Green Activist Van Jones: ‘We’re Just Getting Started’

Sat, 14 Feb 2009 03:13:12 -0800

By J.M. BROWN - Sentinel staff writer
Posted: 02/13/2009 01:30:18 AM PST

SANTA CRUZ -- Green jobs activist Van Jones said now is the time for social justice activists inspired by Martin Luther King Jr. to build on President Barack Obama's historic win to turn around a failing economy by employing sustainable practices.

"The line we just crossed that you thought was the finish line was the starting line, sisters and brothers," Jones said to boisterous applause at Thursday's 25th annual MLK Jr. Convocation hosted by UC Santa Cruz. "Now we get to have a movement. We're just getting started."

Author of "The Green Collar Economy," Jones is the founder and president of Green for All, an organization that promotes green-collar job opportunities for the unemployed and disadvantaged. In 2007, Jones helped his hometown of Oakland pass a measure to prepare city residents for environmentally sustainable jobs and worked with federal lawmakers on the Green Jobs Act that set aside $125 million for national training.

The convocation fell on an auspicious day along the time line of civil rights. Thursday marked the centennial anniversary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the 200th birthday of President Abraham Lincoln.

At the event, Watsonville City Councilman Luis Alejo, a Harvard-educated lawyer who has represented the interests of poor clients in South County, received the inaugural Tony Hill Community Service Award honoring the late community activist. Upon giving Alejo the award, Hill's widow, Melanie Stern-Hill, described Alejo as "a compassionate, intelligent and hard worker committed to issues of social and economic justice."

Alejo said he was honored to accept an award named after Hill, a mentor who crossed racial boundaries as a black man to work with Latino activists. Alejo thanked King and other civil rights pioneers as the inspiration for his dedication to public service.

"Let's keep doing what is just for our community," he said. "Let's keep fighting for what's right. Muchas gracias and si se puede."

Community debates Proposition 8 as margins tighten

Sat, 1 Nov 2008 17:35:47 -0700

Donna Jones and J.M. Brown - Sentinel Staff Writers
Article Launched: 11/01/2008 01:30:56 AM PDT

Since June, Lorin Rogers Devine's been meeting with a group of like-minded people to pray for passage of Proposition 8, and the Westside Santa Cruz resident is beginning to think their prayers have been answered.
Though the a ban on same-sex marriage is still trailing, the margin has tightened significantly. According to the latest Field Poll, released Friday, backers have trimmed a 17-point lead by opponents to just 5 percent, with 7 percent of voters undecided. The survey, conducted a week before Tuesday's election, found 49 percent planning to vote against Proposition 8 compared to 44 percent who said they'd vote to amend the state constitution to limit marriage to heterosexual couples.
That's given Devine and other local supporters hope that the ban will prevail come Tuesday, even if, as they predict, it fails in liberal Santa Cruz County.
"It may sound ludicrous, but I think a lot of people have been praying for it," said Devine, explaining why the she thinks the momentum is shifting. "A lot of people are really weighing how this will change society."
But Glen Schaller, manager of the Santa Cruz County No on 8 Campaign, said he is not discouraged by the polls because he hasn't seen a single one showing the number of voters supporting the ban reach 50 percent. He takes that as a clear sign that the measure will have a hard time gaining enough ground to capture a majority.
After talking to local "No on 8" phone bankers who share personal stories about why defeating the measure is important to them, Schaller said undecided voters in Santa Cruz County have said 3-1 that they would vote "no." He said callers have received pledges from 2,000 undecided voters saying they would vote "no," and Democratic Party callers who ask voters to support Obama follow up by encouraging voters to choose "no" on Prop. 8.
"When phoners, whether they are gay, lesbian or allies, talk from their hearts about what it means to get married or to have a family member get married -- when voters are asked to take away an existing right away from any group -- many of them decide that's not what they want to do," Schaller said.

Like other supporters, Devine's opposition to same-sex marriage is rooted in a faith that says God's plan calls for marriage to unite a man and a woman and a belief that children are best served in families with parents of opposite genders. They worry one of the foundations of society will be lost with little understanding of the consequences.

