Remembering MLK

The first time I learned about Martin Luther King Jr was back when I was in grade school. I remember my teacher talking to us about race and this guy named MLK. It was the first time I heard someone talk about the color of one’s skin. I’d never really thought about my skin color before- I’d just been jealous of my sister Shelli for her darker skin – she never seemed to burn in the sun like me and she had the darker skin tones that went well with her brown hair. I was incredibly confused by the idea that we humans would be treated differently based on our skin color and made a pledge to myself to always treat my fellow humans with dignity and respect.

Little did I know that the classroom where I first learned about race was in the middle of a White Utopia – AKA the state of Oregon – where few people of color were woven into the fabric of culture and society in this PNW Wonderland.

Fast forward to today. I was tired, crampy, and unclear if I wanted to drive the 50 minutes north to listen to the MLK keynote at Oregon State University. I had arranged to meet some friends after the lecture so I texted to see if they were still in or if I could gracefully back out for a day at home of nothingness. They were still in. So I put on my purple Keds and headed out.

The keynote speaker was Melissa Harris-Perry, a kick-ass professor from Wake Forest University. Her lecture took us through the last 50 years since the last birthday MLK celebrated. She showed pictures of what happened from January 15 through April 4 of 1968 – black children being shot by police, working class African-Americans speaking out for economic justice, organized marches to seek change – all things that are happening today in 2018, 50 years later. She asked the question, did MLK’s Life Matter? The answer was yes – of course it mattered, but she said that MLK ultimately failed. He was a martyr fighting for a cause for which there is yet to be a solution – equity and justice is not present in the U.S. We try, but we fail.

The other day I was thinking to myself about my political stance on a lot of things. In particular, I was working through how I could bring up capital punishment with a guy in my life. I wanted to know his thoughts – to hear whether he – like Charlie from the West Wing – would want revenge on the person who hypothetically killed a family member. I’ve asked myself this question so many times. Would I ever pull a gun on someone? Would I ever kill someone who was endangering myself or my family? The answer is no. I don’t like guns. I don’t believe in killing. And I certainly don’t believe in capital punishment – our government’s attempt at filtering through the “evil people” in the world. I do believe that some people have tainted hearts, but I don’t believe people are evil. I believe people lose themselves in a psychological abyss full of darkness, frustration, and forgotten tears. I see capital punishment as a true failure of our government that only perpetuates inequity and injustice to people of lower socio-economic status.

To me, capital punishment taps into the economic injustice MLK fought, a fight that continues to this day. I often find myself going down the rabbit hole of wondering – what is the answer? How can we change the system? How can we have true redistribution of wealth? How can we really help with housing and rehabilitation services? Where I live in Eugene, I ride public transport and ride across town with many individuals who move their full shelter every morning. As I observe my fellow humans on the bus, I wonder – how does this work out this way? How did I end up where I am in a job I love with many life experiences behind me while my peer on the bus is now living in a shelter for the first time in the last four years? I honestly don’t believe this has to do with hard work or my dreams. We all have dreams. There’s something bigger – there’s a system of inequity that runs though our world and continues to advantage some and disadvantage others.

I try to avoid the rabbit hole which is part of why for a while this morning, I considered staying home. I didn’t want to feel. I wanted to sleep, knit, and drink tea. But turning off my brain to sleep more and worry less isn’t helping anyone, least of all me. I think the greatest thing I heard today was when Melissa Harris-Perry said that MLK didn’t do the advocacy work for himself; he did it for all the others. Life shouldn’t be about making my life easier to live for myself. Life is really about trying to make a mosaic of the experiences, people, and places I encounter. And I want that mosaic to be beautiful – one that brings joy, laughter, and emotions to all who are part of it.

Today, on MLK’s birthday, I wasn’t reminded of specific quotes about a great man who led the Civil Rights movement in the 60s. Instead, I was reminded of the fact that I’ve got to stay woke. I’ve got to remain engaged and concerned and I have to speak out more and write more about the chaos that continues to challenge my life mosaic. And honestly, I need to remember that it’s not MY mosaic. Life, earth, they are ours. We’re all in this together. So it’s time to refocus our energy on creating a more equitable, just world. And I, for one, pledge to start again every day. Because, when I’m honest, I know that I need to restart every day so that I can continue to do and say things that will help fight the injustices and challenge the White Utopian ideas that continue to shape our nation, my home state, and the very culture that grew up in. If I want to live in a world where humans really aren’t judged by the color of their skin, I’ve gotta do something to help that happen.

