MARCH - APRIL 2017 • VOLUME 3 • NUMBER 3
Charles A. Jones Black Legends Hall of Fame Silicon Valley
Local is selectedas Digital Inclusion Fellow
Executve Order #13768
02 Publisher’s Corner COMMUNITY CALENDAR 04 What You May Have Missed And You May Want To Attend EDUCATION 06 Beechwood School Black History Month-March On Till Victory Is Won 08 Lorena Cufft -Digital Inclusion Fellow -Bridging The Digital Divide
GOVERNMENT 10 Close Call - Woodland Creek Condominiums Escape A Major Flood 12 Executive Order #13768. Enhancing Public Safety In The Interior Of Theunited States COMMUNITY 14 Kate Belden 15 Charles A. Jones, Local Resident And Business Owner
Is Inducted Into The Black Legends Hall Of Fame Silicon Valley 17 World’s Longest Flight 18 When Is A Stop Sign Warranted? STAFF CHANGES 21 Jonathan Bryant The New Commissioner For The East Palo Alto Tee Ball Pitching Machine 22 What Are/Were They Thinking? 23 Kifunguo -That Which Opens In Kiswahili MARCH -APRIL 2017 EL RAVENSWOOD 1
From the Publisher P.O. Box 50849 Palo Alto, CA 94303 (650) 323-4477 e-mail: info@eastpaloaltoinformation.com www.elravenswood.com Publisher Meda O. Okelo Editorial
Meda O. Okelo, Editor
Barbara Noparstak, Copy Editor Contributors C. Jango, Luke James, M.O. Okelo, Michelle Daher, Rodney Clark, Sarah Hubert, Saree Mading, Shammai Mading, Alejandro Vilchez, Rose Jacobs Gibson. Sid Walton, Sandy Moon Farley, Zalika Sykes, Brother Jaye, Isaac Stevenson Design/Layout George Okello Advertising Meda O. Okelo Business/Administration EPA-Belle Haven Information Inc. El Ravenswood is published monthly by EPA-Belle Haven Information Inc. P.O. Box 50849 East Palo Alto California, 94303. (650) 323-4477. El Ravenswood is delivered free to public offices, businesses and non-profit agency offices in East Palo Alto and the Belle Haven Community in Menlo Park. Copyright © 2017 by EPA-Belle Haven Information Inc. This publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form, for any purpose, without permission from Jatelo Production, and respective copyright owners. The information in this publication is gathered and carefully compiled in such a way as to ensure maximum accuracy. El Ravenswood cannot guarantee the authenticity of all the information furnished, nor the complete absence thereof. Thus, no responsibility for omissions and errors can be or is assumed. Inclusions of listing or advertising in this publication do not constitute endorsement of products or services provided. The publication is supported by the advertisers on its pages. We encourage you to patronize their places of business and please let them know you saw their name in this publication. El Ravenswood is published once a month. TO SUBSCRIBE: For $40 annually, you can have your El Ravenswood magazine delivered to your mailbox/address. Send a check for $40 to the mailing address above.
