May 2023

Page 1

Cal Poly Humboldt’s Student-Run Bilingual Newspaper

Student concerns in Danza Azteca class

Black Student Athletic Union| p. 07

Soy Artista: JD Garza| p. 13

CR student killed|p.3

Revisa tu Patriarcado | p.24

Cantautor y promotor de música |p.16

Descolonizando Cinco de Mayo|p. 25

Mayo 2023 Vol. 20 Edición 4

El Leñador is an English and Spanish newspaper produced by Cal Poly Humboldt students. Our staff cover and provide news to Latinx and other diverse communities on campus and in Humboldt County. We are committed to providing relevant news and expanding the representations and stories told about people of color and other marginalized groups. Our work helps create more social, political and cultural diversity in local media.

El Leñador es un periodico en español y inglés producido por estudiantes de Cal Poly Humboldt. Nuestro personal cubre y provee noticias a la comunidad Latinx y otras comunidades diversas en el campus y en el condado de Humboldt. Estamos comprometidos a brindar noticias actuales y ampliar la representación y las historias que son contados sobre la gente de color y otros grupos marginados. Nuestros esfuerzos ayudan a crear una diversa presencia social, politica y cultural en los medios locales.

Editor in chief

Ricardo Lara Nava

Managing and Layout Editor

Peyton Leone

News Editor

Victoria Olsen

Opinion Editor

Kianna Znika

Spanish Editor Desiree Osornio

Layout/Design

Evelyn Bañuelos, Ruby Cayenne

Writers/Contributors

Ruby Cayenne, Ione Dellos, Tanya Gonzalez, Eddy Guzman, Elysia Manzanares, Abraham Navarro, Jordan Pangelinan, Celeste Sadler

Translators

Steven Alvaro, Alondra Cardona, Sandy Ceja, Maria Hernandez Coosemans, Maritza Gonzalez, Esmeralda Macias

Public Relations

Steffi Puerto

Distribution

Guillermo Noe Salazar

Faculty Advisor Andrea Juarez

To advertise with us, email ellenador. ads@gmail.com

El Leñador staff can be reached at el-lenador@humboldt.edu.

2 | El Leñador |mayo 2023| ellenadornews.com
M ission s tate M ent
Front Cover/Primera Página: Cover by Ilustración de la portada por Opinion Life & Arts News 03 Mia Felder 04 Students want Danza in CRGS 06 Latinx Club 07 Black Athletic Union 08 Cuna: Carson Park 11 HAPI hosts Lunar New Year 13 Profile: César Abarca 14 Latino Faculty Demographics 22 Mi Estória: Queen Karma 24 Check our patriarchy 25 Decolonize Cinco de Mayo 26 Advice from those graduating 26 Letter from editor 13 22 08 16 11 @ellenadornews @ellenadornews @ellenadornews Follow us on Social Media Espanol 03 Mia Felder 09 Carlson Park restaurado 11 HAPI 13 Perfil: César Abarca 15 Demográfia Latinx 17 Soy Artista 19 Receta de Lumpia 24 Opinión sobre la masculinidad 25 Descolonizando el Cinco de Mayo
Soy Artista: JD Garza 19 Lumpia recipe 21 Indigo de Souza review 21 Cooking for friends Corrections: April 2023 issue print edition, in “Housing solutions for returning students” Executive Director of Auxiliary of housing Stephen St. Onge name was misspelled. In “Cal Poly Humboldt receives 20,025 applications for fall 2023” the bottom left graph should have been 2022.
16

Student artist killed in McKinleyville

On April 8, Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a 911 call from Daniel Forrest Rena-Dozier, 41,who said his former partner would not leave his home. Authorities found Mia Simone Felder, 30, at the residence with a gunshot wound. She was taken to the local hospital and later died according to a Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office report.

"Her family is devastated," said Felder’s mother, Gloria Felder.

Felder was a photographer, artist and writer from Suisun City, CA. She graduated from Academy of Arts University San Francisco and the Arts Institute of Chicago. Felder’s art was featured in the fall 2022 “My Black Is” exhibition at Cal Poly Humboldt's Reese Bullen Gallery. Her work was also displayed at the Morris Graves Museum in Eureka.

Her mother said that she was proud of her Black and Mexican heritage.

Felder was in her second year at College of the Redwoods. She was participating in an internship through College Corps at CPH. Felder volunteered her time at the Boys and Girls Club in Eureka. Chad Brown, clubhouse program director, said that they were planning to hire Felder this month.

"She was very valuable and she made an impression on these kids in a short period of time which says a lot about who she is," Brown said.

The Felder family said she bravely conquered life’s challenges, never giving up on her greatest challenge, recovery from addiction.

"She wasn’t perfect and she knew it. She always strived to do better, be better. She was beautiful, inside and out. Her family and friends loved her dearly just as she was,” Gloria Felder said.

Her father, Hoarace Felder said, "We want her to be known as a great daughter. As strong, never giving up, passionate about what she was. Believed in what

Artista estudiante asesinada en McKinleyville

Black Is" en la Galería Reese Bullen de Cal Poly Humboldt (CPH). Su obra también se expuso en el Museo Morris Graves de Eureka.

Su madre dijo que estaba orgullosa de su herencia Negra y Mexicana.

Felder estaba en su segundo año en el College of the Redwoods. Participaba en una pasantía a través de College Corps en CPH. Felder trabajaba como voluntaria en el Boys and Girls Club de Eureka. Chad Brown, director del programa del club, dijo que tenían planes de contratar a Felder este mes.

“Fue muy valorada y causó una gran impresión en estos niños en un breve periodo de tiempo, lo que dice mucho de quién es,” dijo Brown.

Su familia dijo que pudo valientemente conquistar los problemas que encontró en su vida, sobre todo nunca se rindió contra su más grande lucha, recuperándose de su adicción.

“No fue perfecta y ella lo sabía. Siempre andaba haciendo el bien y tratando de ser lo mejor que ella pudo. Era bella, por dentro y por fuera. Su familia y amigos la querían tanto, así como fue ella,” digo Gloria Felder.

Su padre, Hoarace Felder, dijo: “Queremos que sea conocida como una gran hija. Fuerte, que nunca se rindió, apasionada por lo que era. Creía en lo que hacía.”

she did."

In an interview with Sugawater Collextive posted to YouTube in August 2022, Mia Felder spoke about breaking out of th narratives set out for BIPOC artists.

"The act of being creative, the act of being an artist, the act of sharing yourself with the world and being vulnerable, that is one of the most radical things you can do," she said.

Humboldt County

District Attorney did not respond for comment at the time of writing this on May 2.

El 8 de abril, agentes del Sheriff del Condado de Humboldt respondieron a una llamada al 911 de Daniel Forrest Rena-Dozier, de 41 años, diciendo que su ex-pareja no salía de su casa. Las autoridades encontraron a Mia Simone Felder, de 30 años, en la residencia con una herida de bala. Fue trasladada al hospital local y murió más tarde, según un informe de la Oficina del Sheriff del Condado de Humboldt.

"Su familia está destrozada,” dijo la madre de Felder, Gloria Felder. Felder era fotógrafa, artista y escritora de Suisun City, California. Se graduó de la Universidad de las Artes de San Francisco y del Instituto de las Artes de Chicago. El arte de Felder se presentó en la exposición de otoño del 2022 "My

En una entrevista con Sugawater Collextive publicada en YouTube en agosto de 2022, Mia Felder habló de quebrar las narrativas establecidas para los artistas BIPOC.

"El acto de ser creativo, el acto de ser artista, el acto de compartirte con el mundo y ser vulnerable, es una de las cosas más radicales que uno puede hacer,” afirmó.

El fiscal del distrito del condado de Humboldt no respondió para hacer comentarios en el momento de escribir esto el 2 de mayo.

News Noticias ellenadornews.com |mayo 2023 | El Leñador| 3
Mia Felder. | Photo courtesy of Gloria Felder.
"She always strived to do better, be better. She was beautiful, inside and out."
Gloria Felder
Mia Felder. | Foto por cortesia de Gloria Felder.

Students want Danza Azteca to move from dance to CRGS

Disclosure: Some of the editors on El Leñador staff take part in Danza Azteca club (not the class) but had no part in the reporting, writing or editing process of this story.

Students in the Danza Azteca class at Cal Poly Humboldt are working to move the course from the Dance department to the Critical Race, Gender and Sexuality Studies department because they feel the class isn’t teaching the historical, cultural and spiritual aspects of Danza Azteca.

Danza Azteca taught through dance department

Danza Azteca (DANC 248) is a course offered through the Department of Theatre and Dance since fall 2021. Students learn and enact the Indigenous Aztec dance, which is a cultural tradition that originates in Mexico. This class was added and offered at the university but the department didn’t have a person with the experience in Danza Azteca to teach the course. Elizabeth Rivera is the instructor teaching the class with paid student assistant Frank Cortes. While Cortes is able to teach about the cultural background, he is only a student assistant.

“Since I was 5, 6 years old, I've been in the Aztec Dance or it's called ‘the red road, camino rojo,’ and with that building community, with that getting in touch with our own roots, and also keeping Aztec dance traditions kept going,” Cortes said. “I was privileged to have that when I was younger. So now, I wanted to give whoever would like to experience or whoever wanted to, respectfully, be a part of or learn the culture and the tradition.”

Cortes was unable to teach in spring 2022 because he was involved in a car accident so Rivera had to teach the class alone. Students then noticed a change because the instructor started relying on remembering the dances Cortes had shown.

Student concerns and issues

While Cortes was gone, some students felt doubt over learning

about cultural experience and dance from Rivera.

“It was very interesting, first of all, because she is white, a white-presenting person, a white person,” said current Danza Azteca student Karina Juarez.

“So that already I don't know how I feel about learning from somebody who doesn't seem to have the experience.”

Another student, Angela Verdin, who took the class in fall 2022 added, “She [Rivera] would not only call it a performance, but she would consider it cardio. She would treat it as if it was a dance.”

Cortes returned as a student assistant in fall 2022 where he was able to continue teaching the students more about Danza Azteca. While he was gone, the students were left to only learn

about the dance and focus on the visual aspect.

“I wasn't learning any of the intentions that happen between any of the classes or any of the dances. I wasn't learning about what the fire meant, what the water meant, what the elements meant, what the altar was. I wasn't learning anything about what I was doing,” Verdin said. “It was like I was doing all of these things but not knowing what they meant and the story behind it all. And, so when that trust was broken, it made it really hard for me to continue learning.”

Rivera was contacted for an inter view but she declined.

In the last week of Spring 2022, Cortes came to visit the class with his parents who were able to mentor the class because of their personal experi-

ence in Danza Azteca.

