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When Diversity Matters Most. The Strength Lies In Differences, Not In Similarities

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Archives for February 2018

WE’VE MOVED! CENTRAL CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER

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WE’VE MOVED! We are now serving customers out of our new location at 464 12th Ave. (on the corner of East Jefferson Street and 12th Avenue). If you have questions, please call 206-684-4767.

Phone: 206-684-4767
Fax: 206-233-8561

Street Address:
464 12th Ave.
First Floor
Seattle, WA 98122

Free customer parking available in the lot behind the building. Enter the lot from East Jefferson Street.

 

Hours

9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday – Friday (except holidays)
10 a.m. – 2 p.m., Saturday (except holidays)

Passport Hours

9 a.m. – 4 p.m., Monday – Friday (except holidays)
10 a.m. – 2 p.m., Saturday (except holidays)

Closure Dates

Customer Service Centers are closed during the following days:

1/1/2018 New Year’s Day
1/10/2018 All-staff meeting
1/15/2018 Martin Luther King Jr. Day
2/19/2018 Presidents Day
5/28/2018 Memorial Day
7/4/2018 Independence Day
9/3/2018 Labor Day
11/12/2018 Veterans’ Day (observed)
11/22/2018 Thanksgiving Day
11/23/2018 Day following Thanksgiving Day
11/24/2018 Saturday following Thanksgiving
12/25/2018 Christmas

Service Alert

Attention: Comcast Customers

Beginning September 2015, we will no longer accept cable payments or equipment at the Central Customer Service Center. To pay your Comcast cable bill or return Comcast equipment, visit the Xfinity Cable Store at 900 Lenora St., Suite 116, Seattle, WA 98121.

 

Services

King County sues federal government to restore funding for science-based teen pregnancy prevention

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King County is challenging a U.S. Department of Health & Human Services decision to cancel federal teen pregnancy prevention grants that fund sexual health education developed by Public Health—Seattle & King County. The lawsuit is part of a national effort to push back against the politicization of public health initiatives. 

A lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court requests an injunction to block the administration from terminating the federal Teen Pregnancy Prevention grants two years early – and to restrain federal officials from applying an ideological bias to deny science-based projects that have been rigorously vetted and already funded by Congress. 

“The Trump administration had no legal right to eliminate the teen pregnancy prevention grants and block us from completing our research,” said Executive Constantine.

“King County created FLASH, one of the most respected sexual health education programs in the nation. Pulling back the funding completely disregards science and evidence in favor of right-wing ideology that is out of touch with reality. We are fighting back to protect women’s and young people’s health, and to continue effective programs that meet our common goals.””

Federal Way School Board President and Career Education Professional Claire Wilson to Run for State Senate in 30th District

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Wilson will challenge Republican Mark Miloscia in Democratic leaning swing district

Claire Wilson, President of the Federal Way School Board and career education professional will challenge Republican State Senator Mark Miloscia in the 30th Legislative District. Wilson, a mother of two children who attended Federal Way Schools, worked for over three decades in PreK-12 education—teaching at risk and non-traditional students before a 25-year career at the state’s largest Educational Service District, leading pre-K, parent engagement, and other programs in school districts throughout King and Pierce Counties.

“I have spent my life working to help children and families get access to education and opportunity,” said Wilson, who has worked as a school board member to improve outcomes at Federal Way Schools—including graduation rates and preparedness for career or higher education. “We need leaders in Olympia with that same commitment to helping all people, uniting communities and investing in our children and our future. Instead, we see too much partisanship and too many excuses in a State Senate that has for too long been mired in gridlock.”

Wilson, who has never sought partisan office, will run as a Democrat against longtime incumbent Miloscia, who has also run two unsuccessful statewide elections for State Auditor in the past 6 years, once as a Democrat and the other as a Republican.

“My opponent cynically changed parties to try and improve his chances at election, has carried a hardline conservative voting record, and now proven twice that he’d rather have another job than serving the people of the 30th district,” said Wilson. “I have no interest in statewide office, I am only running to continue working for the families of our region—who need leaders focused on their needs, not partisan ambitions.”