Until next time,

Rece

Introducing Theo

Those of you that read this blog might be on my Holiday Card List. If this is the case, you already know the major addition to my life in 2016 was Theo. Theo is handsome. He has great stamina. And he is a Toyota Corolla. I bought Theo in April, a day before I turned 33. The purchase wasn’t necessarily impulsive. After driving the 11 miles to work with a foggy windshield and the windows rolled down in the Blue Bullet, I decided it was time to grow up and buy a reliable car. Plus, as I approach my mid-thirties, I figured that it was time to start working towards some of my Oregon goals.

Back in 2009, I was living in Eugene, carless. I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to do with my life, but I was going to school for a graduate degree sure that the rhetoric and ethics of journalism would come in handy (which they have).

While living in Eugene, I felt at home. It was as if, for the first time, I felt like my home state was actually a place I could live forever. That’s definitely not how I felt about my hometown a bit further up north.

Well, as I adjusted to my feelings of home, I started to dream about my native Oregon. Where could I travel? What could I see? How could I engage more with the outdoors? Where could I take my camera and take amazing pictures? And so, bought a book, the Moon Handbook on Oregon. I know that today, apps like Yelp, Trip Advisor, and even Google could give me plenty of information about traveling around Oregon, but at the time, this book was perfect.

As Theo and I got to know each other this year, we started taking some trips. Our first big adventure was to Ashland for a night at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Our next jaunt was to Crater Lake to see the gorgeous national park for the first time together.

Recently, I’ve taken Theo to Portland, Eugene, or to the Oregon Coast. My dad sometimes comments on how much gas I use, but hey, I chose Theo because he knows how to work it and gets great gas mileage. If I’m honest, I know that if I lived in an area with a better public transportation system, I would end my relationship with Theo because, quite frankly, we wouldn’t need each other. But at this time in my life, living in Oregon and taking mini daycations and adventures around my home state, he and I are perfect for one another.

Tata for now.

Rece

Election Aftermath

Last week, I heard that anything could happen. This, of course, was in reference to the Cubs winning the World Series, but I was hoping that it would also lead to me waking up to news of the first female president in the US after Election Day. That’s not what happened. Rather, I woke up to more reports of Donald Trump’s win in the presidential election.

 

Why is this wrong?

 

Our nation has just voted to elect a racist, sexist, xenophobic, incompetent individual to serve in the most important position in the world. Not only does he have very little knowledge of foreign affairs and how our government works, but he also has proven to be racist throughout his entire campaign. Also, as a woman, I can’t support this man who was caught on tape discussing the times he sexually assaulted women. Plus, Trump’s ideas on immigration are exceedingly limited. He doesn’t understand how difficult it currently is to get to the United States. As an immigration advisor at a college here in the US, I’ve realized that I have a stronger understanding of our immigration system than our newly elected president. That’s just disturbing.

Trump’s views on immigration are just terrible. Why has this country elected an isolationist president?

I, like many others, have looked at the possibility of moving to Canada to avoid this ridiculousness. So many folks thought the same as me that the Canadian immigration site crashed last night. If a mass exodus of non-Trump supporters were to occur following this election, you know what would remain in America? An openly White supremacist society with KKK ideals and isolationist policies. I truly believe that waking up to the news of Donald Trump as the president-elect this morning is the worst “current event” of my lifetime.

 

This is not okay. America, we deserved better. We deserved to elect a leader. Trump can’t lead because he doesn’t understand the office of the president. I am fearful for these next four years and you should be too.

Diary of a Housesitter

“Tia Rece, is staying here like being at boarding school for a long time?”

Huh. “I guess,” I answered.

