ENCOMPASS Staff Blog

On the early Saturday morning of November 17, approximately 40 other volunteers and I gathered in a parking lot in Chino. We excitedly introduced ourselves to one another as we loaded pick-up trucks with the baked goods we made (or bought), freshly prepared tamales, bottles of soda and water, and all other supplies necessary to make a feast a success. We all understood that it would be no typical fall feast – by any means. In addition to spending a full day with 40 volunteers who were virtually strangers, there were approximately another 30 strangers waiting for us once we were debriefed one last time on reporting inappropriate behavior, the “no-hostage” policy, and passed the metal detectors. These strangers were 18 -25 year old young men and, wards of the State of California’s Hemen G. Stark Youth Correctional Facility.

For many years now Jimi Castillo, who is a Native American Spiritual Leader for the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, has invited friends and community members to join him and the young men he serves for a fall feast celebration. His goal is to gather as many wards as possible with people from the “outside” to spend some quality time with another – in the spirit of love and peace. The young men who serve their time there rarely get such an opportunity. The wards live in an environment of intolerance and violence at the facility, and family or friends infrequently visit most of them. Jimi invited me to be of this special day, along with “Kick” actress DeLanna Studi. She and I both happily agreed to attend.

As part of the day’s events, Jimi and the wards sweat together in the early morning in a traditional Native American sweat lodge located on designated sacred ground at the facility. In the sweat lodge, a ceremonial sauna, the men pray over hot coals, side by side, and heal in the spiritual refuge for a couple of hours, at least.

This year, when the men finished sweating, all the volunteers entered the sacred space and greeted the wards. We were permitted to embrace them there - a small action that demonstrated our love and compassion for these young strangers. With introductions and greetings complete, we all got started organizing the feast. A series of long rectangular table were formed in a straight line – a buffet station of sorts – featuring the items we brought to share. For the first time ever, fresh buffalo ribs were BBQ’d in the space while women gathered and made fry bread. Others danced and played drum or listened to the flute player while conversing with a new friend. I decided to help make fry bread, an adventure I had never undertaken. All in all let’s just say that I am grateful for the fact that fry bread is indeed FRIED and that during that process, almost anything looks and tastes good!

Finally, it was time to eat after all the preparation was complete. Never has it brought so much pleasure to my eyes (a sentiment shared by many other volunteers) to see people enjoying their meal. Plates were stacked high with all of the delicious treats, which even included homemade venison chili! Almost all the young men passed me by as I worked the dessert station saying they would be back later. There just wasn’t enough room on their plate!

So, we ate and we talked, and many of us ate again and talked some more. I could feel the warm fall sun starting to set at that time. A harsh reminder to me, and I also imagine to the wards, that the special occasion would soon be over.

After some time was spent presenting gifts to a beautiful Maori family who came to join us from New Zealand and who shared with the group stories of success and failure for them as the indigenous people of their land, the event shifted back to the wards. They were then granted the opportunity to give gifts to people they connected with over the course of the day. Their gifts consisted of handmade necklaces and beaded medicine bags they made over the course of the year. I was presented with a beautifully colored necklace by a young man who was only 54 days away from his release.

I was incredibly touched by the whole experience and really look forward to participating again next year. It was amazing to help make many young people’s day a great one –filled with love, peace, laughter, and good food – all indicators of what a healthy, happy life can contain and hopefully just a taste of what awaits them when they finish serving their time and go home.

Check out photos from the fall feast taken by The Daily Bulletin here: http://dailybulletin.mycapture.com/mycapture/folder.asp?event=375210&thispage=1 target=”_blank”

Throughout the September and October, ENCOMPASS was busy collaborating with Cornerstone—LA’s premiere multi-ethnic, ensemble-based theater company—to deliver “Literature to Life,” an educational theater program that brings powerful books to life on stage. Through this program, Cornerstone presented a deeply moving stage adaptation of “Warriors Don’t Cry,” the memoir of Melba Patillo Beals, one of the Little Rock Nine. The play was followed by a post show discussion and activity, designed and facilitated by ENCOMPASS.

This powerful one-woman show revealed Melba’s experience as a young black teen who accepted the daunting task of integrating the all-white Central High School in 1957. Not knowing the firestorm that lay ahead or the strength it would take to survive it, Melba’s diary entries captured one girl’s courage, despair, pride, and determination, qualities that helped create one of the best-known stories of racial integration in the history of US education. It was far better than I can describe it—and far more intense than I’m willing to—in this blog. I recommend the book to those who haven’t read it (you can even borrow ENCOMPASS’ copy).

I was the facilitator for Warriors Don’t Cry. Before and after each show, I engaged middle and high school students in dialogue about issues ranging from the historical roots of prejudice, to their experiences with diversity and inclusion contemporarily, at their high schools. I also lead students in a creative writing activity about creating change and moderated a Q&A session with the actor, Cornerstone ensemble member, Bahni Turpin.