"I don't care what homosexuals or lesbians do. That's their business," said Bill Garaway of Aptos. "This is defining one of the very basic institutions of society, redefining what a union between a man and a woman is, what makes a family. It's a foundational issue."

One of the biggest local financial contributions in support of Proposition 8 came from Santa Cruz residents Charles and Gloria Pope.

The Seagate executive and his wife gave $50,000 last month to a group in support of the measure.

"I have no doubt that I'm part of the minority in Santa Cruz County, but that doesn't bother me a lot," Charles Pope said.

Pope, a Mormon, says his religious convictions weigh in on his position on Proposition 8, as does his feeling that California voters, by approving the 2000 proposition that outlawed gay marriage, have already spoken on the matter.

"I feel that it's inappropriate for four Supreme Court justices to overturn a vote of the people," he said.

But polls have shown that attitudes toward same-sex marriage have softened in the eight years since Californians voted to limit marriage to heterosexual couples.

Nor do backers have the lock on religious opinion.

Schaller said opposition to Proposition 8 is broad-based and includes labor unions, straight allies like himself, and places of worship, including First Congregational Church, Inner Light Ministries and Temple Beth El, who believe working for social justice is a call from God. For the past several Fridays, First Congregational attendees have prayed and carried "No on 8" signs outside the church to show their support.

Longtime Santa Cruz residents and business owners Val Leoffler and Doug Hellinger said they married eight years ago and want to ensure "our gay brothers and sisters" have the same "freedom of choice and equal rights."

Sean Tai, a campus minister at UC Santa Cruz who leads a progressive Christian student group called Feast, said he has "always been a little bit nervous" that Prop. 8 might pass because of "the misinformation from the Yes on 8 camp that claims gay marriage will be taught in schools or churches suddenly will be forced to perform marriages.

Working to preserve the right for all couples to marry "makes me really involved in my faith -- that my faith isn't just something I do on Sundays," said Tai, who attends First Congregational. "It is also really powerful to know that I belong to a group of people who, gay or straight or other sexual orientations, really worship God through our activism and our hope for a different and better world."

Staff writer Kurtis Alexander contributed to this report.

Gay and Lesbian Asian-Americans Struggle to Find Acceptance in Conservative Congregations

Thu, 22 May 2008 16:50:10 -0700

Katelyn Jacobson
Gender/Sexuality Reporter for “City on a Hill Press”

During World War II, Japanese-Americans were placed into internment camps not because of what they did, but because of who they were.
On Thursday, May 15, the Lionel Cantú GLBTI Center screened “In God’s Eyes,” a short documentary that chronicles a similar struggle within the Asian-American queer community, and two families who came to grips with reconciling the church children with their gay children.
Despite the brevity of the film, it painted a hopeful picture for gay and lesbian Asian-Americans striving for acceptance within their traditional church communities. Sean Tai, a representative of the progressive Christian group Faith, Education, Action, and Service Together (FEAST), cited the polarity occurring between first-generation immigrants and their younger American-bred descendents as a stumbling block to the coming-out process.
“For me as a gay man, if I wanted to come out to my Chinese grandparents, they would have little comprehension about what I meant,” Tai explained. “My grandparents equate homosexuality with prostitution, and there is no way that they would ever get it. I don’t want to just confuse them and break their hearts.”
The documentary noted the lack of visibility of gay and lesbian Asian-Americans. When one of the main characters came out to her parents, her mother replied, “I’ve never heard of Asian gay people. Why are you trying to be something you’re not?”
The film followed the stories of the Chi family and a Japanese pastor as they came to accept their gay daughter. It also addressed Biblical verses used to condemn homosexuality. One of the most commonly cited verses is Leviticus 18:22, which reads, “You shall not lie with another man as with a woman; it is an abomination.”
However, Pastor Hanoaka stated that these verses may not be culturally relevant, considering the surrounding verses also forbid the “abominations” of eating shellfish and certain birds.

Some audience members maintained criticism of the film.

“I kind of wish that it dealt with more of the differences between Asian churches and non-Asian churches,” said third-year Chaclyn Hunt, a member of FEAST. “And it was really short — one minute the parents were crying, and then they had accepted her, just like that. I think it could have shown more of what people go through.”

