Fools Mission recently collected stories about the State of the Union from friends and fools alike, and now you can read them here! On Sunday, January 25, 2015, over 20 of us gathered at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Redwood City to participate in the first People’s State of the Union.
A national initiative sponsored by the U.S. Department of Art and Culture (USDAC—NOT a government agency), the program asked an intriguing question: What if the annual State of the Union was not a speech spoken by one, but a poem created by many? Participants had three themes to choose from:
- Tell a story about a moment you felt true belonging—or the opposite—in this country or in your community.
- Describe an experience that showed you something new or important about the state of our union.
- Share about a time you stood together with people in your community.
More than 150 events nationwide contributed stories to a diverse group of 20 poets at the USDAC, who integrated them into a collective poem that went out on a live webcast on February 1. You can see the performance here, beginning at the 30-minute mark of the video:
People’s State of the Union
howlround.com/livestreaming-the-peoples-state-of-the-union-2015-poetic-address-to-the-nation-sun-feb-1-psotu
These are the stories that Fools Mission collected for the People’s State of the Union. You might notice that the stories are as diverse as the contributors. For example, some first-generation immigrants extoll the benefits of living in the U.S.—emphasizing their gratitude for opportunities to feed, educate, and provide healthcare for their children. Other immigrants—typically Fools Mission regulars over a period of years—felt empowered to go deeper and share stories about police harassment, bullying, and encounters with immigration officers. Established citizens new to Fools Mission spoke in the abstract about democracy, diversity, and racism; while those with experience accompanying others through the system spoke in more concrete terms. Because life itself is a mixed bag, each story revealed important truths about the State of the Union in 2015.
Thomas Atwood: Multiculturalism is Our Teacher
As an organizer with Fools Mission , I have many experiences that show me new and important things about the state of our union. Every day at Fools Mission , we get to meet people whose lives are different from our own because of social boundaries such as class, language, culture, or immigration status. By accompanying people in bureaucratic situations like courtrooms, school districts, disability offices, applications for public benefits, or medical appointments, we get to see “the system” at its best—and also at its worst. Sometimes, service providers treat people with dignity and respect, even those who lack the trappings of wealth and privilege. Too often, the classism and racism embedded in our institutions become painfully obvious.
Our supportive companionship provides a “street-level learning” experience that you can’t find in books. Undocumented immigrants work hard to make our way of life possible. When you witness personally how deportations tear families apart, it is no longer an abstract news story. It becomes an act of witness to a seemingly endless parade of police harassment, punitive fines, missed deadlines, evictions, unsympathetic social workers, denied claims, school expulsions, zero-balance food stamp accounts, and harsh judgments. We have seen people of color face situations that white people would never encounter under similar circumstances.
One of our many privileges as middle class fools is to build friendship and community across these artificial boundaries through witness, accompaniment, advocacy, and the arts. I am proud to be a fool—and to discover the extraordinary resourcefulness, creativity, intelligence, resilience, and strength in the people we meet.
See Thomas’ story on the website of the U.S. Department of Art and Culture: peoplesstateoftheunion.usdac.us/multiculturalism-is-our-teacher/
Martin Cordoso: Oppressive Eviction
I want to tell you about something that’s going on right now. One day, you can be very happy, then everything falls apart. We were very happy in our apartment for eight years. Then we asked the landlord to repair our stove, which was spurting flames into the air in our kitchen. He refused to repair the stove, and then he served us with a 60-day eviction notice. We’re in a dark moment now that we’re being evicted. It’s really good to have Fools Mission standing with us during our time of trouble.
See Martin’s story on the website of the U.S. Department of Art and Culture: peoplesstateoftheunion.usdac.us/oppressive-eviction/
Maria Delgadillo: Speaking for the Undocumented
My intention was to come to this country because at my home I could not find the resources for my daughter to have a better life. Here I have found a better possibility for school. At the same time, because my daughter is undocumented and right now she is on her way to college, she has been feeling sad because did not qualify for scholarships because she is undocumented. Even though I have problems I am still fighting to better myself because in my country there is a lot of corruption.
One of the things that I like is that all of the rules the government gives are followed. I would like to find a way to see to it that my daughter can get to the dream. I thank you because not enough people speak for the undocumented.
See Maria’s story on the website of the U.S. Department of Art and Culture: peoplesstateoftheunion.usdac.us/speaking-for-the-undocumented/
Jasmine Diaz: Grateful for Opportunities to Share
I am on vacation from Mexico. When I got here, I imagined that I would be only with my sister, but Thomas has adopted her and she has got to meet a lot of people. In her country she does not spend time with others in meetings and share her thoughts. She loves how everyone has an opportunity to share thoughts. When she meets she sees that things are well put in order for people to share thoughts. From what she has heard she feels that everyone can share thoughts. In this country she is proud that everyone has an opportunity. Her baby was born here, and she thinks that she will stay here to take advantage of the opportunities that this country has to offer.
See Jasmine’s story on the website of the U.S. Department of Art and Culture: peoplesstateoftheunion.usdac.us/gratitude-for-opportunities-to-share/
Luis Galiego: Opportunities to Serve the Community
Last year I felt part of this community. I was healthy, and could help other people. I was in college, and the school offered tax preparation services to low income families free of charge. I worked to help people prepare their tax returns.
