One Colorado Day 3

This morning got off to a nice and easy start.  We had nowhere to be until 1 in the afternoon, so today I had the pleasure to wake up without the horrible, jolting ring of alarms. I quickly got up and headed next door to take a shower and opened the door to lightly falling snow and a fresh layer of powder on the ground.  There is nothing better.  To add to the wonderfully relaxing morning I had time to catch up my reading (I started reading The Help at the start of the fall semester and am still only a little over half through.  I never seem to have the free time to read!) with a nice cup of coffee.

Around 11 we headed out to eat lunch at Same Café.  Same Café is completely volunteer run and offers a small lunch menu without set prices.  Anyone and everyone is welcome for the meal; one pays whatever they can or donates what they think the meal is worth.  And, if someone cannot afford to pay, they can serve for one hour in the café in exchange for the meal.  No one is ever turned away. This business plan makes Same Café quite a unique place to eat lunch.  People from all different backgrounds and lifestyles can come together equally and eat lunch together.  Needless to say, it was a very cool place to people watch.  And, the food was delicious, a definite plus.  With extra time to spare, we decided to ask some of the volunteers working for a local coffee shop suggestion. (I can’t describe how glad I am to be surrounded by fellow coffee lovers.  Trying local coffee shops is one of my favorite things to do and has been a top priority by everyone else on this trip as well.)  After a brief conversation, we were about to set off to a bookstore just a few blocks down when one of the volunteers rushed out to our car to stop us.

“I don’t know why they told you to go there!” The woman told us and proceeded to give us directions to a coffee shop two blocks over that she promised had the BEST cookies.  So of course, Anna and I had to split a cookie.  It was delicious, just as promised.

After that we headed back to One Colorado and helped them get organized before their big kick-off event that night in Colorado Springs.  I had some rather mundane data entry to finish up, but the rest of the group made some wonderful signs we took with us to the rally.  Around 3 we headed out to Colorado Springs.  It was quite a long drive, but so worth it.  To start it off, we watched the video the One Colorado team made right after the Civil Union bill was defeated last legislative cycle.  Some of the footage was heartbreaking to watch, but the hope and perseverance that everyone in the video showed was inspiring.  After that, we listened to five speakers tell their story to show their support for Civil Unions.  The one message that spoke loud and clear tonight was that this struggle is not about “if”, it is about “when”; someday, LGBTQ couples partnerships and the love they share will be recognized and respected and they will be granted equal rights to all other couples.  As my personal favorite speaker said, “we will keep knocking” until that day comes.  “We have always kept knocking to change things that weren’t right in our nation’s past, and we will continue to do that now.” 

And now I am rather exhausted.  I think it is a shared feeling among us all as we all sit silently typing away our blog posts in the church lobby with Mumford and Sons quietly playing in the background.  It takes too much effort to make conversation.

Goodnight!

ONE Colorado: Day 5

Today we were able to sleep in a bit (jelly?), and had a slow start to the morning. I took a shower in our horrifying facilities, and survived, so don't worry. It snowed a few inches last night but not enough to ruin any of our travel plans for the day. It was the prettiest but also the coldest.

Around eleven, we ventured out to eat at another restaurant recommended by the team at ONE Colorado. SAME Cafe was a really great and unique experience. Here's the description of their business from their website: "It is the intent of SAME Cafe to build a healthy community by providing a basic need of food in a respectful and dignified manner to anyone who walks through the door.

SAME Cafe is unique in the lack of a set menu as well as set prices. Daily selections are made using fresh, organic ingredients, and funded by the donations of patrons. Instead of a cash register, a donation box is available for one to pay what they felt their meal was worth, or to leave a little more and help out someone less fortunate. If a diner does not have sufficient money to leave, they are encouraged to exchange an hour of service. Our philosophy is that everyone, regardless of economic status, deserves the chance to eat healthy food while being treated with dignity."

Basically, anyone who wants or needs to eat is welcome, and is encouraged to pay what they can for the meal (including zero dollars if you do not have the means). Our group called ahead of time to offer any volunteer service that would benefit the cafe, but they were already overbooked with volunteers. Today's menu featured two different types of soup, two different types of salad, and two different types of pizza. I had sweet potato soup. Hnnnnnnng. It was interesting to find that such a wide range of people were in attendance for lunch today: people that were clearly homeless, college students, and business men in suits.