In addition to leadership on education, Wilson will focus on improving efficiency in transportation investments and protecting health care access and affordability—issues central to a strong local economy and healthy, secure families.

“We are a growing region with a strong economy, but when too many of us are stuck in traffic and too many working people, women, and seniors are struggling with access to quality, affordable health care, something is very wrong,” said Wilson. “We can hold transportation agencies accountable to taxpayers—not to create political problems and delays, but to streamline delivery of highway improvements, light rail and other transit needs. On health care, we need strong policies that reject Federal rollbacks of Medicare and family planning, and make sure we direct needed funds to mental health coverage for children.”

Wilson, who will formally kick of her campaign in the coming weeks, intends to run a strong door-to-door campaign meeting with voters throughout the district, which includes Federal Way, parts of Auburn and Milton.

“I’m excited to continue meeting with voters to discuss issues and hear ideas on how we can unite around common values to solve problems,” said Wilson. “There is so much divisiveness in our politics these days—we need a positive approach focused on the need of people, not parties and special interests.”

Celebrates Everyday Heroes with Record Breaking Attendance for Black Panther Screening

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Photocredit; JBryson istockphoto. AARP Ohio celebrated family caregivers, Ohio’s everyday heroes, with record-breaking crowd of more than 1,000 for Black Panther screening in Cleveland at the Valley View Cinemark. (PRNewsfoto/AARP Ohio)

More than 1,000 people attended the Movies for Grownups™ free screening of Black Panther , breaking a previous attendance record. The free event was part of AARP’s national screening taking place in 80+ markets and was designed to be a celebration of the 1.5 million everyday heroes who are providing unpaid care to a family member, spouse or friend.

“Family caregivers are the backbone of our care system in America. We need to make it easier for them to coordinate care for their loved ones, get information and resources, and take a break so they can rest and recharge,” said AARP Ohio State Director Barbara A. Sykes. “This type of event is fun, free and we can include helpful information and access to resources.”

There are approximately 40 million family caregivers in the U.S., according to AARP. The unpaid care that family caregivers provide helps delay or prevents costly nursing home care, which is often paid for by Medicaid.

The majority (60%) of caregivers are employed full- or part-time. Although many people may think of caregivers as being older adults, 25% of family caregivers are millennials under age 35 and 1 in 5 African Americans are currently providing short or long-term caregiving to someone close to them.

Family caregivers take on a range of tasks including managing medications, helping with bathing and dressing, preparing and feeding meals, arranging transportation, and handling financial and legal matters, and African-American caregivers face unique challenges:

    • The majority of African-American family caregivers are much younger than the average general market counterparts (44.2 years old vs. 52.5 old) and are the primary caregivers, providing all or most of the care, without the assistance of paid help
    • Compared with the average population of family caregivers, African-Americans are more likely to spend more than 21 hours per week caregiving
    • 1 in 3 African-American family caregivers are “sandwiched,” caring for a child or grandchild under the age of 18 in the same household

Terri Eason is a working professional, a mother of two teenagers and also provides care for her 96-year old grandmother. She helped promote the event with the Cleveland Chapter of the Jack and Jill of America, Inc. and says “having the privilege of caring for your loved one is definitely rewarding, but that doesn’t take away the stress. The family dynamic changes and there are some challenges created when a loved one is determined to remain independent and age in place, I appreciate AARP’s focus on providing relevant info for caregivers like myself.”

Videos, articles, forums and books like AARP’s Juggling Life, Work, and Caregiving are examples of the caregiving resources, many of them free, available from AARP to help families prepare for new roles.

“We want to make the transition less stressful and allow families to enjoy more quality time together,” added Sykes.

AARP supports the more than 40 million family caregivers nationwide who provide unpaid short-term or long-term care to a parent, spouse, friend or other adult loved one in need. For more information about caregiving resources, visit www.aarp.org/caregiving or call 1-877-333-5885.

To read the full report, visit www.aarp.org/2017roleschangesurvey.