“Frank was coming in to visit with his parents and that was the first time throughout the entire semester that I realized, oh, this is what Danza Azteca is like, this is the philosophy behind it,” Juarez said. “I was so welcomed into this space that had felt so near but distant to me because I wasn't learning what I needed to learn about it.”

Rivera is also a co-advisor for the Danza Azteca club, which former students created and is open to students and off-campus community to further their knowledge.

“So the thing with Danza Azteca, there’s a lot of philosophy,” said Danza Azteca Club President Yvette Rosales. ”There’s a lot of spiritual practices, like you can’t just go in there willy nilly and not understand what you're doing. Because it’s not just dance, dance is a part of it, but it’s not just dance. It’s ceremony and to be aware of what you’re doing.”

Why move Danza to CRGS?

Students and faculty of the CRGS and Theatre and Dance departments have had recent meetings where no agreements have been made.

The Dance program wants to keep this course because Danza Azteca has a dance aspect to it.

“The dance class takes experts who know how to dance and that's probably not what is true of any of the faculty in CRGS,” said Dance and Theatre Program Leader Linda Maxwell. “They’re not expert dancers, would be my guess.”

Both departments agree if this transition does happen it would take at least one to three years for the class to be available in the CRGS department.

“We are repeating the same mistakes if we continue to ignore students' voices, who want Danza Azteca in CRGS,” said CRGS Department Chair Ramona Bell. “I say we as an institution are failing our students if we think that we can meet student's needs by having Danza Azteca in the dance program and focusing just on the dance part where folks in the dance program aren’t experts in history, cultural, and spiritu-

News Noticias 4 |El Leñador | mayo 2023| ellenadornews.com
We are repeating the same mistakes if we continue to ignore students' voices, who want Danza Azteca in CRGS.
Ramona Bell
Students and a volunteer in Danza Azteca class and practice in Van Duzer Theatre May 1 to prepare for Evening of Dance. | Photos by Eddy Guzman

ality disciplines, frameworks that we're the experts.”

Students feel if the course continues under the Theatre and Dance department, Danza Azteca will continue to be treated like a performance.

“We're part of the music and theater and dance department but that whole department is based on entertainment and making money off of performances,” said former Danza Azteca student Elias Sifuentes. “So we're trying to put this into ethnic studies or Native studies, because it is Native, it's Indigenous. It has been here for eons, time immemorial. So to get this back in this way, and then be forced to perform it and be performative about, it doesn't align right. It's obviously putting us in the same cycle of colonial settler entertainment.”

Students want to make this transition happen because they are confident that CRGS will find a qualified individual who will have a cultural connection and will treat Danza Azteca appropriately.

“We want to say we're an HSI [Hispanic Serving Institution] but we're

more concerned about the dollars of being an HSI and not about what students want,” Bell said. “The reason why we're an HSI is because of students, because of the number of Latinx students who attend Cal Poly, and if we really want to honor our strategic plan, we have a lot of work to do. If you look at the numbers of Latinx faculty, compared to the number of Latinx students on campus, we are just disproportionately lacking. We say that we want to have representation of faculty and staff that mirror our student population, but we don't.”

Students will continue to communicate with both departments to give Danza Azteca justice.

“We are not putting up this fight for us, we are putting up this fight for the next generation of people that are going to be looking for this culture, for this prayer, for this medicine, that are going to be walking through this institution that is hard enough already,” Juarez said. “Ultimately, we don't want those students to go through what we're going through right now.”

News Noticias ellenadornews.com |mayo 2023 | El Leñador| 5
Frank Cortes, student assistant, practices with Danza Azteca class on May 1 to prepare for the Evening of Dance. | Photos by Eddy Guzman Danza Azteca students dancing May 1 in the Van Duzer Theatre to prepare for Evening of Dance. | Photos by Eddy Guzman

Latinx students create community club

On April 20, the Humboldt Latinx Community club met at El Centro Académico Cultural de Humboldt for an end of the semester potluck. Members brought home-made food such as ceviche, horchata and other delicious foods that are hard to come by in Humboldt County. A sense of community can be felt at the potluck that reminds attendees of home.

How did it begin?

The club was started by Cal Poly Humboldt Cross Country runners Brian Mendoza and Rosa Granados. They noticed there was no club specific to Latinx student athletes so they formed the Latinx Union for Student Athletes.

“I came to this club and wanted to be involved with them because coming here I didn’t feel that I had community,” said Isabel Perez-Zoghbi, VP-Finance for the club. “I came from a town where I was surrounded by people who were hispanic and that looked like me. Out

here there is less of that and it's a big culture shock. I felt like I didn’t have a connection.”

After their first meeting they decided to change their name to the Humboldt Latinx Community.

“We realized we wanted more than student athletes because the need of other students is coming to us and they are asking ‘Do you have to be an athlete

be in the club?’ and we were like ‘let’s drop the student athlete thing and just open it up for the community’ and that’s something that the entire executive group sat down in a meeting,” said Granados.

For the Humboldt Latinx Community Club, it is important for them to have members get the resources and help that they need while simultaneously feeling

at home.

Anabel Ojeda, club president, said, “I think that it’s up to us to build a sense of community and have our culture after being so far away from home because when you get up here you kinda ‘adapt’ to the culture here and it's different. Having a club where you are reminded about your culture is good.”

One of the Humboldt Latinx Community club’s main goals is to make sure students can be connected to resources so they can be successful academically and socially.

“It has been a lot of fun joining this community," said Pablo Chapman, president of community. “There is no set structure so it allows for a flow of conversation and so when we have events there isn’t a set structure so it allows people to talk.”

To learn more about the Humboldt Latinx Community Club, check out their instagram page @humboldt_latinx_community.

News Noticias 6 |El Leñador | mayo 2023| ellenadornews.com
Latinx Club gathers at El Centro on April 20. | Photo by Ricardo Lara Nava to

BSAU to become official club

Serena Smith is a senior cross country runner and kinesiology major in pre-physical therapy at Cal Poly Humboldt and is working to bring back the Black Student Athletics Union, a student-led club.

This community building effort comes after the athletic department tried to start a similar club in 2020.

“It wasn't very organic, it was more like the coaches are here, they have to do this so they threw us in and then it fell apart,” Smith said.

After the death of George Floyd and the height of #blacklivesmatter movement, the coaches created the BSAU in order to create conversations between coaches and Black athletes about the ongoing issues that were occuring in the country.

CPH Cross Country coach Jamie Harris said “We started meeting, informally over zoom meetings trying to connect with some of the community resources and just give Black student athletes a space and voice.”

Smith explains that the club didn't work out initially because the coaches couldn't relate to the conversations and experiences of being a Black athlete on campus. This is what led Smith to leading BSAU with a student focus, creating a space that empowers and caters to the needs of Black student athletes at CPH.

“It was hard because a lot of Black student athletes don’t have a safe space that they can come to talk to. We don't have a community,” Smith said. “Our purpose of the BSAU is to create a safe space for Black student athletes.”

The BSAU focuses on three objectives: Educate, Embody and Connect. These objectives address empowering and connecting with the next generation of Black student athletes and setting them up for

success. Black students make up 3% of CPH enrollment as of fall 2022.

Douglas Smith, the coordinator of the Umoja Center for Pan African Student Excellence, has been a prominent supporter for the club. He provides the Umoja center as a meeting ground for the club and has created comradery with the club members and president.

“If we are going to have Black student athletes on our campus, they’re going beyond being a commodity for the athletic department and athletes on our campus to help provide authentic support," said Douglas Smith. “So I think it’s important not just to have the Umoja Center but diverse spaces for Black students to engage in.”

Serena Smith is graduating this spring 2023 but plans to stay around to help get the club running. Smith envisions hiring a diversity officer in the athletic department to offer guidance and support to the needs of athletes of color, creating a green book that has the information of Black professors, spaces and resources across campus for students to utilize. Smith’s main goal is to share their experiences of being a Black student athlete, helping bridge resources and connections to let them know that there is community here for them.

Delana Montes, is a sophomore in track and field who will be the BSAU president in fall 2023, explained, “I want people to come here and be able to have a good time. Instead of thinking that ‘oh, it’s going to never change’.”

“It can change but it’s not going to change unless we try,” Montes said.

The BSAU will become an official club in fall 2023. For now, they have been hosting unofficial club meetings every Sunday in Nelson Hall East at the Umoja Center.

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The Black Student Athletes Union meet at the Umoja Center. | Photo by Steffi Puerto

CUNA: restoring Carlson Park and beautifying Valley West

On Thursday, April 6, State Senator Mike McGuire joined Arcata City Council members and Comunidad Unida Del Norte De Arcata (CUNA) co-coordinators to give $1 million for the development of Carlson Park in Valley West. In total, the park has been endowed with $2.5 million in funding for restoration. Other grants came from the Wildlife Conservation Board and Rural Recreation and Tourism.

CUNA has been a vital motivator of this project, by adopting the park, holding clean-ups and continually advocating for it to the City of Arcata. CUNA is deeply involved with the beautification of the entire North Arcata area since its formation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The grants funding the Carlson Park restoration will be used to build a playground, a picnic area, and a special events area. Improving river access and trails will allow for boating and swimming in the Mad River. The park will also have public restrooms, pickleball, and multi-use courts.

“Redwood Coast Energy Authority will be collaborating for EV charging stations at a planned parking lot,” said Emily Sinkhorn, Director of Environmental Services.

CUNA is co-coordinated by three women who have been living or serving in the community of Valley West for decades. Kimberly White is an Arcata City Council member and graduate of Cal Poly Humboldt. Eibar Romero is

currently studying Critical Race, Gender and Sexuality Studies at CPH. Laura Muñoz is a “bilingual dance and theater maker, educator, somatics practitioner, and community organizer,” according to the CUNA website.

“They're [the City of Arcata] going to be doing bilingual signage on the trails in Spanish, English, and Wiyot language, invasive species removal, and planting native species. There's going to be an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant lookout. So, those who cannot make it down the trails are going to get this incredible view of our wonderful Mad River right there,” White said.

I'm excited about the opportunities to really build community and hopefully also bridge the different demographics,” Muñoz said. “It's not a moment too soon that Carlson Park is going to be available for families, for kids, for recreation, and really to work for a better way of living like kids playing outside and being outdoors.”

In the Valley West community, CUNA has incorporated the participatory budgeting process into its work by speaking with a wide range of demographics in the community including the elderly, Latinx and unhoused. These conversations brought attention to the fact that there was less of a desire for grand gestures and more for securing essential services. “They were not thinking big. They were just like we need police out here. We need a garbage can.