After lunch, we visited yet another coffee shop, and headed over to ONE Colorado. When we arrived, we immediately started gathering supplies and organizing for the civil unions bill kickoff rally that was held in Colorado Springs. The majority of us sat down and made some beautiful signage for the rally that incorporated phrases like "LOVE IS LOVE" and "IT'S BRITNEY, BITCH." The second one didn't actually happen but like WHAT IF?

We left the office a little after three with our cars loaded with supplies. Our drive was about two hours, but turned out to be incredibly beautiful. So many scenic views!!! No photos exist in my files because my side of the window was dirty as hell. Le sigh. The rally was held at a center for the arts, and there ended up being over 100 people in attendance, surpassing their expected 75. Yay. Anna and I worked the front desk, and got to meet so many fantastic individuals, many of them sharing the night with their partners and (adorable) children. The speakers for the event all came from diverse backgrounds, but all shared a common belief in equality for all groups of people. It's hard for me to even explain or advocate for the cause, because it's something that feels like common sense to me, and like we shouldn't have to think twice about the issues. I'm constantly baffled by the thought of any person not seeing that we are all human, and all deserve equal rights and benefits. One speaker tonight reminded everyone of a time not too long ago that interracial marriage was illegal and viewed as a sin, and is now something that our society does not think twice about. I think that everyone involved in the rally left the gathering feeling hopeful and encouraged by the strong sense of community that they have here in Colorado. If the bill does not pass in May, they will only continue to try until their goals are achieved.

On the way home, we listed to Adele's "Someone Like You" and cried forever. Not really, but really.

Myranda made me pancakes for dinner.

All of us are in love now.

Bye.

Sign art for the kickoff rally.

Anna being interviewed by the news irl.

Kids at the rally.

Twins working the welcome desk.

One of the speakers from the kickoff.

One Colorado: January 11

Sleeping in is a wonderful thing. Especially when you’ve had a late night watching Bring It On with your group and it’s snowing outside and your sleeping bag is warm and cozy. Today was exciting because we didn’t have anywhere to be until around 11, when we left to go have lunch at Same Café. Same Café is a small restaurant that gives you two soup, salad, and pizza options and allows you to donate what you can for your meal. This means that there was a mix of people from the homeless to men in business suits. You also have the opportunity to volunteer by cooking lunch, cleaning, etc.; however, when our group asked to help out we were informed that volunteering fills up two weeks in advance! The restaurant is so neat because it is not only helping the homeless, but it is also environmentally friendly—they compost, recycle, and are solar powered!

After that meal we headed to yet another local coffee shop-St. Marks- recommended by one of the ladies working at the Café where I had the best peanut butter chocolate chip cookie OF MY LIFE. Then, on to the office to prepare for today’s Civil Union Kick Off Rally in Colorado Springs! Sacha and I went to pick up some soda and other necessary items for the event and then helped everyone else make fun posters because coloring is awesome.

Next it was time for Colorado Springs! Luckily the snow let up right as we were leaving so there was significantly less sliding around than earlier in the day. We arrived around 4pm and helped set up tables, food, and decorations. Before we left, Shannon informed us that we might meet protestors or have a problem with people trying to sneak in and disturb the rally. Colorado Springs is a pretty conservative area. Focus on the Family, the Air Force Academy, and other mega churches and religiously affiliated universities are in the area, so security was on hand just in case there was any interruption or concern. Luckily, we had no problem!

Around 5pm people started to trickle in to the super cool art museum the rally was held at. Shannon also told us that since we were in Colorado Springs we had no idea how many people would attend. I could tell they were nervous that very few people would show up, especially because of the snow. There was nothing to worry about though, because people started crowding in! Since Audrie and I are adorable and wore matching sweaters today we decided we HAD to work the front door. Our job was to greet people, sign them in, and explain to them how the post cards worked. (The ones we sent to state senators and representatives to show their constituents support for civil unions.) KKTV in CO came to do a news clip about it and I even got interviewed!! We’ll see if they use any of the gibberish I said in my nervous excitement, but if they do I’ll basically become a local celeb. The Gazette also had reporters there! I’d say there was close to 100 people in total, and then it began.

