THE
DIVERSIFIEDS
Winter 2016
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Want to see YOUR Art Published?
We would like to showcase a new
student-created cover design for each publication of
The Diversifieds. We are also welcoming
submissions from
students of your original art, poetry or
photographs!
For more information, or to send a submission:
diversitycenter@ghc.edu
Did you know? The Media Center has Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop CS5 & digital pen tablets
available for photo editing and graphic design.
Assistance is available Monday through Friday
from 8am to 5pm during the quarter. They are located on the first floor of the library (room
1519).
Diversity Center
When unity is
evolved out of
diversity, then
there is a real and
abiding
national progress.
- Manhur-ul-Haque
The mission of the Grays
Harbor College Diversity
Center and committee is to
build a culture of
understanding, inclusive to
all students, staff and
community by educating
and advocating for equitable
treatment and respect for all
individuals, groups and
surrounding communities.
Welcoming and accepting place
to hang out
Events, discussions, & training
Volunteer opportunities
People dedicated to promoting
diversity on campus and in the
community.
FIND US ON FACEBOOK!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/GHC-DiversityCenter/104766736220799
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THE DIVERSITY CENTER
WILL SOON BE MOVING
TO A NEW LOCATION!!
We are happy to announce that in
February 2016 the
Diversity Center will be
moving from the 200 Building to
the HUB! Look for our signs in
the Choker Dining Room!
Questions: diversitycenter@ghc.edu
Where Did Valentines Day Come From, Really?
The first legend, and perhaps the best known, began in Rome, when
the Emperor, Claudius II, was involved in many bloody and unpopular
campaigns. “Claudius the Cruel” as he was called, was having a difficult time getting soldiers to join his military leagues. He believed that
the reason was that Roman men did not want to leave their loves or
families. So, he cancelled all marriages and engagements in Rome!
The good Saint Valentine, who was a priest in Rome, in the year
269 A.D., together with his friend Saint Marius, defied Claudius and
continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret.
When Valentine's actions were discovered, he was sentenced to death.
But while in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a
young girl, who may have been his jailor's daughter, who visited him
during his confinement. Before his death on the 14th day of February,
it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed
" From your Valentine"
In 496 A.D., Pope Gelasius set aside February 14 to honor
St. Valentine.
(http://historynewsnetwork.org/article/144654)
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GHC Gay/Straight Alliance (GSA)
Meets on Friday at 12:30 pm
Student Life in the HUB
GSA Advisor: Jennifer Gillies
Email jen.gillies@ghc.edu
WRITERS Corner
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Until I Die
You hate me for the color of my skin.
You have me for the things I believe in.
You hate me for the flag I fly.
Then you will hate me until I die.
You hate me because I am gay.
You hate me because I am straight.
You hate me because of where I’m from.
Then you will hate me until I die.
You hate me for my religion.
You hate me for my sins.
You hate me for the God I believe in.
Then you will hate me until I die.
You hate me for the things I have done.
You will hate me for the things I still
Have to do.
You hate me because I’m not you.
Then you will hate me until I die.
You hate because it’s in your heart
But all that hate will make your heart
Black as night.
You hate me because I’m right
Then you will hate me until I die.
-Kevin S. Idell
GHC STUDENT
Alas the Light
The breeze ruffles her hair so sweet
Smelling of sunshine when it rains.
Comforting arms embracing me
Soothing the storm of my mind.
(Continued)
Reaching out to find securement,
Lost in a blackened void,
Not sure how to escape this darkness.
She reaches into my mind.
A smile breaks a wall,
A touch makes the walls soar away,
A gentle whisper fights the blackness
Withering away from my soul.
A sharp pang of understanding
Rises within my soul,
While she could be my savior
Alas we are apart.
She uses her senses
Calling out what’s been turned off.
Within the soul of a torn vessel
Her sweetness gives light.
Within the dream filled landscape,
Rotten to the core, she teases me
Drawing me out into the open
Showing me there is light.
Her sweet sunshine
Her soft flame
Ignite my wondering desire
A passion I’ve never known.
Her sweet hair pulls me
Out of the depths of my despair.
Her soft lips press upon mine
Sending off a network of flames.
She pulls upon the heartstring
Reaching tearing at the walls
Once built to protect
A heart within a torn vessel.
The closeness brought within,
Walls receding from a frozen heart.
She alone can break it free
From the locked chamber within.
Soft whispers claiming,
Soft embraces flaming,
Soft kisses melting
Each protective wall.
Lainie Johnson
GHC Student
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Mom,
I know who I am, and I’m your son.
