By Claire McDaniel
Seattle Housing Authority
On Jan. 21, local and national celebrations of the life, teachings and deeds of Martin Luther King, Jr. took place. The spirit of this holiday, which proponents of MLK’s message worked hard to establish, is “A Day On, Not a Day Off.” Martin Luther King, Jr. frequently asked, “What are you doing for others?”
Seattle’s King County has been officially renamed for Dr. King, whose image is represented on its new logo. In the county that bears his name, there were many opportunities to volunteer on this day of service and put his principles to work on this holiday that celebrated his birth.
Community service projects throughout Seattle and King County included City Year’s Dress for Success, which helps low-income women get clothes they need for job interviews to promote self-confidence and independence; and helping a low-income preschool by disinfecting classroom toys, cleaning up and removing litter around the preschool, and organizing their storage space.
Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was one of the main leaders of the American Civil Rights movement.
A Baptist minister who became a
civil rights activist, he led the Montgomery
Bus Boycott and helped to found the Southern
Christian Leadership Conference.
His efforts led to the 1963 March on
Washington, where King delivered his“I Have a Dream” speech, raising public
consciousness of the civil rights movement
and establishing King as one of the greatest
orators in American history.
In 1964, King became the youngest
person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize
for his efforts to end segregation and racial
discrimination through civil disobedience
and other non-violent means.
King was assassinated on April 4, 1968,
in Memphis, Tennessee. He was posthumously
awarded the Presidential Medal
of Freedom by President Jimmy Carter
in 1977.
Martin Luther King Day was established
as a national holiday in the United States
in 1986.
In 2004, King was posthumously awarded
a Congressional Gold Medal.
On MLK Day, to celebrate the life of
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his vision
of justice for the world, Solid Ground’s
Poverty Action and other leading advocacy
organizations brought low income people
and their allies from across the state to
Olympia for a Summit and March to End
Poverty at St. John’s Episcopal Church.
At the Summit, presenters discussed
key public policy that addresses poverty in
Washington State and shared their stories.
Afterward, participants marched on the
Capitol to meet with lawmakers and urge
them to make ending poverty a priority.
Marcy Bowers, Outreach Coordinator
for Poverty Action, described the event as
a success.
“Leading community organizations all came together and chose five legislative
policy priorities toward ending poverty:
responsible lending, health care
for all, housing for everyone, the new
Americans initiative – immigration and
naturalization, and income supports for
low-income families,” Bowers said.“We’ve come together as a coalition
to come up with solutions to our problems,”
she added. “The MLK quote we
use in our promotion of the event every
year is ‘Poverty in the U.S. should not
be accepted as a necessary evil or an
insoluble problem.’”
According to the City of Seattle,
Seattle has one of the largest annual
Martin Luther King Day Celebrations
in the U.S.
Seattle residents honored the Rev.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., for his
work toward racial equality and toward
economic justice for all people, for his
commitment to nonviolence, and for
his stand against war and militarism.
Events included a rally and workshops
held at Franklin High School, followed
by a march that began at the school and
ended at MLK Memorial Park. This
year’s theme was “Let Freedom Ring:
End Racism, Poverty and War.”
Workshops covered such topics as
healthcare disparities, Black on Black
crime, predatory lending and veterans
of color.
“Every King Holiday has
been a national ‘teach-in’ on
the values of nonviolence,
including unconditional love,
tolerance, forgiveness and
reconciliation, which are so
desperately needed to unify
America.”
— Coretta Scott King, “The
Meaning of the Martin Luther
King, Jr. Holiday”
CHÚC MỪNG NĂM MỚI!
By Voice Staff
This month, registered voters in Washington state will have the opportunity to help select their party’s nominee for the office of the President of the United States.
Washington’s primary elections for the Democratic and Republican parties will be held Tuesday, Feb. 19. Caucuses for both parties will be held Saturday, Feb. 9.
This year, the Republican party will allocate 51 percent of its delegates from the results of the primary and 49 percent from caucus results.
The state Democratic party will allocate all of its delegates from caucus results.
Registered voters may vote in either the
Democratic or Republican primary.
Candidates on the Democratic party’s
ballot include Hilary Clinton and Barack
Obama.
To learn how to participate in the
Democratic party caucus, go to www.kcdems.org.
Candidates on the Republican party’s
ballot include Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Ron Paul and Mitt Romney.
To learn how to participate in the
Republican party caucus, go to www.kcgop.org.
The deadline to register to vote in King
County has passed. To find out where
your polling place is located, go to www.metrokc.gov/elections.
By Martha Galvez
Seattle Housing Authority
On Dec. 26, after months of political conflict, President Bush signed the $515 billion 2008 Consolidated Spending Act, which combined eleven separate appropriations bills into a single “omnibus” budget package.
The Transportation, Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill, which includes funding for the public housing and Section 8 voucher programs, was among the bills that were consolidated. The resulting HUD budget is set at $37.6 billion. This is $1.4 billion above 2007 and $2 billion above what the president recommended.
