ENCOMPASS Staff Blog

Our blog has been live for almost 2 weeks, and a look at our server logs shows that a few folks have been checking us out. We don’t have comments turned on yet (we’re easing into blogging.) But we’d really like to know who you are “Mysterious Blog Reader”. Please - that way I can sleep soundly at night instead of staying up wondering.

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Email - (benwright@encompass.org)
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There are so many Korean restaurants throughout Southern California but dining in Koreatown is a unique experience;not only does it have restaurants but also Karoake bars, golf driving ranges and wonderful day spas to name just a few of the other services It’s amazing to me that Koreatown is hopping almost every day in the evening (especially on Fridays and Saturdays) and I marvel at how the Korean community is able support the overwhelming number of restaurants in the area.

There are so many restaurants in K-town (e.g. tofu houses, noodle and snack shops, Korean-style Chinese) but for the uninitiated it is probably best to first try the omni-present Korean BBQ restaurant (which continues to be my favorite). No questions that my two favorites are Soot Bull Jeep (on 8th Street) and Chosun Kalbi (on Olympic).

The perennial favorite is SBJ-this is not so much a restaurant but a classic Korean “dive” offering wonderful cuts of meat marinated to perfection and grilled over a charcoal fire pit. If you don’t mind the somewhat surly service and non-descript decor, this very smoky spot leave all diners reeking of smoke but incredibly full and happy. Although not quite up to par with SBJ’s food, Chosun Kalbi (http://www.chosungalbee.com) offers excellent food in a very contemporary and comfortable setting-I prefer to dine at one of the outdoor tables and watch the smoke from your grill dissipate into the night’s sky.

If you want to learn more about Korean food or just food and restaurants in general, visit Chowhound.com It’s a fantastic resource. Enjoy!

Today I’m taking a break from the bigger questions and deeper reflections to remind people to come out and support our upcoming preview shows of Horizon Line, one of our powerful Compassion Plays performances starring Kevin Blake. The two free shows will take place Monday, 2/26 (4-5:30pm and 7-8:30pm) at the charming Fremont Centre Theatre in South Pasadena-just a hop, skip, and jump down the street from my place. We’ve put these together for people like you - our friends, family, faithful supporters, and those wanting to learn more about ENCOMPASS. And we’re counting on you to be a part of it.

Monday’s showcase performances will have multiple goals. So here’s a little preview to the preview shows-

First, get ready to experience the play. In every Compassion Plays booking, we include a pre-show and post-show discussion where the audience discusses the characters and issues explored in the play - Monday’s preview shows will be no exception. The dialogue will be shortened quite a bit, but definitely present and without a doubt meaningful. We’re aiming to give folks a real taste our Compassion Plays program. Click for the full play synopsis.

Second, be prepared to imagine its broader impact. We want people to give a clear picture of how Compassion Plays fits into the ENCOMPASS mission, how the program works to create change in local schools, and what an impact the experience has on the thousands of teenagers we reach each year. At the event, we’ll take some time to talk about our organization’s experience with this dynamic theater and discussion program and why it’s so good at inspiring honest, transformative dialogue among youth.

So basically, the moral of the story is this: We want to see you this Monday for two special performances of Horizon Line. Get ready for a moving show and great discussion and to wear both your participator cap and your imagination cap at the event. Other hats are welcome too, particularly those adorable little donor hats. For some reason, those never seem to go out of fashion.

For more details on the upcoming showcase of Horizon Line, check out the event flyer:
http://www.encompass.org/showcase.pdf

Over the years, Lori, Ben and I (as well as ENCOMPASS Chairman of the Board, Tom Saenz) have supported members in the American Indian community in their efforts to locally, and nationally abolish the use of “Indian” mascots and imagery from school and professional sports. ENCOMPASS’ very own Compassion Play KICK has been an incredible tool throughout CA and beyond to get people educated about the use of racial stereotypes that is prevalent in our schools.