Yes I’m Trans, but I’ve put down the gun,
The gun of words hurt and lies,
I’m done hiding fear behind my eyes.
Here I am, carrying truth beside me,
Help me put my past behind me.
Help me turn towards the future.
Help me leave the fear and torture,
Help me see what we’ve got,
Not what we’ve had, not what we’ve lost
Sometimes I want to turn and leave,
But I know you love me and
that’s not what I need.
I know I need people to stand beside me,
To love and trust me, to help me and guide me.
Guide me on this path of self-discovery,
Through thick and thin,
through trees and shrubbery.
Through everything that life could throw at me;
This is the start to us being happy.
~ Braylon G. Idell
GHC Student
Unearned Privilege: A reflection
After reading the article called “Unpacking the invisible
Knapsack,"there were quite a few things that I came to the realization
about regarding privilege and how it influences me. These realizations
are important as a professional who will be working with a wide variety
of clientele as well as primarily working with the Native American
population. In order for me to successfully help not only these clients
but the greater society, I will show in this paper how the article has
opened my eyes to my own prejudices, my own privilege, and
ultimately has helped me become more educated on my own
professional behaviors. This will in turn allow me to be as open and
nondiscriminatory as possible with my clients. I found that this article
helped show me how my own personal history and culture can be
helpful in working with the diverse client.
The first thing that came to my mind when reading the article
was the vast amount of people who could benefit from the knowledge
about unearned privilege. Not only myself but the entire population
could stand to be educated on what it means to be treated with privilege
for one reason and one reason alone, the color of your skin. There are
many things that I have been taught about “white skinned people.”
Growing up on the reservation for 19 plus years granted me very little
education on any other culture of race besides white and Native
American peoples. It’s not that we were unaware that there were other
cultures, but that these two races and both morals and ideals were what
we dealt with together on a daily basis. In the community and the
schools the only racial slurs heard were primarily from white people to
Natives and vice versa. Being that my father , grandfather and
forefathers came from this same soil, you could imagine how my culture
and traditions, my values and education on most ALL levels derived
from the reservation and the many horrors that “white people” inflicted
on the Natives.
It’s interesting to say regardless of this that my father loved a
white woman, his first and only experience with one, my mother. People
would say that it goes to when show she left the reservation and us kids
with my father when I was 11, she didn’t take her blue eyes or pale skin
with her. Her white skin was something that each of us kids was
wearing each and every day on the reservation.
(continued)
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(Continued: Unearned Privilege; A reflection)
I learned at an early age that above all else, I did not want to be white.
White people were the worst kind of “people” to be. Native Americans
are not known to be cruel to animals, African Americans, Asians, or gays.
But white people? There stands a topic most both hated and adored on the
reservation. You couldn’t just be both. To fit in you had to choose a side,
and I was Native American to the core. I once punched a boy in the
mouth for calling me a “white girl” in front of the whole playground. I
didn’t want to be seen as a traitor, a thief, or a cheat. I didn’t want to be
like the cruel white men and women who I had heard such horrible things
about. All of these judgments were based on one word, White. I would
have much rather been the poor savage uneducated Indian girl, wild at
heart.
This is where my own prejudice comes in. Although I have since
grown out of the labels and norms of society, somewhere inside, a small
piece of me still hates being called “white.” Looking at me today, just
based on a glace my ethnicity screams Caucasian, blue eyes, light skin,
brown hair, yet white privilege was never something that I thought about,
although how could I not? Every day of my life I was not only taught but
shown by authority figures, my peers, my educators, my employers that
my race mattered. I was shown in a multitude of ways that based on my
skin color I was not only better, but worse at the same time.
This brings me to an example that reflects this backwards
privilege. I was always the kid in high school who could get away with
things. Not because I was always intentionally in trouble, because that
couldn’t be farther from the truth, but because I had the type of privilege
that most Native kids didn’t have. I remember one day my friends and I
got pulled over by a city cop. He treated me fair enough, but even at a
young age, I was prepared to fight for my right to be seen as a Native
American, in front of whoever would listen, and especially in front of my
Native friends. I told the officer that because I was Native I would like
him to call a tribal officer to issue me the ticket. It was the first time in
my life that I felt I was racial profiled, and the officer justified that by
telling me, “you look white enough for me,” and continued to issue me a
ticket instead of following the law. No, I didn’t use my white privilege,
but in a way I had an opportunity to use certain unearned privilege, and
that is what I did.