As my niece left this house yesterday, I chuckled to myself. I’ve been housesitting for my former boss for several years. Back in the day, it made sense. I was living with my parents for a while and getting out of the house to have some “me time” was important for my sanity. These days, it doesn’t make much sense. I have my own place about an hour from here and I don’t really have friends up near where this house is. Granted, my folks live up here and when I plan to spend extra time with them, staying here is convenient. Plus, I always appreciate the extra cash. This makes me wonder though, I will there ever be a day when I’m so “together” with my finances that I would turn my nose to the idea of making some extra cash by staying here with the regal kitty cat.

Housesitting is more than a job. It’s a way of life. When you’re housesitting, you cast off all the comfort of your routine and surroundings to play house in another place where you have chores. The duties involved in housesitting could include taking out the trash, waiting around for package deliveries, playing with the cat, paying the gardener, and eating food out of the refrigerator to make sure it doesn’t spoil. You think your job is tough? This is much, much more intense.

Nah. Not really. But in my experience, there comes a point when playing house loses some of its charm and all you realize you really want is to be at your own house sleeping in your comfortable bed dancing around as you please. Because that’s the real point you become a grown-up, right?

Tata for now.

Rece

New Year’s Resolutions

I’m not a New Year’s Resolutions kind of girl. I think I tried it once. I was a little kid and I was at my aunt’s for the New Year’s celebration. Aunt Kathy gave each of us a 3 by 5 note card and told us to write down our New Year’s Resolutions. I didn’t know what she was talking about. Like a typical baby of the family, I walked around the house trying to find out from each of my siblings what they were writing down and how this applied to me. I’m pretty sure I didn’t find my answers but probably copied what my sister Shelli wrote down: “I will make connections with the local theater troupe to push myself towards a career on Broadway.”
 
Nah. She didn’t really write that, but when I look back on life, I really think she should have because then we’d be in New York rather than hanging out in Dayton, Oregon singing the words to songs from Enchanted all of the time.
 
Now back to my point. I’ve never really been good at New Year’s Resolutions. Instead of doing this, I make goals. Goals are smarter. It’s more likely that I’ll work towards them and goals are something you can continue to work towards. Rather than a New Year’s Resolution to work out that you fail within the first month, why not make an achievable goal to do two sets of squats during the first week of the New Year. Once you accomplish that, maybe you’ll be more likely to try the next thing?
 
You think I’m full of crap don’t you? For some reason, you don’t see the difference between new years resolutions and goals? Well, let me spell it out for you with an example.
 
New Years Resolutions 2016:

• I’m going to be a nice person in 2016.
• I’m going to lose weight in the New Year.
• I’m going to meet and marry the man of my dreams in 2016.

 
2016 Goals:

• I will go grab a beer with my annoying older brother for his birthday in January to help myself slowly become a nicer person.
• I will work on finding a suitable weight for me by joining a weight loss program thus creating a support network for myself.
• I will ask that guy at work on a date so I can start “getting out there.”

 
Do you see any difference? The goals are a bit more specific and because they are, it’s probably more likely that I’d know how to do them thus increasing my chance of success. So you see, I didn’t write New Year’s Resolutions, I’ve just got some pretty rad goals.
 
Cheers, folks.
 
Rece
 

 

3 AM thoughts on the death penalty

During my senior year of high school, I started to apply for college scholarships. Though it has been 15 years since that time in my life, I still remember one scholarship application in particular that challenged my way of thinking. The application essay required me to share my opinion on capital punishment. Back then, I wasn’t a snazzy googler so I couldn’t type in “What is capital punishment?” to learn about the policy. And, my high school classes didn’t exactly inspire critical thinking or debate over political issues. So, I went to my mom and asked her what capital punishment was all about.

As a 17 year-old, I didn’t have much context for the idea of capital punishment. Most books I read were fiction, most of which were Christian romances that upheld the principles of the church I grew up in. In my literary world, protecting life didn’t really apply to adults who murdered but rather to the fetuses that had not yet made it to term. Thus, as I wrote my essay for the deadline that week, I didn’t have a full understanding nor had I developed a complete opinion on the topic.