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here are supposedly 11.5 million unauthorized immigrants residing in the United States. These are people, who like every day Americans are engaged in activities that are beneficial to the communities they live and or work in regardless as to whether they are educated professionals working in software engineering, medicine, law, are students in local schools and colleges or are nannies, landscapers, dishwashers etc. As in any human population others may be engaged in detrimental activities To assume that all of them are despicable criminals who have committed heinous acts is to do a grave injustice to them and the communities that they reside in. Interestingly the 11.5- is a January 2012 number from the Department of Homeland Security’ s (DHS) Office of Immigration Statistics (OIS). This figure, perhaps because of its source, continues to be bantered around as fact forcing institutions like the Migration Policy Institute to remind people that the figure is simply an estimate that is based on a variety of data sources and methodologies and should be treated as such. It would seem to me that the first thing anyone can and should do prior to discussing policies as to how the immigration problem should be dealt with, is to determine how many unauthorized immigrants actually reside in the country. In seeking to do that, first we would have to acknowledge that there are two types of immigrants: Those who came legally into the country but overstayed their visit. I would call this group the “documented” immigrant, since information about their entry into the country exists within the country’ s immigration system both at the embassy or consulate from where they got the visa, as well as their point of entry into the country. The second group would be the immigrant who sneaked into the country through various methods and for whom there is no documentation at all about their presence in the country. These would constitute the true “undocumented”. Secondly we would have to acknowledge as well that the only effective way of the getting the actual number of immigrants in the county is to have the “documented” and the “undocumented” provide that information. That however, I would be the first to acknowledge, is easier said than done. In the current atmosphere where “documented” and “undocumented” immigrants have been branded as criminals as well as threatened with immediate deportation, few if any would be stupid enough to come forward. There is however an easy solution to the immigrant problem. Offer amnesty to all immigrants. Give them at least six months to step from the shadows with the caveat that after the 6-month grace period the offer would no longer be available. The goal of the “amnesty” should be to gather as much information as possible as to who the immigrants are, what countries they came from, how and when they got into the country; whether they have been convicted of a felony or not (provide assurances that this would not be held against them in the process but trust them to provide the correct information with a strict warning as to the consequences of lying); Create a card, call it the “Blue” card that would give them the rights to stay in the country while they are being processed for a green card. At the same time institute new immigration policies such as requiring reimbursable deposits from US visa applicants that can be reclaimed when they get back to their country of origin. The January 25 presidential Executive Order #13768 is ill advised and will probably create more problems than it solves. Its impact is already being felt in schools and with its efforts to engage local law enforcement agencies it may have devastating impacts on public safety. Sincerely
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COMMUNITY EVENTS & MEETINGS
Oxford Day Academy 8th grade enrollment for 2017-18 9th grade class. East Palo Alto Tee Ball/Pitching Machine Inc. Recruitment for Coaches, Team Parents for 2017 Season Contacts: Gene Tate (408)-515- 7489; Delores Farrell (650) 269-0185; Jonathan Bryant (650-455-7053
about Social Justice Work, 2135 Clarke Avenue, East Palo Alto Youth United For Community Action (650) 322-9165
Saturday, February 25 (12p.m.-4 p.m.) KIPP Valiant Community Prep Picnic, 550 Bell Street Park, East Palo Alto
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Friday, March 3 (6.30 p.m.-9,30 p.m) Ravenswood Family Health Center, 15th Anniversary Fundraising Gala, Computer History Museum 1401 N. Shoreline Blvd, Mountain View. (650) 617-7829
Beechwood School Book Fair February 21-24. “Before School, Lunch and After School” Contact: Xiomara E. Mail: xnickings@beechwoodschool.org.
Friday, February 17, (4.30 p.m.- 6.30 p.m) Breaking Silences Workshops- Learning about Social Justice Work, 2135 Clarke Avenue, East Palo Alto Youth United For Community Action (650) 322-9165
Wednesday, February 22 (6.00 p.m. - 8.00 p.m.)
Charles A. Jones honored at the 2nd Annual Black Legend Awards Ceremony, Hammer Theatre, 101 Paseo De San Antonio in San Jose 5.00PM www.blacklegendsawards.org
Black History Month Speaker Series “What Would MLK Jr. Say About Silicon Valley Today?” featuring Dr Clayborne Carson and Shellye Archambeau Eastside College Preparatory School, 1041 Myrtle Street East Palo Alto
Thursday, February 23 (5.30 p.m.-7.00 p.m.) Honoring the Journey, Our Vision, Our Voice, Our Legacy, (Honorees: Paul Bains, Roy Clay, Ken Coleman, Caretha Coleman, Loretta Green and Clarence B. Jones) Youth Community Service (YCS) and the City of Palo Alto, 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto. (650) 858-8019.
Friday, February 24 (4.30 p.m.- 6.30 p.m) Breaking Silences Workshops- Learning
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Sunday, March 12 (3.00 p.m.) Annual Black History & Musical Program, The Peninsula & Vicinity Ministers’ Wives & Ministers’ Widows Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church 1901 Pulgas Avenue, East Palo Alto,
COMMUNITY EVENTS
Thursday, March 16 (5.30 p.m.-7.30 p.m.)