Additional resources:

Racial And Gender Bias At Work Harmful For Women Of Color And Their Health

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New Research Shows Unfair Treatment of Asian, Black, Latinx and Multiracial Women in US Workplaces Is Detrimental to Both Employees and Companies

In Spite of Challenges, Women of Color Continue to Be Driven to Succeed and Contribute at Work

 

Catalyst today released a new report, Day-to-Day Experiences of Emotional Tax Among Women and Men of Color in the Workplace, finding that a majority of women of color—specifically individuals who identify with Asian, Black, Latinx and multiracial backgrounds—experience an “Emotional Tax” in US workplaces affecting their overall health, well-being and ability to thrive. As a result of some workplaces undervaluing their unique contributions, as well as acts of bias or discrimination in society, women of color are in a constant state of being “on guard” because of their gender, race and/or ethnicity.

“Women of color continue to deal with some of the workplace’s most entrenched hurdles, such as pay inequities and near invisibility in top leadership roles, as well as daunting roadblocks that stifle the meaningful dialogue that would help make real progress,” says Dnika J. Travis, PhD, Vice President, Research, Catalyst. “Over time, these daily battles take a heavy toll on women of color, creating a damaging link between their health and the workplace. And because of consequences associated with Emotional Tax, companies must begin to take intentional action to avoid possible harm to their businesses and employees’ health and well-being.”

Key findings include:

  • Emotional Tax—There is an undue burden levied on women of color because of exclusionary behaviors, affecting their overall health and well-being as well as making them feel constantly on guard. The 58% of Asian, Black and Latinx employees who are on guard report they are also more likely to have sleep problems. This loss of sleep also jeopardizes employees’ productivity and ability to fully contribute at work. In addition, being on guard factors into their career decision-making, with 38% reporting they are more likely to frequently consider leaving their jobs.
  • On Guard—When feeling on guard, women of color feel they have to outwork and outperform their colleagues. Asian women (51%), Black women (58%), Latinas (56%) and multiracial women (52%) all report being highly on guard. Over 40% of Asian, Black, Latinx and multiracial employees feel on guard because they anticipate racial/ethnic bias. Multiracial women (58%), who identify as two or more of Asian, Black and Latina, are the most likely to be on guard due to their race/ethnicity.
  • Highly Motivated Top Talent—Despite being on guard, nearly 90% of women of color want to be influential leaders, have challenging and intellectually stimulating work, obtain high-ranking positions and stay at the same company. Asian, Black and Latinx employees who are highly on guard also report higher creativity (81%) and are more likely to speak up (79%)—demonstrating the benefit to companies of attracting and retaining top talent from all backgrounds.

In addition to examining women of color, the report’s data reveal the Emotional Tax experiences of men of color in US workplaces: over one-quarter of Asian, Black, Latinx and multiracial men who are on guard anticipate bias because of their gender, and, in general, far more experience Emotional Tax. Through its Engaging Men efforts and Men Advocating Real Change community, Catalyst believes men of color may also be penalized for demonstrating “masculine behaviors” such as being assertive—even though they are well-positioned to be allies for gender equality—while White men often are rewarded for exhibiting the same mannerisms.

“Women and men of color have unique talents and valuable creativity that adds up to a highly motivated and talented group of employees. Your employees should not only be fully leveraged to help address the country’s limited pool of talent, but they also bring a wealth of benefits and a competitive edge to companies,” says Deborah Gillis, President and CEO, Catalyst. “In times of talent and skill scarcity, companies must focus inward on employee retention and create inclusive workplaces; otherwise, every business becomes vulnerable to a major talent drain.”

The Day-to-Day Experiences of Emotional Tax Among Women and Men of Color in the Workplace findings are based on a survey of nearly 1,600 professionals working in corporate and non-corporate organizations—including nonprofits, educational institutions or government entities—in the United States at the time of data collection.

The report builds on a previously released Catalyst report, Emotional Tax: How Black Women and Men Pay More at Work and How Leaders Can Take Action (October 2016), focusing only on Black women and men. The term Emotional Tax was coined in the first report by Catalyst researchers Dnika Travis, PhD, Jennifer Thorpe-Moscon, PhD and Courtney McCluney, PhD.