You know, just the basics,” White said. Not only did CUNA provide those basics to Valley West, but they were also able to secure barbecue facilities that are ADA compliant, plant fruit trees, have dance classes and have children's theater. They have organized and facilitated tianguis, a Latinx style open-air market and block parties for disaster preparedness and community building.

This showcased local mariachi bands and artists and intent on developing a community garden, reported CUNA co-coordinators.

“Valley West hasn't received a lot of attention years back, so it's super awesome and I think it makes the Latinx community feel heard or seen that there is going to be attention to that community where they live,” Romero said.

News Noticias 8 |El Leñador | mayo 2023| ellenadornews.com
Carlson Park in Valley West | Photo by Ruby Cayenne

CUNA: Restaurando Carlson Park y embelleciendo Valley West

El jueves 6 de abril, el Senador Estatal Mike McGuire se unió con los miembros del Ayuntamiento de Arcata y los coordinadores de Comunidad Unida Del Norte De Arcata (CUNA) para entregar $1,000,000 en el desarrollo del Parque Carlson en Valley West. En total, el parque ha sido dotado con $2.5 millones de dólares para su restauración. Otras subvenciones vinieron de Wildlife Conservation Board y de Rural Recreation and Tourism.

CUNA ha sido un motivador esencial de este proyecto, adoptando el parque, realizando limpiezas y defendiéndolo continuamente ante la ciudad de Arcata. CUNA está profundamente implicada en el embellecimiento de toda la zona norte de Arcata desde su formación durante la pandemia de COVID-19.

Las subvenciones que financian la restauración del Carlson Park se utilizarán para construir un parque infantil, una zona de picnic y un área para eventos especiales. La ampliación del acceso al río y de los senderos permitirá navegar y nadar en Mad River. El

parque también tendrá baños públicos, canchas de pickleball y de usos múltiples.

"Redwood Coast Energy Authority colaborará para instalar estaciones de carga de vehículos eléctricos en un estacionamiento previsto,” dijo Emily Sinkhorn, Directora de los Servicios Medioambientales.

CUNA está coordinado por tres mujeres que llevan décadas viviendo o sirviendo en la comunidad de Valley West. Kimberly White es miembro del Consejo Municipal de Arcata y graduada de Cal Poly Humboldt. Eibar Romero estudia actualmente Estudios Críticos de Raza, Género y Sexualidad en CPH. Laura Muñoz es “creadora bilingüe de danza y teatro, educadora, practicante de somática y organizadora comunitaria,” según el sitio web de CUNA.

“Ellos [la ciudad de Arcata] van a hacer señalizaciones bilingües en los senderos en español, inglés y el idioma wiyot, van a eliminar especies invasoras y van a plantar especies indígenas. Habrá un mirador conforme al Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Así,

quienes no puedan bajar por los senderos van a tener allí mismo una vista increíble de nuestro maravilloso Mad River,” dijo White.

“Estoy entusiasmada con las oportunidades de construir realmente una comunidad y espero que también de unir los diferentes grupos demográficos,” dijo Muñoz. "No es demasiado pronto para que Carlson Park esté disponible para las familias, para los niños, para el recreo, y realmente para trabajar por una forma de vida mejor, como que los niños jueguen fuera y estén al aire libre.”

En la comunidad de Valley West, CUNA ha incorporado el proceso de elaboración participativa de presupuestos a su trabajo, hablando con una amplia diversidad demográfica de la comunidad, como las personas mayores, Latinx y las personas sin vivienda. Estas conversaciones llamaron la atención sobre el hecho de que había menos deseos de grandes gestos y más de garantizar los servicios esenciales. “No pensaban a lo grande. Se limitaban a decir que necesitamos policía aquí. Necesita-

mos un basurero. Sólo lo básico,” dijo White.

CUNA no sólo dio esos servicios básicos a Valley West, sino que también pudo conseguir instalaciones para las carne asadas que cumplen los requisitos de la ADA, plantar árboles frutales, dar clases de danza y hacer teatro infantil. Han organizado y facilitado tianguis, un mercado al aire libre de estilo latino y fiestas de la cuadra para la preparación ante los desastres y la fundación de la comunidad. En ellas se presentaron mariachis y artistas locales y se intentó desarrollar un jardín comunitario, informaron los coordinadores de CUNA.

“Hace años que Valley West no recibía mucha atención, así que es súper impresionante y creo que hace que la comunidad Latinx se sienta escuchada o vista de que va haber atención en la comunidad donde viven,” dijo Romero.

News Noticias ellenadornews.com |mayo 2023 | El Leñador| 9
Carlson Park en Valley West | Foto por Ruby Cayennne Kimberly White | Foto por CUNA citioweb Eibar Romero | Foto por CUNA citioweb Laura Muñoz | Foto por CUNA citioweb

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Deadline May 31st / fetcha limite 31 de mayo.

Questions? Call: 707 826-4791

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“The most positive experience was meeting new people” and “Learning new things about college that will help me in the future,” said 2022 student participants.

10 |El Leñador | mayo 2023| ellenadornews.com
Sammy Quezada, Mr. Q Multiple Subjects Teacher Hoopa Valley High School Gloria Valdez Mathematics Teacher Fortuna High School

HAPI hosts Lunar New Year Festival on May 6

HAPI organiza el Festival del Año Nuevo Lunar el 6 de mayo

On May 6, Humboldt Asians and Pacific Islanders in Solidarity is hosting their Lunar New Year with a cultural festival at the Clarke Plaza in Eureka. The festival will take place form 4 - 9 p.m with performances by Lion dancers, Humboldt Taiko, Lao dancers and more.

The group's ‘Monument-al Luncheon and Auction’ will take place on May 7 from Noon - 3 p.m to benefit the Eureka Chinatown Monument at the Bayfront restaurant in Eureka.

What is HAPI?

HAPI is a group of community members who rally together to support Asian focused events. They started in 2019 but were previously known as Taiko Swing Humboldt. HAPI helped organize, plan and host San Jose’s Taiko’s “Swingposium On The Road” in 2020.

"…we connected with so many people who were like ‘Oh I didn’t know that there were other asian people in Humboldt County,’"Alex Ozaki-McNeill, one of HAPI's founding mothers. "So we expanded from there and became Humboldt Asians and Pacific Islanders in solidarity."

Another founding mother, Marylyn Paik-Nicely, was the director of the multicultural center at Humboldt State

University for almost 20 years. She helps HAPI organize group meetings for upcoming community events.

“It’s kinda where I got my passion, my excitement about organizing or working with different groups. I call meetings, just trying to get people connected," said Paik-Nicely. "Like with Obon [festival], it's fun because everyone has some kind of memory with it. Either they group up with or their community did it, like for me it’s something I grew up with.”

Hosting events and fundraisers is what helps the HAPI community grow. It’s a way people around the community make connections and build relationships.

“Usually when we do events like the Chinatown celebration or Obon we have people who are like ‘how do I get involved?’or 'How do I come to your events,” said Ozaki-McNeill

For more information on HAPI and upcoming events visit hapihumboldt.org

El 6 de mayo, Humboldt Asians and Pacific Islanders in Solidarity celebrará su Año Nuevo Lunar con un festival cultural en el Clarke Plaza de Eureka. El festival se celebrará de cuatro a nueve de la tarde con actuaciones de bailarines de Leones, Taiko de Humboldt, bailarines de Laos y más.

El 7 de mayo, de las doce a las tres de la tarde, se celebrará en el restaurante Bayfront de Eureka un almuerzo y subasta a beneficio del Monumento al Barrio Chino de Eureka.

¿Qué es HAPI?

HAPI es un grupo de miembros de la comunidad que se unen para apoyar eventos centrados en Asia. Comenzaron en 2019, era conocidos antes como Taiko Swing Humboldt. HAPI ayudó a organizar, planificar y presentar el "Swingposium On The Road" de Taiko de San José en 2020.

"...nos conectamos con tanta gente que decía: 'Oh, no sabía que había otras personas asiáticas en el condado de Humboldt’,” Alex Ozaki-McNeill, una de las madres fundadoras de HAPI. "Así que nos expandimos a partir de ahí y nos convertimos en Humboldt Asians and Pacific Islanders in solidarity.”

Otra de las madres fundadoras, Marylyn Paik-Nicely, fue directora del

centro multicultural de Humboldt State University durante casi 20 años. Ella ayuda a HAPI a organizar reuniones de grupo para los próximos eventos comunitarios.

"Es un poco de donde saqué mi pasión, mi entusiasmo por organizar o trabajar con diferentes grupos. Convocó reuniones, sólo intentó poner en contacto a la gente.” dice Paik-Nicely. "Como con Obon [festival], es divertido porque todo el mundo tiene algún tipo de recuerdo con él. O se agrupan con él o su comunidad lo hizo, como para mí es algo con lo que crecí.”

Organizar eventos y recaudar fondos es lo que ayuda a crecer a la comunidad HAPI. Es una forma de que la gente de la comunidad establezca contactos y relaciones.

"Normalmente, cuando celebramos actos como la fiesta del Barrio Chino o el Obon, la gente nos pregunta '¿cómo puedo participar? o '¿cómo puedo asistir a los actos que organizáis?,”dice Ozaki-McNeill.

Para más información sobre HAPI y los próximos eventos, visite www.hapihumboldt.org

News Noticias ellenadornews.com |mayo 2023 | El Leñador| 11
Founding members of the Humboldt Asians and Pacific Islanders in Solidarity group. | Photo courtesy of HAPI Obon festival participants on August 14, 2022 in Arcata. | Photo by Abraham Navarro por Jordan Pangelinan traducido por Desiree Osornio
12 |El Leñador | mayo 2023| ellenadornews.com

Profile: César G. Abarca

Associate Professor César G. Abarca has been working at Cal Poly Humboldt since the fall of 2013. He teaches in the Social Work department and is the program director for the Master of Social Work program. Abarca is a Latino professor who aims to diversify the university and help students of color.

When Abarca was hired, the university qualified as a Hispanic-Serving Institution. An HSI is an institution of higher education that has 25% or more Hispanic or Latino full-time student enrollment.

“The transition from predominantly white institution to Hispanic Serving Institution was a result of efforts that university invested in bringing these students,” Abarca said. “What they didn’t realize was that it wasn’t just about bringing the students in; it was about retaining those students, providing support to those students, and having also faculty who reflected the experience of those students.”

An aspect of being an HSI that Abarca is interested in is the diversity in faculty. He finds this important because Abarca has seen the lack of faculty of color first-hand throughout his time at CPH. Students of color constantly rely on faculty of color for support. Abarca is the only faculty of color on tenure-track in the Department of Social Work, which was confirmed by Jamie Jensen, department chair of social work.

