Latino Community Development position eliminated at WSU

Following is an appeal, on behalf of José L. García-Pabón, Ph. D. of Washington State University. Please share this information with others who might also be concerned.

Dear friends and colleagues,

I’m writing this note to you to make you aware that my department, Community and Rural Sociology, at Washington State University will be eliminated as part of the University budget cuts. The elimination of CRS, and consequently the elimination of my position as Latino Community Development specialist is very disturbing to me and my family, but beyond that it will likely have an impact on the Latino community, since once this position is gone, it will likely be permanently gone. That is, nobody at the College of Agriculture, Human and Natural Resources and at WSU Extension will be working with the community and building a WSU Latino program. If I am gone:

1) I won’t be able to continue conducting the trainings and institutes on strategies to better serve the Latino community that are helping WSU Extension educators and many service providers to increase their work with and services to Latinos.

2) I won’t be able to partner with WSU Extension in Franklin and other counties to support and develop programs targeting Latino families (such as the Pathways literacy program in Pasco).

3) I won’t be able to provide information and assistance to Latinos in rural areas and small towns, in particular those involved in agriculture.

4) I won’t be able to partner with nonprofit and community organizations to help them provide more and better services to the Latino community or contribute to Latino-related boards and steering committees (such as the TC Hispanic Chamber of Commerce).

5) I won’t be able to partner with other researchers (WSU and other universities) to conduct culturally appropriate research with the Latino community to better understand the community, its trends, its needs and issues in order to develop effective outreach programs.

6) I won’t be able to help decrease the misunderstandings and stereotypes about Latinos, since I have given many presentations about who we are, what we do, what our contributions are, how diverse Latinos are, etc.

7) I won’t be able to educate WSU students, through guest lectures and campus presentations about issues impacting our community but also about the Latino contribution to economic development.

8) The diversity of WSU and its efforts to reflect the demographics of our state will be reduced.

You can send your reactions or letters back to me or my departmental chair, Ray
Jussaume (rajussaume@wsu.edu) about this situation as soon as you can, due to the short window for comments. Please feel free to forward/share this situation with others.

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,
Jose

José L. García-Pabón, Ph. D.
Latino Community Development Specialist
and
Assistant Professor in Community and Rural Sociology
Washington State University
509-372-7389

There's going to be a march today!

...But I'm not sure how many people will be involved this year. Any guesses?

WHEN: Today, 3:30-6:30pm
WHERE: Starts at St. Mary's Church Street, 611 20th Ave S., Seattle

In Seattle, workers will once again mark the day with a march drawing the connection between worker and immigrant rights. When this happened a few years back, 10,000 showed up--and it showed everyone that there really was a Latino population in Seattle! This one is not likely to be as big...but when folks have a cause, and the sun's out ...

V-Me - a unique media opportunity

For sponsors and viewers alike, KCTS' local V-Me affiliate is a fantastic opportunity to benefit from quality programming en español. V-Me staffers are also involved in the community through its outreach programs. Visit their site for more details.

What channel is it on?

In Seattle and Western Washington:

• Over Air - Digital 9.2
• Comcast Digital Cable - 119

In Yakima and Central Washington:

• Over Air - Digital 47.2
• Charter Digital Cable - 297

Watch it and you'll see!

Native Spanish-Speaking Usability/UX Specialist Available

For those of you in the Seattle area still hiring or looking to fill gaps left by layoffs, I'd like you to know about a native Spanish-speaking Latina professional who's available to start work right away! Part time, full time, or consultation!

Laura is a usability / UX specialist that through review, research, testing and analysis makes sure the user interface of clients' websites is effective and intuitive to the target audience. Most recently she worked in this capacity at Blink Interactive, even conducting Spanish usability testing, for clients such as Microsoft, Flexcar, Getty Images and Amazon. Laura has a certificate from UW in user-centered design, and is available today for freelance, full-time, or even consult for a quick web usability "checkup" at a reasonable price.

If you'd like to know more about Laura's experience and see a portfolio, contact Jennifer Hopper at Creative Circle at (206) 652-5552 or email jhopper@creativecircle.com.

For more on Creative Circle, see their site.

Another Cinco de Mayo Fiesta

On May 5 (this Tuesday), there will be a local party at the Tacos Guaymas at Greenlake. This is a verdedero Cinco de Mayo! Look for DJs, a rock group, and of course, mariachis!

WHEN: Cinco de Mayo, of course! Starting at noon, ending at 2am!
WHERE: Tacos Guaymas, 6808 E Green Lake Way N, Seattle 98115

If you go, please post your comments since I have to miss it because of work/school. :-(

FIESTA GRANDE ... in Yakima

It's that time of year again, when Cinco de Mayo parties are happening all over. Don't discount Yakima! All weekend long, Yakima will attract people from all over Washington to its traditional celebration.

Sponsors include Qwest and Banner Bank, among others. For more details, visit the Yakima Hispanic Chamber of Commerce site.

Torchlight Parade - Latin Americans Interested?

Tomorrow, Saturday, May 2 at 1:00 p.m., Centro Cultural Hispano Americano is having an organizational meeting for the participation of the Hispanic/Latin American countries in the Torchlight Parade, which will take place on Saturday, July 25 at 7:30 p.m. in Seattle.

If you have a folkloric costume from your country and would like to be part of this effort, please come to Seamar Clinic, located at 1040 S. Henderson, Seattle, WA 98108.

If you are part of a national organization (Chile, Peru, Nicaragua, etc.), please inform your organization the importance of your participation in the parade.

Each participant must:
1. Have a folkloric costume;
2. Attend the organizational meetings;
3. Pay a $5.00 fee registration