Thursday April 6 (5.30 p.m.- 9,00 p.m)
Wednesday, April 26 (5.30 p.m. -7.30 p.m)
Ravenswood City School District Visual And Performing Arts K-5th Grade Arts Showcase, Costano & 49ers Academy, 2695 Fordham Street, East Palo Alto Friday, March 17 (6-9.00 P.M)
18th Annual Sustainability Awards, College of San Mateo Bayview Dining Room (650) 638-2323
Ravenswood City School District Visual And Performing Arts 6-8th Grade Arts Showcase, Costano & 49ers Academy, 2695 Fordham Street, East Palo Alto
Dinner and Recognition Ceremony, East Palo Alto Junior Golf, Ristorante Don Giovanni 235 Castro Street Mountain View, $85.00 RSVP by March 13 www.epajrgolf.org.
Saturday, March 25 (6.00 p.m.)
Sunday April 9 (12.00 p.m.-3.00 p.m.) Ravenswood High School Alumni Association 25th Annual College Scholarship Fundraiser, 1875 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto, (650) 796-5224; (650) 743-5081; (650) 323-6481 (650) 566-0937
Saturday, April 29, 2017 (1 p.m.- 6.00 p.m.) 2017 Spring Fashion Show and Luncheon, St. John Missionary Baptist Church Tickets $30.00 For More Information: Yvonne Jones or Diane Hall (650) -3211902
Foundation For a College Education March to Success 2017 Garden Court Hotel, 520 Cowper Street, Palo Alto Saturday March, 25, 8.00 A.M.-12.00 P.M. 6th Annual Margaret Geis Wright Wellness 5k Run/Walk, 2909 N. Shoreline Blvd, Shoreline Park, Mountain View Girls To Women, www.girlstowomen.org
Dear El Ravenswood, I received a lot of positive feedback from the article you did on me in the February/March. Some friends and family said they had no idea I was an artist, and they may have me do a picture for them, or have me do an exhibit. Thanks again for the exposure. With love, Janet L. Foster
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EDUCATION
Beechwood School Black History Month-March On Till Victory Is Won By El Ravenswood Staff
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lack History Month at Beechwood School began with presentations at the school auditorium and culminated with a march from the school down Del Norte Road, Market Street, Pierce Road and onto the pedestrian walkway across the 101 Freeway. The singing of the song culminated the hour long student-presentationcelebration marking Beechwood School’
s honoring of Black History Month. “Lift Every Voice and Sing”, is a song that was first composed as a poem by James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938) in 1899 and has generally been regarded as the official Black National Anthem. The song’ s lyrics resonated with the reason for the march itself. “Lift Every voice and sing....Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us.... Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us.....Let us march on till victory is won”
Beechwood School Black History Month Presentation.
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The signs, made by students, parents and teachers conveyed an array of messages covering concerns about the environment (Help Our Earth); Peace (World Peace, Be Peaceful Be Great, Yo Soy Latina and We Need Peace); Social Justice (Black Lives Matter, Every Life Matters, Freedom for All) Relationships (Treat People With Love, It is Not a Sin or a crime to be different) Empowerment and Hope ( Women Rule, Children of all colors are our Future, Endorse Love Not Hate,
EDUCATION We shall Overcome, End the Violence Tonight, Respect Human Rights; Build Pathways Not Walls. Share Not Fear) and Fear (Am I Next?) The March, according to David Laurence the school’ s Principal was designed to augment what students were learning in the classroom about Black History and specifically the march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965. “It was the proudest moment of my 23 year career with Beechwood” said Principal Laurance reflecting on the march. “Standing on the overpass with teachers, students and families, and seeing everyone waving signs was a good reminder of what our school is all about” “It was positive, uplifting and unifying” he added, noting that the idea was initially suggested by a teacher and overwhelmingly approved by the faculty, the staff and the families. “The students made the signs and were encouraged to be positive and to emulate the non-violent resistance that characterized the civil rights movement. Beechwood School.