See Luis’ story on the website of the U.S. Department of Art and Culture: peoplesstateoftheunion.usdac.us/opportunities-to-serve-the-community/
Luis Galiego, Jr.: What I’m Learning in School
I’m learning about Olympic Champion Wilma Rudolph in school. We saw a video about her, and then we went to lunch after.
See Luis Jr.’s story on the website of the U.S. Department of Art and Culture: peoplesstateoftheunion.usdac.us/what-im-learning-in-school/
Berenice Gonzalez: Gratitude for This Country
I identify myself just like them (looking at the other women). I am a single mom, and could not imagine being one in Mexico. This country has given me and my kids a lot. If I was in Mexico, my kids would not have been able to participate in sports. There it was hard for my mom to feed all five of her children. Here I can get whatever they want for my kids.
We have a saying in Mexico: “Take advantage of opportunity.” I have strived to do my best in every job and have been able to move up to a manager and such. Here we can set high goals and we can get to them. I thank God that He brought me back. I had left and He brought me back. Regardless of your status, you get help. You can set your mind to very high goals. I am grateful for this country.
See Berenice’s story on the website of the U.S. Department of Art and Culture: peoplesstateoftheunion.usdac.us/gratitude-for-my-country/
Linda LaCount: Fitting In Despite Everything
I’m touched by these stories—mine is different. I was ashamed in my life when I was around very wealthy and educated people. I decided to cope with it by spending more time with them. I developed a “voice” of my own when I was around people with a different point of view.
Now I make it a point to spend time with people of privilege whenever I can. I do dance improvisation, which is something I see as a “quiet action.”
See Linda’s story on the website of the U.S. Department of Art and Culture: peoplesstateoftheunion.usdac.us/fitting-in-despite-everything/
Maria Martinez: Gratitude and Stress
I have a little girl three years old. The doctors detected diabetes. It has been difficult because she is at an age where she wants everything. I don’t know if I am doing right with regard to what my daughter needs. Here we have the opportunity to get help, but in my country it would have been harder for her. We decided to come to the U.S. to look out for our children. We have an older daughter. I do have a lot of help from others in this country. In this case for my three-year-old daughter, she has been receiving help for medical—but in Mexico, she would not have received the help. She is currently receiving her treatment, but thanks to God I do not pay a dollar. Slowly we have continued our lives, but it is hard for me being the mother of a child so young with this sort of illness. In my country it is rare to hear of a child with diabetes. That’s what I like about this country, because here we receive a lot of help.
At our apartment, we got two months notice so I have to move out. It is not fair, because there are people who do not pay their rent and I pay mine. Right now there is no law that can help because I don’t have a contract. Rent has gone up and it is very stressful and a lot of people are still getting minimum wage. Sometimes we don’t agree with things that have happened. A lot of us who are in this country we might be able in Mexico to own our homes but not have enough money for school, for food, and medical treatment. There is more opportunity here.
See Maria’s story on the website of the U.S. Department of Art and Culture: peoplesstateoftheunion.usdac.us/gratitude-and-stress/
Macrina Mota: The Strength of Witness and Accompaniment
I want to talk about when we stood together with people in our community. I think I was a leader before Silvia Ramirez “discovered” me. I was always defending people in school districts or with the police, especially when the people don’t speak English. In the late 1980s, I never felt like I belonged in high school. The black person next to me was always bullying me. One day, after he tripped me, I promised myself that I would learn English, no matter how.
Not knowing your rights makes it hard to belong to this country. When Immigration officers arrested me, they pushed me very hard in front of my children. They made me feel like garbage.
Then the community started supporting me. I felt like we were doing justice for something important. I met people in PICO (People Improving Communities through Organizing) and PIA (Peninsula Interfaith Action) who helped me to fight my case. I can see the strength it gave me to have accompaniment from Fools Mission to witness my struggles in courts and school districts, and the great difference it made in my life. When the immigration judge granted my case, she said, “You belong to this country and you’re going to be there with your kids.
See Macrina’s story on the website of the U.S. Department of Art and Culture: peoplesstateoftheunion.usdac.us/the-strength-of-witness-and-accompaniment/
Veronica Palmer: Historical Ideals Subverted By Facts
I want to share an experience that taught me new and important things about the State of the Union. As a child, I had a great love for history. I swallowed everything they told me in school about the history of our country. As a young adult in the 70s, I began to sense that something was going wrong in our country. I was a strong supporter of the ideals expressed in our Constitution.
But over the next 20 years, I spent an enormous amount of time on my own learning about things that were contrary to what I learned in school. I learned that We the People don’t really control our government. I learned that our leaders are beholden to a very small group of powerful people who influence our elections with huge amounts of money. Secret documents show that our leaders haven’t been honest in their dealings with other countries. It was very painful to learn that the things we want for our families and our nation simply aren’t happening.