That changed during my freshman year of college. During spring semester of that formidable first year of college, I took Dr. Shaw’s Foundations of Political Science course. In it, we read Dead Man Walking, among other books. Sister Helen Prejean’s book about life, death, and social justice changed my entire way of thinking. Though I grew up with the “eye for an eye” talk, I started to see the messiness of our justice system and the injustice people face on death row. Have you ever noticed that the people sentenced to death row come from the lower socio-economic classes? People with money take pleas or they can hire fantastic storyteller attorneys who woo the jury to finding their defendant innocent of all crimes. Humans have faults and none of us have sound judgment at all times. So, why have we created a system of punishment that allows a jury to decide if someone is guilty or innocent? Do we not realize that our own moral biases affect the way we sit in judgment on one another? And why does the death sentence assume that offenders are incapable of rehabilitation?

It’s weird to be having these thoughts at 3 AM on a Wednesday, but when insomnia awoke me from my sweet slumber and I saw an AP news blast about a woman’s execution in Georgia on my phone, my brain started churning. CNN reported that all federal appeals failed. Even the Pope’s letter requesting clemency was denied. So Kelly Gissendaner was executed.

My frustration with capital punishment continues to grow. Some people have asked me if I would feel differently if a person murdered a family member of mine. I honestly don’t know how I would feel, but I do know that I understand Samuel L. Jackson’s character in A Time to Kill. When the law is unjust, as it is, things get complicated. However, despite how I would react to a crime against my family, I still believe that capital punishment is outdated and unjust. And, I hate that the U.S., a “first world country,” continues to perpetuate the problem by continuing the inequities of our legal system by allowing the death sentence.

Comedy Junkie

Under my Twitter handle, I have the following: Writer. Purple fanatic. Photographer. Platypus. Traveler. Movie buff. Coffee & tea lover. Comedy junkie. Book nerd. RPCV Ukraine. Teacher. Learner.

All of these things are true about me. But the thing that describes me most these days is Comedy junkie. I don’t know if it’s because I’m done with school, I live by myself, or I just had a huge life change and no one to share it with, but I have been absolutely, positively addicted to my MacBook watching comedy shows for the last three weeks. It’s terrifying to be honest. I have a deeper relationship with Andy Samberg and Seth Meyers right now than anyone else. This is probably not going to help me long-term.

The thing about comedy and smart comedians is that they actually get things. They realize that Donald Trump is a ridiculous choice for president and they are able to challenge his candidacy in a way that makes people laugh and perhaps challenge their ridiculous beliefs about the tycoon. They challenge the media, which is both necessary and awesome. And comedians are dorky people, which give some of us hope that we too may find success in this challenging world.

I realize that some people find comedy offensive. I totally get it. Pitch Perfect 2 went too far. The racist, sexist, and ethnocentric jokes throughout the movie weren’t smart in a way that challenged the isms, but rather perpetuated serious problematic systems that are in place here in the U.S. I really didn’t care for it. But even though Elizabeth Banks missed the mark on that film, there are plenty of smart comedians that are making the world a little bit better through their craft. My list of awesome comedians starts with these fools: Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, BJ Novak, Mindy Kaling, Jenny Lawson, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, and David Sedaris. And though I can’t argue that the next two comedians are world changers in my book, I appreciate their comedy for the 90s: Rachel Dratch and Adam Sandler.

With that, my friends, I must leave you and watch another clip on Hulu.

Tata for now.

Rece

Life of a Professional

It’s a bit gray, but here is a recent professional photo of me from my days as a CSSA graduate student.

I don’t like to brag about my accomplishments. It’s not really my thing. In fact, when I was a kid, I was sort of trained not to brag about myself because if I were to do so, I would hurt others and likely lose friends.

In recent months, I’ve been forced to attempt to brag about myself in interviews, meetings with new colleagues, and on the occasional initial friend date. It’s been weird and fun and all sorts of awkward. It’s also been a treasure to write and rewrite my professional biography time and time again to fit the resume, CV, or website blurb. But I’ve done it. And that is why, at this point in time, I am going to share a biography I recently wrote about myself. It’s a bit long, but I hope you enjoy it!

