Words Matter

As you may have already heard, the Associated Press will no longer be calling people "illegal".

Although it is important for everyone to understand the power of words, I think it is especially important for us as writers.

This study from The National Hispanic Media Coalition found that non-latinos demonstrated much more negative opinions when responding to the term "illegal" or "illegal immigrant" than they did to the term "undocumented". Although neither are fully accurate, people are not illegal. By calling human beings "illegal", we are dehumanizing them. We're equating them with their actions, not their humanity.

As writers, we have influence over the material that reaches the public. Written word in particular is a concrete type of discourse that can shape the way that issues and populations are viewed and understood. From one writer to another, please keep in mind that your words matter! Be kind and respect the personhood of others.

(and as one writer to another, good luck with whatever you may be writing at the moment!)

Who doesn't love public art?

Thanks to wonderful genius and classmate, Nicolle Boswell (who has her own blog about advocacy writing), I am taking an entirely different approach to my grant search.

I had been looking for a substantial grant that would meet the needs of an existing operating budget but, frankly, that's hard. Most foundations seem to want to fund fun things--things that they can post pictures of and tell cool stories about. Light bills don't really meet that criteria!

I also considered filling out an application for a grant from a local Catholic Charities organization, but I feel like El Zócalo has that one under control (they've received the grant before). It just didn't get my creative fire going, you know?

Then, Nicolle posted the link to the Inside Out Project and it was like I'd met my project soul mate. I love photography, I love public art, and I love raising awareness. I had seen the project before, but I had never thought about it as a way to increase immigrant visibility. I've emailed the organization to get more details about the process for initiating a project! While I wait, I'm focusing my grant search on public art projects.

I hope I can find something!

My Non-Profit Is The Best.

I am so glad that I have chosen El Zócalo to work with for this class!

Today I had the opportunity to talk to Sarah Mullaly, the director, on the phone. She seems like she will be really great to work with. Since their formation, she's been the main driving force for the organization. Other people come and go, adding their expertise and time, but then moving on to other things. As a result, she's thrilled to have more help!

In case you're not a faithful reader, or you've simply forgotten, El Zócalo is a local organization that works to provide assistance and resources to immigrants in the central Arkansas area. They've only been around about a year and a half, so they are still very much in the growing stages!

I'm so excited to get started on a project to help this organization! There are, of course, challenges. El Zócalo isn't a registered 501c3, so donations aren't tax deductible. It also means that to apply for grants we have to apply as a part of another organization. Luckily, they've already done some applications and things so we have a basis! Seriously, they're fantastic. I hope this project is the start of an ongoing relationship!

Hello, there!

I've started this blog to correspond with an exploration of charitable non-profit organizations and advocacy writing (read:  its actually homework and my professor is making me).

Ideally, this blog will be a way for me to explore and reflect on things that are going on in the world as well as a way to fulfill the criteria of a class assignment. The requirements include reflecting on the research we do for Writing For Change (the class), but I think doing just that certainly limits my audience.

I don't really want to start going off on a rant about the American Red Cross burning donated blankets (Yeah, that happened. They didn't have enough room to store them over the summer. Like, what?) without also explaining that one thing to consider before donating or volunteering your work or writing talents for a non profit is the non profit's ethical practices. While my classmates would know that relates to the study, any one else may not.

That said, any time I'm being crazy, feel free to comment for clarification. Even if you are a classmate and should know better.

Perhaps I should also add a warning that I'm not always the most formal person, so some posts may be less professional sounding and a little more tongue in cheek. I hope. I don't want to be boring!