Beechwood School TOP & MIDDLE: Beechwood Schools students march to the pedestrian walkway. BOTTOM: Beechwood students across the Hwy 101 Pedestrian Walk Way in a Black History Month March Protest.
Beechwood is a K-8 school of 170 students, 30 staff members, and over 100 families. It is operated by the California Family Foundation. It opened in 1986 with two classes a kindergarten class and a first grade class each comprised of 15 students. It is located in the Belle Haven Community of the City of Menlo Park on Terminal Avenue next to the Onetta Harris Community Center.
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EDUCATION
Digital Inclusion Fellow -Bridging The Digital Divide
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By El Ravenswood Staff
he is the proud mother of a bright, vivacious sprouting 5 year-old son named Yeshua. She was introduced to golf by the Robert Hoover of the East Palo Alto Junior Golf Program and loves the game and the program so much that she is currently the volunteer Executive Director. She has worked with the Ravenswood Educational Foundation. She grew up in the Belle Haven community of the city of Menlo Park and the Onetta Harris Community Center and the Belle Haven Library were her favorite hangouts. She is Lorena Cuffy, and she has just been named the2017 Jesse Jackson Digital Inclusion Fellow. Fellows are expected to find out the digital literacy needs of their communities and with that knowledge are encouraged to develop classes and or programs and generate resources to address those needs. Working with a host agency, fellows build ‘ sustainable, effective digital literacy programs’ that would engender long-term digital inclusion amongst adults and the elderly. Lorena Cuffy is part of a third cohort of a “help-bridge-the-digitaldivide-program” that for the last two years has trained carefully selected emerging community leaders with
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intricate knowledge of their communities and the expertise to build programs that are tailored to their community’ s specific technology needs. Her cohort will focus on Black Churches and includes two fellows from Atlanta, Georgia, one from Austin, Texas, and two from California. The Digital Inclusion Fellowship, funded by Google Fiber, is managed by the Non Profit Technology Enterprise Network (NTEN). NTEN created in 2000 and is based in Portland, Oregon. NTEN’ s purpose is to help communitybased-organizations use technology to meet their own as well as their community’ s technological needs. NTEN partners with community-based-organizations striving to enhance their digital literary and pays for a fellow to work full time at their host organization for an entire year. It also matches up to $5000 funds raised by the host organization. These funds support the fellows’ initiatives. NTEN seeks candidates for the fellows program who have strong roots
in their communities and who have the skills, experience and ability to create programs specifically tailored to their community’ s needs. Candidates also must be passionate about empowering underserved communities and must display that passion through 5-7 years of experience working with communitybased organizations. The fellowship was launched in 2015 inspired by the realization that millions of Americans did not have access to the
EDUCATION
internet and consequently could not do the many things that access allows users, such as to be but a click away from signing up for health care, finding affordable housing, keeping in touch with family and friends. Lorena Cuffy, in her work, will be hosted by the University AME Church in Palo Alto. Her work will however, cover a territory that includes Pilgrim Baptist Church in San Mateo and Calvary Hill Community Church in SanFrancisco. She has great passion for technology and took classes at the East Palo Alto Street Code Academy, the onlylocal agency that works with adults to bridge the digital divide. It is through the Academy that she learnt about the Digital Inclusion Fellowship. “I hope to bring as many adults into the digital age” Ms. Cuffy said recently. “I hope to do that by providing digital
technology resources to adults and seniors affiliated with the churches that I will be working with” she added. “Youth have multiple opportunities to access technology either through schools or such nonprofits as Street code Academy” she observed recently. “Adults, and particularly seniors do not have the same access” she added She hopes through the fellowship to bring access to these populations. “A mobile digital laboratory is one of the things I am thinking about” she continued. “A travelling laboratory with as many as twenty laptops or i-pads that could be set up easily at any location and used to teach digital access
was founded in 1918 to provide, according to information on its website, a refuge for African American migrant workers to gather, build relationships and create an atmosphere for authentic worship. It has grown from humble, historic beginnings into a vibrant member of the large mid-peninsula community. Today it welcomes a diverse mix of cultures from various socioeconomic and generational backgrounds.