They started out with a video that essentially said, “We’ll keep fighting,” after last years defeat. It was so incredible that only ONE vote was needed for the legislation to pass. Next, there were several speakers: a pastor, a mother of twin sons (one of whom is gay), a couple, and a businessman. Shannon explained to us how important it is to have someone from different types of communities and lifestyles there to show their support. It ended with a woman named Rosemary, a straight ally who works for the ACLU and NAACP, who gave a passionate, motivating speech so that everyone would remember exactly why we are not giving up on equality. She said,

“It’s not about civil rights, it’s about what’s right.”

She highlighted Brown v. Board of Education and Loving v. Virginia as a comparison for other recent social inequalities that we have corrected and that now seem to be an undeniable right. This fight is no different, and I know that some day we will live in a country that does the right thing and treats everyone with the love, respect, and justice they deserve.

-Anna

Austin Zoo and Animal Sanctuary Day 3.

Day Three.

The day started out at the Zoo with the daunting task of cleaning 3 alpaca pens. The Zoo Keeper, Kris, told us before the day started that cleaning the pens would have taken one person the entire day. Fortunately, we were able to leisurely clean the yard, watch the lions and tigers eat for about an hour and a half, and finish the yards before noon. I also was able to bond with my arch nemesis, the EMU. Turns out, the emus really enjoy rolling in muddy trough water. While I was scrubbing and bleaching all of the water troughs, the emus were right next to me, trying to get me to throw more water on them, and roll around in the mud like crazy! The rest of the after noon, we all did different assignments. Katie and I washed a lot of dishes with blood on them because… tigers and lions eat bloody things. It was very interesting to hang out in the kitchen with the rest of the zoo staff.

I met a man named Kelly, who first off reminded me exactly of my father in younger form. Kelly is of average height and fairly slim, with bright red hair in a pony tail, and a red beard. In his younger, skinnier days, when he had colored hair, or hair in general, my father and Kelly could have been twins. Kelly is the on sight primatologist, and I learned a little bit about his back ground with primates. He studied at the University of Southern California San Diego, and was doing his graduate research at the San Diego Zoo. Primates are frequently known to have higher cortisol levels while in captivity. Cortisol is released when primates and mammals are in stressful situations, like living in captivity. These levels can change blood glucose levels, making mammals bodies store more fat than necessary, decrease bone and muscle density, and impair cognitive performance among many other things. Kelly was studying cortisol levels and trying to implement a strategy to help reduce the high levels in primates in captivity. The San Diego Zoo was funding his research until a Panda was introduced to the Zoo. All of the funds going toward his research was redirected towards in-vitro fertilization of the new Panda. Although an honorable cause, the San Diego Zoo is a for-profit organization, and was more than likely looking for a more publically knowledgeable way to spend research funds. The San Diego Zoo pretty much said “Thanks for your research and hard work, but we’re no longer funding you,” and Kelly moved back to Austin. He found himself at the Austin Zoo, working primarily with the primates there. He was paged to go do something with monkeys, and I didn’t get to finish my entire conversation with him. I’m really interested in his research, and I find it very unfortunate that the San Diego Zoo didn’t find it important enough to continue.

After we cleaned the Alpaca yard, the group kind of separated and got to do several different things. Phillip was able to do some “heavy things,” aka finding lots of trees to use in bird enclosures and what not. A lot of the zoo keepers actually know our names and always have some thing for us to do. I feel like they really appreciate our help, and are fairly under staffed. The zoo is kind of a small, rinky-dink place, understaffed, and the inablility to say no to help animals. Every staff member is devoted to the animals, and love the cause enough to stick around. The Zoo’s personality reflects Austin as a whole, and it is a wonderful personality to have the opportunity to experience.

Each day I become more grateful for the opportunity to be on my break, and also a little more tired.

Salutations.

