Conviction

I am a proud Nicaragua woman raised to love and respect my country, the United States of America. Today is a sad day for me, as I can no longer feign ignorance and think that "We the People" applies to EVERYONE in the minds of everyone. Last night, that ideal was hijacked by a megalomaniac attention seeking sociopath and his blind sheep of followers.

As a result, “our” new government will seek to roll back the progress made, real progress that affected everyone. We will suffer setbacks to the economy (have you read his tax plan?), environmental protections (if you think global warming is not real, then this is your guy, planet and humanity be damned!), healthcare, and social justice for minorities, women and the oppressed.

I grew up thinking that the US was a nation of acceptance, hope, strength, unity and equality for everyone. Today’s results are opposite what the forefathers fought for.

As a nation, our actions have proven that not everyone cares about “We The People” as a whole. How else could you explain voting for a man who insulted Mexicans, women, blacks, refuges, American and foreign leaders (except Putin), fought with a Gold Star family, alienated his party’s leadership, could not say BLACK LIVES MATTER but proudly said BLUE LIVES MATTER (is the color the only issue)? The list of deplorable things he said goes on and on, proving that decency and sanity lost in last night’s election.

I thank and appreciate all who that have taken up the fight for all people, not just those who look like them. However, 2016 will go down as a year we (own it, even if you did not vote Trump) failed our children, our future. I failed because as a minority, I should have been actively working towards equality for all and gotten more politically informed AND involved.

But, I realize that it is not too late! I am determined to be an example for my daughters. Through the eyes of a parent, I now see how my dad left an example for us as well. My dad took many chances and was passionate about what he did. I will forever remember what he did for those in need. He helped minorities, he stood up for those that could not do so for themselves and let people know that their voice does matter. I am forever indebted to him, even though I did not have the privilege to be part of his life at the end.

I want to go one step further: I will work with my girls and align myself with a sphere of influence that believes in equality for all. I will reject those that do not have the same beleifs and values and stand my ground with and for the new generation.

We need to fix this - and it starts by owning it. We're in it TOGETHER!

I promise to do my part. In 2017, I will work towards unity and ending the division that currently exists between "We the People" in my community. I will continue to teach my kids to be leaders, not blind followers, and teach them that sometimes, that means facing adversity, opposition, crudeness and sometimes even evil.

In the future, we need to vote for something, not against someone. Vote decency, vote equality, vote, vote with "We The People" in mind.

Perdone mi espanol, pero esto es importante pare mi: Unidos estamos a favor del estado de igualdad! También la clase minoritaria que se le olvidado sus comienzos, necesitamos despertar y realizar que debemos a deshacerse una nación de racismo.

Recuerdo la primera vez que fui expuesta a: “Si Se Puede” por un grupo progresivo. Gracias, "New City Public School, Long Beach, CA, USA."

P.S. - I'd like to share something that helped me cope, or at the least, be better mentally prepared for this. Please read this book! It is funny, enlightening, and most importantly, much needed in our times:

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life

Badge Accountability!

I am amazed when people try to justify the actions the police officers take when they abuse their authority. Police abuse should not be tolerated. Excessive force that has lead to false arrests, imprisonment and death must be stopped.

Don’t get me wrong, I respect great officers and everyone in uniform who is out there doing what they swore: protect and serve the community. My brother serves as a Firefighter-Arson Investigator/Paramedic and he is on the Swat Team to provide medical support if ever needed. I understand that we need men and women in uniform to uphold the law and provide assistance whenever needed.

However, we need to also tackle the issues we see today with some officers, mainly when it comes to abuse of authority. We need to fight for a reform on police practices. Let's advocate to eradicate discriminatory arrest, such as was the case of a 16 year old kid from Stockton was beaten and arrested for jaywalking.

Ask yourself: If this was a young man with lighter skin,would he have gotten stopped for jaywalking, beaten and arrested? Sad to say, I don’t think so. Minorities are disproportionately targeted and abused, as New York’s Stop and Frisk activities and statistics clearly show:

Stop-and-Frisk Campaign: The NYPD's stop-and-frisk practices raise serious concerns over racial profiling, illegal stops and privacy rights. - NYCLU

We need to stop harassment.

Ahmed Mohamed from TX was arrested for making a clock. School officials assumed he made a bomb. However, if the kid was white and he was not a Muslim, do you think he would have been treated the same way? Again, I think not! The fact that he was interrogated without being allowed to make a phone call and without the presence of his parents or an attorney shows the little respect officers who arrested Ahmed have for him and others like him.

What we lack in our justice system is ACCOUNTABILITY FOR POLICE OFFICERS’ ACTIONS! Everyone needs to be equal in the eyes of the law and we need to start demanding that this truth include police officers. We need justice for all that have been beaten, killed, arrested, imprisoned and verbally abused just because of their background or the color of their skin.

The justice system needs to hold those who abuse their authority accountable for their wrongful actions. They must be disciplined and if needed, prosecuted for their abusive tactics and actions. Until this becomes the norm and abuse is publicly exposed, we will continue to fear and distrust the police. Without this, bad seeds among those who honorably serve in these positions of great authority are not worried about being reprimanded nor prosecuted.

While everyone deserves justice and fair treatment, justice for Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, Feras Morad, Brendon Glen and so many more will never be truly served. To prevent the continued unjust treatment of minorities, we need to expose wrongdoers - regardless of whether they have a badge or not - and fight for justice.

How can we do this? We can begin by participating in our communities and participating in elections. We must hold those who are elected responsible for the actions that occur under their watch.

Accountability: Liable to account for one's actions.

That is all I am asking for.