The omnibus bill was created after Congress spent months struggling to negotiate individual spending bills for various domestic program areas. Throughout the negotiations process, the White House repeatedly stated that President Bush would veto any bill that exceeded his own proposed budget. The President made good on that threat in November, when he successfully vetoed the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education spending bill.
By mid-December, as it became clear that Congress was running short on time and lacked the bi-partisan support needed to override additional presidential vetoes, legislators moved to combine individual bills into the single, larger package.
The omnibus package has mixed results for housing programs. Overall, fiscal year 2008 funding for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) emerged relatively unscathed when compared to the deep cuts originally proposed by President Bush.
Some program areas, such as the Section 8 tenant-based voucher program, saw modest increases in funding.
However, spending levels remain well below actual funding needs in several program areas. This is consistent with a 15-year downward trend in low-income housing funding.
The Section 8 tenant-based voucher program received enough funding to pay for all vouchers issued in fiscal year 2007, and for an additional 13,000 new vouchers targeted towards veterans, disabled adults and families with children at risk of entering the foster care system.
According to the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO), vouchers have not seen an increase since 2002.
The public housing capitol and operating
funds were also increased over 2007 levels,
but these programs still remain under-funded
compared to actual program costs.
According to estimates by HUD and
NAHRO, the public housing capitol fund
has a shortfall of approximately $1.1
billion, while the operating fund is approximately
$875 million short of actual
program costs.
Individual housing authorities will receive approximately 86 percent of total operating cost needs.
In spite of these longstanding shortfalls, the appropriations process spared housing programs deeper cuts proposed in the The public housing capitol and operating increase since 2002.
President’s budget. funds were also increased over 2007 levels, Washington Senator Patty Murray, who sits on the Appropriations Committe and is the chair of the subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, was a vocal advocate for protecting housing funding during the contentious budget process.Martha Galvez works part time for SHA as a housing policy analyst.
By Senior Services
In 1954, NBC broadcast the first coast-to-coast color television program: college football’s Tournament of Roses Parade. On February 18, 2009, the next advance in television is coming – digital TV.
Congress opted to move the country forward from the current broadcast standard, analog, to a new standard, digital.
Digital television provides a clearer picture, more programming and uses less airwaves.
Digital broadcasting will free up some of the nation’s airwaves for firefighters and police to better communicate during emergencies.
In Seattle, 20 percent of us get our television
reception for free, using “rabbit ears”
or other antennas. After the change to digital
in 2009, televisions that use an antenna
will not receive a signal unless they have a
digital converter box. Those who subscribe
to cable or satellite service will not see any
change in their TV reception.
Starting in 2009, all analog TVs (those
more than three years old) will need a converter
box to receive free TV. To assist with
the transition, the federal government created
the Digital-to-Analog Converter Box
Coupon Program. If you have a newer TV,
you will not need to get a converter. If you
are not sure about your TV, check with the
manufacturer to see if it is digital.
To continue getting reception from an
analog television, you can:
• Get a digital converter box
• Subscribe to cable or satellite TV
• Get a new TV with a digital tuner
Remember, you do not have to buy cable
service or a new TV; getting the converter box will work just fine.
A maximum of two $40 coupons per
household will be available to help offset
the cost of a converter, which is expected
to cost between $50 and $70 and should be
in stores beginning this month.
To get your converter box coupon(s),
between January 2008 and March 31, 2009,
you can:
• Call: 1-888-388-2009 (1-888-
DTV-2009)
• Go Online: www.dtv2009.gov
• Write: DTV Coupons,
P.O. Box 2000, Portland, OR
97208
Note: once you have the coupon(s), you
must use the coupon within 90 days! If you
do not, it will expire and you will have to
pay full price for the converter.
If you have any questions, call 206-
386-1989 or visit online Web sites at
ww.dtv2009.gov or www.seattle.gov/digitaltv.
Republished with permission from
Senior Services’ January 2008 issue of
Passport. For more information on Senior
Services, go to www.seniorservices.org.
A column devoted to your well-being
The King County Board of Health
endorsed a strategy to reduce new HIV
infections in King County by 25 percent
by 2015. There are approximately 370 new
HIV infections in King County each year,
and the Board resolved to support a strategy
that places the greatest emphasis on people
at highest risk for HIV infection.
The goal
is to reduce new infections to 280 cases per
year within seven years.
“HIV continues to infect hundreds of
people in King County every year, causing
human suffering and premature death,” said
Julia Patterson, King County Councilmember
and Board of Health Chair. “The Board
of Health is committed to reducing the
spread of HIV/AIDS, and with our action
today, I feel confident that fewer individuals
will have to endure the pain and distress
that HIV and AIDS causes.”
The HIV/AIDS Committee’s recommendations
and the strategic plan focus on
two main goals:
• Identify new HIV cases communitywide
and decrease risky behaviors. As
many as 15-25 percent of people infected
with HIV in King County do not know
they are infected. Research shows that
when people know they are HIV positive,
they tend to reduce risky behaviors, which
helps to prevent the spread of the disease
to others, as well as initiate life-saving
treatment.