Learn more or download the full report, Day-to-Day Experiences of Emotional Tax Among Women and Men of Color in the Workplace, at catalyst.org.

Join the social conversation following Catalyst on Facebook.com/catalystinc, Instagram.com/catalystinc and Twitter.com/catalystinc. Use the hashtags #EmotionalTax and #WomenOfColorAtWork.

About Catalyst
Catalyst is a global nonprofit working with some of the world’s most powerful CEOs and leading companies to help build workplaces that work for women. Founded in 1962, Catalyst drives change with pioneering research, practical tools, and proven solutions to accelerate and advance women into leadership—because progress for women is progress for everyone.

What’s Missing from What You’re Hearing About Washington’s Budget

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Last June, Gov. Jay Inslee made headlines when he signed a state budget totaling $43.4 billion in spending for 2017-19. Which of the following statements about that budget is true?

A. State spending will grow 15.3% by 2019.
B. State spending will grow 6.1% by 2019.
C. State spending will grow 3.2% by 2019.
D. State spending will grow 0.27% by 2019.

If you chose any answer, congratulations: you’re right (technically)! Let me tell you why – and what you can do with the often-contradictory things you hear about the state budget.

A. “State spending will grow 15.3% by 2019”

Washington’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 budget was $19.6 billion, and the FY 2019 budget is $22.6 billion, which is a 15.3% increase.[1] A “double-digit increase” isn’t only helpful for writing catchy headlines – it’s also useful rhetorical bait for conservative and anti-tax (well, anti-tax for the wealthy) activists. But this easy-to-understand calculation is also a pretty misleading one, as we’ll see below.

B. “State spending will grow 6.1% by 2019”

This figure takes inflation into account. Like every market, the amount the state pays for workers and goods changes from year-to-year – usually upward. So unless we account for inflation, simply comparing one budget year to another isn’t “apples-to-apples”.

Here’s an illustration of the difference – in the graph below, the “nominal” line shows spending in current dollars, while the “real” line show the equivalent amounts in 2017 dollars.

Adjusted for inflation, FY 2019 spending ($20.8 billion) will be 6.1% higher than FY 2017 ($19.6 billion) – less than half the increase shown in answer A). But some important information is still missing.

C. “State spending will grow 3.2% by 2019”

Since Washington is a growing state – with just over 6 million people residing here in 2002, and more than 7.6 million projected in 2019 – our budget and spending comparisons also need to account for the fact that the cost of public structures and services goes up as population increases.[3]

To account for population change, we can use the same nominal and real numbers from above and divide by the state’s population for the corresponding year to get spending per capita:

SEATTLE ART MUSEUM ANNOUNCES MANISH ENGINEER AS ITS FIRST CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER

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The Seattle Art Museum (SAM) announced today that Manish Engineer has joined its executive team as the museum’s first Chief Technology Officer (CTO). This newly created position oversees technology and digital efforts across the institution to amplify the museum’s mission and improve business operations.

 

“As our first CTO, Manish will lead the museum to greater levels of engagement with exciting new technologies in support of SAM’s mission to connect art to life,” says Kimerly Rorschach, Illsley Ball Nordstrom Director and CEO. “His expertise, experience, and genuine love of art will help us deploy technology to serve broad audiences more effectively than ever.”

 

Prior to SAM, Engineer worked at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) as a Project Director in the membership and development departments. He also worked as MoMA’s IT Associate Director of Applications, overseeing their financial systems, internal mobile point of sale app, and e-commerce platform, along with several other museum applications and databases.

 

Engineer also worked at Penguin Random House on several high profile projects developing apps and complex e-books for former First Lady Michelle Obama, Giada De Laurentiis, and Max Brooks’ World War Z novel.

 

Prior to Penguin Random House, Engineer spent eight years at computer technology firm Oracle Corporation as a Principal Consultant and Senior Product Manager. As Principal Consultant, he worked on a variety of customer vertical markets, including telecom, higher education, and government agencies implementing customer relationship management (CRM) applications. As Senior Product Manager, Engineer managed and designed analytics for CRM applications.