After the Chi family accepted their daughter, they found themselves alone in a sea of rejection from their own congregation, and struggled to find an Asian church anywhere that would support their daughter’s sexual orientation.

In a discussion following the documentary, Tai remarked that there is only a handful of gay-affirming Asian ministries, a fact that Asian and Pacific Islander Student Alliance (APISA) member Maggie Kong believes to be contributing to the closeted majority of gay Asian Christians, as well as the ever-present cultural differences.

“I think that a lot of the time people feel like it’s not safe to come out because either their friends will make fun of them or their families will not accept them,” Kong said. “It’s a very sensitive topic, sexuality and sensuality. We culturally don’t express a lot of our emotions to each other, so I think just coming out as gay or lesbian, or just telling them ‘This is my sexuality,’ is even harder when we — or at least in my family — don’t usually express feelings at all.”

However, there was ample time for expression in the discussion following the film, and the questions prepared by FEAST and APISA found willing participants in the small audience. The group concurred that the gay Asian Christian populace deserves more attention, and appreciated the affirming sentiments of “In God’s Eyes” as well as the positive and progressive thinking attributed to the featured Asian-American churchgoers.

“It’s important to recognize that there are Asian-American churches that are affirming of queer people,” Tai said. “The diversity within the Asian-American community is extensive and includes those who are very affirming, who are very open-minded, and the stereotype of Asian-Americans being more closed to this issue does not always hold true.”
2008-06-05

For more information, please see the website for the film “In God’s House” and the website for the Network for Religion and Justice.

Correction: The name of the film was “In God’s House”, not “In God’s Eyes”, as the article incorrectly reported.

Organized Religion and Spirituality at UCSC

Thu, 15 May 2008 16:46:04 -0700

Rosie Spinks
Campus News Reporter for “City on a Hill Press”

It was his first experience tabling at UC Santa Cruz, and Rabbi Shalom Bochner was sitting in the Quarry Plaza.
“Don’t you know God isn’t allowed on this campus?” a passerby remarked, as he strode past the Santa Cruz Hillel table.
Bochner didn’t know the man who had offered this cautionary wisdom — perhaps in a quasi-joking tone. But now, after several years as a rabbi serving students in the Santa Cruz community, Bochner has become familiar with these sentiments. Since its inception, UC Santa Cruz has been a place where free ideas reign and individuals live the lifestyle of their own choice. Anarchy, atheism, homosexuality, paganism and marijuana use are just a few of the myriad of ideas that are accepted and embraced here in a way that is not seen on many other colleges campuses. However, when it comes to more traditional belief systems, such as organized religion, the Santa Cruz attitude of openness doesn’t always apply.
“This is a very liberal, welcoming and open-minded campus as long as people share the same particular liberal thoughts,” Bochner said. Whether or not Bochner’s assessment of UCSC is true, the number of religious groups on campus are as varied and diverse as the students who comprise them. With about 10 different groups officially registered with Student Organization Advising and Resources (SOAR) and 15 groups listed as members of the University Interfaith Council (UIC) in addition to other unaffiliated groups, students seeking religious guidance and counsel have no shortage of options.

As a state institution, the University of California must maintain a stance of neutrality when it comes to religious and political matters. However, UCSC’s Student Policies and Regulations Handbook states that student religious organizations are in no way treated differently from other student organizations on campus. This is seen in section 41.11, which states, “Religious, political, and ideological registered campus organizations shall have access to university properties on the same basis as all other campus organizations.”

The members who join these organizations do so with different motivations, from strengthening their faith and exploring unanswered questions, to casual fellowship and reaffirming social networks.
Omar Aziz, a fourth-year co-chair of the Muslim Student Association (MSA), noted that MSA members have a wide range of religious, personal and cultural reasons for joining the organization. “A part of it is to become more spiritual and enlightened about the religion,” he said. “A lot of us Muslims come from immigrant families, so religion is both a part of our lives and our identity.” Another group that students are drawn to for both cultural and religious reasons is Santa Cruz Hillel, one of the largest religious groups on campus, serving approximately 1,000 students. Bochner spoke about the strong community that Santa Cruz Hillel offers, providing free weekly Friday night Shabbat dinners and services. “I think there is a human desire for community right up there with food, shelter and clothing,” Bochner said. “In the case of Hillel, that community includes 4,000 years of Jewish culture, history and expression.”