• Reduce HIV transmission across the
county by promoting safer sex and drug
use behaviors in highest risk communities,
as well as early treatment for infected
people, which may reduce infectiousness
and prolong their lives.
“People in our community at highest
risk for contracting HIV include men who
have sex with men, injection drug users,
and foreign-born blacks,” said Dr. David
Fleming, Director and Health Officer for
Public Health - Seattle and King County. “The recommendations made and strategic
plan approved by the Board today focus on
these higher risk groups in order to be more
effective in curbing the epidemic across the community.”
The strategic plan was developed with
the support of the Board of Health HIV/
AIDS Committee, which includes Dr.
George Counts, and Seattle City Council
members Tom Rasmussen and Sally
Clark. As part of the committee’s work,
a wide range of community stakeholders
were interviewed, as was Public Health’s
HIV/AIDS Program staff. As a result of
their work, the committee developed recommendations
for HIV prevention, which
were incorporated into the plan.
“The Board of Health is taking a stand
to combat HIV infections, and through
this new plan our efforts are renewed and
strengthened,” said Dr. Counts, Chair of
the HIV/AIDS Committee. “Reducing new
HIV infections by 25 percent by 2015 will
be challenging, but it’s essential work to
bring this epidemic under control.”
“The continuing rate of HIV transmission
is not acceptable,” said Seattle City
Councilmember Tom Rasmussen. “We
have the knowledge to prevent the spread of
HIV and we need to challenge ourselves and
set goals to find better ways to reduce new
infections.
Today, the Board of Health has
made a commitment to prevent new cases
of what is still a devastating disease.”
“With the advent of new treatment options,
more people are living with HIV,”
said Seattle Councilmember Sally Clark. “But with hope has also come complacency
and a return to riskier behavior. The
strategy endorsed by the Board today will
reinvigorate HIV prevention work community-
wide, and remind people that HIV and
AIDS continue to be a health crisis.”
As of June 2007, 6,188 King County
residents were reported living with HIV or
AIDS. This figure does not include undiagnosed
or unreported infections.
Eighty-six percent of reported cases in
King County are men who have sex with
men, intravenous drug users, or foreign-born
blacks.
For more information on HIV and AIDS,
visit www.metrokc.gov/health/apu.
By SHA Staff
“If you are being abused, you are not
alone. You can get help. No one deserves
to be threatened, assaulted or stalked. You
have the right to be safe.” So reads the
main page of www.protectionorder.com,
the Web page for a Seattle organization
that provides information about obtaining
protective orders against abusers.
Women between 18 and 59 years of
age are the main victims of domestic
violence, which affects all racial, ethnic
and income groups in our community.
Victims seeking services at City of Seattle-
funded agencies tend to have very
low or low incomes.
For victims and their children who live
in poverty, leaving an abusive relationship
can be very challenging if the victim is
economically dependent on her batterer.
The American Bar Association provides
the following definition of domestic
violence:
“Domestic violence is a pattern of behavior
that one intimate partner or spouse
exerts over another as a means of control.
Domestic violence may include physical
violence, coercion, threats, intimidation,
isolation and emotional, sexual or economic
abuse.”
Perpetrators often use children to manipulate
their victims. They might harm
or abduct the children, threaten to harm
or abduct the children, force the children
to participate in abuse of the victim.
They often use visitation as an occasion
to harass or monitor victims, or
pursue child custody battles as a way of
punishing their victims.
The American Bar Association points
out that domestic violence is not defined
solely by specific physical acts, but by a
combination of psychological, social and
family factors.
In some families, perpetrators of
domestic violence may routinely beat
their spouses until they require medical
attention.
In other families, where physical violence
has occurred in the past, perpetrators
may exert power and control over
their partners simply by looking at them
in a certain way or reminding them of
prior episodes.
According to the American Bar Association,
the batterer typically has
deep personal knowledge of the victim’s
lifestyle, needs and vulnerabilities. The
batterer may have unlimited access to
the victim and to the victim’s children,
friends and family members.
The victim is often terrified of the
batterer. The consequences of disclosing
the violence may include further violence by the batterer as “punishment,” loss of
custody of her children, further isolation
from friends and family members,
and loss of her home.
This terror on the
victim’s part strengthens the batterer’s
ability to control and to abuse her.
Although every situation is different,
the Bar Association points out that
“Domestic violence victims trying to
protect themselves and their children
may need housing, clothing, food, medical
assistance, police response, employer
assistance, civil legal assistance and
protection, criminal justice system action,
counseling, translation services,
monetary assistance, transportation, hospitalization,
shelter protection, and more.
They need help from family, friends, and
community.”
According to a counselor named Sarah
at New Beginnings, a Seattle organization
that works to support victims of domestic
violence, “A victim of domestic violence
is in the most danger when they try to
create change or seek intervention.”