 

He holds a Master of Arts degree in contemporary art from Sotheby’s Institute of Art, as well as an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. He has an undergraduate degree from The Ohio State University in computer science and engineering. For fun, he has previously performed stand-up comedy throughout New York and held volunteer positions at the Guggenheim and MoMA. He is looking forward to some quality coffee in Seattle.

 

The Body Is Not an Apology

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REVOLUTIONARY NEW BOOK REVEALS THE INTERSECTION OF RADICAL SELF-LOVE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

The Body Is Not an Apology

The Power of Radical Self-Love

By Sonya Renee Taylor

 

THE BODY IS NOT AN APOLOGY is a radical, merciful, transformational book that will give you deep insights, inspiration and concrete tools for launching the revolution right inside your own beloved body. Written from deep experience, with a force of catalytic energy and so much love. 

— Eve Ensler author of The Vagina Monologues, In the Body of the World

 

In a revolutionary departure from the corporate self-help and body-positivity movement, Sonya Renee Taylor examines the intersection of radical self-love and social justice in her new book, The Body Is Not an Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, February 13, 2018, ISBN 978-1626569768).

 

This book identifies the correlation between systems of oppression and our relationships to our bodies. Taylor points out that this culture of apologizing for our bodies is shaped by how mass media treats identities that deviate from the “norm.” This book is for readers whose race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, physical ability, and mental health, among other factors, have ever led them to apologize. This book, further, celebrates our varying intersectional identities by providing inquiries, reflections, and tools for practicing radical self-love.

 

Language forms our relationship to our body and, as Taylor suggests, must also be used as a tool to change how we experience our bodies. Radical self-love is ultimately within and this book challenges its readers to return to their roots and become truly unapologetic.

 

Systems of oppression thrive off of people’s inability to make peace with bodies and difference. Only when people develop the ability to honor differences and radically accept themselves will they finally have the capacity and desire to apply those skills to the larger world. Not only does radical self-love dismantle our shame and self-loathing, but it also has the power to dismantle global systems of injustice. When people make peace with their bodies, they will finally have the capacity to truly make peace with the bodies of others.

 

Sonya Renee Taylor is an activist, international award winning-performance poet, and the founder and Radical Executive Officer of The Body Is Not an Apology, a digital media and education company committed to radical self-love and body empowerment as the foundational tool for social justice and global transformation.

 

More Praise for the Book:

 

“The Body Is Not an Apology is a gift, a blessing, a prayer, a reminder, a sacred text. This book cracked me open in ways that I’m so grateful for. I know it will do the same for you.”

—Alicia Garza, cocreator of the Black Lives Matter Global Network and Strategy + Partnerships Director, National Domestic Workers Alliance

 

“Through lucid and courageous self-revelation, Sonya Renee Taylor shows us how to realize the revolutionary potential of self-love. ‘The body is not an apology’ is the mantra we should all embrace.”

—Kimberlé Crenshaw, legal scholar and founder and Executive Director, African American Policy Forum

 

Legendary Performer and Civil Rights Activist Honored on New Forever Stamp

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Newest Addition to Black Heritage Stamp Series

The U.S. Postal Service today celebrates the life and legacy of Lena Horne as the 41st honoree in the Black Heritage stamp series during a first-day-of-issue ceremony at Peter Norton Symphony Space.

“Today, we honor the 70-year career of a true American legend,” said Deputy Postmaster General Ronald Stroman, who dedicated the stamp. “With this Forever stamp, the Postal Service celebrates a woman who used her platform as a renowned entertainer to become a prolific voice for civil rights advancement and gender equality.”

Joining Stroman to unveil the stamp were Gail Lumet Buckley, an author and Horne’s daughter; Christian Steiner, photographer; and Amy Niles, president and chief executive officer, WBGO Radio.

The stamp art features a photograph of Lena Horne taken by Christian Steiner in the 1980s. Kristen Monthei colorized the original black-and-white photo using a royal blue for the dress, a color Horne frequently wore. Monthei also added a background reminiscent of Horne’s Stormy Weather album, with a few clouds to add texture and to subtly evoke the album title. Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamp. Share the news of the stamp using the hashtags #LenaHorneForever and #BlackHeritageStamps.

