established in 1991 to enrich academic programs at the college. It provides students opportunities to engage in studies with distinguished national scholars. Clark has produced more than 16 bilingual plays, and has served as an ambassador for Chicano theater in Latin America and Europe.

Beacon Hill Elementary to become international school
Seattle Public Schools will double the number of international schools in the district beginning in fall 2008, as Beacon Hill Elementary transitions to offer three language-immersion programs. The implementation, which includes a Spanish/English Dual Language Immersion, a Chinese Mandarin/English Partial Immersion and an English Language International Program, positions Beacon Hill as the second international elementary school in the district, along with John Stanford International School. Beacon Hill Elementary serves a diverse population, with nearly 380 students speaking more than 10 languages.

CAMP selects new executive director
The Central Area Motivation Program (CAMP), one of Seattle’s oldest nonprofit, social-service agencies serving African Americans and underrepresented populations, named W. Larry Williams to its executive directorship in December. Prior to joining CAMP, Williams worked with King County’s Career Support Services Program and was the CEO of The Seattle Medium Newspaper Group, the largest African-American-owned communications company in the Pacific Northwest. He is the founder of Anchor Advertising, Marketing & Public Relations, which targets African Americans and other minorities, and whose client base includes Sears, 7-Eleven stores, the Washington State Lottery and other small businesses.

New survey reports citizen support of juvenile justice reform
A poll commissioned by the Center for Children’s Law and Policy shows that Washingtonians strongly support juvenile-justice reforms that focus on the rehabilitation of youth offenders rather than incarceration. These findings run contrary to policies adopted in the 1990s, when state legislatures across the U.S. enacted statues to allow the prosecution and sentencing of youth in criminal courts. Eight out of 10 poll respondents supported reallocating state government funds from incarceration to skill-building programs that will enable youth to become productive citizens. According to the poll, a majority of respondents believed that the juvenile-justice system treats low-income youth, African-American youth and Hispanic youth unfairly. For more information about this research, go to www.macfound.org.

Evergreen’s Day of Absence/Day of Presence wins national award
What began as a unity dinner celebrated by the Evergreen State College’s African-American faculty in the 1970s has since grown into a community event for students and staff of color to gather off campus for an educational and community-building retreat. The event, titled Day of Absence, recently won the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators’ Innovative Program Award for 2007. Although many of Evergreen’s campus events and activities continually focus on issues of diversity, Day of Absence/Day of Presence asks the entire campus to think about racial diversity for two days a year. While students and staff of color convene off campus, white students and staff plan educational workshops to work on issues of multiculturalism from an ally perspective.  Meg KRUGEL

DIVERSITY MATTERS
by Nani JACKINS PARK

A FEW WEEKS AGO, I WAS TEACHING a graduate class on race and gender for pre-service counselors at a local university. During a particularly engaging discussion, one of the students, taken by the complexity of diversity dynamics, stopped suddenly and said, “This is all so new to me and there are so many issues to consider. How am I ever going to learn what I need to know?”

On the surface, it seems like a simple question – with a simple answer. How do people learn about things they need to know more about? They might read the current literature, discuss the issue with friends and colleagues, read books on the topic, look online for related information, and on and on. Simple, right?

The question is complicated by beliefs that can sometimes govern the asking of it: that knowledge about diversity is the sole province of people of color, that being among diverse populations automatically assures cultural competency, that the issue is too big and complex to ever address it effectively, among others.

The result is that these faulty notions stop a lot of people in their tracks, and the quest for increased knowledge and awareness ends before it has a chance to really begin. It’s essential that we press forward past these obstacles. We know that diversity dynamics impact everyone in our communities, that just being among people of color does not guarantee effective multicultural skills, and, while the issue is certainly complex, we can’t give up our quest to promote cultural competencies and equity within our communities.

Look for my short column in future issues of this magazine for tips and tools to increase your cultural competencies.

Nani Jackins Park is the executive director of ColorsNW Diversity Training & Consulting Services, and has over 20 years of experience promoting diversity and equity issues. To reach Nani, email nanijp@colorsnw.com.