A victim of domestic violence should
call 9-1-1 immediately if the perpetrator
is inflicting or threatening violence in
any form, including physical abuse and
damage to property.
Calling 9-1-1 in Seattle summons Seattle
police officers, who are trained in
dealing with domestic violence situations
and who in turn can call upon other city
and county resources to track down and
punish batterers.
New Beginnings is an excellent resource
if a victim of domestic violence
wants help in getting out of an abusive
situation, needs emergency shelter, or
wants help finding legal assistance. This
organization’s 24-hour crisis telephone
number is 206-522-9472.
New Beginnings can help a victim
prepare a safety plan, learn about protection
orders, connect with community
programs, and suggest resources such
as therapy or emotional support to help
everyone heal. New Beginnings can help
people who speak little or no English.
An excellent online list of community
resources available to victims of domestic
violence in Seattle is at www.seattle.gov/
humanservices/domesticviolence/survivors/
gethelp.htm.
(If an abuser has access to the victim’s
computer, it might be best for the victim
to use a computer at a library, or a friend’s
computer, to visit this site and similar sites
so that no trail is left.)
Finally, a good source for information
about protection orders — orders issued
by a judge forbidding an abuser from
going near or troubling a victim — is at
www.protectionorder.org.
Washington’s minimum wage increased
14 cents to $8.07 an hour beginning
Jan. 1.
Washington’s minimum wage applies
to workers in both agriculture and nonagricultural
jobs, although 14- and 15-
year-olds may be paid 85 percent of the
adult minimum wage, or $6.86 an hour.
The Department of Labor and Industries
recalculates the state’s minimum
wage each year in September as required
by Initiative 688, which Washington state
voters approved in 1998.
As a result, Washington’s minimum
wage has increased every year since1999. The state’s minimum wage was
$7.93 in 2007.
The law requires the state to adjust
the minimum wage according to the
change in the federal “CPI-W,” which
is a national index covering the cost of
goods and services needed for day-today
living.
That index rose 1.8 percent during the
12 months ending Aug. 31, 2007.
Free minimum wage and worker rights
posters are available from any L&I office
or by calling 1‑866-219-7321 or downloading
from the L&I web site at www.
Wages.Lni.wa.gov.
By Voice Staff
Garden tips for community gardeners
By Anza Muenchow
Special to The Voice
This is a good time to get out your previous
garden maps, some fresh paper and a
pencil to plan for your 2008 food garden.
Some of you do this on a computer, but I
go for the old fashioned way. My maps are
weather-worn from carrying them around
the garden and accidentally getting water
on them. But my file of maps goes back
years. I can’t rely on my memory for which
crops I grew where in previous seasons.
What factors should you keep in mind as
you sketch out your future garden? First of
all, what were your favorite foods that you
and your family ate from your garden last
year, and how much of them do you want
this year? How can you best use your limited
space for growing? Which crops will
have different light, water and soil needs?
Some soil drains more quickly than
other soil and requires more watering.
The sun has a different path in April than
it does in July.
All of these factors can be overwhelming.
Let me recommend ideas that will
make your garden planning easier.
Peas are usually the first crop to plant
outdoors in the spring. It is important that
you plant them in a different area each
year, so you will have to move that trellis
structure.
Pea pests, especially the weevil, are too
difficult to control, except by moving the
crop to a whole different site.
Legumes (including peas and beans) are
a family of plants that actually put more
nitrogen into the soil than they use. They
have colonies of bacteria that live on their
roots that take nitrogen out of the air and
excrete it into the soil, in a very useable
form.
Not only is it unnecessary to add nitrogen
rich fertilizers for them to grow well,
they will improve your soil for the crops
you grow after them.
After your pea harvest in July, the soil
will have been improved by nitrogen-fixing
bacteria.
You can use the same trellis structure
for your summer crop of lemon cucumbers,
baby boo pumpkins or tromboncino summer squash.
Crop rotation makes the organic gardener’s
job much easier. Moving your crops to
different parts of your garden will slow or
eliminate many of your pest problems.
Many pests target particular food crops,
but leave others alone. Pea weevils won’t
bother broccoli. Club root (the fungus
that attacks brassicas like broccoli) won’t
bother lettuce or carrots.
Besides confusing plant pests, crop
rotations can help provide the right soil
nutrients to your plants without adding a
lot of fertilizers. Some basic crop rotation
concepts will help you plan your garden
map for the 2008 growing season.
Follow peas with cucumbers, or follow
a bean crop with broccoli or spinach (requiring
more nitrogen) the next growing
season.
Salad greens (lettuce, arugula, green
onions, etc.) will benefit from having that
extra nitrogen from a previous legume
crop.
Remember that fruiting crops, such as
tomatoes, peppers and squashes, don’t need
as much nitrogen.
If you add nitrogen-rich fertilizers such
as blood meal or cottonseed meal, you will
have problems growing tomatoes, because
they get too much leaf growth and not
enough fruits.
The excess nitrogen in the leaves can
cause severe problems with leaf spot and
blight as well. Grow these fruiting vegetables
after a crop of brassicas or leafy
greens, because the soil will have less
nitrogen in it.