Background on Lena Horne

Born in Brooklyn, NY, on June 30, 1917, Horne was a trailblazer in Hollywood for women of color and used her fame to inspire Americans as a dedicated activist for civil rights.

Horne began her career as a dancer at Harlem’s Cotton Club and later became a featured vocalist with touring orchestras. The rampant racial discrimination she encountered from audiences, hotel and venue managers and others was so disconcerting that she stopped touring, and in 1941, she made her move to Hollywood. A year later, she signed a contract with MGM — one of the first long-term contracts with a major Hollywood studio — with the stipulation that she would never be asked to take stereotypical roles then available to black actors. Her most famous movie roles were in Cabin in the Sky and Stormy Weather, both released in 1943.

During World War II, Horne entertained at camps for black servicemen, and after the war worked on behalf of Japanese Americans who were facing discriminatory housing policies. She worked with Eleanor Roosevelt in pressing for anti-lynching legislation. In the 1960s, Horne continued her high-profile work for civil rights, performing at rallies in the South, supporting the work of the National Council for Negro Women, and participating in the 1963 March on Washington.

Horne’s awards and honors include a special Tony Award for her one-woman Broadway show, Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music; three Grammy Awards; the NAACP Spingarn Medal; and the Actors Equity Paul Robeson Award. She was a Kennedy Center Honors recipient in 1984, and her name is among those on the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame at the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site.

Customers may purchase the Lena Horne Forever stamp at The Postal Store at usps.com/shop, by calling 800-STAMP24 (800-782-6724) and at Post Office facilities nationwide. A variety of stamps and collectibles also are available at ebay.com/stamps.

 

Ordering First-Day-of-Issue Postmarks

Customers have 60 days to obtain first-day-of-issue postmarks by mail. They may purchase new stamps at local Post Office facilities, at The Postal Store usps.com/shop or by phone at

800-STAMP-24. They must affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes to themselves or others and place them in envelopes addressed to:

 

FDOI – Lena Horne Stamp
USPS Stamp Fulfillment Services

8300 NE Underground Drive, Suite 300
Kansas City, MO  64144-9900

 

After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for postmarks up to a quantity of 50. For more than 50, customers are charged 5 cents each. All orders must be postmarked by March 30, 2018.

 

Ordering First-Day Covers

The Postal Service also offers first-day covers for new stamps and stationery items postmarked with the official first-day-of-issue cancellation. Each item has an individual catalog number and is offered in the USA Philatelic Publication and online at usps.com/shop. Customers may register to receive a free USA Philatelic Publication online at usps.com/philatelic .

 

Philatelic Products

Philatelic products for this stamp issue are as follows:

476906, Press Sheet with Die-cut, $60.00.

476910, Digital Color Postmark Keepsake, $11.95.

476916, First-Day Cover, $0.94.

476921, Digital Color Postmark, $1.65.

476924, Framed Art, $39.95.

476930, Ceremony Program, $6.95.

 

Many of this year’s other stamps may be viewed on Facebook at facebook.com/USPSStamps or via Twitter @USPSstamps.

 

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

FREE Swim Clinic for South Sound residents

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Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc, Metro Parks Tacoma, Girls Scouts of America, and Hearts on Fire have joined forces to host a free swim clinic for South Sound residents on Saturday, February 24, 2018, from 12:30-2:30 PM at People’s Pool in Tacoma. Over 115 participants from ages 7 to 70 are registered to attend this event. 
 
The partnership with Sigma Gamma Rho is a groundbreaking initiative that seeks to strengthen USA Swimming’s commitment to Diversity and Inclusion by partnering with Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. to increase swim participation and decrease drowning rates in the community. In keeping with USA Swimming’s core objectives: Build the Base – Promote the Sport – Achieve Competitive Success and the Sigma Gamma Rho motto of Greater Service, Greater Progress, these organizations come together to affect change and influence the community of black women and girls.