Though the Native American mascot issue has been a struggle for more than 40 years, the occasional successes have nourished the community tremendously and reminded everyone that - CHANGE IS POSSIBLE.

The University of Illinois, home to Chief Illiniwek (one of the most offensive, stereotypical Indian mascots in college athletics), officially retired the “Chief” mascot after last night’s basketball game. The university’s decision was based on the mandates of the policy established by the NCAA in August 2005 which prohibited NCAA colleges and universities from displaying hostile and abusive racial/ethnic/national origin mascots, nicknames or imagery at any of the 88 NCAA championships. The President of the NCAA Executive Committee stated: “As a national association, we believe that mascots, nicknames or images deemed hostile or abusive in terms of race, ethnicity or national origin should not be visible at the championship events that we control.”

The NCAA policy which took effect in February 1, 2006 was appealed on numerous occasions since August 2005 by the University of Illinois. The university was already in a three-year process with its Board of Trustees to determine a resolution to the Chief Illiniwek issue. The NCAA rejected all appeals in April 2006 and announced on February 16, 2007 the NCAA that the University of Illinois will be removed from the list of institutions not compliant with the policy as a result of the university’s decision to retire Chief Illiniwek.

Check out Chief Illiniwek dance and monikers for yourself.

Read what Tim Giago (Oglala Lakota), has to say about Chief Illiniwek’s last dance.

You can learn more about this victory and it’s long history.

This will be great news to share during the KICK post show discussions!!!

Welcome to the ENCOMPASS staff blog. We thought writing a blog would be a good way to keep you informed about our work and about the issues and people you care about. Ben, Juliana, Skyler and I are going to take turns blogging and we will even have some special guest bloggers that you won’t want to miss. Our goal is to keep you updated but never bored. Let us know how we are doing ?

I grew up thinking there was a deep division between the non-profit world and the for-profit world. At best, I thought a grant or event sponsorship could create a meaningful connection between the two. At worst, I thought we lived on completely separate planets with contradictory philosophies-one being money driven and the other mission driven. Even though I had worked in both arenas in the past, it hasn’t been until recently that I’ve begun learning how naive it is to draw such a harsh dichotomy.

Luckily, not everyone holds such outdated views. A handful of corporations are busy donating billboard space to non-profits (see Juliana’s post), phone companies are widely distributing charities; donation requests via text message, and some post office branches gladly use local organization’s logos to cancel stamps. These are just a few small (but very refreshing) examples of the growing creative partnerships across sectors of work. Though grants remain vital (I know, I write requests for them quite often), it’s energizing to see us all getting more and more creative with our collaborative efforts.

I’m excited to see what’s to come. Every time I pick up the Chronicle of Philanthropy, I see partnerships taking on more new forms and individuals across sectors defying expectations. Below is a link to an article I just read about “Filmanthropy” in the LA Times. It brings to light an increasing shift in the entertainment industry, describing the growing interest of filmmakers to use their art to share powerful advocacy messages and create change and hopeful evidence that the public is taking an interest.

The moral of the story is this: If one takes the time to look, countless examples show that the relationships between sectors are diverse, complex, and dynamic. Whether working for public and private entities, folks are constantly reaching across their perceived differences and making things happen-big, small and most important: positive.

Movies shoot for change / By Chris Lee, Times Staff Writer, February 14, 2007
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-filmanthropy14feb14,0,146364.story?page=1&coll=la-home-headlines

I just returned from a week long vacation in Tampa, Florida. I was there to visit my sister, nephew and brother-in-law. Most importantly, I was there to celebrate my nephew’s 8th birthday!

Two days into my trip, as my sister and I were driving on a highway I looked up and noticed a huge billboard. The message was from a local non-profit agency and it was expressing thanks for helping raise funds for their cause.

Just weeks prior I read about this type of donor acknowledgement/marketing tool in the Chronicle of Philanthropy. The story discussed how throughout the U.S., numerous non-profit organizations have received donated billboard space for a certain amount of time and how they are being used to publicize fundraising events, programs, or to say “thanks” for fundraising campaigns.