Consider your onion crop as a “greens”
crop, since they also require extra nitrogen.
Root crops, such as carrots and beets, have
less nitrogen requirements, so you can plant
these after a leafy green or fruiting crop.
For a simple crop rotation, plant legumes,
then greens, then fruiting crops,
then root crops, and back to legumes. Keep
in mind the light requirements and water
needs and this rotation will help increase
your garden performance without as many
added fertilizers.
Enjoy the lengthening days and we’ll get
serious about getting the garden planted
next month.
By Julie Gabelein
Special to The Voice
In Angelica Gonzalez’s childhood there were no Barbie dolls, trips to the zoo or carefree soccer games in the park.
Instead, the streets of Phoenix where she grew up homeless with her mother were populated with pimps, prostitutes, and members of California gangs. They slept in the back of her mother’s decrepit car and washed their clothes in 7-Eleven restrooms. Gonzalez went to school with clothes smelling of mold. She scavenged food from other kids for lunch. She bounced around from school to school as her mother attempted to evade Child Protective Services.
By the time she was 11, it was normal for girls on the street to be living with their boyfriends, drinking, and doing hard drugs.
“I felt like the lowest person in the world back then,” Gonzalez says, her hazel eyes drifting outside the rain beaded window. Society’s expectations for a girl raised on the streets are low; she had every reason to fail.
Yet here is the 21-year-old Gonzalez on a Saturday morning, dressed in a tidy black cardigan and a pearl necklace, sipping coffee in Starbucks. She has long since traded Phoenix for Auburn, and the streets for an apartment of her own.
Her two-year-old daughter, Jasmine, sits next to her, a big smile plastered on her chubby face. Jasmine’s dark cuffed jeans, warm jacket with fuzzy white trim and new white shoes are a far cry from the moldy outfits of her mother’s childhood.
The conversation drifts to Gonzalez’s plans to break the cycle of poverty. She isn’t just referring to herself either — she wants to effect change locally, nationally and globally. Don’t even try to tell her she can’t do this; she won’t listen.
Trading the streets for the suburbs
It was a different story ten years ago. Gonzalez ran away from her mother and the streets of Phoenix to live with her father in Washington. She arrived to a school system in Auburn where kids had parents who cheered for them at their baseball games, packed their lunches, and often bought them new clothes.
“When I started school here, none of the other kids drank or did drugs,” Gonzalez says as she watches Jasmine giggle and roll around on the floor. “They were all afraid of me because I came from this other world.”
Gonzalez struggled with the school work because her early education was sporadic at best. As a seventh grader, she didn’t know how to divide, let alone spell or write essays. No one cared, so she slipped further and further behind.
Life at home wasn’t easy, either. Although Gonzalez’s father was not street poor, the emotional damage the street life had inflicted followed her to Auburn.
She fought with her father on a regular basis and felt depressed most days. At one point, she seriously toyed with the idea of killing herself.
“I started giving into my life and accepting that I would never be like those other kids whose parents cared, who would come to their games and helped them with their homework,” Gonzalez says
By 17, Gonzalez had a criminal record and was pregnant. She dropped out of school and moved in with Jasmine’s father. As her stomach grew, Gonzalez realized she didn’t want her daughter born into this cycle of poverty.
“What mothers achieve will be what affects their kids; I knew I had to change my life for my daughter,” Gonzalez says. “I’m going to change her life because I got an education and, in turn, that will change the lives of my grandchildren and my great-grandchildren.”
Her first step was to graduate from high school. She enrolled at West-Auburn High School, a local alternative school.
Colleen Rayburn, a teacher there, took interest in Gonzalez. Rayburn would call if Gonzalez didn’t show up for school and worked with her to improve her writing skills.
“I didn’t learn how to write well until I met Colleen. She made my papers bleed. She was firm; you can’t escape from her in a good way,” Gonzalez says with a laugh.
A helping hand
Rayburn is also the person who suggested Neighborhood House. She put Gonzalez in touch with Jenifer Chao, an Employment Project Manager at Neighborhood House who worked with drop-out youth.
“Neighborhood House played a big role in turning around my life. I felt I could call Jen anytime when I was in need of help, and she would get right back to me,” Gonzalez says, adding softly that “it’s really easy to backslide. There are so many things that can happen to you in that culture without family support.”
Neighborhood House provided her with clothing for job interviews, bus vouchers and other resources that made it possible for Gonzalez to graduate from high school while also feeding and clothing herself and her infant child.
Gonzalez actually started to think about the future instead of just living day-to-day. Through Neighborhood House, she secured an internship as an administrative assistant at a salon and enrolled in the Digital Bridge Academy, a technology oriented program for low-income and at-risk youth.
After four months learning technical and computer skills, she accepted a paying internship with REI as a contractor. Gonzalez began to realize her own self worth and potential in the midst of the corporate culture at REI.
She also began to connect the dots between education and opportunity.