Abarca currently teaches Social Work 643: Community and Organization. Students learn how to uplift and engage the communities that they work in.

“He talks a lot about things in other countries,” said Jose Moreno, a student in Abarca's SW 643 class. “We also talk about Mexico, we talk about things that are going on in [El]Salvador, Guatemala, Puerto Rico, just open to geographical places that impact a lot of communities where I'm from, or my community and people that I know live in those communities or from those communities.”

Abarca helped found Scholars without Borders in 2017 and is currently the faculty adviser. This program focuses on supporting all students but mainly

Perfil: César G. Abarca

El Profesor Asociado César G. Abarca ha estado trabajando en Cal Poly Humboldt desde el otoño del 2013. Enseña en el Departamento de Trabajo Social y es el director del programa de Maestría en Trabajo Social. Abarca es un profesor latino que tiene como objetivo diversificar la universidad y ayudar a los estudiantes de color.

Cuando se contrató a Abarca, la universidad calificó como una HSI, una Institución al Servicio de los Hispanos. Una HSI es una institución de educación superior que tiene un 25% o más de estudiantes hispanos o latinos matriculados a tiempo completo.

comunidades.”

Abarca ayudó a fundar Becarios Sin Fronteras en 2017 y actualmente es el asesor del personal. Este programa se enfoca en apoyar a todos los estudiantes, pero principalmente a los estudiantes indocumentados, DACA y AB-540.

Undocumented, DACA, and AB-540 students.

Jamilla Hashem, a Scholars without Borders peer mentor said, “Cesar truly brings a wealth of knowledge, experience, and passion into this line of work, but the way that he brings all of this forward is by encouraging collaboration among all of us at Scholars Without Borders and to think critically about the many different ways we each can collaboratively engage in this work.”

Abarca was born in Mexico but grew up in Los Angeles, California. He obtained a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Sociology and Social Work at San Francisco State University and a Ph.D. at Boston University.

Abarca said that it helps students to see faculty of color being very outspoken and committed to the work they are doing. “Whether it was, working on removing the military from Okinawa in Japan, or some folks working in Japantown, in San Francisco, or some working with human rights in San Francisco.”

Abarca’s teaching methods are connected to students' past experiences. He mentions “grandma's kitchen of wisdom” as being able to learn the challenges and skills of our ancestors and use them to our advantage.

“So far in these 13 years that I have been in academia it has been very helpful to have one foot in the community and one foot in the institution, because a lot of the time, the work that we do in the institution is not satisfying,” Abarca said.

“La transición de una institución predominantemente blanca a una HSI fue el resultado de los esfuerzos que la universidad invirtió en traer a estos estudiantes,” dijo Abarca. “De lo que no se dieron cuenta fue que no se trataba solo de traer a los estudiantes; se trataba de retener a esos estudiantes, brindarles apoyo y también tener profesores que reflejaran la experiencia de esos estudiantes.”

Un aspecto de ser una HSI que le interesa a Abarca es la diversidad en el personal. Él encuentra esto importante porque ha visto la falta de profesores de color de primera mano durante su tiempo en Cal Poly Humboldt (CPH). Los estudiantes de color dependen constantemente de personal de color para apoyo. Abarca es el unico profesor de color en la vía de titularidad en el Departamento de Trabajo Social, lo cual fue confirmado por Jamie Jensen, presidente del Departamento de Trabajo Social.

Abarca actualmente enseña Trabajo Social 643: Comunidad y Organización. Los estudiantes aprenden cómo animar e involucrar a las comunidades en las que trabajan.

“Habla mucho sobre cosas de otros países,” dijo José Moreno, estudiante en la clase SW 643 de Abarca. “También hablamos de México, hablamos de cosas que están pasando en [El] Salvador, Guatemala, Puerto Rico, abiertos a lugares geográficos que impactan a muchas comunidades de donde soy, o mi comunidad y las personas que conozco viven en esas comunidades o de esas

Jamilla Hashem, una compañera mentor de Becarios Sin Fronteras dijo: “Cesar realmente aporta una gran cantidad de conocimiento, experiencia y pasión a esta línea de trabajo, pero la forma en que lleva todo esto adelante alienta la colaboración entre todos nosotros en Becarios Sin Fronteras y pensar críticamente sobre las bastantes maneras diferentes en que cada uno de nosotros puede colaborar en este trabajo.”

Abarca nació en México pero creció en Los Ángeles, California. Obtuvo una licenciatura y maestría en Sociología y Trabajo Social en la Universidad Estatal de San Francisco y un Ph.D. en la Universidad de Boston.

Abarca dijo que ayuda a los estudiantes ver que los profesores de color son muy abiertos y comprometidos con el trabajo que están haciendo. “Ya sea trabajando para sacar a los militares de Okinawa en Japón, o con personas que trabajan en Japantown, en San Francisco, o con personas que trabajan con los derechos humanos en San Francisco.”

Los métodos de enseñanza de Abarca están conectados con las experiencias pasadas de los estudiantes. Menciona la "cocina de sabiduría de la abuela" como la capacidad de aprender los desafíos y habilidades de nuestros antepasados y usarlos como ventaja.

"En estos 13 años que llevo en el mundo académico me ha sido muy útil tener un pie en la comunidad y otro en la institución, porque muchas veces el trabajo que hacemos en la institución no es satisfactorio,” dijo Abarca.

News Noticias ellenadornews.com |mayo 2023 | El Leñador| 13
Cesar Abarca prepares to meet with Scholars without Borders peer mentors at the Social Justice, Equity and Inclusion Center on March 28, 2023. | Photo by/Foto por Eddy Guzman

Latinx faculty and student demographics fall 2022

During fall 2022, 7.1% of the total faculty at Cal Poly Humboldt identified as Latinx. Of the student population in fall 2022, 29.6% of students identified as Latinx according to the office of Institutional Research, Analytics and Reporting.

This is in contrast to the over representation of white faculty compared to students. In fall 2022, 70% of the faculty on campus were white and half of the students were white.

Interim Associate Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Campus Diversity Officer, Rosamel Benavides-Garb, said that the university is committed to making change in this area.

"Historically poly tech has been an institution that served mainly white middle class, upper middle class students. So we became a poly tech thinking that we need to change that," Benavides-Garb said.

Benavides-Garb said that hiring more Latinx faculty is a complex issue but equity is something that the school has been moving towards representation in faculty since becoming an HSI in 2013.

"Is it going to happen next year? probably not. Are we going to keep incrementing our Latinx faculty presence? Yes, there’s no question about it," Benavides-Garb said.

"There's an inequity, because students of color, specifically self iden-

tified Latino Hispanic students, are not mirrored in the faculty and staff demographics," said Director of El Centro Academico Cultural Fernando Paz."As a Hispanic Serving Institution it's definitely an opportunity gap. It's a place for us to grow, I think for us to correct."

Former Associate Student President, Juan Giovanni Guerero, said the following when asked about the difference between the number of Latinx students and Latinx faculty, "That number means a lot, it means that there's a lot of work to be done."

Andrea Delgado, assistant professor in the English department and California Faculty Association member, said that in her own experience having a Latinx mentor helped her continue through higher education.

"When I first got here I was part of a new faculty cohort that was pretty big…," Delgado said. "There were only a handful of people of color and an even smaller number of women of

color."

Of the Latinx faculty, 22 are self identified women and 14 are self identified men. Delgado said finding that community helped her be successful and that without them, she might have left the school.

The majority of the Latinx faculty as of fall 2022 are temporary lecturers. There are currently 22 Latinx lecturers and 15 Latinx professors.

"We rely too much on our lecturer faculty to do a lot of the heavy lifting of the institution. They teach a lot of classes and they often do it without long term job security and at a much lower salary rate than tenure folks," Delgado said.

To Delgado, being an HSI means recognizing the legacy of white supremacy that exists in institutions of higher education.

"There's a lot of unlearning and undoing that needs to happen at the institutional level to really have our latinx students' best interest at heart and to honor the cultural knowledge that they bring with them," Delgado said.

Frank Hererra, director of the Social Justice and Equity Center, said that students could feel inspired by seeing people of similar backgrounds

to themself in higher education.

"We often find that BIPOC communities go above and beyond. They do volunteer for quite a bit of stuff,” Hererra said. “That takes them to the next level too. They're being tapped not just for teaching but for representing the entire campus for those students that need those connections."

News Noticias 14 |El Leñador | mayo 2023| ellenadornews.com
Data collected from CPH IRAR Fast Facts webpage from fall 2012 -2022. | Graphs by Peyton Leone
"There's an inequity, because students of color, specifically self identified Latino Hispanic students, are not mirrored in the faculty and staff demographics,"
Fernando Paz, Director of El Centro

Personal y Demográfica Estudiantil Latinx Otoño 2022

Durante el otoño del 2022, 7.1% del personal escolar total de Cal Poly Humboldt se identificó como Latinx. Del cuerpo estudiantil del 2022, 29.6% de los estudiantes se identificaron como Latinx según la oficina de Institutional Research, Analytics, and Reporting. A diferencia del personal y cuerpo estudiantil Latinx, hay un contraste muy diferente con la sobre representación de personal y estudiantes blancos. En el otoño del 2022, 70% de la facultad en el plantel escolar eran blancos y el 50% de

los estudiantes eran blancos.

La vicepresidenta adjunta interina de Diversidad, Equidad e Inclusión y Directora de Diversidad del Campus, Rosamel Benavides-Garb, afirmó que la universidad se ha comprometido a realizar cambios en esta área.

"Históricamente, la politécnica ha sido una institución que atendía principalmente a estudiantes blancos de clase media y clase media alta. Así que nos convertimos en una politécnica pensando que teníamos que cambiar esto,” dijo Benavides-Garb.

Benavides-Garb dijo que contratar a más personal Latinx es una cuestión compleja, pero que la equidad es algo en lo que la escuela ha estado desarrollando al escoger más personal escolar desde que la universidad se convirtió en una HSI (Institución de Servicio para los Hispanos) en el 2013.

"¿Va a ocurrir el año que viene? Probablemente no. ¿Vamos a seguir incrementando nuestra presencia de personal Latinx? Claro que sí, de eso no hay duda,” afirmó Benavides-Garb.

“Hay una inequidad, porque hay estudiantes de color, especificamente estudiantes Latinos y Hispanos, quienes no se echan de ver en las demograficas segun el cuerpo estudiantil y personal escolar,” dijo el director de El Centro

Academico Cultural, Fernando Paz. Como una HSI definitivamente hay lugar de oportunidad. Es un lugar donde podemos crecer, un lugar que tenemos que corregir.”