See Veronica’s story on the website of the U.S. Department of Art and Culture: peoplesstateoftheunion.usdac.us/historical-ideals-subverted-by-the-facts/
Silvia Ramirez: Standing Up to Fear
A few years ago I was working for a non-profit. Even though I didn’t have legal status, I worked with people from different races and faiths. It was difficult to be driving in my car with other leaders while the police were following us. What if I get deported? What will happen to my children?
I decided that I had to work very hard to fit in with this country. I built relationships with law enforcement officers and worked with them on community relations. I got to know Police Chiefs, Sheriffs, California Highway Patrol officers, and immigration (ICE) officers. This is how I created an experience of belonging.
One day I was stopped by an immigration officer at the airport. He asked me for my papers to prove I was a citizen. “Why are you asking me this?” I asked him. “I’m not leaving the country. Show me the written policy that says you can ask me for this. I have a constitutional right not to show you this.” He said that he would “let me go this time.” It showed me how important it is to know my rights, and I have organized many “Know Your Rights” events in the Latino community over the years.
See Silvia’s story on the website of the U.S. Department of Art and Culture: peoplesstateoftheunion.usdac.us/standing-up-to-fear/
Melinda Smith: Hearts and Minds Will Achieve Equality
Something that has been on my mind the last month or two is the news about the shooting in Ferguson and the young man who was killed in New York. Newspaper articles that I have seen show me that, although we have civil rights and everyone should be treated equally, in many ways we are not there yet. I have been exposed to a lot of thinking about social justice and the kind of bad or misplaced action that comes when we think in terms of “the other.” We can project bad things on others and think that we have to control them, think that someone is not equal to us. Aside from sadness and concern about the actual events, these ideas have caused me to identify times I might think in terms of “the other.” I try to work on my own heart and mind and I hope that our country, including police forces and legislators, can make progress on how certain members of our society are treated.
See Melinda’s story on the website of the U.S. Department of Art and Culture: peoplesstateoftheunion.usdac.us/hearts-and-minds-will-achieve-equality/
David Vallerga: Everyone Is Entitled to Respect
I will speak about the third topic: “Share about at time you stood together with people in your community.” As part of a Fools Mission activity I met a young man who was being kicked out of his high school because the district claimed he was not a resident. The district spent thousands of dollars trying to deny him access to this school. He was a hard working student and did have an address within the district, but because he was the son of immigrants and did not have a lot of money he had to share a room and could not prove that he actually slept in the bed. The closet also had less of his clothing than they thought he should have.
His mother and he were able to get him back into the school. An important part of what impressed me was that from beginning to end the district showed them a lack of respect. Every human being is entitled to respect. In fact, when we look at the problems in the country, even including Ferguson, we could go a long way to resolving them by giving every person the respect that they deserve.
See David’s story on the website of the U.S. Department of Art and Culture: peoplesstateoftheunion.usdac.us/everyone-is-entitled-to-respect/
Barbara Weinstein: Standing With the American People
In Transition Palo Alto, we get involved in seeking local solutions to environmental problems. Six of us meet monthly to share what we are doing. Sometimes we just talk about our lives and never get to the agenda.
One evening, everyone talked about what was happening. One was grieving because his close friend died of cancer; one needed to find a new place to live because the owner was selling his house; and two others are thinking that they might need to leave the Bay Area because they cannot afford rent or the cost of living. One has plenty of work and activity, but feels a great sense of despair and sadness about what is happening in the world.
I thought it was a sign of what is happening in our country. It made me feel close to the people there and the others in the country.
See Barbara’s story on the website of the U.S. Department of Art and Culture: peoplesstateoftheunion.usdac.us/standing-with-the-american-people/
Gesela Zamora: Triumph Through Language Learning
When I was nine years old, in my fourth grade class, I didn’t understand a word that was being said because I didn’t speak any English. I remember not having a clue what was going on in class. Many students who sat with me in class teased and harassed me. The only thing I enjoyed about school was singing. For many years, I just didn’t want to be in school.
Finally, I found out that one of my neighbors spoke Spanish. She helped me in class by sitting next to me and explaining what the teachers were saying. Later, another classmate came in from Vietnam, and she also struggled very hard to keep up. Eventually, we got into English classes that helped a lot, but it took me five or six years to learn English. I knew that I had to learn the language, because I felt that I was bothering my bilingual neighbor, who had to turn in her own work.
Today, I am a bilingual interpreter who provides prompt translation at public meetings. I overcame many obstacles in my life by committing myself to learn English, and training my mind to remember what people were saying in both languages.
See Gesela’s story on the website of the U.S. Department of Art and Culture: peoplesstateoftheunion.usdac.us/triumph-through-language-learning/
David Zamora: Happy for Friends of Different Colors
In our school, our Physical Education teacher taught us about Martin Luther King as a true hero who risked his life for people of color. He helped people in the South who had to eat and live separate from white people. His dream of helping black people use the same restaurants and rest rooms as whites came true.
I’m happy that Martin Luther King risked his life for others. I’m happy for friends of different colors. Thanks to the struggles of Martin Luther King, I can have them in my life.
See David’s story on the website of the U.S. Department of Art and Culture: peoplesstateoftheunion.usdac.us/happy-for-friends-of-different-colors/