It became clear to her that she needed more education to ensure a stable, comfortable life for her and Jasmine.
Neighborhood House awarded her the Heart of Oak Scholarship, based in part on her performance at the Digital Bridge Academy.
The award pays for her Green River Community College tuition and books so that her financial aid can cover the living expenses.
Her conversations with REI CEO Sally Jewell during her internship convinced Gonzalez that she wants to become a corporate executive after graduating from the University of Washington, where she plans to enroll after Green River.
Her recipe for success includes a heavy course-load. She has enrolled in 20 credits this quarter, including 15 business credits. Gonzalez maintains a 3.9 GPA by studying long days, only taking breaks to eat and play with Jasmine.
“People sometimes say I am neglecting my daughter because I am going to school,” Gonzalez says. “My response is the time sacrificed now is so little compared to the rest of her life. By the time she is five, I will have my bachelor’s degree and a high-pay
ing job to support her.” As much as she enjoys school, it has been a rough ride. Besides having little time to spend with Jasmine, she has had many naysayers who don’t think she can rise above the poverty line.
“When people don’t believe in me, I just keep doing what I am doing until they begin to admire the effort and hopefully change their own lives,” Gonzalez says.
A desire to lead
Gonzalez’s 26 year-old sister has been inspired to finally earn her high school diploma. A talk Gonzalez gave to a Digital Bridge Classroom motivated another young mother to earn an internship.
However, she has begun to realize that she isn’t satisfied by just talking to others. She wants her own programs that can change the lives of other young mothers, low-income students, and Hispanics.
In June 2007, she created Angelica’s Community Impact Project. Remembering the hand-written assignments she was marked down on in high school because she didn’t have a computer, Gonzalez directs computers donated by REI to students who don’t have a computer in their household.
To Gonzalez, homelessness is still her problem. While she doesn’t sleep on the streets anymore, she knows too many people in America still do — 3.5 million to be exact, according to the 2007 report by the American Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty.
She doesn’t feel that enough is being done to alleviate this problem. Gonzalez has plans to prevent other children and young women from living on the streets and missing out on an education.
Her next order of business is to create a housing program in Auburn for low-income mothers. She also harbors aspirations to run for a political office.
These are things that never crossed her mind as she was trying to survive as a homeless child and pregnant teenager — now she wants other young mothers and low-income students to have the opportunity to dream of the future, instead of fearing it.
“I know that education is not a free ticket, but it gives you the skills to do what you want to do,” Gonzalez says as she grasps Jasmine’s hand and heads towards the door. “I now have the playing cards to get in on the game.”
The Heart of Oak Scholarship Fund
Established in 1999, the $2,500 Heart of Oak Scholarship is offered each year to help a successful candidate pay for tuition and other college expenses.
The scholarship was created to be the principle means for the student to pay for college. Therefore, potential recipients should not be receiving other scholarships of an equal or greater amount.
The successful applicant should be:
• A resident of public housing or any community served by Neighborhood House
• A high school graduate or GED recipient who plans to pursue an advanced education
• Able to demonstrate financial need and that he or she has overcome personal obstacles or hardships
• Able to demonstrate a likelihood of success at higher education
If the recipient earns a grade point average of 3.0 or higher, or is in the top 30 percent of the student's class, the student will receive the scholarship for a second year (maximum of two years) upon application. The application deadline is Friday, April 11. For more information or to download an application, go to www. nhwa.org/gethelp/scholarship-heartof-oak.php.
Editor’s note: Last month, The Voice published an article entitled “Helping Link connects Vietnamese students, their parents and the schools.” A version of that article translated into Vietnamese follows below:
Bài viết Bởi nhân viên của Sha
Trong năm 2005, Nha Học Chánh Seattle đưa ra chương trình trên mạng, được gọi là The Source, để giúp các phụ huynh giúp cho con em của họ được thành công nơi trường học. Dùng máy vi tính để truy cập vào các thông tin về lớp học của con em, các bài làm, và tài liệu học vấn, các phụ huynh có thể trao đổi cách dễ dàng với các thầy cô và hơn nữa làm tăng thêm sự liên quan của họ vào đời sống học hành của con em.
Các phụ huynh có thể thấy được điểm bài làm của con em mình cũng như các kế họach học vấn cá nhân, và học biết về những điều như những nguồn tài liệu giúp con em làm bài, và nhận ra các tài liệu học hỏi thêm.
Phụ huynh của các em học sinh từ lớp 7 trở lên có thể kiểm tra xem con em mình có đến trường hay không.
Lúc đầu, chương trình chỉ phục vụ cho gia đình nói được tiếng Anh mà thôi.
Hiện nay, trong kế họach thực hiện thử, thì một cơ quan bất-vụ-lợi gọi là “Một Dấu Nối” đang giúp cho các gia đình Việt Nam tham gia vào chương trình.
Chương trình được tài trợ bởi thành phố Seattle trong ngân sách Technology Matching Fund và cơ quan United Way.