Juan Giovanni Guerrero, ex-presidente de la Asociación Estudiantil, dijo lo siguiente conforme a la diferencia entre los números representando a los estudiantes y personal Latinx: “Ese número significa mucho, significa que hay mucho trabajo por terminar.”

Andrea Delgado, profesora asistente en el departamento de inglés y miembro de la Asociación de Personal Californiana, dijo que en su propia experiencia teniendo un mentor Latinx le ayudó mucho durante su camino educacional.

“Cuando llegué aquí, yo era parte del nuevo grupo de personal escolar que era bastante grande,” dijo Delgado, “Solamente habia un puño de personas de color, y hasta menos mujeres de color.”

Del personal Latinx, 22 se identifican como mujeres y 14 se identifican como hombres. Delgado comentó que encontrándose con esta comunidad la ayudó a ser exitosa, y sin ella, Delgado hubiese dejado la universidad.

La mayoría del personal Latinx del otoño 2022 eran instructores temporales. Actualmente, hay 22 instructores y 15 profesores Latinx.

Para Delgado, ser una HSI significa

reconocer el legado de supremacía blanca que existe en las instituciones de educación a nivel universitario.

“Confiamos demasiado en nuestros instructores para hacer mucho del trabajo duro durante los semestres escolares. Ellos dan muchas de las clases y lo hacen a menudo sin seguridad de trabajo a largo plazo y con un salario mucho más bajo que el de nuestros miembros titulados,” dijo Delgado.

“Hay mucho de que desaprender y deshacerse a nivel institucional para que les cumplamos a nuestros estudiantes con su mejor interés en mente, y para honrar el conocimiento cultural que ellos traen consigo mismos,” termina Delgado.

Frank Herrera, director de El Centro de Justicia Social y Equidad (SJEC), dijo que los estudiantes se sienten inspirados a ver gente que viene con antecedentes similares a ellos en el sistema de educación superior.

“Nosotros frecuentemente notamos que las comunidades BIPOC sobresalen. Se dan como voluntarios para varias cosas,” dijo Herrera. “Eso los lleva a muchos niveles. Eso los convierte no solamente en buenos maestros, sino también como buenas influencias que representan al plantel escolar para que los estudiantes que necesitan ayuda puedan encontrarla.”

News Noticias ellenadornews.com |mayo 2023 | El Leñador| 15
Informática recolectada del CPH IRAR Fast Facts del otoño de 2012 - 2022. | Gráficos por Peyton Leone

Soy Artista: Singer-songwriter and music promoter

When J.D Garza isn’t working at Cal Poly Humboldt as a career adviser, helping students find resources for their success, he is doing the same with community members in the Humboldt County music scene through “Daisy Crew.”

As a singer-songwriter himself, Garza founded Daisy Crew in September 2022 with the intentions of helping other musicians and people who want to work in the industry.

“I want Daisy Crew to act as a resource to support our local community and the people that live here,” Garza said. “What I want Daisy Crew representing is using whatever privilege, knowledge, advantage or opportunity that I’ve gotten myself and passing it along to other people.”

As of right now, Daisy Crew’s primary service is booking shows for local bands. They have hosted shows at popular venues in the area such as Siren Song, Blondie’s and Outer Space.

Garza originally got into booking and helping other musicians when he was only 14 years, when he started booking shows in his parent’s backyard.

He would message the other bands, “Hey if my parents are okay with it, can you come and play in my backyard?”

He began hosting frequent house shows, and it would bring in people who usually weren’t into hardcore music because there was nothing else to do in the suburban area.

His mom loved the experience and would host the bands, making them food and talking with them.

“My mom actually hung out with the bands longer than I did!” Garza said.

His family played a major supportive, influential role in his journey. Garza originally got into music when he taught himself how to play his sister's recorder and guitar.

“My sister sort of fashioned my love for music and wanting to play,” Garza said. “I think the willingness to pursue music and Daisy Crew shows has been because of how music fostered my de-

velopment growing up.”

Garza has been in music roughly 20 years and his original work fits within the indie, emo and acoustic genres.

His six-song EP “Into The Woods” can be listened to on all streaming platforms and the name “Daisy Crew” actually came from his merchandise as a solo artist.

Garza’s key advice for those wanting to get into music is to attend more shows in your local area and striking up conversations.

“We’re doing our community a service by supporting local acts,” he said. “If you haven’t found

anything cool, you just haven’t been looking right. Let us help you.”

Daisy Crew intends to advocate for more inclusive, safe spaces in Humboldt music, especially for those from marginalized communities.

I think what we’re trying to do is making sure these spaces are inclusive not just for attendees, but for people who are trying to get involved,” Garza said.

Besides booking shows, Garza would love for Daisy Crew to provide connections and resources for people who want to get started working in the music scene, such as providing documents to send to venue owners as a local act and helping

photographers approach artists and set fair prices for their services.

On April 27, Daisy Crew co-hosted a “Local Music Meet-Up” with PinUp Presents, a production company, at Arcada for everyone who wanted to learn and connect with people in the local music scene. This included musicians, promoters, photographers, producers, venue owners and anyone else who aspires to work in music.

This was the first time Daisy Crew hosted a local music meet-up but Garza plans to host more in the future.

“There’s a lot of nuanced conversations that seems to be gatekept in the music industry and the entertainment industry,” Garza expressed. “Daisy Crew is meant to uncover the things that have been gatekept.”

Daisy Crew can be found on Instagram at @daisycrewshows . Those interested in booking a show can reach them at daisycrewshows@gmail.com.

Life & Arts La Vida y Los Artes 16 |El Leñador | mayo 2023| ellenadornews.com
Garza performs his own original music as a singer-songwriter. | Photo by Kianna Znika
We want you on our stages. We want you involved. Music is about sharing your perspective.
“ “

Soy Artista: Cantautor y promotor de música

Cuando J.D Garza no está trabajando en Cal Poly Humboldt como consejero de carreras, ayudando a los estudiantes a encontrar recursos para su éxito, está haciendo lo mismo con los miembros de la comunidad en la escena musical del condado de Humboldt a través de "Daisy Crew.”

Como cantautor, Garza fundó Daisy Crew en septiembre de 2022 con la intención de ayudar a otros músicos y personas que quieran trabajar en la industria.

"Quiero que Daisy Crew actúe como un recurso para apoyar a nuestra comunidad local y a la gente que vive aquí,”dijo Garza. "Lo que quiero que represente Daisy Crew es utilizar cualquier privilegio, conocimiento, ventaja o oportunidad que yo mismo he conseguido y transmitirlo a otras personas.”

En este momento, el servicio principal de Daisy Crew es reservando actuaciones para grupos locales. Han organizado espectáculos en locales populares de la zona como Siren's Song, Blondie's y Outer Space.

Garza empezó a contratar y ayudar a otros músicos cuando sólo tenía 14 años, cuando empezó a contratar actuaciones en el patio trasero de la casa de sus padres.

Enviaba mensajes a las otras bandas: "Oye, si a mis padres les parece bien, ¿puedes venir a tocar a mi patio?"

Empezó a organizar conciertos caseros con frecuencia, y eso atraía a gente que normalmente no estaba interesada en la música rock porque no había nada más que hacer en la zona suburbana.

A su madre le encantaba la experiencia y recibía a los grupos, preparándoles comida y hablando con ellos.

"De hecho, ¡mi madre convivió más con los grupos más tiempo que yo!” dijo Garza.

Su familia desempeñó un importante papel de apoyo e influencia en su trayectoria. Garza se inició en la música cuando se enseñó a tocar la flauta dulce y la guitarra de su hermana.

"En cierto manera, mi hermana modeló mi pasión por la música y mi deseo de tocar,” dijo Garza. "Creo que

la voluntad de dedicarme a la música y a los espectáculos de Daisy Crew se ha debido a cómo la música fomenta mi desarrollo mientras crecía.”

Garza lleva en la música unos 20 años y su obra original se encuadra dentro de los géneros indie, emo y acústica. Su EP de seis canciones "Into The Woods" puede escucharse en todas las plataformas de transmisión y el nombre "Daisy Crew" viene de su mercancía como solista.

El mejor consejo para quienes quisieran involucrarse en la música es que asistan a más espectáculos en su área local y comenzar conversaciones.

"Estamos haciendo un servicio a nuestra comunidad apoyando a los artistas locales,” afirma Garza. "Si no has encontrado nada chido, es que no estás buscando bien. Deja que te ayudemos.”

Daisy Crew se propone promover espacios más inclusivos y seguros en la música de Humboldt, especialmente para quienes pertenecen a comunidades

marginadas.

"Queremos que estés en nuestros escenarios. Queremos que participes. La música consiste en compartir tu perspectiva. Creo que lo que intentamos es asegurarnos de que estos espacios sean inclusivos no sólo para los que asisten, sino también para las personas que intentan participar,” dijo Garza.

Además de contratar espectáculos, a Garza le encantaría que Daisy Crew proporciona conexiones y recursos a las personas que quieren empezar a trabajar en la escena musical, como proporcionar documentos para enviar a los propietarios de locales como acto local y ayudar a los fotógrafos a acercarse a los artistas y fijar precios justos por sus servicios.

El 27 de abril, Daisy Crew co-organizó una junta de música local con PinUp Presents, una empresa de producción, en Arcada, para todos los que quisieran aprender y conectar con gente de la escena musical local. Entre ellos

había músicos, promotores, fotógrafos, productores, propietarios de locales y cualquiera que aspire a trabajar en la música.

Era la primera vez que Daisy Crew organizaba un encuentro de música local, pero Garza tiene previsto organizar más en el futuro.

"Hay muchas conversaciones que parecen estar guardadas en la industria de la música y del entretenimiento,” expresó Garza. "Daisy Crew se propone desvelar las cosas que se han ocultado.”

Puedes encontrar a Daisy Crew en Instagram en @daisycrewshows . Los interesados en reservar un espectáculo pueden ponerse en contacto con ellos en daisycrewshows@gmail.com.

Life & Arts La Vida y Los Artes ellenadornews.com | mayo 2023 | El Leñador| 17
Garza organizó una reunión musical local para todos los miembros de la comunidad interesados en trabajar en la música. | Foto por Kianna Znika

ayuda para aprender o mejorar su inglés para la vida diaria, el trabajo o la escuela?

Nuestro asesor estudiantil puede ayudarte a planificar tus clases de la manera más rápida para mejorar.

Si está interesado en tomar clases, llame al 707-476-4527.

Se habla español.