Once I accepted the role, I felt strangely hesitant to learn more about the ins-and-outs of Melba’s experience. It’s because it reminded me of the time when a woman told me about her personal experience as a part of a group of seven that integrated one of Macon, Georgia’s all girls’ high school in the 60’s.

I remember her telling me a story of the time she and the other six students got together and decided to spread out at lunch, fully immersing themselves into their new, all-white school. One day they went for it, going to different tables, each filled with not-so-welcoming white faces. As they sat, every white student at each table got up and moved elsewhere. Determined not to retreat, they sat and ate their lunch alone (and I assume quite embarrassed, if not defeated).

The thing is, that teenaged trailblazer grew up to be my mother. When I was a kid, that’s all she told me of her experience. She didn’t make it sound really serious or scary, but still, I think that’s all I had really been ready to hear. I guess moms know that kinda thing.

Anyway, the story faded into the back of my mind until last month, when we partnered with Cornerstone to remount “Warrior’s Don’t Cry” to honor the 50th anniversary of the Little Rock Nines’ remarkable impact on American history. Like Compassion Plays, it reminded me why I love what theater and discussion programs offer human relations work—a safe entry point, a space to see and sort through the complexities of the world, and an opportunity to momentarily step outside of ourselves and see just how much more beauty, horror, and power our stories really contain.

But it also reminded me that, even today, my mother still has a story or two to share with me. I don’t expect it to be identical to Melba’s, or like any of the Little Rock Nine’s for that matter. But whatever it was like, after experiencing this program alongside over 1,100 students in Cornerstone’s Literature to Life program, I’m more ready to hear it than ever before.

Cornerstone Theater Company: www.cornerstonetheater.org

Part Three of Three Parts

As part of the schedule of events for the conference, participants were invited to make posters that would be used at the community protest of the Washington Redskins who were playing he Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Sunday, October 14th. Since DeLanna and I agreed to participate in the protest, we also spent some time with folks making large, hand-painted posters with powerful statements. The plan was to have three groups of people protest at three key locations: 1) The Paper Mill Hotel in Appleton where the Washington Redskins players and management would load up on buses to depart for Lambeau Field, 2) Oneida’s Parish Hall where the buses would actually pass en route to Lambeau Field, and 3) the parking lot at Lambeau Field.

A sample of the more than 20 signs that were hand-painted at the “Examining Choices That Harm Our Children: Why We Should Question the Washington Redskins, Stories About Columbus, and Other Race-Based Entertainment and School Traditions” conference.

DeLanna and I joined the group at the hotel in the hopes of giving pamphlets to the Redskins players and their management so we gathered early in the morning (7 AM to be exact!) in the cold and drizzle. We were unsuccessful in distributing our materials however; we did get a lot of attention with our posters and our chants “No more Indian mascots!”

The Washington Redskins buses never made their way past Oneida’s Parish Hall (who knows what route they ended up taking to Lambeau Field) so that was unfortunate for the group that was gathered there in the cold and drizzle. Our group at Lambeau Field was much more successful! They got a lot of attention from Packers and Redskins fans alike, although it was mostly negative. But, they did get media attention, which is great when thinking about exposing this issue to a larger audience. Check out the following video news clip.

DeLanna and I had wonderful trip and we are thrilled about how “Kick” was positively received by all of our audiences. We sincerely look forward to the opportunity to travel back to Wisconsin to see and work alongside all of our dear friends and colleagues who are there.

ENCOMPASS would like to extend a very special thanks to (in no particular order):
DeLanna Studi, Actor
Barbara Munson, Facilitator (WIEA, Indian Mascot and Logo Taskforce)
Bob Munson, Tour Manager (WIEA, Indian Mascot and Logo Taskforce)
Christine Munson, Facilitator (WIEA, Indian Mascot and Logo Taskforce)
Cliff Morton (Wisconsin State Human Relations Association)
Barbara Miller (University of Wisconsin Oshkosh)
Keary Mattson (Gresham Elementary and High School)
J.P. Leary (Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction)
Dr. Stephanie Fryberg (University of Arizona)
Richie Plass (Changing Winds Advocacy Center)
Ruth Gudinas (Full Circle)
Dorothy Davids (Full Circle)
Carol and Leroy Cardinal
Carol and Harvey Gunderson
Lily Antone-Plass
Ken, Christine and Archer Munson
Brett Munson
John, Brittney and Rio Elise Greendeer
Matt and Song Stewart
The Oneida Nation
The Oneida drum circle and dancers
The Green Bay Packers (for winning Sunday’s game against the Redskins – Go Packers!)
Cheese Curds, black coffee, Grama’s homemade blackberry pie, The Apollan and Famous Dave’s BBQ (mmmmmm)
And the many others whose names I have omitted and with whom we had the pleasure of interacting with on the Wisconsin Fall 2007 “Kick” tour.

Until next time!