Community Voz

In this episode, Edgar Franks, political director for Familias Unidas por la Justicia, gives an update on federal policy as it relates to farmworker justice. Also, Lucy Madrigal, Alfredo and Alia Juarez, and Beatriz Godinez give a reportback about a recent solidarity march in support of HR 1511, which will update the registry bill from the 1970s to include 8 million additional undocumented people in the United States.

music in this episode:
Quédate Conmigo by Eslabon Armado y Grupo Frontera

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On August 6th, 2023, Community to Community Development, Nikkei Northwest, the Whatcom Peace and Justice Center, and Whiteswan Environmental collaborated on a community walk through what is now known as Bellingham's Old Town.  The purpose of the walk was to educate participants about all of the racial violence and oppression that are a part of the history of this place, and to acknowledge the influences that continue that oppression to this day.  This podcast episode contains live audio and speeches from that event.

Sign the petition to revive a Coast Salish longhouse at Xwotqwem (Whatcom Creek) here.

music in this episode:
River by Leon Bridges

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In this episode, Liz Darrow, Sophia Rey, Elias Lopez, and Brenda Bentley talk about the latest IAB meeting and the major setbacks that are currently being felt. In this conversation, anger is examined as a center of productive strength as we navigate a contentious relationship with city officials.

Resources from the episode:
The Uses of Anger by Audre Lorde
Letter written to the mayor and city council by the IAB

Music from the episode:
The Emperor's New Clothes by Sinéad O'Connor
The Last Day of Our Acquaintance by Sinéad O'Connor

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In this episode, Liz Darrow and Rosalinda Guillen speak with Shirley Williams and Sandy Fugami about an upcoming walk that will take place on August 6th to remember Honesto Ibarra, a farmworker who died working in unsafe conditions. The conversation weaves together narratives of displacement and assimilation that are felt similarly among many marginalized communities in Whatcom County. From Honesto Ibarra, to James Okubo, these stories verge on forgotten yet are central to our understanding of our place and time together.

Join us on August 6th at 10am! Meet at 1600 H Street, where we will begin the walk.

Resources from the episode:
Whiteswan Environmental website
Whiteswan House of Healing petition

Music from the episode:
Pido a la Paz by Rosa Martha Zarate Macías

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In this episode, Liz Darrow and Elias Lopez talk with Sonja Lerner, a member of the No Whatcom Jails abolitionist group, as well as Josh Cerretti and Aline Prata from the Whatcom Peace & Justice Center, about the current organizing efforts that surround the proposal to build a new jail for Whatcom County. As we explore the historical and ideological foundations of this proposal, we open up new ways of imagining a society without punishment. The episode concludes with audio from a rally held on July 11th to dissuade county council members from voting in favor of this proposal appearing on the ballot in November. 

Resources from the episode:
The Vera report
No Whatcom Jails

Music from the episode:
Fight Like Ida B and Marsha P by Ric Wilson
Colonial Mentality by Kokoroko 

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In this episode, Liz Darrow speaks with housing advocates about a new plan to get everyone in our community housed. They call it The Big Lift.
An important function of this episode is to contextualize this new housing platform within the shifting political scene of Bellingham. As we face upcoming changes to civic leadership with this new election cycle, it is an important time to ask ourselves what emergencies in our community need immediate addressing, and what will we turn to for guidance.
The Big Lift plan is an important start. Below you will find the finalized plan in its entirety, as well as an article by the Bellingham Herald that provides an overview of the topic.
The Big Lift - Housing Landscape Platform 
Bellingham Herald article

Music from the episode:
Season of the Witch by Donovan 

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In this episode, Rosalinda Guillen, with the rest of the Community to Community leadership team, guides us through the white supremacist forces that shape local civic engagement. While engagement looks different for everyone, these forces often invalidate and silence marginalized communities. Out of this framework, Community to Community endorses Liz Darrow and Lucy Madrigal in the race for Bellingham and Mount Vernon city councils respectively.
You will hear directly from them about their progressive platforms, and how the future of electoral politics will include the voices of all people, not just the privileged few.

Support Liz and Lucy's campaigns here:
https://www.lizdarrow.com/
https://www.lucy4ward1.com/

Music from the episode:
Youth Against Fascism by Sonic Youth
If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next by Manic Street Preachers
Echo by Incubus 

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In this episode, Liz, Edgar, Tara, and Lucy discuss the inequity of the ongoing conversation about climate change, as well as how we might challenge dominant narratives about climate doom.

Music from this episode:
My Island Home by Jessica Mauboy
Girl on Fire by Alicia Keys
Us by Ruby Ibarra

Further Resources:
Rise: From One Island to Another 

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In this episode, Liz, Tara, Edgar, and Lucy discuss the ongoing rise in global temperatures, its effects on local and international communities, as well as how current discourse on mitigating climate change often leaves out marginalized perspectives. As we shift our attention from the climate doom mentality, we open ourselves up to discovering new possibilities.

Music from the episode:
My Island Home by Jessica Mauboy
Girl on Fire by Alicia Keys
Us by Ruby Ibarra

Further resource:
Rise: From One Island to Another 

In this episode, Liz and Elias talk with Yonzo and Ezma, two graffiti writers in Bellingham facing charges for vandalism, about their deeply rooted and intricate subculture. Join us as we work through issues of cultural stigma and criminalization, while collectively shifting our gaze to the clandestine forms of art that color our city. 

Music from this episode:
Sugar Water (Coldcut remix) by Cibo Matto
Slipped Disc by Lizzy Mercier Descloux
Great Five Lakes (Cornelius remix) by Buffalo Daughter