18 |El Leñador | mayo 2023| ellenadornews.com
¿Necesita

Lumpia recipeA taste from home

The sweet aroma of garlic and onions fill the air. The snap-crackle-pop sound of the hot oil frying the lumpia makes my mouth water as I wait for all the lumpia to fry. I grow impatient waiting for them. Maybe I should try one just to make sure that they are perfect but then I remind myself this recipe has been encoded into my DNA. I remember the happiness and joy of making and eating lumpia with my family. My Lola’s lumpia would always come out long and thin, like fingers. Mine were short and fat. We would laugh and compare whose lumpia was better.

Traditionally lumpia is made whenever there is a gathering of family, because of its size and simplicity. My Lola, mother, brother and I would all participate in making them, whether it was prepping the vegetables or wrapping them up and frying them. The best part of making lumpia was sharing them with friends, my mom would make some especially to give away to others, and how it brought us all closer together.

Ingredients

3 cloves of garlic

½ of a large yellow onion, medium diced

1lb of Ground Turkey

1 whole shredded carrot

½ of a head of green cabbage

5 tbsp of Soy sauce

1 tsp of Black Pepper

½ cup of Vegetable oil

2 (18 oz) Egg roll wrap papers any egg roll papers work but the thinner the better

2 Eggs, whites only

A pinch of salt

Sauce

Mae Ploy Sweet Chili Sauce

Directions

In a large pan, add diced onion and diced garlic. Cook until fragrant. Then add ground turkey and cook till brown.

Add the shredded carrots and shredded green cabbage and cook veggies for 5 min.

Add 5 tablespoons of soy sauce and

Receta de LumpiaSabor a mi hogar

½ repollo verde

5 cucharadas de salsa de soya

1 cucharadita de pimienta negra

½ taza de aceite vegetal

2 (18 onzas) papel/ envolturas de huevo. Cualquier envoltura de huevo funciona, pero mientras más delgada, mejor

2 claras de huevo

Una pizca de sal

Preparación

one teaspoon of black pepper. Reduce to medium-low heat and cover for 10 min.

Take the pan off and put it to the side. While you are waiting for it to cool down, make the egg wash by mixing two egg whites and separate the egg roll wrappers.

To stuff and roll the lumpia, start by placing the wrapper in a diamond shape (have a corner of the wrapper pointing towards you and the other corner away from you. On the corner closest to you about a three-finger distance from the bottom tip, add two tablespoons of meat and veggies. Then roll halfway and fold both corners in. Coat the remaining triangle area in egg wash and roll.

In a pan add ½ cup of vegetable oil on medium heat, then fry the egg rolls till golden brown. Remove and place on a paper towel-lined plate to soak up excess oil, salt them and serve with sweet chili sauce.

Storage tip

If you don't want to eat them right away, freeze the lumpia that are not fried and when you’re ready, add them to the hot oil. There is no need to defrost them.

El dulce aroma de ajo y cebolla llenan el aire. Se me hace agua la boca mientras espero que se frían todas las lumpias en el aceite caliente. Me impaciento esperando. Tal vez debería probar solo una para asegurarme que estén quedando perfectas, pero luego me acuerdo que esta receta está codificada en mi ADN. Recuerdo la felicidad y la alegría de cocinar y comer lumpia con mi familia. Las lumpias de mi Lola, siempre salían largas y delgadas, parecían dedos. Las mias salen cortas y gordas. Solíamos reírnos al comparar cuales eran mejores.

Tradicionalmente las lumpias se preparan cada vez que hay una reunión familiar, por su tamaño y sencillez. Mi Lola, mi madre, mi hermano y yo, todos participamos en la cocción, ya sea preparando los vegetales, envolviendo, o friéndolos. La mejor parte de cocinar lumpias es que podemos compartirlas con amigos. Mi madre, especialmente, hacía algunas para compartir con otras personas, lo que nos permitía unirnos más.

Ingredientes

3 dientes de ajo

1/2 cebolla amarilla grande, en pedazos medianos

1 libra de pavo molido

1 zanahoria entera rallada

En un sartén grande, agrega la cebolla en pedazos y el ajo picado. Cocina hasta que suelte su aroma. Agrega el pavo molido, cocinando hasta que tenga un color más oscuro. Luego agrega la zanahoria rallada y el repollo verde. Cocina los vegetales durante 5 minutos. Agrega 5 cucharadas de salsa soya y 1 cucharadita de pimienta negra. Reduce el fuego a medio-bajo y tapar por 10 minutos.

Retira la sartén del fuego. Mientras se enfría, haz el barniz de huevo mezclando las 2 claras y separando las envolturas.

Para rellenar y enrollar la lumpia, comienza colocando la envoltura en forma de diamante (asegurate que tenga una esquina del envoltorio apuntando en tu dirección y que la otra esquina quede hacia el lado contrario). En la esquina más cercana a usted, a una distancia de tres dedos de la punta inferior, agrega dos cucharadas de carne de pavo y verduras. Luego enrolla hasta la mitad y dobla ambas esquinas hacia el centro. Cubre el área restante del triángulo con huevo batido y enrolle.

En una sartén, agrega 1/2 taza de aceite vegetal a fuego medio. Luego fríe los rollos de huevo hasta que estén dorados. Retíralos del fuego y colócalos en un plato forrado con toallas de papel para absorber el exceso de aceite. Ponles sal y disfruta con salsa de chile dulce.

Consejos

para almacenar

Si no se consumiran inmediatamente, congela las lumpias que no estén fritas. Cuando estén listas para comerlas, puedes freírlas en aceite caliente. No es necesario descongelarlas antes de freírlas.

Life & Arts La Vida y Los Artes ellenadornews.com | mayo 2023 | El Leñador| 19
Lumpia with the Mae Ploy Sweet Chili Sauce | Photo by/Foto por Elysia Manzanares escrito por Elysia Manzanares traducido por Maria Hernandez Coosemans
20 |El Leñador | mayo 2023| ellenadornews.com

Kianna Review’s - Healing and romanticizing life with De Souza

If you’re ready to heal and romanticize the turning point in your life known as the early-to-mid twenties, Indigo De Souza’s latest album “All of This Will End” is just for you.

Being 25 myself, De Souza was able to touch on a variety of different relatable themes that I’ve been thinking about a lot recently: nostalgia, heartbreak, daddy issues and the honest internal dialogue that comes with growing up.

The album’s nostalgic, indie pop vibes are instantly set with the first track “Time Back” which transported me back to the early 2010’s when I was on Myspace and Tumblr, listening to cool new artists like MGMT. Many of De Souza’s songs contain lyrics that are sad enough to lie down and think to, but the music is upbeat enough to get you to clean the mess that’s been piling

up in your room. It’s the perfect album to listen to when you want to feel like the main character in a coming-of-age movie.

There’s a touch of grunge influence in the song “Wasting Your Time” that I really appreciate because it channels a specific frustration that comes with feeling powerless in a connection with someone you know isn’t good for you.

This relatable theme was introduced in “You Can Be Mean” with lyrics such as “I can’t believe I let you touch my body” and the main kicker in the second verse,“I’d like to think you got a good heart/And your dad was just an asshole growing up/But I don’t see you trying that hard to to be better than he is.”

Overall, what I most appreciate about De Souza is how she wrote and expressed a lot of the same things I’ve thought in the privacy of my own head,

especially in the songs “Smog” and “Younger and Dumber.” Now I have a soundtrack for this transitional chapter in my life.

De Souza is a rising Brazilian-American artist who writes and co-produces her own original music and collaborates with her mom, Kimberly Oberhammer,

when it comes to beautiful album art. She is definitely someone to keep an eye on since “All of This Will End” is only the third studio album in her career. I’m very grateful to have discovered De Souza this year because I genuinely see her only getting bigger in the years to come.

Cooking for the homies and delighting in creation

Nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla are folded carefully into the batter of what will soon become banana bread. Give it forty-five minutes in the oven, five minutes to cool (yes, you have to wait), and all of your love.

You cannot make exceptional banana bread without love. Actually, you can’t make any exceptional dish without love. It’s not an ingredient but it’s how you put your dish together. It’s who you think of as you dance around the kitchen, making sure that doesn’t burn, this is chopped properly and everything tastes alright.

Cooking and sharing food with your friends and ones you hold dear is one of the best acts of community you can share with them. Food truly brings us together and making something with

love for the people you love just makes it taste better.

Make things for yourself with love as well. Even if you are sad, you can enjoy what your life has become. Yes, you are still sad inside, but it’s not as bad as before with a little dish of love in front of you. Keep in mind that when you share your time with your friends to cook for them, they might be sad inside as well. Share the same dish of love with them, and together it will not be as bad.

The best part about cooking is making something delightful out of a bunch of things you grabbed at the grocery store. It’s the same reason why you have to turn wheat into bread and grapes into wine, so that you may delight in the act of creation.

Life & Arts La Vida y Los Artes ellenadornews.com | mayo 2023 | El Leñador| 21
You cannot make exceptional banana bread without love.
“ “
Writer Kianna Znika poses with the latest De Souza album. | Photo by Ricardo Lara Nava Graphic by Ione Dellos

Mi Estoria - Queen Karma

“Mi Estoria” is a podcast series where people of color in Humboldt County can share their stories, experiences and perspectives.

In this episode, Alexus Roberts, otherwise known as the lead singer in the local alternative band Queen Karma, shares her experiences growing up as an alternative Latina in Humboldt County and how music has inspired her to be her most confident, authentic self.

Listen to the full podcast on ellenadornews.com or by scanning the QR code.

22 | El Leñador | mayo 2023| ellenadornews.com
Left and bottom right photo courtesy of Alexus Roberts. Top right photo by Kianna Znika
Opinión ellenadornews.com | mayo 2023 | El Leñador| 23

Check your Patriarchy - it’s hurting you dude

For most of my life, my own self-image as a man has only caused me harm. I’ve denied myself the ability to feel love and happiness to conform to the expectations of patriarchal society. I’m happier since I chose to start being me.

Growing up as a boy in a Mexican family, I was exposed to the patriarchy like a blazing sun beating down on the desert.

There were examples of male dominance over everyone and everything in the movies and shows I watched, the games I played and the boys I hung out with. It taught me my worth was as a force to be reckoned with; a dominator and a conqueror who could use violence to assert that dominance.

I remember being bullied by bigger boys when I was small as a part of these “games.” I was insulted, demoralized and fought with. One time in the sand pits during recess we all took turns beating each other up. I had no idea why, even when it was my turn.

A boy once ripped a flower out of my hand. “Flowers are for girls,” he said with a sneer, and threw it off the playground. Moments like this killed my sweet, kind spirit, numbing me to make it as horrible for others as it was for me.