Also promoting the spirit of community is Faith, Education, Action, and Service Together (FEAST), a progressive Christian group on campus that emphasizes social justice and all-inclusiveness. Derek Denny, a first-year, was drawn to the proactive nature of this group. “We all have certain problems with our faith, and that’s why we sought something different,” Denny said. “I was tired of just sitting in church — this group actually does stuff about the problems in the world.” Religious groups can also be a way to help students stay strong in their faith throughout college, said Jason Rieckewald-Schmidt, the team leader for the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship group on campus. “I think a number of students are worried that the faith they grew up with will no longer be a priority by the time they graduate from college,” he said. “In college, people are motivated to make their faith their own and to just continue in their faith at UCSC, which can be a hard place to practice religion.”

Bible Thumpers and Fundamentalists
In a place where the exchange of liberal ideas is heard throughout campus daily and full-body tattoos and multiple piercings are considered commonplace, it may seem incongruous that living out one’s own belief system can be such a challenge to some religious students.
Rieckewald-Schmidt delved into the root of where some of the challenges come from.

“I think practicing Christianity at UCSC can be hard because the experimental lifestyle here, in terms of sexual orientation, drugs and alcohol, tends to go against teachings of the Bible,” he said.
While stereotypes about Islam and Judaism often run rampant in the media, it seems that those practicing Christianity also have especially strong stereotypes to overcome.

Sean Tai, a 2006 alumnus and campus minister of FEAST, knows firsthand what it’s like to be viewed with such a stigma.
“A lot of people come with preconceptions of Christians and don’t want to talk to us,” he said. “To be Christian often means that people think you hold certain political views like anti-gay and pro-war.”
Aziz explained that while Muslim stereotypes do exist, they are not as deeply rooted on this campus as those associated with Christianity.
“A lot of people have personally negative experiences with Christianity, he said. “But people are relatively interested and understanding [about] Islam as long as you explain your beliefs to them.”

Breaking Down Stereotypes
Despite the hostility these various groups experience, they share the common thread of being welcoming to believers and nonbelievers alike. With events that range from religious holiday celebrations, weekly Bible or Torah studies, informal barbecues and community service projects, there is no lack of outlets for religious expression and fellowship on campus.

Aziz highlighted the welcoming nature of MSA.

“What separates MSA from other Muslim groups is that we try very hard not to judge,” he said. “Because we have such a broad spectrum of followers, we try to say that no one ever knows your personal relationship with God.”

Many individuals take the initiative to learn about different faiths for themselves, an encouraging sign that students are breaking down existing stereotypes on campus. More often than not, meetings include students who don’t necessarily consider themselves religious but want to both educate themselves and be part of a positive and active community on campus. Josh Wolf, a second-year who attends MSA meetings, is one such student.

“I came here to learn more about the religion,” he said. “Studying comparative religions is very interesting to me.”

Tai explained that FEAST has members who do not fit into a stereotypical vision of Christianity, such as atheists and gay people. This welcoming nature is what the group is all about.

“You don’t need to be a Christian to follow Jesus,” Tai said. “We welcome all to learn the teachings of Jesus.”

Both the UIC and the more recently formed Student University Interfaith Council (SUIC) seek to make religious life on campus more available to students of all faiths. Bochner is chair of the SUIC.
“[The SUIC] are there to support one another, to raise the profile of spiritual life on this campus, and be the connection point between spiritual students and the administration,” Bochner explained.
The SUIC has similar goals. Nathan Ellstrand, a third-year student who serves as the facilitator of SUIC, explains that the religious beliefs of members include Judaism, Islam, paganism and atheism.

“Members of our group are not necessarily part of organizations, but represent a point of view,” he said. “They come to the meetings to learn about one another’s faith.”