(continued)
(Continued: Unearned Privilege; A reflection)
Because of my fair complexion the judge did not look down on
me, but instead shamed my father who was a prominent member in the
community, who also looked the Native part. I didn’t have to pay the
ticket, but I still got a tongue lashing from my father about reputation
and honor and how I’d never get off the reservation if I didn’t learn
how to act appropriately. I know now that my father was trying to teach
me about unearned privilege and hidden rules between certain racial
classes.
Many times in my life I have used white privilege to my
benefit without even knowing what it meant. I always just knew and
understood that I could get people to respect me and listen to me
because I was white, and in turn I could use that to draw a voice to
things that others couldn’t or didn’t see. From small and large
injustices to include the suffering of an entire population. Although my
soul identifies as Native American, my skin allows me to do things that
most Natives cannot or choose not to do. I can advocate, educate, teach
and above all, help people who in some way or form cannot help
themselves.
This brings me to my final realization regarding white privilege
and how all of my past prejudice and an understanding of my own
privilege will allow me to be a better professional to the population I
will be serving. Realizing that there is so much emotional, physical and
mental trauma between white and Native people on the reservation ,I
understand that many clients may see me as someone who cannot be
trusted. However, because I can draw my lineage back to a sacred
medicine man, I believe that I will be able to help these clients from
more than one direction. Instead of not acknowledging these rewards
within the system, the realization of these privileges alone has offered
me the ability to take this into consideration when working with
diverse people. It has helped me to be more intentional with my actions
in order to avoid harming people. I have learned that I cannot change
the color of my skin. I cannot remove my mother’s genes from my
body, even though I’m not sure anymore that I would want to even if I
could.
(continued)
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(Continued: Unearned Privilege; a reflection)
Maturing I realized that I was made specifically the way I am,
and I believe with all of my heart that it is a gift from the Creator so I
can help the people my heart belongs to. In today’s society, because of
the way our race and class systems work, I don’t know that I would be
taken as seriously as if my father’s genes were more pronounced.
In conclusion, this article has helped me determine some of my
own inner strengths and weaknesses. I have been able to recognize
where my prejudices came from and how I took advantage of unearned
rewards that most do not ever have the possibility to utilize. This
“power” does not give me the right to use white privilege as an
advantage over other people. If anything it has made me feel separate
from my own race of people; however after reading this article I know
that it can allow me to educate others. Instead of hindering cultures I
could use my advantages to help people who would truly have no one
else to speak up on their behalf.
-Briana Sansaver
GHC Student / Diversity Center personnel
For more information, or to read more on the article that this essay
was written on, please go to:
http://ted.coe.wayne.edu/ele3600/mcintosh.html
White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh
Do you know what PTK stands for?
PHI THETA KAPPA is our name and getting great grades is
our game; well that’s part of it. PTK is a national honor
society, and our campus has a chapter; Beta Iota.
We’ve been busy scholars since last summer.
We planned an Honors in Action project that is finally ready
to be revealed to our fellow students. We built a webpage of
community resources, and we want everyone to know about
it. If you are looking for housing, need substance abuse
treatment, or you are just curious about what Grays Harbor
has to offer its residents, then this is the website for you.
Please visit the facebook page at
https://www.facebook.com/ghcptk
for more information about our resources,
and what we are all about!
Our chapter meets every Thursday at 11:00 am in room 2103.
Everyone is welcome , we hope to see you
on the website!
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FUN DAYS IN FEBRUARY
1st – Freedom (from slavery) Day Started by Mayor Richard Robert Wright Sr. to celebrate the freedom of all Americans, and commemorates Abraham Lincoln’s signing of
the 13th Amendment outlawing slavery.
2nd – Heavenly Hash Day. A day to celebrate any sweet goodness that contains anything up to and including: ice cream, brownies, cookies, and a rather peculiar gelatin
based dessert with rice, marshmallows, and fruit. Most heavenly hash recipes contain
either marshmallows or marshmallow fluff. What a day.
3rd – The Day the Music Died. A tragedy of the music world occurred on this day in
1959. The day Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper died in a plane crash.
4th – Thank a Mailman Day. The origin of this day is hazy, but the postmen love this
day. They bring you your mail, and carry your parcels; so go out and give your letter
carrier some show of appreciation.
6th – Lame Duck Day A day to celebrate political losers; any politician who’s term is
coming to an end because they were not re-elected, or are choosing not to run for reelection… and you thought this was about birds!
8th – Kite Flying Day Take the advice of the work obsessed father from Mary Poppins,
go out and fly a kite. How else are you meant to enjoy the windy weather?
9th – Pizza Day What can I say? Somebody up there loves us. Go forth and celebrate
the humble pizza, in all of its cheesy glory. The gods have handed down a holiday celebrating that most delicious of foods. Go forth and celebrate.