I’ve since developed a healthy relationship with my masculine energy. I’ve been reading “The Will to Change” by Bell Hooks, a visionary feminist thinker.

She addresses the conditioning we are subjected to under the, “imperialist white-supremacist capitalist patriarchy,” as she so accurately named our nation's political system. Under this system of oppression, I am a product to be sold and profited off of: an asset. I am manufactured with a hyper-masculine sense of self so that my anger, pride and rage can be utilized by my oppressor. I am assimilated out of my culture so that I can conform to society's product description of a man.

Hooks’ writing has affirmed my choices to change as a person into a softer, kinder and gentler man.

I am acting differently. I’m not afraid to feel, or tell and show others how I

Revisa tu patriarcado, te está haciendo daño amigo

feel. I act friendly and kind, I have genuine intention, and I treat others with empathy without expecting anything in return. To be clear for the dudes in the back: nobody is obligated to return any favors if you hit on them. Most importantly, I treat others with the knowledge that men have caused horrible pain to so many people. My male privilege is at the cost of patri-

Durante la mayor parte de mi vida, mi propia imagen como hombre solo me ha causado daño. Me he negado a mí mismo la capacidad de sentir amor y felicidad para ajustarse a las expectativas de la sociedad patriarcal. Soy más feliz desde que elegí empezar a ser yo.

idea de por qué, incluso cuando era mi turno.

archal terror and violence which has caused emotional damage across the globe for generations, and I reject that privilege for a healthier heart and soul. I claim my power and strength to fight for a more loving and caring world.

Al crecer de niño en una familia mexicana, estuve expuesto al patriarcado como un sol abrasador cayendo sobre el desierto.

Hubo ejemplos de dominio masculino sobre todo en las películas y programas que vi, los juegos que jugué y los chicos con los que salí. Me enseñó que mi valor era como una fuerza a tener en cuenta; un dominador y un conquistador, que podía usar la violencia para afirmar ese dominio.

Recuerdo haber sido intimidado por niños más grandes cuando yo era pequeño como parte de estos "juegos."

Fui insultado, desmoralizado y peleado. Una vez en los pozos de arena durante el recreo todos nos turnamos para golpearnos unos a otros. No tenía

Una vez un niño me arrancó una flor de la mano.“Las flores son para las niñas,” dijo con desdén y lo tiró del patio de recreo. Momentos como este mataron mi dulce y amable espíritu, adormeciendo para que fuera tan horrible para los demás como lo fue para mí.

Desde entonces he desarrollado una relación saludable con mi energía masculina. He estado leyendo "La Voluntad de Cambiar" de bell hooks, una visionaria, pensadora y feminista.

Ella aborda el condicionamiento al que estamos sujetos bajo el “patriarcado capitalista imperialista de supremacía blanca,” como ella nombró con tanta precisión al sistema político de nuestra nación. Bajo este sistema de opresión, soy un producto para ser vendido y para lucrar: una ventaja. Estoy fabricado con un sentido hipermasculino de mí mismo para que mi ira, orgullo y rabia puedan ser utilizados por mi opresor. Soy asimilado fuera de mi cultura para que pueda ajustarse a la descripción de producto de la sociedad de un hombre.

También la escritura de hooks ha afirmado mis elecciones de cambiar como persona a un hombre más suave, amable y gentil. Estoy actuando diferente. No tengo miedo de sentir, o decir y mostrar a los demás cómo me siento.

Actúo de manera amigable y amable, tengo una intención genuina y trato a los demás con empatía sin esperar nada a cambio. Para ser claro para los tipos en la parte de atrás: nadie está obligado a devolver ningún favor si se le insinúa.

Lo más importante es que trato a los demás con el conocimiento de que los hombres han causado un dolor horrible a tantas personas. Mi privilegio masculino es a costa del terror y la violencia patriarcales, que han causado daños emocionales en todo el mundo durante generaciones, y rechazo ese privilegio por un corazón y un alma más sanos. Reclamo mi poder y mi fuerza para luchar por un mundo más amoroso y solidario.

Opinion Opinión 24 | El Leñador | mayo 2023| ellenadornews.com
Inspired by Barbra Kruger. Graphic by Abraham Navarro.

Decolonizing Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo has been considered a “special” holiday for a long time and is most often confused with Mexican Independence Day. For me, growing up Hispanic in the United States meant seeing people outside of my culture appropriate this holiday. They use the day as an excuse to buy flimsy sombreros, gabanes, and zarapes from stores like Party City. This “special” holiday has time and time again been used as an excuse to have a barbecue at home, or if you’re feeling a little frisky, you could make your own version of the Taco Bell crunchy tacos and call it “an authentic Mexican experience.” What people don’t know is that there’s more to this day than meets the eye.

Cinco de Mayo celebrates the Battle of Puebla, a fight between the French and Mexican forces that took place in May of 1862. Although this small win didn’t guarantee Mexico any success in the first Franco-Mexican war, it did become a milestone and a source of pride.

The Mexican forces at the time weren’t good, and they definitely weren’t any better than the French forces. However, it is this fact alone that made their win even more meaningful. Mexico didn’t have the numbers or the weaponry. All they had was a group of 2,000 loyal men, who in the end, won against a group of nearly 7,000 French soldiers. With that being said, if you know anything about Mexico’s history, then you should know that Mexico and its citizens have been continuously oppressed, which makes wins like the Battle of Puebla much more meaningful. It’s the source of pride for a lot of us Mexicans. It’s the source of pride for people like my parents who came to the U.S. for a better life and continue to fight for a better future. For my parents and I, Cinco de Mayo is evidence that our people and our culture cannot and will not ever be silenced or shut down. Cinco de Mayo is much more than just a day for tacos and micheladas.

Although Cinco de Mayo isn’t celebrated, it is an honored day. This in turn does not mean that honoring equals celebrating. Honoring the day simply means that they acknowledge the events of the past. Though many regions of Mexico honor the Battle of Puebla by hosting military parades and recreations of the battle, the day is still worked, especially since it is not a federal holiday. My parents, having been born and raised in Michoacan and Guanajuato, remember participating in small parades, civil acts, and ceremonies that honor the battle and the Mexican flag, but that’s pretty much all that would happen in regards to Cinco de Mayo.

The “celebration” of Cinco de Mayo is a western idea. An idea used to sell the day through beer and liquor specials, food truck specials that offer you two tacos for the price of one, and decoration specials that let you buy cheap zarapes and hot sauce bottles with a hot pep-

Descolonizando el Cinco de Mayo

El cinco de mayo se ha considerado un día festivo “especial” por mucho tiempo y con mucha frecuencia confundido con el Día de la Independencia Mexicana, osea el 16 de Septiembre. Creciendo como Hispane en los Estados Unidos, para mi significa ver a gente fuera de mi cultura apropiándose de este día festivo. La gente usa ese día como una excusa para comprar sombreros chafas, gabanes, y zarapes de tiendas como la Party City. Este día festivo “especial” se ha usado una y otra vez como excusa para hacer una carne asada en casa, o si se sienten un poco alocados, hacer su propia versión de los tacos crujientes de Taco Bell y llamarlos “una experiencia auténticamente Mexicana”. Lo que no sabe la gente, es que hay mucho más detrás del cinco de mayo que ellos no ven.

El cinco de mayo se honra la Batalla de Puebla, una lucha entre las fuerzas mexicanas y francesas durante mayo de 1862. Aunque este pequeño triunfo no le garantizaba a México ningún éxito en la primera guerra Franco-Mexicana, se convirtió en un evento importante y

lleno de orgullo. Las fuerzas mexicanas en aquel tiempo no eran las mejores, y definitivamente no eran mejores que las fuerzas francesas. Sin embargo, eso mismo fue lo que hizo esta batalla más significativa. México no tenía ni las tropas ni las armas como para combatir a las grandes tropas armadas de Francia. Todo lo que tenía México era un grupo de 2.000 hombres, quienes al final, saldrían triunfando contra casi 7.000 soldados franceses. Dicho eso, si conocen algo sobre la historia mexicana, entonces deberían de saber que México y sus ciudadanos habían sido continuamente oprimidos por Francia, haciendo la Batalla de Puebla aún más memorable. Es un origen de orgullo para muchos de nosotros los mexicanos. Es una causa de orgullo para gente como mis padres quienes vinieron a los Estados Unidos buscando una vida mejor y que continúan luchando por un futuro mejor. Para mi familia y yo, el cinco de mayo es una prueba de que nuestra gente y nuestra cultura no puede y nunca podrá ser silenciada o callada.

El cinco de mayo es mucho más que un día para comer tacos y tomar micheladas.

Aunque el cinco de mayo no se celebra en México, es más bien un día para honrar. Esto significa que celebrar y honrar algo no es lo mismo. Honrando el cinco de mayo, reconoce los eventos del pasado. Aunque muchas regiones de México honran la Batalla de Puebla haciendo desfiles militares y recreaciones de la pelea, el día se trabaja porque no es un día feriado federal. Mis padres, quienes nacieron y se criaron en Michoacán y Guanajuato, recuerdan participando en pequeños desfiles, actos cívicos, y ceremonias que honran a la batalla y la bandera mexicana. Esto es lo que se hace en México al respecto del cinco de mayo.

La ‘celebración’ del cinco de mayo es una idea del oeste occidental. Una idea usada para vender el dia por medio de cerveza y especiales de licor, especiales de loncheras donde hay ofertas de dos tacos por el precio de uno, y especiales en articulos de decoracion

per in a mustache as a logo. I can say for certain that my family and I were, and still are, appalled by the ignorance of the people on the other side of the border. I assure you that if you were to walk into a store that is fully decked out in Cinco de Mayo decorations, and asked the people who decorated what the significance of this day is, chances are that they won’t give you an answer and will most likely stare at you with a blank expression.

So now that you know its value, meaning, and history, why is it that the people on the other side of the border who don’t know its history still deem it fit to celebrate? If the people whose culture this is a part of don’t celebrate it, then why are people outside of this culture making it theirs to celebrate?

Food for thought, no?

donde se encuentran zarapes chafas y botellas de salsa picante con un chile bigotudo como logotipo. Yo doy por seguro, que mi familia y yo estábamos, y continuamos, muy sorprendidos al ver la ignorancia de la gente al otro lado de la frontera. Yo les aseguro que si fuesen a entrar a una tienda llena de decoraciones de cinco de mayo, y les preguntaban a aquellos que decoraron la tienda sobre el significado del cinco de mayo, lo más probable es que no les darían una respuesta. Solamente se quedarían callados y con la cara en blanco.