Nhắm vào các phụ huynh Việt nam di dân và tị nạn có con em đang đi học trong khu học chánh Seattle, cơ quan Một Dấu Nối – The Source cung cấp các lớp hướng dẫn với 10 giờ đồng hồ huấn luyện cho việc xử dụng máy vi tính. Chương trình The Source cung cấp các tài liệu học vấn.
Cơ quan Một Dấu Nối thâu nhận không quá 10 học viên cho một khóa học trong kế họach thử nghiệm này.
Thêm vào lớp hướng dẫn và 10 giờ đồng hồ huấn luyện xử dụng máy vi tính, các phụ huynh có thể tham gia các lớp học Anh Văn.
Cũng thế, tài liệu học vấn được cung cấp từ trên trang mạng trong chương trình The Source. Một số bài hướng dẫn còn có 1 kèm
1. có nghĩa là một hướng dẫn viên hay một thày cô kèm dạy cho 1 phụ huynh.
Cô Minh Đức Nguyễn, nguời sáng lập chương trình và hiện nay là người đứng đầu của tổ chức Một Dấu Nối, và chính cô cũng là người tị nạn.
Cô đề ra các mục tiêu cho chưong trình thử nghiệm The Source “sự tự tin với năng khiếu của chính mình” đối với thành phần phụ huynh và “thu hẹp lại sự cách biệt về khoa học kỷ thuật giữa các phụ huynh di dân và con em của họ, từng bước một.
Các lớp học trong The Source được mở ra vào các buổi tối ngày Thứ Ba và Thứ Năm trong mùa học từ 6 giờ đến 8 giờ tối ở văn phòng Một Dấu Nối ở số 1032 S.Jackson St, phòng C.
Khóa dạy máy vi tính thì dùng tài liệu song ngữ để các học sinh có thể học các thảo chương căn bản bằng cả hai tiếng Anh và tiếng Việt.
Một Dấu Nối cung cấp một số lớp học khác – lớp đàm thọai Anh Văn, lớp luyện thi nhập tịch, vi tính và mạng lưới internet, tiếng Việt , dạy kèm sau giờ học. Trong mùa hè, còn có lớp học dạy cắm hoa.
Để biết thêm thông tin về chưong trình The Source của Môt Dấu Nối về các lớp học hoặc các chương trình khác, xin vui lòng gọi đến 206-781-4246 họặc gởi điện thư helpinglink2003@gmail.com
By Voice Staff
In 2006, The Voice adopted a $25
stipend system to compensate freelance
reporters for writing articles.
Reporters who collaborate with the
Voice editor in writing a news article
for publication in the newspaper will be
eligible to receive a stipend.
The Voice editor maintains a pool of
freelance writers to assign stories, and
also receives outside submissions. So
which ones receive compensation? Below
is a series of guidelines for receiving
a stipend from The Voice:
1. Propose the story – Before a reporter
gets to work on an article, he or she must
pitch the idea to the editor. Think of this
as an opportunity to flesh out your goals
for the story. What is newsworthy about
the item? Who will find this information
useful? Who should you interview
for the story? What type of background
information will be required? It’s also the
time to discuss receiving a stipend.
2. Talk to sources – As a general rule,
any piece of journalism should include
comments from at least two sources.
The editor can help you decide who you
should contact. Take notes during the
interview and try to include at least one
direct quote from each source.
3. Do the research – Many articles
tackle issues and topics that may be unfamiliar
to readers. As necessary, provide
background information to put the story
in its proper context.
4. Be objective –It’s important to check
our own opinions at the door when we’re
reporting. The editor can advise you on
objectivity in your writing. Because letters
to the editor and op-ed pieces are not
held to the same standards, they do not
receive stipends.
5. Be independent – This ties into objectivity.
Journalists are independent of
the issues they cover. The Voice receives
many article submissions each month
from people who are writing as representatives
of a specific group or agency.
We are happy to publicize groups and
events. However, these types of stories
do not receive stipends.
If you’re still not sure if your article
is eligible to receive a stipend, ask the
editor. Voice editor Tyler Roush can be
reached at 206-461-8430, ext. 227 or
tylerr@nhwa.org.
Good and bad news in unemployment stats
By Employment Security Department
The unemployment rate in Washington
inched up in December, but the annual
average of 4.7 percent is the lowest
in the state’s history.
Washington’s seasonally adjusted
unemployment rate rose slightly to 4.8
percent in December from November’s
4.7 percent rate, according to the state
Employment Security Department.
At the same time, Washington’s seasonally
adjusted non-farm employment
increased by 7,100.
For all of 2007, the unemployment rate
averaged 4.7 percent, putting 2007 in the
history books as the lowest annual jobless
rate for the state since these data began
being compiled in 1976.
“Washington’s record year of low
unemployment, even when a lot of the
nation is seeing set-backs, shows that
we’re making good decisions and doing
right by businesses in this state,” said Gov. Chris Gregoire. “It is heartening
to go into a new year with such a
strong economy.”