An Untimely Farewell To New City Public School

It is unfortunate that even in our school systems, we have to deal with political agendas rather than working towards improving our education system. Today, as a Long Beach, California resident and a parent of school age children, I am very disappointed with the Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) for making it their mission to close New City Public School.

Principal Mrs. Stephanie Lee (left)

Although many parents of children who attended New City pleaded along with founder and Principal Mrs. Stephanie Lee and her heroic staff to fund and keep the school open, no one seemed to listen. Instead, votes against were cast by the LBUSD, Los Angeles County and finally, Sacramento, based solely on test scores. Although New City tried to show the benefits of their educational philosophy, some of which admittedly cannot be measured with data, it now appears that our beloved school has been forced to close.

This decision gives the impression that the LBUSD, LA County and the state do not care about nor were they interested in our opinions, requests and concerns. They lack the ability to remove their political agendas (higher test scores?) and voted against the interest of their constituents. Instead of seizing the opportunity to make a statement and join the large number of people who got involved, they hindered parents who fought to be part of the process to make decisions regarding our education system. Shouldn’t a school district praise and listen to parent involvement instead of pushing their agenda on them?

New City is located in Downtown Long Beach. Perhaps the school lacks the lucrative location or prestige of other LBUSD schools. However, I doubt any of those schools have the dedication and parental involvement that I witnessed when my daughter attended there.

How can LBUSD Superintendent of Schools, Chris Steinhauser, not acknowledge that the high level of parental involvement New City had coincided with research as to the school's teaching philosophy, agreement with the school’s methods, and was in the best interest of their children? Does Mr. Steinhauser really believe he cares more than parents? A high level of parental involvement only increases students’ efforts to strive to higher achievements. It appears that Mr. Steinhauser and company were determined to close New City due to past API score #6. However, how is that justifiable if all API scores are outdated in the LBUSD / LAUSD and will not be updated anytime soon due to common core implementation? These scores have been obsolete for over 2 years!

The majority of the students in New City speak Spanish as their first language. It is therefore difficult for them to take the assessment test. However, based on extensive research by educators, kids that may perform below average at first eventually catch up, usually between the 4th and 5th grade, and then score as well if not above students who attend regular public schools.

My husband and I looked into New City and their philosophy and methods. Our goal was to make the best and most informed decision regarding our kids’ education. We were fully aware of test scores, but our research showed that their model produces socially responsible individuals, thinkers and not just kids who learn through rote memorization for the sake of a higher test score. We enrolled our kids in this school and, after a full year, we have come to the conclusion that this was the right decision. Our kids love to learn, our 1st graded is on her way to being a proficient reader, and the community involvement at New City creates a great atmosphere that is conducive to learning and pleasant; we like being a part of it.

New City exposed my kids to new and exciting opportunities that I fear are lacking in regular public schools. Among these are:

• The opportunity to learn a second language (Spanish).
• New City taught social responsibility and an appreciation for work. This was exemplified by teaching kids to plant flowers and other vegetable in the New City community farm.
• Kids were taught to be good environmental citizens and marched on Earth Day to raise awareness.
• Arts: At a time when most schools are cutting back on art programs, kids at New City were learning how to play musical instruments and to express themselves via various art projects. Our daughter was so excited to learn about famous artists such as Van Gogh and learned how to paint and draw.
• Kids were taught to respect different cultures and were exposed to different customs and countries. As a result, our oldest is fascinated with Peru and would love to visit Machu Picchu. She is only 7 years old!

New City Public Schools Farm

New City had a different philosophy when it came to homework and assignments. Although they did not prescribe homework, they instilled a love of reading and books. My first grader loves the New City library and now reads at a second grade level. She spoke about school activities and assignments and applied what she learned every single day. My daughter flourished at New City.

Unfortunately, I have to explain to my daughter that her school will be shuttered. She will as a result join all the kids at conventional public schools that are being taught a program that has educators puzzled about how to effectively implement it and lacks uniformity, both in methods and results.

Homeschooling is not an option for us because we want our children to become well rounded individuals with the social skills required to be productive and independent. Now, we will be sending our kids to Bryant Elementary School, which ironically has the same API scored # 6 as New City. Will my kids get a better education than they did at New City? Will they be taught to be socially responsible, thinking and independent individuals? Will they learn to get involved and make their voice heard, like they did at New City? Will they have the same supportive community that New City boasted?

There’s one thing New City re-instilled in me: to make my voice heard. I will therefore make sure to participate in the next LBUSD election and seek accountability for what I perceive as an unfair decision that robbed our children of a wonder place where thinking, social and community involvement, action and awareness were placed ahead of mere test scores.

We as parents are the voice of our children.

Sharon Garcia
Long Beach Resident

Conquer the Bridge 2014!

I have been participating in the 5 mile Conquer the Bridge run since 2010. The course takes you from Ports O' Call in San Pedro starting from 5th street, up the St. Vincent Bridge, and back.


This year I was reluctant to do it since I hadn't ran since last year's race. My workouts (mostly with kettlebells at home) have not been consistent due to  chipped cartilage in my left knee, a tumor in my right knee and a torn muscle on my right lower back caused by an automobile accident.

However, I paid in advance so I had to do it. It went better than expected! I was surprised that I was able to jog for the most part. However, my calves were killing me when trying to run the correct way, the "Pose Method," while wearing my Vibram FiveFingers. Going up the bridge made me surrender to the pain and I reluctantly walked it.

Overall, I felt good. Now, I'm looking forward to next year. I truly hope to be disciplined enough to prepare and get back to my workouts. With a little prep, I know I can do a lot better!

Here's a cool little video put together by the organizers. It shows the whole route:

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog. This blog will be a tool to motivate myself to workout, write, eat clean and track my progress.

I am accountable only to myself, so read at your own risk.

Enjoy!