Well, there it was. Right before my eyes - truth of how such billboards can be used. It looked great and certainly caught my attention - although I can not recall the name of the charity. Yikes!

Maybe one day ENCOMPASS can do something like that. The only issue is where would the billboard ideally be located? Is it just me or do billboards seem to be less popular these days in Southern California or I’m I just not paying attention to them anymore?

This is for those of you wanting to keep up on the ever-expanding Wright family. Today ( February 9), my sister Irene (and her partner Lorne) welcomed Waylen James (after Waylon Jennings) into the world! He was born around 9:30pm, weighing 6 pounds 12 ounces and 19 inches long, with a nice bit or red hair.

Click here for a few pics. There are some of my other niece and newphew (Gustavo and Paloma, Ezra and Maria’s kids), as well as Percy and my daughter Sonaya Luna! Maybe your family has expanded too - let me know about it - benwright@encompass.org.

Waylen James



Sonaya Luna


Gustavo y Paloma

Click any photo for a larger version.

Bernardo Badillo (the actor in Wheels) is going to be on FX’s Dirt on March 6. It’s an FX show about tabloids, so it’s pretty sexually explicit (from what Bernardo tells me - I don’t have a TV, so I haven’t seen it) - so be warned before tuning in. Bernardo’s part is very PG, - he plays a music producer who gives information to the tabloids. So we are not endorsing the SHOW just our friend Bernardo. Set your Tivos!

Last week, I was having lunch with my friend, Christian. He’s a horticulturalistwhich he (and Wikipedia) taught me is a fancy word for people professionally involved in the growing of garden plants. Anyway, as I blew on my piping hot bowl of veggie chili (and eyed the nearby table for some much-needed salt), I became struck by the words my plant-loving friend was using during one of his tangents about managing and cultivating botanical gardens: inclusiveness, survival, community, and yes, diversity.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve always known us human relations folk don’t own these terms, but I was caught off guard hearing so many of them in a single conversation that (on the surface) felt so removed from my social justice world a conversation of agricultural crops, planting design, and floral nurseries. Many of the words were common, but the subjects (trees, forests, flowers, and ferns) made the conversation quite foreign to me. I’m not sure if the common terminology made his point clearer or more confusing either way, it made us both deeply consider the powerful parallels between our fields of work.

The discussion reminded me of my recent (and only) trip to Sacramento last November. Diane Flinn, who was facilitating the discussion after one of our Compassion Plays performances, shared a story about her recent walk near the state capital building. As she walked through what I later learned is one of the most heterogeneously forested areas in the world (I looked it up), Diane discovered a great teaching point to share during the post-show facilitation; the deep symbolism and literal parallel between aspects of plant life and human life. The area she walked through makes clear that plants are just as busy trying to thrive and survive with difference, and especially in Sacramento (they don’t call it the “tree capital of the world” for nothing!).

My learning didn’t come as intuitively as it did for Diane during her walk. Instead, it came from hearing my friend yip yap about his day-to-day duties as a horticulturalist. Nonetheless, the moral of the story is this: for the most part, just as we try to facilitate healthy inclusion of differences in our work with youth, so do the horticulturalists who design, maintain, and cultivate spaces where different plants with different needs interact and try to survive, together. Ah, now we’re speaking the same language.

We just returned from two shows of Wheels at the Theater of the Worlds Festival in San Diego. Personally, it was the first theater festival that I’ve attended on behalf of ENCOMPASS. It was great to be surrounded by other performers and theater lovers. It’s always great to be able to include our discussion based theater program into settings like this.

You never know when you’re going to run into someone you met through Brotherhood-Sisterhood Camp. I was listening to the radio the other day and heard Sari Gelzer’s name mentioned. I did a quick Google search and found that she is a reporter for truthout.org. If you know of any other BSC folks out there (or if you’re one), drop me a line at benwright@encompass.org.