10th – Umbrella Day Hot on the heels of a celebration of the wind, let’s raises our
glasses to the driving rain that make indoors a much better prospect .
14th – Organ Donor Day Okay, so we all know what day it is. Some of us will be loved
up, and some of us will be bitter about it, but it’s also Organ Donor Day. Organ Donors
save lives, so I hope you use this holiday to become an Organ Donor. And give some
thought to the brave men and women that donate organs to their friends, family, and
sometimes strangers.
15th – Singles A wareness Day So the couples got yesterday. So what? Today is Singles
Awareness Day, although why it makes a lack of partner sound like some kind of fatal
disease I have no idea. Go out and make sure people know that Singles Awareness Day
is a day to love yourself, by yourself.
16th – Do a Grouch a Favor Day. Today I challenge you to do something nice for the
vocally irritated amongst us. On Do a Grouch a Favor Day it’s the day to do something
nice for someone who is not the “suffer in silence” type. You never know, that one favor
could put an end to the whining.
17th – Random Act of Kindness Day Buy a homeless guy a sandwich. Let your sister
get the last piece of pizza. Buy a drink for someone having a bad day. Actually hold the
lift when someone calls out. Give a sheep a blanket.
28th – Public Sleeping Day You could fall asleep at home, but why not try it on the bus?
Today we celebrate those tired individuals who sleep in public and the habit that leaves
them oddly vulnerable.
(http://www.thefactsite.com/2016/02/february-days-of-the-year.html)
March is Women's History Month!!
About Women’s History Month:
Women’s History Month had its origins as a
national celebration in 1981 when Congress
passed Pub. L. 97-28 which authorized and
requested the President to proclaim the week
beginning March 7, 1982 as “Women’s History
Week." Throughout the next five years,
Congress continued to pass joint resolutions
designating a week in March as "Women’s
History Week." In 1987, after being petitioned
by the National Women’s History Project,
Congress passed Pub. L. 100-9 which designated
the month of March 1987 as “Women’s History
Month." Between 1988 and 1994, Congress
passed additional resolutions requesting and
authorizing the President to proclaim March of
each year as Women’s History Month. Since
1995, Presidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama
have issued a series of annual proclamations
designating the month of March as “Women’s
History Month.”
http://womenshistorymonth.gov/
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GHC Recovery Club
We are a Recovery club founded by students
in recovery, for anyone else in recovery. Our
goal is to provide support to those who need
it. We have our weekly Rockin' Recovery NA
meeting on Wednesdays at 2:00 PM in the
200 building. You do not have to be a student to attend these meetings. Anybody is
welcome to join us. If we can help even one
person with their recovery, then we are doing
something right.
Please help us make a difference.
Help us help each other.
For further information about GHC Recovery
Club, you can contact me via email or text.
Elijah Garibay
Vice President
GHC Recovery Club
email: elijah.garibay@yahoo.com
phone: (360) 346-6631
WTF FACTS
1.Banging your head against a wall burns 150 calories an hour.
2.In the UK, it is illegal to eat mince pies on Christmas Day!
3.Pteronophobia is the fear of being tickled by feathers!
4.When hippos are upset, their sweat turns red.
5.A flock of crows is known as a murder.
6.“Facebook Addiction Disorder” is a mental disorder
identified by psychologists.
7.The average woman uses her height in lipstick every 5 years.
8. If you consistently fart for 6 years & 9 months, enough gas
is produced to create the energy of an atomic bomb!
9.Cherophobia is the fear of fun.
10.Human saliva has a boiling point three times that of regular
water.
11.If you lift a kangaroo’s tail off the ground it can’t hop.
12.Hyphephilia are people who get aroused by touching fabrics.
13.Billy goats urinate on their own heads to smell more
attractive to females.
14.The person who invented the Frisbee was cremated and
made into Frisbees after he died!
15.During your lifetime, you will produce enough saliva to fill
two swimming pools.
16.An eagle can kill a young deer and fly away with it.
17.Polar bears can eat as many as 86 penguins in a single
sitting.
18.King Henry VIII slept with a gigantic axe beside him.
19. Bikinis and tampons were invented by men.
20.Heart attacks are more likely to happen on a Monday.
(www.thefactsite.com)
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This sign is located in many offices and spaces at
Grays Harbor College.
If you have questions about training, please contact
Brian Shook at brian.shook@ghc.edu
Or Jen Gillies at jen.gillies@ghc.edu
Are you a Veteran?
Family Member?
Student?