Kait Perry


POST SCRIPT: Austin Weather today

suck it @audriejane

TFA Chicago Day 3

Hello Again,

Today moved at a much slower pace. As opposed to yesterday which started off with a bang at the community assembly, Alex handed Grant and I his keys when we walked in the door and gave us directions to Home Depot. Our project for the day was to build a bookshelf so students could leave their chemistry notebooks in the classroom. Initially we were a little disappointed. We wanted to interact with students and observe the classroom dynamic, not build a bookshelf out of scrap wood in the back room. After a few minutes I came back to reality. We are in Chicago on an alternative break to volunteer with Teach For America. We should be more than willing to do whatever helps the teacher out. As a matter of fact, we even talked about this type of situation in class before the trip. In due course, we bought the necessary materials and built the bookshelf. The lack of good wood and a drill made this a character building experience to say the least.

The other task Grant and I worked on today was building a bank of chemistry problems that Mr. Rock can use throughout the year. At Urban Prep, there are specific outcomes lined out that the students are expected to master. A long list of these outcomes was handed to the students and us yesterday. 80% mastery of these outcomes is the goal, and the best way to learn chemistry is practice-in come Grant and I. We sifted through the class textbook searching for these outcomes and problems that correlate and subsequently came up with five problems for each. What surprised me was the depth of material that these students are expected to learn. Maybe my memory has failed me, but I don’t recall deeply exploring all of the topics they have cover in my high school chemistry, and I went to a reputable school. The content more resembled the CHEM 184 and 188 at KU. This gave me a new surge in confidence in the ability of these students and Mr. Rock. At the same time, it alarmed me a little bit. At Urban Prep, if a student fails one class, he has to do the entire year over again. I can imagine that students that fail a couple of classes and get their graduations delayed by years could get dejected, demotviated and end up dropping out. Hopefully Mr. Rock can engage all of these students enough to make them pass and move on.

Oh and by the way, it’s good to see that Mr. Rock brought a little bit of historic Allen Fieldhouse with him to Urban Prep. Grant and I had the honors of hanging the amazing banner yesterday morning. While many of the kids stared up at it completely confused, many also knew what it meant. In his two and a half years at the school, Mr. Rock has successfully recruited many kids to be part of Jayhawk nation.

Until Tomorrow,

Jason

One Colorado: January 10

It would be an understatement to say that I am exhausted. Sacha and I had the brilliant idea to wake up at 5:45am to get ready. Sacha summed it up best:

"You know what time sucks? 5:45.”

It all worked out though because were able to run pick up some coffee to bring back for those who were still in zombie mode around 7. Thank you fake Dillons!

We somehow made it to our tour of the US Mint at 8am where we learned about coins and the associated criminals of the building—shout out to Orville Harrington, a worker who stole the equivalent of $6 million bucks!

Around 9 we headed to the office to help with random tasks: making buttons, organizing legislator cards, making calendars, and in my case entering data from surveys filled out by potential candidates. The survey asked ten questions concerning various LGBT concerns—same-sex/second parent adoption, CADA, bullying, definition of marriage, and of course civil unions. I entered responses from candidates running for both State Senate and State Representative in different districts of CO and based on the responses given, One Colorado will decide who they will endorse. My favorite part was reading the comments section and hearing stories and explanations for why candidates did or did not support LGBT legislation. Check out Audrie working hard to the left. Gettin' stuff done!

For lunch we rounded the corner to eat at Hamburger Marys. Turns out, Mary is a drag queen and there are many fun events such as Bingo and "Maryoke" that the restaurant hosts at night. It was fantastic and fit right in with the theme of our break! Plus the burger was deeeelicious!

After lunch we were back at the office to meet with Jeremy Shaver. Jeremy is the executive director of Interfaith Alliance CO and teaches religious education for the United Church of Christ. I was so enthralled in every single thing he had to say to us. He explained the current state of Colorado legislation, emphasizing Amendment 43 from 2006 which defines marriage as between one man and one woman, and discussed how his Alliance was working to break down these types of barriers and push for social justice in the upcoming legislative session. While he was specifically discussing with us faith and the LGBT community, he also works on a variety of issues concerning religious freedom, women’s reproduction, health care, education, and as he (semi-jokingly) stated basically any issue that Focus on the Family opposes. Focus on the Family is a mega church operating out of Colorado Springs that has a strong, conservative presence in state politics due to its resources and finances and is also notoriously against civil unions and the LGBT community in general.

