Diversity Collaberative Certificate Brings Review of Park 51

CCSF had a lovely Diversity Collaborative Graduation Celebration yesterday, when students received certificates, roses, and Rebecca Solnit's book HOPE IN THE DARK. Lauren Muller, IDST Department Chair, and David Palaita, founder and coordinator of the Critical Pacific Island Studies, (among others) did a great job planning and carrying this out. The students gave good, heart-felt speeches. Because I was getting a certificate for Critical Middle East/SWANA studies, I took another look at my notebooks, binders, and books--a wealth of materials for very important courses. Of special interest to me was my binder on 51 Park Street.  This morning I re-read a paper I wrote on that for one of my classes.  I called it "How the 'Monster Mosque Monument to Terror at Ground Zero' Became Park 51:  Reflections on Isllamophobia and How an Islamic Center in Lower Manhattan Affected My Sabbatical Course Study at City College of San Francisco."  But before I re-read this, I'd looked up the latest on 51 Park Street.  That's definitely enough for another blog post!

In the meantime, here's something on the Diversity Collaborative.  

https://www.ccsf.edu/en/educational-programs/school-and-departments/school-of-behavioral-and-social-sciences/diversity_collaborative.html

AFT at KQED for Pledges and Comraderie

Just got back from an afternoon of socializing and taking pledges at KQED--the first time I've done this for about 30 years!  (Kim Lee organized that one too!) 

Cruise to Tropical Islands Retirement Party Complete with Mermaid!

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/zy4bm9wfi67gzrk/AACu_dgG7tu0Gg6c7WCl5C2ia?dl=0

Dennis Johnson's Extraordinary Piano Recital--Beautiful Music and Reunion

Dennis Johnson's piano playing is beautiful, amusing, and uniting.  He plays extraordinarily well, has funny and interesting things to say, and draws a crowd!

Asian Coalition Dinner

The Asian Coalition Dinner brings together a lot of people I  like--in the parking lot, at the door, at the table (where I took off my shoes, and never needed to get up until three hours later).

Frida Kahlo Is Missing--Revising Something a Friend Saved from a Long-ago Rivera Project

Yesterday a friend I hadn't seen in years met with our mutual friend I see more often and gave us both relics from the past.  Teresa knows Mary from College of Holy Names, 1958, and she brought her magazines from that era. 

What she brought me were newer items--just 15-20 years old.  Here's something I can no longer find on my computer:

Frida Kahlo Is Missing

"I'm sorry I'm late," Sesame said sweetly, coming in five minutes before the class was over.  "But--"

"Your dog ate your clock?" Ms. Tilleman asked, immediately regretting being so sarcastic with such an apparently guileless student.  Other students, when they came in late, looked slightly annoyed, as if they thought the teacher had her nerve starting the class on time.  Or else they would make a mockery of their apology.  "I'm soooooooooooo sorry!"  But Sesame always sounded so sincere, so warm.  It was hard to even consider the death penalty as appropriate punishment in her case.

"No," Sesame said in a tone that indicated no awareness of sarcasm.  "I don't have a dog."

"I'll bet you don't have an alarm clock either," Ms. Tilleman said.

"I was interviewing someone about the Diego Rivera mural."

Ms. Tilleman refrained from asking why the interview had to take place precisely during class time and asked instead, "OH?  Who did you interview?"  (No one said Whom anymore.)

"Someone named Frida Kahlo," Sesame said.

"Sesame," Ms. Tilleman said, "Frida Kahlo is dead."

"Oh!"  Sesame said, but not in a way that registered "Well, I got caught in that lie" or even "How did I confuse the names?"  Her "Oh!" came with a look of surprise mixed with delight, as if she were thinking, "So that was a ghost I was talking to!"

"She looked so alive," Sesame said, wandering to her desk.

Ms. Tilleman had just enough time to write the homework assignment on the board.

"Research report due."

The research was on components of the Diego Rivera Pan American Unity Mural, City College's not-quite buried treasure, in which Frida Kahlo was "Center stage"--or had been until just hours before.  Sesame, who'd gotten her name from the crackers, not from the street, was on to something this time.  Something remarkable had taken place the night before.

(To be continued tomorrow!)

Senior and People with Disabilities Vote! Candidates for SF Mayor

This photo  shows how many people showed up at the CARA-sponsored forum to hear the candidates for S.F. Mayor--and they really were listening--listening and hissing when the first-to-speak candidate (Michelle Bravo) used the word "feral" to describe homeless people and then apologized, etc.

I was worried when Jane Kim, Angela Alioto, and Mark Leno hadn't shown up by 1:30, but I think Leno made it in at 1:31, and the others followed soon after, and there wasn't really a noticeable "break."  Sandra Mack, the MC who had to deal with the uncertainty, was very gracious!

We knew in advance that Richie Greenberg wasn't coming; he declined right away, and London Breed had also declined--not at first but eventually. 

The candidates who showed up were Michelle Bravo, Ellen Lee Zhou,  Amy Farah Weiss, Mark Leno, Angela Alioto, and Jane Kim.  

I think it's great that CARA invited all the candidates so we got an idea of who's out there and how they compare to one another.

I think the score card was a good idea too--holding the candidates to addressing every question and asking it again when they didn't!

Angela Alioto, Amy Farah Weiss, and Ellen Lee Zhou really stuck around for the second part, which was nice.