Ahora que conocen la importancia, significado, e historia, ¿porque es que la gente al otro lado de la frontera, cuyos no conocen la historia, siguen con la idea de celebrar el cinco de mayo? Si los mexicanos no celebran el cinco de mayo, entonces ¿por qué hay gente fuera de la cultura mexicana quienes hacen el día de ellos para celebrar?

¿Ustedes qué piensan?

Opinion Opinión ellenadornews.com | mayo 2023 | El Leñador| 25

Advice from a graduate

Letter from the Editor

Dear

This is the final issue that I am working on El Leñador as I will be graduating this Spring. I have called the newsroom my second apartment because ever since I was given a key I have never left. “It looks like Sanford and Son in here,” said Advisor Andrea Juarez one time when she saw the big Kodak 35 mm projector I found in the middle of the newsroom.

Many memories were made here and it will be all that I will remember during my time at Cal Poly Humboldt and Humboldt County. Last semester me and two other staff members stayed in the newsroom for 24-hours after returning from a meeting where we could not record and hand-write what was said word for word.

When I first got to Arcata in 2021, Centro del Pueblo had started the community garden on F street. Seeing it now in 2023 and how much that space has progressed and meeting those that had made it into what it is now gave me a sense of home.

The experience that I have had here and the uniqueness of this publication is something that I will have with me when I leave. Having held this leadership position has given me the inspiration of what more I could do in other communities outside of Humboldt County.

I just graduated from Cal Poly Humboldt with a Bachelor of Arts degree in both journalism and Critical, Race, Gender and Sexuality (CRGS). That’s crazy to say; it feels like just yesterday I was eagerly leaving the life I only ever knew in East Oakland to embark on a new adventure of education and life in Arcata. Four years later here I am making the transition from burnt-out college student to anxiously-anticipated “real world” post-graduate.

I’ve learned so much during the past four years, but the most important theme of it all has been the power of creating and nurturing community. For me, success has been rooted and empowered by the people I meet and connect with. Personally, I found that community across campus through friends, cultural-affirming spaces, professors, departments and clubs. There’s no way I could have done four years without the support of these people. Together we have cried, laughed, and worked late through the toughest and happiest times of our lives.

I know you might be wondering, “Well cool but how do I find that for myself?” My response to that would be to ask yourself what you value and what contributions you are willing to make.

I asked myself that same question about three years ago. It was the middle of the pandemic and I was isolated in my room looking for a sense of com-

munity. I joined El Leñador after my friend Karina encouraged me to join. Through joining El Leñ I have not only found my passion for public relations and developed journalism skills, I also enjoyed creating lifelong friendships in my newsroom.

Understanding your values helps establish an understanding for what spaces you want to enter and the type of community that you would like to establish. Look for clubs and centers that have similar goals to yours or values you’d like to obtain for yourself. Talk to your professors during their office hours about your interests. Tell your classmates about your aspirations and goals you’d like to achieve. Shoot, you can even create your own club to establish the community you’d like to see.

The point is that college is whatever you want it to be. So don’t be afraid to go out and talk to people, use the resources available to you and establish the connections with the people around you. I was lucky enough to find community through my campus newspaper, academic cultural center, both the journalism and CRGS departments and the countless friendships and connections with professional staff.

Thank you and good luck you’ve got this, Steffezey

It was a privilege to meet the many amazing community members and leaders that have supported us and recognized the work that we are doing.

Next semester Peyton Leone and Victoria Olsen will be co-EIC and I have full confidence in them. I have seen their growth within the publication since they started. It’s funny because I have pictures of Peyton in the background from events before he joined.

Thank you for reading. Peace y'all , Ricardo Lara Nava

Opinion Opinión 26 | El Leñador | mayo 2023| ellenadornews.com
Steffi Puerto | Photo by Ruby Cayenne

Spring 2023 Staff

Andrea Juarez - faculty advisor for El Lenador, Karina Ramos Villalobos - Lead Designer, Maria Fernanda Fragoso Calzada

- Translator, Steffi Puerto - PR Manager, Desiree Osornio - Spanish Editor, Alondra Cardona - Translator, Jordan PangelinanReporter, Evelyn Banuelos - Translator, Victoria Olsen - News Editor, Abraham Navaro - Photo Editor, Peyton Leone - Managing Editor, Maria Hernandez Coosemans - Translator, Ruby Cayenne - Reporter & Photographer, Ione Dellos - Reporter, Celeste Sadler - Reporter & Website Manager, Elysia Manzanares - Reporter, Steven Alvaro - Translator & Reporter, Guillermo Salazar

- Distribution & Illustrator, Kianna Znika - Opinion Editor, Eddy Guzman - Reporter, Ricardo Lara Nava - Editor In Chief, Nat Cardos - Reporter, Tanya Gonzalez - Translator & Reporter.

Not Pictured: Dante Cardenas - Website Technician, Oscar Uribe Mancillas - Videographer & Reporter, Lana Murillo - Reporter, Carlina Grillo - Reporter, Esmeralda Macias - Translator.

ellenadornews.com | mayol 2023| El Leñador| 27
From front to back, left to right, by rows. | Photo by Kirby Moss

Directory

Bilingual News

El Leñador

Distributed in Fortuna, Eureka, Arcata, McKinleyville and Trinidad

1 Harpst St., Arcata, Gist Hall 227 (707) 826-3259

www.ellenadornews.com

Community Resources

Paso a Paso

English: Bilingual organization that helps connect families with local and stage programs, including CalFresh and Healthy Kids Humboldt. Provides childbirth education, breastfeeding support and parenting classes. It’s FREE. Call for an appointment.

2200 Harrison Ave, Eureka (707) 441-4477

Español: Una organización con personal bilingüe que ayuda a conectar a las familias con programas locales y estatales incluyendo CalFresh y Healthy Kids Humboldt. También ofrecen educacíon sobre el parto, apoyo a la lactancia materna y clases para paders. Es GRATIS.

2200 Harrison Ave, Eureka (707) 441-4477

Food for People

Offers food assistance programs including food pantries, produce markets and food programs for children

307 W. 14th St., Eureka (707) 445-3166

www.foodforpeople.org

Sacred Heart Church

English: Catholic mass in Spanish 2085 Myrtle Ave, Eureka (707) 443-8429

Sacred Heart Church - católica

Español: Misa - miércoles 7 p.m., domingo 12:15 p.m.

2085 Myrtle Avenue, Eureka (707) 442-6151

St. Joseph Parish

English: Catholic mass in Spanish Sunday at 12:30 p.m.

14th and N St., Fortuna (707) 725-1148

St. Joseph Parish - católica

Chabad of Humboldt - Jewish

413 Bayside Ct., Arcata (707) 633-8770

Education

College of the Redwoods (CR) English: Offers ESL courses at Eureka, Fortuna and Del Norte sites. Complete the online application and contact Adult Education to schedule an appointment. If you are in need of assistance with completing the application, contact Adult Education to schedule an appointment. All Adult Education classes are free.

(707) 476-4520 adult-ed@redwoods.edu

Español: Ofrece cursos de ESL en sus sitios de Eureka, Fortuna y Del Norte. Complete la solicitud en línea y comuníquese con Educacíon para Adultos para programar una cita. Si usted necesita ayuda para completar la solicitud, comuníquese con Educacíon para Adultos para programar una cita. Todas las clases de educacíon para adultos son gratuitas.

(707) 476-4520 adult-ed@redwoods.edu

English Express

Catalyzes personal and social change for local immigrants through English language education and connections to community resources.

- Jefferson Community Center

1000 B St., Eureka on Tues. from 6-7:30 p.m.

- Multi-Generational Center

2280 Newburg Rd., Fortuna on Tues. and Thurs. from 12:30-2 p.m.

- Coast Seafoods on Wed. from 11:30-12:30 p.m. for employees only.

(707) 443-5021

No registration necessary. Free classes and

Bilingual K-12 Schools

Fuente Nueva Charter School 1730 Janes Rd., Arcata

Cultural Centers

Umoja Center for Pan African Student Excellence

Nelson Hall East 206

(707) 826-4588

El Centro Académico Cultural Nelson Hall East 205 707.826.4590 lcae@humboldt.edu

Native American Center (ITEPP) 1 Harpst Street, Brero House #93 Arcata, California 95521 707.826.3672

ADPIC Nelson Hall East 215/216 Arcata, Ca 95521 adpic@humboldt.edu

Entertainment/Arts

Arcata Playhouse

A space for people of color to gather, reflect, create and support one another. First and third Saturday’s in the month from 3-5 p.m. Corner of 11th and M St., Arcata

Latino Outdoors

Email: Humboldt@latinooutdoors.org

El correo electrónico: Humboldt@ latinooutdoors.org

(707)200-3332

North Coast Repertory Theatre

300 5th St., Eureka, CA 95501 NCRT.net

(707) 442-6278

Ethnic Markets

Little Japan 2848 F St., Eureka

Oriental Food & Spice 306 W Harris St., Eureka

Asia’s Best 2085 Myrtle Avenue #8, Eureka

La Chaparrita Market

520 Summer St., Fortuna (707) 617-2570

El Buen Gusto

802 Broadway St., Eureka

Mon-Fri from 10 a.m.-9 p.m. (707) 798-6290

& 1640 Main St., Fortuna Mon-Fri from 9 a.m.-9 p.m.

Legal Services

The Superior Court of California| County of Humboldt “Self Help Center” Legal rights information regardless of income 421 I St., Eureka, (707) 445-7256

Legal Services of Northern California

Serving clients with health related legal issues in acquiring and keeping health-care services 123 3rd St., Eureka

California Indian Legal Services 324 F St., Eureka (707) 443-8397

Scholars Without Borders Club at HSU to support AB540 students located on the 2nd floor of the MCC (707) 826-3368

HSU Student Legal Lounge Center for peer mentoring and legal resources for academic, activism, discrimination, housing, Title IX and DACA

Social Services

True North Organizing Network

Supporting individuals from diverse backgrounds and work together for influential change 517 3rd St., Suite 16, Eureka (707) 572-5530

Seventh Generation Fund

La Pasadita Market 420 N St., Eureka (707) 268-3902

El Pueblo Market

312 W. Washington St., Eureka (707) 444-0952

Devoted to Indigenous peoples selfdetermination and the sovereignty of Native Nations 2355 Central Ave., Suite C, McKinleyville (707) 825-7640

Centro Del Pueblo

28 | El Leñador |mayo 2023| ellenadornews.com
Resources for the Latinx Community | Recursos para la comunidad Latinx
Español: Misa - jueves 7:15 p.m., y domingo en español a las 12:30 p.m.
A safe space for the raza/indígena community to prosper culturally, politically, and practically on the North Coast cdphumboldt@gmail.com Church

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