Jeremy (<---in the middle!) was so honest with us about his beliefs and the struggles he goes through being gay, religious, and in the public eye in Colorado. His stories made me feel very emotional. No one should be treated the way this man, who is truly one of the most humble and kind people I've had the opportunity to talk to, has been treated. He told us of politicians who wipe their hand off after shaking his and of a man who stalked him from the grocery store to the gym and other day to day places to intimidate him. He has had to hire security due to the threats he receives simply for living his life and being true to himself and others. Also, it was clear that he was genuinely eager to hear what we thought about everything which just made us all that much more involved and thoughtful in these discussions.

I could probably write 500 words alone on Jeremy (too late?) even though we only talked to him for an hour; but I'll end sharing his belief on church and state. He explained that the Interfaith Alliance believes that political decisions should not be based off of religious doctrine but instead, “fairness, inclusion, justice, compassion, and love should guide us.” Couldn't have said it better myself!

We ended the day meeting with Preston, who does fundraising for One Colorado. He walked us through the basic process of fundraising for the organization and non-profits in general. (He actually participated in an Alternative Break when he was at school!) We spent the last hour-ish addressing, stamping, and writing personal messages on invitations for a Valentines Day fundraising event to send to donors.

All in all it was fantastic! We finished up around 4pm, so we even had time to drive Blake by the Molly Brown house for a bit of trespassing and picture taking before heading home to relax and do some serious snacking. (I can’t stop eating Katie’s peanut butter fudge….sorry Katie.)

Have a great night! Here is a picture of Blake to send you off, because let's face it, how can you not be happy when you see this face:

-Anna

ONE Colorado: Day 4

Today we had a really early start, and planned to wake up at 5:45 am to make it to our tour of the United States Mint in Denver. Death. The tour featured a full airport style security check, and a tour guide named Rebecca that cannot be described in words. The mint doesn't print paper money, it only makes various coins circulated through the U.S., and occasionally manufactures specialty coins. So, we got to see some monies being made.

After the tour, we made our second coffee break of the day (8:30 am), and headed over to ONE Colorado for our second day of volunteering. We started off doing sort of odd jobs and tasks around the office. Some of our group was able to work on data entry things based off of various surveys that the organization has conducted to gather information about demographics in all of the Colorado districts. On Monday, we learned that One Colorado is passionate about discovering what it's like to be a part of the LGBT community in places outside of what is familiar to them; what it's like to be a conservative small town, or living in an American Indian reservation. These surveys ask the most basic questions about family, education, and employment, and also delves deeper into more personal factors of life. ONE Colorado is unique in understanding that approaching an issue (in this case, legalizing Civil Unions in the state of Colorado) from all possible angles is often times the most effective way to spread a message that you believe in.

We had asked Shannon earlier in the week if she had any suggestions of where we should eat, and she suggested a place around the corner from the office called "Hamburger Mary's." We walked into the restaurant this afternoon and realized that it was basically a drag queen heaven. I'm glad that we are thoroughly exploring the themes of our trip, and incorporating them into every aspect of our day. I had a "shroom veggie burger with Mary's special sauce." See photo below.

When we got back to ONE Colorado, we were able to talk with a man named Jeremy who works with several different interfaith groups surrounding the LGBT community. I'm not personally a religious person, but I am surrounded with people in my life that hold these values very close, and many that also identify as LGBT struggle to find their place within each world. Jeremy had a lot of entertaining and endearing things to share with our group, and expressed a lot of passion for his work. He also shared that his involvement has created a lot of confrontational situations in his life, and that at times he has had to travel with security and members of the secret service to ensure that he is safe. It was really interesting to learn that the only people, both groups and individuals, that shared testimonies against the Civil Union bill were affiliated with religious groups, and using religious/faith based beliefs to support there objections to the bill.

When we got home from "work," I took a three hour nap so....unsure of what everyone else was doing during this time. I think it involved another trip to the grocery store. Post nap, there was lots of team bonding and secret telling.

Now we're watching Bring It On. Goodnight, kittens.

Blake and Sacha organizing papers, Katie coloring calendars in the background.

Myranda and I made 232 buttons so...that happened.

o______o hamburger mary's....drag show veggie burger dreams.

Team photo with our new favorite, Jeremy.