Lorena Cuffy was born in San Francisco. Her family moved to the Belle Haven community in the City of Menlo Park in 1983. She attended the Las Lomitas School District in Menlo Park/ Atherton as part of the Tinsley Volunteer Transfer Program. She attended Menlo Atherton High School. She is still a student at Florida International University but currently is on a break while attending colleges within the San Mateo College District. She has been the Executive Director of the Robert Hoover East Palo Alto Junior Golf as well as founding board member of the Oxford Day Academy, a new charter high school opening in the fall of 2017 in East Palo Alto. Lorena has also worked as the Operational Manager for the Ravenswood Educational Foundation, an organization that raises money to support schools in the Ravenswood City School District.
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GOVERNMENT
Close Call - Woodland Creek Condominiums Escape A Major Flood By El Ravenswood Staff
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n Tuesday, February 7 at approximately 2.00 P.M. a voluntary evacuation notice was sent to residents at Woodland Creek Condominiums. They were asked to evacuate to the East Palo Alto Senior Center and the YMCA where temporary shelters had been established. The notice was lifted an hour and a half later. West Bayshore at Woodland remained closed to vehicular traffic. The notice was necessitated by a fear that the San Francisquito Creek at HWY 101 would flood since a lot of debris had accumulated at the bridge and consequently water was not flowing in sufficient quantity to avoid flooding of the adjacent areas.
Sandbag Burrito along East Palo Alto’ s side of the Levee.
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A Menlo Park Fire Protection District press release noted that the Creek water flow was, on that Tuesday, at 4820 cubic feet per minute, the 6th largest since annual recording started in the 1930’s. Caltrans was able to remove the accumulated debris in time and the evacuation notice was rescinded. However it was discovered that one of three trash retention metal grills, installed to capture large debris while Caltrans worked on replacing the Highway 101 crossing had been dislodged by the force of the water. Unwanted debris had accumulated under the middle bridge channel effectively sealing off the center channel of the three-channel-bridge. The San Francisquito Creek has topped its banks previously, most
Roofs of Houses in East Palo Alto with roofs barely above Levee walls. recently, on February 3, 1998 when a lethal combination of heavy rain and high tides contributed to a flood that backed water up the Creek’s banks. About 1700 homes in East Palo Alto, Menlo Park and Palo Alto were damaged. In that flooding, significant portions of East Palo Alto were flooded necessitating the evacuation of residents
GOVERNMENT
Current Projects designed to protect houses along the San Francisquito Creek PROJECT The San Francisco Bay to Hwy 101 Project
GOAL To increase creek flow capacity from the San Francisco Bay to Hwy 101
Caltrans Hwy 101 Project
Improve traffic flow along Hwy 101, East and West Bayshore crossing over San Francisquito by replacing the existing crossing.
a. Improve the floodwater capacity of the bridge
Hwy 101 to El Camino Project
Improve creek flow into and out of the Hwy 101 Bridge over the San Francisquito Creek
a. Reconstruct the inlet of the San Francisquito Hwy 101 Bridge. b. Reconstruct the San Francisquito Creek Hwy 101 bridge outlet
in the Gardens Neighborhood and portions of the ‘west’ side of East Palo Alto. After the 1998 flooding, five local agencies from San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties: the cities of East Palo Alto, Palo Alto, and Menlo Park , the County of San Mateo, and the Santa Clara Valley Water District— joined together to establish the San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority (SFCJPA). Its board is comprised of elected officials representing the five jurisdictions. East Palo Alto and Menlo Park are represented respectively by Vice Mayor Ruben Abrica, and Mayor Kirsten Keith. The Creek Authority is involved in several major capital projects designed to limit the adverse impact of future flooding from the creek. The San Francisco Bay to Hwy 101 Project was launched on August 5, 2016. The approximately $42 million Project is a culmination of decades of planning design by the San Francisquito Creek
PROPOSED ACTIVITIES a. Widening the creek to convey a 100-year storm flow, coupled with a 10-year tide and 26 inches of Sea Level Rise; b. Excavating sediment that has built up over several decades and replace it with a marsh plain with higher value vegetation that is naturally more self-sustaining; c. Allowing for the future reinstatement of a natural connection between the Creek and the Palo Alto Baylands just to the north of it for the first time in over 75 years; and d. Constructing floodwalls aligned to Caltrans’ new Highway 101 bridge over the creek In the area confined by homes and businesses,
San Francisquito Creek @Hwy 101 JPA. The hope is to have it completed by 2018. “All of the funding has been acquired, and all permits have been approved and the project is well on its way” said Vice Mayor Ruben Abrica “The JPA is now engaged in preparing the environmental
impact report for Phase II, also known as the Hwy 101 to El Camino Project” said Abrica, noting that work on this phase is what “would mitigate the flooding of the west side of East Palo Alto.”