Professional and business services
surged in December, posting a 3,100 job
gain, their largest monthly increase since
December 2000.
Other industries with the largest job
growth in December were leisure and
hospitality, with 1,600 new jobs, transportation,
warehousing and utilities, up
1,300, and manufacturing, with 1,000
new jobs. The weakest major industry
sectors were retail trade, down 1,700, and
financial activities, down 600.
Since December 2006, 77,200
net new jobs have been created in
Washington. Overall, non-agricultural
jobs grew by 2.7 percent, which compared
to a national rate increase of 1
percent.
To view the full report, go to www.workforceexplorer.com and select “Current
Employment Situation Report.”
CLASSIFIEDS
THE MARKETPLACE OF THE VOICE
RECRUITMENT & TRAINING MISCELLANEOUS
Medium Cherry Video DVD Cabinet from Fingerhut. Never assembled. Everything you need is included. $50. Call Callie at 206-246-2515
Couch Love Seat and Sofa, Green with Burgendy Brown. $400 for both. Four Piece Italian Living Room Cabnitry set with Glass and Burgendy Wood. $700. Call 253-887-9320
Free Esperanto Language Lessons. Esperanto is four times easier than English. Speak with your neighbors from around the world. For information 206-600-1178 or seattleesperanto.org.
Social Security Disability,
SSI, Veterans’ claims
Fight for the financial & medical benefits you deserve
• Home visits
• No fee unless we win
• Referrals welcome
TRANSLATIONS
Translated Articles from The Voice
New minimum wage took effect Jan. 1
Washington qiimaha ugu yar oo lagu shaqeeyo waa la kordhiyey 14 cents waxayna noqotay $8.07 saacaddiiba laga bilaabo Jan. 1, 2008. Washington qiimaha yar oo lagu shaqeeyo beeralayda iyo kuwa aan ahaynba laga bilaabo 14 jir ilaa 15 jir waxaa la siinaya 85 boqolkiiba dadka waawyn waxay noqonaysaa lacagta ugu yar oo la siinayo $6.86 saacaddiiba . Qaybta Shaqada iyo Shaqaalaha ee Dawladda qaybta ugu yar oo lagu shaqeeyo ee Setember taas oo looga baahan yahay Initiative 688, Dawladda Washington dadka codka dhiibta oggolaaday 1998. Sida go’aanka Dawladda Washington qiimaha ugu yar oo lagu shaqeeyo waxaa la kordhiyey 1999. Dawladda qiimaha ugu yar oo lagi sheaqeeyo wuxuu ahaaThe $7.93 - 2007.
Initiativeka waxaa la rabaa in laysku dheelitiro qiimaha ugu yar oo lagu shaqeeyo federal “CPI-W,” taas oo ah waddanka qiimihiisa alaabada oo u baahan maalinba maalin oo nolosha taas oo ku eg dhamaadka Aug. 31, 2007. Lacag la’aan qiimaha ugu yar oo lagu shaqeeyo waxaad la xirriri kartaa adigoo wacaya 1-866-219-7321 ama adigoo downloading ku sameynaya L&I web siteka Wages.Lni.
wa.gov.
MỨC LƯƠNG TỐI THIỂU CÓ HIỆU LỰC BẮT ĐẦU TỪ NGÀY 1 THÁNG 1
Kể từ ngày 1 tháng Một , mức lương tối thiểu ở tiểu bang Washington tăng lên 14 xu, ở mức $8.07 một giờ. Mức lưong tối thiểu ở tiểu bang Washington được áp dụng cho công nhân cả hai ngành, ngành nông nghiệp và ngành có công việc không liên quan đến nông nghiệp, dù vậy thì lương của các em 14 hay 15 tuổi thì mức lương thấp hơn 5% phần trăm so với đồng lương của người lớn, hoặc là chỉ $6.86 một giờ. Bộ Lao Động và Công Nghiệp qui định mức lương mới cho mỗi năm vào tháng Chín, do Điều Luật 688 đòi buộc, điêu luật này đã được thông qua hồi năm 1988 bởi các cử tri. Do từ kết quả đó mà mức lương tối thiểu ở Washington đã tăng lên mỗi năm kể từ năm 1999. Mức lương tối thiểu của tiểu bang trong năm 2007 là $7.93. Dự Luật đòi buộc tiểu bang phải điều chỉnh mức lương tối thiểu dựa vào điều lệ của chính phủ liên bang gọi là “CPI-W-đó là chỉ số trên tòan quốc về giá cả hàng hóa và dịch vụ tiêu dùng hằng ngày. Chỉ số đó trong năm 2007 đã tăng lên 1.8 phần trăm trong 12 tháng tính đến 31 Tháng Tám 2007. Có sẵn các tờ bích chương được cung cấp miễn phí nói về mức lương tối thiểu và nói về quyền hạn của công nhân từ các văn phòng Bộ Lao Động và Công Nghiệp, hoặc có thể gọi cho 1-866-219-7321, hoặc có thể tải xuống từ trang mạng Wages. Lni.wa.gov.