Community Voz

In this episode we welcome Elias Lopez, the newest co-producer on CommunityVOZ! Elias and Liz talk with Morgan Nichols and Edgar Franks about all the different ways to find a "home", communities where we feel a sense of safety and belonging, from our families to political spaces to landscapes.
We also talk about the 10th Annual Farmworker Tribunal in Olympia and a recent campaign launch party we all attended.

Songs in this episode:
A partir de Mañana by Alberto Cortez
El Derecho de Vivir en Paz by Victor Jara
Cambia Todo Cambia performed live by Jose Perez
La Llarona performed live by Hope Jose Day

Support the show

More than 56% of people living in Bellingham are renters, and there is no such thing here as permanently affordable housing. In this episode, Tara Villalba of the Bellingham Tenant's Union and Rebecca Quirke from Tenant's Revolt join us to talk about the housing crisis and what is being done (and not done) and the local and state level.

Music in this episode:
Faucets Are Dripping by Malvina Reynolds
No House by Rob Rosenthal

Support the show

On Monday February 13th, approximately 20 workers began a work stoppage at Mt Baker Roofing Company after several workers were fired for bringing a list of complaints, including lack of access to bathrooms and drinking water, to their boss. Community to Community Development joined Familias Unidas por la Justicia along with many other allies and supporters on the picket line at the work stoppage. In this episode, we recap the four day work stoppage with interviews and audio from the picket line.

Songs in this episode:
El Picket Sign by Son Real
Our Life is Worth More Than Our Work by Charlie King
Todo Cambia by Mercedes Sosa

Support the show

In this episode, Rosalinda Guillen, Australia Tobon, and Liz Darrow discuss the corporate ag bill, SB 5476, which is yet another attempt to decimate farmworker overtime before it has even been fully implemented. If passed, SB 5476 would allow growers to choose any 12 week period to deny farmworkers overtime pay.

THE DEADLINE TO OPPOSE THIS BILL IS THURSDAY FEB 9TH at 7 am. Sign in "Con" to officially register your opposition to this bill.

Read more about the history of the fight for farmworker overtime.

Email Senator Keiser and tell her not to move this bill forward.

Music in this episode:
No nos moverán · La Rondalla Amerindia de Aztlán

Watch the Historic Case Wins Overtime for Dairy Workers video from Columbia Legal Services.

Watch the Video Poemas produced in collaboration with the California Institute for Rural Studies, the COVID-19 Farmworker Study Collective, and Campesinos from California, Oregon, and Washington.

Support the show

The 2023 state legislative session is underway. In this episode, Guillermo Rogel and Mariel Thuraisingham from Front and Centered talk with Liz Darrow about some of the legislation being proposed and how these policies will impact frontline communities.

Watch the Front and Centered briefing on the 2023 Just Transition Agenda here.

Read more about the 2023 Just Transition legislative agenda here.

Support the show

Welcome to Season 10 of CommunityVOZ! In this episode, we honor the life of Dr Martin Luther King Jr with a closer look at his speech The Three Evils of Society: Materialism, Capitalism and Racism. Community organizers Melissa Wisener, Markis Dee Stidham, Tara Villalba, Eve Smason-Marcus and Terrance Morris join us for conversations about how those evils are still as prevalent  today as they were in 1967 and what people in Bellingham are doing about it. Also: Teejay offers to teach Liz how to dance.

Listen to the full speech by Dr Martin Luther King here

Read the full transcript of the speech here

Register for the 25th Annual Whatcom Human Rights Task Force Reverend Dr Martin Luther King Jr Conference here

Get your tickets for the 2023 Dr Martin Luther King Jr Unity Masquerade Ball here

Support the show

En este programa, las promotoras de C2C hablan de tiempo extra y tambien un video poema, producido en colaboración con @California Institute for Rural Studies  el Colaborativo del Estudio de Campesinos en Tiempos de COVID (COFS por sus siglos en inglés) y Campesinos de los estados de California, Oregon, y Washington.

Video Poema:
Lo Que Merecemos

Canciones en este programa:
El Inmigrante (en Vivo) de Uziel Payan y Traviezoz de la Zierra

Tres Veces Mojado de Los Tigres Del Norte

Support the show

Un video poema, producido en colaboración con @California Institute for Rural Studies  el Colaborativo del Estudio de Campesinos en Tiempos de COVID (COFS por sus siglos en inglés) y Campesinos de los estados de California, Oregon, y Washington.

Video Poemas
¡Nosotros, los sin papeles, somos importantes!
¡Nosotros, los sin papeles, somos importantes! (con lengua Mam)
Lo que merecemos
Eso no es normal
Eso no es normal (en Mixteco, Mam, y español)

Support the show

In this episode, Liz Darrow talks with Maya Morales, founder of WA People's Privacy, about commercial surveillance, data security,  and legislation that would interrupt the sale of massive amounts of data to federal and law enforcement agencies.

Songs in this episode:
Watching Me by Jill Scott
Surveillance Capitalism by Evan Greer
Technologic by Daft Punk

Support the show

In this episode, members of the Immigration Advisory Board reflect on the process of working with city government, the value of community input as data, and where we will go from here in the struggle to establish an immigrant resource center.

Please join the community rally in support of a city funded immigrant resource center on Thursday November 17th at noon, Bellingham city hall. More information here.

Sign the petition in support of a city funded immigrant resource center here. (You do not have to be local, have any kind of status, or be of voting age to sign this petition. We want everyone everywhere to sign and share it!)

Music in this episode:
Ojalá Que Llueva Café by Juan Luis Guerra

Support the show