Have questions?
Tom Mills
Vetcorps Navigator
360-538-4174
Email: vetcorps@ghc.edu
Tom is a former Army Chaplain Assistant
who is the Grays Harbor College
Vet Corp representative.
Tom can help with resources, referrals,
information about navigating the college
system and other pertinent services.
His office is located in the 100 building and his
office hours are:
7:00 - 3:00 Monday - Friday
(some time is spent in class)
Stop in and say hello or see how he can help
you!
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NATIVE AMERICAN
HERITAGE CLUB!
CALLING FOR
NEW
MEMBERS!
JOIN US IN HELPING START A
NEW CLUB AT GHC THAT FOCUSES ON
EDUCATION AND
AWARENESS ABOUT
INDIGENOUS
PEOPLE.
For more information please contact
diversitycenter@ghc.edu
Or
gary.arthur@ghc.edu
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February is Black History Month
Origins of Black History Month
The story of Black History Month begins in 1915, half a century
after the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery in the United
States. That September, the Harvard-trained historian Carter G.
Woodson and the prominent minister Jesse E. Moorland founded
the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History
(ASNLH), an organization dedicated to researching and promoting
achievements by black Americans and other peoples of African
descent. Known today as the Association for the Study of African
American Life and History (ASALH), the group sponsored a
national Negro History week in 1926, choosing the second week
of February to coincide with the birthdays of
Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. The
event inspired schools and
communities nationwide to organize local
celebrations, establish history clubs, and host
performances and lectures.
The event grew out of “Negro History Week,”
the brainchild of noted historian Carter G.
Woodson and other prominent African
Americans. Since 1976, every U.S. president
has officially designated the month of
February as Black History Month. Other
countries around the world,
including Canada and the
United Kingdom, also devote a
month to celebrating black history.
(Continued on next page)
http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/black-history-month
(Black History Month Cont.)
Poetry from famous African
American Authors
A Conceit
Give me your hand
Make room for me
to lead and follow
you
beyond this rage of poetry.
Let others have
the privacy of
touching words
and love of loss
of love.
In the Event of My Demise
In the event of my Demise
when my heart can beat no more
I Hope I Die For A Principle
or A Belief that I had Lived 4
I will die Before My Time
Because I feel the shadow's
Depth
so much I wanted 2 accomplish
before I reached my Death
I have come 2 grips with the
possibility
and wiped the last tear from My
eyes
I Loved All who were Positive
In the event of my Demise
For me
Give me your hand.
-Maya Angelou
-Tupac Shakur
https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/black-history-month
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GRAYS HARBOR COLLEGE
RESERVATION-BASED
ASSOCIATE IN ARTS DEGREE
Who needs more information
about our program?



Administrators, counselors, advisors and
instructors.
Current Grays Harbor College students.
Potential students, including future Running Start students.
What’s the Res-Based Program?


Students study Native Cases at
the Longhouse at The
Evergreen State College.

A place-based program designed for students to complete their education without
moving or commuting long distances to a
campus.
A powerful program where students use
Native Case Studies to study issues in Indian Country.
A mostly-online program with four Saturdays a quarter (12 per year) spent studying with Evergreen students at the Longhouse in Olympia, WA.
What do I need to get started?




A desire to complete at least an Associate
in Arts Degree.
Internet and computer access.
Ability to travel to The Evergreen State
College
in Olympia, WA four Saturdays per quarter.
How do I get started?


Contact program Advisor Gary Arthur at
360-538-4029 or gary.arthur@ghc.edu
Contact Student Support Specialist Lorena
Maurer at 360-538-4090 or Lorena.maurer@ghc.edu
DISABILITY SERVICES
Disability Support Services assists qualified students with Physical, Learning,
Sensory, Cognitive, and/or Psychological disabilities by identifying and
coordinating reasonable accommodations for equal access
to academic programs and activities.
Who is eligible for services?
Disabilities (physical, learning, psychological, cognitive, and/or sensory) that substantially
limit one or more of an individual's life activities (i.e. learning) may qualify a student for
services.
Examples may include but are not limited to:
 Learning Disabilities
 AD/HD
 Psychological Conditions
 Medical Conditions
 Visual Impairments
 Hearing Impairments
Grays Harbor College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex,
sexual orientation, disability, marital status, religion, age or
any other unlawful basis in its programs or activities.
The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies:
VP of Student Services || 360.538.4066
Disability Support Services
Student Support Center Rm. 146
360-538-4068
holly.leonard@ghc.edu
Open 8:30 to 5pm, M-F
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College Life