In July 2015, Sharece Bunn joined the team of advisors with International Student Advising and Services (ISAS) where she is able to advise students on immigration, enrollment, and visa status, as well as serve on the International Student Orientation Team, assist with the International Student Peer Mentoring Program, and be a member of the ISAS assessment team. Sharece claims that her love of books as a child instilled in her an interest in different cultures and people. While working towards her BA in English from Northwest Nazarene University, she participated in two study abroad experiences in England. After graduation, Sharece joined the United States Peace Corps as a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) Volunteer in Lypovets, Ukraine. Following her service in Ukraine, Sharece returned to Oregon and earned her M.S. in Journalism from the University of Oregon. In 2011, Sharece returned to Ukraine with Peace Corps Response as an English instructor at Ternopil National Pedagogical University where she discovered her desire to work in student affairs in higher education. Her passion for diverse cultures and people led her to return to graduate school, where she earned an Ed.M. degree in College Student Services Administration (CSSA) from Oregon State University. As a student in the CSSA program, Sharece had the opportunity to serve as a Graduate Teaching Assistant for the Academic Success Center where she taught ALS Academic Success and coordinated all academic success presentations and outreach efforts for the center. Some of Sharece’s favorite past-times include reading, writing, taking pictures, traveling, and going on spontaneous adventures that allow her to fill her journal with memories.

There you have it: my job and professional bio in a nutshell.

Cheers,

Rece

We Are the Champions: Remembering Ukraine

Memories of Ukraine often flood my days. I think of the friends, students, and other people I met during my three years living in that wonderful country. Today, as I was scrolling through facebook, I stumbled upon a Jimmy Fallon video that brought back plenty of delightful Ukraine memories. Here you go. Take a look.

I get it. You’re questioning why a Queen song reminds me of Ukraine, right? Well, it does and for a very good reason. From 2005-2007, I lived in a small village in Central Ukraine called Lypovets. In Lypovets, I served as an ESL instructor for students in grades 4 through 11. The students were great. They were generally cheerful, energetic, in school, and willing to meet with me. I’m not sure that the students were always eager to learn, but I’m starting to realize that such an expectation may be a bit much for students whose basic needs are not always met.

If you haven’t seen it, The Mighty Ducks is a great movie about teamwork, hockey, and an adult learning how to be a better person thanks to kids. (Classic 90s film)

In Lypovets, I was a pretty young teacher without a lot of life experience behind me. However, similar to the students, I was generally cheerfully, energetic, in school, and open to the various interactions with students in the school. I also gave the students fun assignments like – create your own country and flag or pick out a theme song for your group. Repeatedly, when we would do these creative activities, two to three groups in the room would pick out, “We Are the Champions.” For me, the song had previously been tied to my crushes on Emilio Estevez and Joshua Jackson in The Mighty Ducks. But because of my students and their love for this catchy motivational song, when I hear it these days, I think first of Ukraine and my amazing students belting this song out in our dusty, uneven floored classrooms at the end of Shkilna Street in Lypovets.

Nerding Out with Inspiration

Most of my friends and acquaintances get the fact that I’m a nerd. In fact, they figure this out pretty quickly. Luckily, they tolerate me for being super sweet and caring at some point in the mix of nerdiness. Well, this morning I nerded out with inspiration. It wasn’t as cheesy as when I made my academic success class go around and say what they were good at followed by a round of applause. In fact, I’m sure I nerded out in a “cooler” fashion as I used social media to help me out. It started innocently enough. I wanted to see what Chimamanda Adichie said about feminism in a graduation commencement speech. And then I started watching Stephen Colbert’s speech, Ellen’s from 2009, Mindy Kaling’s from 2014, and more. I just couldn’t help it. I was inspired! Why don’t people say these amazing inspirational things daily? And why don’t we open our ears and our minds up to listen to this sort of wisdom more often? I didn’t get it.

I was staring at my screen with a awestruck grin on my face when I saw Meryl’s speech waiting in the sidebar. And so I watched it. I realized that Meryl was much more than her academy awards and much more than the roles she played on screen. I could tell that she was a real person and that her performance skills have forever changed the way women in Hollywood will be accepted. She’s paved the way. So now it’s time for me and all the men and women younger than me to keep that story going. We’ve got to challenge the male-dominated world and stand up for ourselves and be real. If we don’t, how will we change the world?

I don’t know if you have copious amounts of time to watch inspirational YouTube videos, but in case you do, I’d suggest watching Meryl’s as a starting point. I mean really, why not join the gang of nerdy inspiration junkies with me!?

Tata for now!

Rece