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GOVERNMENT
EXECUTIVE ORDER #13768 ENHANCING PUBLIC SAFETY IN THE INTERIOR OF THEUNITED STATES
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y the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.), and in order to ensure the public safety of the American people in communities across the United States as well as to ensure that our Nation’s immigration laws are faithfully executed, I hereby declare the policy of the executive branch to be, and order, as follows: Section 1. Purpose. Interior enforcement of our Nation’s immigration laws is critically important to the national security and public safety of the United States. Many aliens who illegally enter the United States and those who overstay or otherwise violate the terms of their visas present a significant threat to national security and public safety. This is particularly so for aliens who engage in criminal conduct in the United States. Sanctuary jurisdictions across the United States willfully violate Federal law in an attempt to shield aliens from removal from the United States. These jurisdictions have caused immeasurable harm to the American people and to the very fabric of our Republic. Tens of thousands of removable aliens have been released into communities across the country, solely because their home countries refuse to accept their repatriation. Many of these aliens are criminals who have served time in our Federal, State, and local jails. The presence of such individuals in the United States, and the practices of foreign nations that refuse the repatriation of their nationals, are contrary to the national interest. Although Federal immigration law provides a framework for Federal-State partnerships in enforcing our immigration laws to ensure the removal of aliens who have no right to be in the United States, the Federal Government has failed to discharge this basic sovereign responsibility. We cannot faithfully execute the immigration laws of the United States if we exempt classes or categories of removable aliens from potential enforcement. The purpose of this order is to direct executive departments and agencies (agencies) to employ all lawful means to enforce the immigration laws of the United States. Section. 2. Policy. It is the policy of the executive branch to:
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(a) Ensure the faithful execution of the immigration laws of the United States, including the INA, against all removable aliens, consistent with Article II, Section 3 of the United States Constitution and section 3331 of title 5, United States Code; (b) Make use of all available systems and resources to ensure the efficient and faithful execution of the immigration laws of the United States; (c) Ensure that jurisdictions that fail to comply with applicable Federal law do not receive Federal funds, except as mandated by law; (d) Ensure that aliens ordered removed from the United States are promptly removed; and (e) Support victims, and the families of victims, of crimes committed by removable aliens. Section. 3. Definitions. The terms of this order, where applicable, shall have the meaning provided by section 1101 of title 8, United States Code. Section. 4. Enforcement of the Immigration Laws in the Interior of the United States. In furtherance of the policy described in section 2 of this order, I hereby direct agencies to employ all lawful means to ensure the faithful execution of the immigration laws of the United States against all removable aliens. Section. 5. Enforcement Priorities. In executing faithfully the immigration laws of the United States, the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) shall prioritize for removal those aliens described by the Congress in sections 212(a)(2), (a)(3), and (a)(6)(C), 235, and 237(a)(2) and (4) of the INA (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(2), (a)(3), and (a)(6)(C), 1225, and 1227(a)(2) and (4)), as well as removable aliens who: (a) Have been convicted of any criminal offense; (b) Have been charged with any criminal offense, where such charge has not beenresolved; (c) Have committed acts that constitute a chargeable criminal offense; (d) Have engaged in fraud or willful misrepresentation in connection with any official matter or application before a governmental agency; (e) Have abused any program related to receipt of public benefits;