Bible versus Buddha
While students may be wary of so-called religion or belief in God, the idea of spirituality seems to be more openly expressed on campus because of its less binding nature. Seemingly less dogmatic groups such as the World Peace Buddhists, a group that practices a style called Nichiren Buddhism centered on chanting, may be viewed differently.
Fourth-year Lisa Noon, World Peace Buddhists’ facilitator, emphasized the appeal of a more individually based belief system.

“Santa Cruz is very open to spirituality but a lot of people don’t like to follow something that’s already established,” she explained. “I think people are seeking a philosophy to empower their lives, not necessarily something to follow.”

Schmidt points out the distinction. “Ask people: what’s your baggage with Buddhism?” he said. “People don’t have any baggage with Buddhism, but lots of people have baggage and weird experiences with the Christian church.”

Bochner sums up the apparent disconnect between organized religion and spirituality.

“I’m not convinced this is such an unreligious place,” Bochner said. “[UCSC] is a deeply spiritual community but for some reason, it’s OK to be spiritual while mainstream religion holds a negative connotation.”
While the teachings of the Torah, Christian Bible, Qur’an and other religious texts may not be as widely followed on campus as the tenets of, say, Bob Marley, there is no need for faith-seekers to be discouraged.
Bochner looks to the future with the hope of highlighting the strong connection between spirituality and religion.

“If spirituality is ‘in’ and religion is an expression of spirituality, why isn’t religion ‘in’?” he said. “That’s our challenge as people of faith.”
2008-06-05

Meet Your Student Org

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 16:38:28 -0800

Elizabeth Limbach for “City on a Hill Press”

FEAST is UC Santa Cruz’s progressive Christian student organization. Although it consists of only ten members, the group represents five different Christian denominations as well as various sexual orientations, ethnicities, and political opinions. Sean Tai, the interim Campus Minister for the group, spoke to City on a Hill Press (CHP) about what distinguishes FEAST from other student religious organizations.
What does it mean to be a progressive Christian group?
As a progressive Christian group, we consider ourselves to be very diverse in terms of theological and political positions, but at the same time we are really united in our desire to seek social justice in our community. We’ve done gay rights events, equal marriage events, been part of a fast for Darfur — we focus a lot on that, that is really our purpose.
What is the function of FEAST on campus?
We provide an open-minded environment for students who are seeking answers. We aren’t here to give you answers, but to help you along to find your own. We come from diverse backgrounds and we do not fix one way of thinking as the right one.
How do you overcome common limitations in religion that conflict with sexual orientation?
There is definitely a struggle when you talk about sexual orientation. We are trying to find a way to read the Bible so that it stops being a rulebook for us and more of a story about how ancestors have lived in relationship to God and how we can continue to live. We also try to take into context the history of where these words are coming from. By doing that we reclaim a lot of what, in my opinion at least, has been interpreted and used against a lot of minorities. Not just sexual minorities but people from all races and genders.
How does FEAST grapple with expanding the concept of “Christian?”
When I would tell people at UCSC that I was Christian, they would have a lot of preconceptions of what that meant. One of our goals as a group is to change perceptions of Christianity on campus, not as this exclusive “we’re right and you’re wrong” way of looking at things. It is just another way of understanding how to live in relationship to one another.
And you also feel that activism should be a part of that definition?
Faith communities used to be really active; unfortunately it has become more subdued. I firmly believe that religious communities have to reclaim their sense of activism.
Do you have a favorite FEAST memory?
We work with Habitat for Humanity once a month and those have been some of my favorite memories, like when we went to New Orleans to help rebuild houses.
Another would be last February at the GLBT center when we worked at their equal marriage event and we married couples of all genders and orientations.
It was a really powerful moment for us. We served communion to anyone who wanted to take it with us as a way of showing that our table is completely open. It was a beautiful vision for how things can be.
The group meets for Bible Study every Tuesday from 8-10 p.m. at the UCSC Women’s Center, and every other Saturday at 4 p.m. at 99 Bottles restaurant downtown for “Theology on Tap” — an open discussion on the week’s topic.
Visit FEAST online at www.uccmsantacruz.org
2008-06-05