(f) Are subject to a final order of removal, but who have not complied with their legal obligation to depart the United States; or (g) In the judgment of an immigration officer, otherwise pose a risk to public safety or national security. Section. 6. Civil Fines and Penalties. As soon as practicable, and by no later than one year after the date of this order, the Secretary shall isKatherine guidance and promulgate regulations, where required by law, to ensure the assessment and collection of all fines and penalties that the Secretary is authorized under the law to assess and collect from aliens unlawfully present in the United States and from those who facilitate their presence in the United States. Section. 7. Additional Enforcement and Removal Officers. The Secretary, through the Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, shall, to the extent permitted by law and subject to the availability of appropriations, take all appropriate action to hire 10,000 additional immigration officers, who shall complete relevant training and be authorized to perform the law enforcement functions described in section 287 of the INA (8 U.S.C. 1357). Section. 8. Federal-State Agreements. It is the policy of the executive branch to empower State and local law enforcement agencies across the country to perform the functions of an immigration officer in the interior of the United States to the maximum extent permitted by law. (a) In furtherance of this policy, the Secretary shall immediately take appropriate action to engage with the Governors of the States, as well as local officials, for the purpose of preparing to enter into agreements under section 287(g) of the INA (8 U.S.C. 1357(g)). (b) To the extent permitted by law and with the consent of State or local officials, as appropriate, the Secretary shall take appropriate action, through agreements under section 287(g) of the INA, or otherwise, to authorize State and local law enforcement officials, as the Secretary determines are qualified and appropriate, to perform the functions of immigration officers in relation to the inv estigation,
GOVERNMENT
apprehension, or detention of aliens in the United States under the direction and the supervision of the Secretary. Such authorization shall be in addition to, rather than in place of, Federal performance of these duties. (c) To the extent permitted by law, the Secretary may structure each agreement under section 287(g) of the INA in a manner that provides the most effective model for enforcing Federal immigration laws for that jurisdiction. Section. 9. Sanctuary Jurisdictions. It is the policy of the executive branch to ensure, to the fullest extent of the law, that a State, or a political subdivision of a State, shall comply with 8 U.S.C. 1373. (a) In furtherance of this policy, the Attorney General and the Secretary, in their discretion an d to the extent consistent with law, shall ensure that jurisdictions that willfully refuse to comply with 8 U.S.C. 1373 (sanctuary jurisdictions) are not eligible to receive Federal grants, except as deemed necessary for law enforcement purposes by the Attorney General or the Secretary. The Secretary has the authority to designate, in hisdiscretion and to the extent consistent with law, a jurisdiction as a sanctuary jurisdiction. The Attorney General shall take appropriate enforcement action against any entity that violates 8 U.S.C. 1373, or which has in effect a statute, policy, or practice that prevents or hinders the enforcement of Federal law. (b) To better inform the public regarding the public safety threats associated with sanctuary jurisdictions, the Secretary shall utilize the Declined Detainer Outcome Report or its equivalent and, on a weekly basis, make public a comprehensive list of criminal actions committed by aliens and any jurisdiction that ignored or otherwise failed to honor any detainers with respect to such aliens. (c) The Director of the Office of Management and Budget is directed to obtain and provide relevant andresponsive information on all Federal grant money that currently is received by any sanctuary jurisdiction. Section. 10. Review of Previous Immigration Actions and Policies. (a) The Secretary shall immediately take all appropriate action to terminate the Priority Enforcement Program (PEP) described in the memorandum isKatherined by the Secretary on November 20, 2014, and to
reinstitute the immigration program known as “Secure Communities� referenced in that memorandum. (b) The Secretary shall review agency regulations, policies, and procedures for consistency with this order and, if required, publish for notice and comment proposed regulations rescinding or revising any regulations inconsistent with this order and shall consider whether to withdraw or modify any inconsistent policies and procedures, as appropriate and consistent with the law. (c) To protect our communities and better facilitate the identification, detention, and removal of criminal aliens within constitutional and statutory parameters, the Secretary shall consolidate and revise any applicable forms to more effectively communicate with recipient law enforcement agencies. Section. 11. Department of Justice Prosecutions of Immigration Violators. The Attorney General and the Secretary shall work together to develop and implement a program that ensures that adequate resources are devoted to the prosecution of criminal immigration offenses in the United States, and to develop cooperative strategies to reduce violent crime and the reach of transnational criminal organizations into the United States. Section. 12. Recalcitrant Countries. The Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of State shall cooperate to effectively implement the sanctions provided by section 243(d) of the INA (8 U.S.C. 1253(d)), as appropriate. The Secretary of State shall, to the maximum extent permitted by law, ensure that diplomatic efforts and negotiations with foreign states include as a condition precedent the acceptance by those foreign states of their nationals who are subject to removal from the United States. Section. 13. Office for Victims of Crimes Committed by Removable Aliens. The Secretary shall direct the Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to take all appropriate and lawful action to establish within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement an office to provide proactive, timely, adequate, and professional services to victims of crimes committed by removable aliens and the family members of such victims. This office shall provide quarterly reports studying the effects of the victimization by criminal aliens present in the United States. Section. 14. Privacy Act. Agencies shall, to the extent consistent with applicable law, ensure that their privacy policies exclude persons who are not United States citizens or lawful permanent
residents from the protections of the Privacy Act regarding personally identifiable information. Section. 15. Reporting. Except as otherwise provided in this order, the Secretary and the Attorney General shall each submit to the President a report on the progress of the directives contained in this order within 90 days of the date of this order and again within 180 days of the date of this order. Section. 16. Transparency. To promote the transparency and situational awareness of criminal aliens in the United States, the Secretary and the Attorney General are hereby directed to collect relevant da ta and provide quarterly reports on the following: (a) the immigration status of all aliens incarcerated under the supervision of the Federal Bureau of Prisons; (b) the immigration status of all aliens incarcerated as Federal pretrial detainees under the supervision of the United States Marshals Service; and (c) the immigration status of all convicted aliens incarcerated in State prisons and local detention centers throughout the United States. Section. 17. Personnel Actions. The Office of Personnel Management shall take appropriate and lawful action to facilitate hiring personnel to implement this order. Section. 18. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect: (i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or (ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals. (b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability ofappropriations. (c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agenci es, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
DONALD J. TRUMP THE WHITE HOUSE, January 25, 2017
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COMMUNITY
By El Ravenswood Staff
K
By El Ravenswood Staff
ate Belden will be the School Leader for the (Knowledge is Power Program) KIPP Valiant Community Preparatory School, expected to open in East Palo Alto in the fall of 2017. The Charter school was approved by the Ravenswood City School District in February 2016 In preparation for 14 MARCH - APRIL 2017 EL RAVENSWOOD
the opening of the school, in 2016, Ms. Belden participated in the KIPP’ s Fisher Fellowship visiting over 20 successful schools in the country. In addition, she has met with parent leader in East Palo Alto who were engaged in advocating for the granting of a charter to KIPP. Kate Belden attended catholic schools for both her elementary and high school in Canton Ohio. She attained her BA
in English and Anthropology from the University of Notre Dame. She credits her catholic schooling for instilling in her a strong sense of social justice that has led her engage in community service such as tutoring elementary school students while in high school as well as teaching English as a Second Language in schools in Bangkok Thailand .Following her undergraduate studies, she became a Teach For America Corps Member and taught English at a school in New York City. Ms. Belden has been involved with KIPP since 2007 and has served in various capacities in the organization: an 8th grade English Teacher, a Grade Level Chair, a Department Chair, a Dean of Curriculum, a Student Government Founder, an Assistant Principal of Student Support and a Principal. In a recent interview she said that as a kid she always loved school and with parental and teacher encouragement she acquired the love for reading. “From my own educational experience, I have learnt that holding high expectations for all students is fundamental to student learning” she observed, noting that “attending school in the eighties, there existed a fixed mindset that attributed different intellectual abilities for instance to girls vis a vis boys.” “An ideal school” she opined “ is one that, in addition to holding high expectations for all students, ensures that all children see themselves in the curriculum; that students get their socio-emotional needs met; that strong relationships are fostered between teachers and students and that “ school practices” are informed and constantly adjusted by the most current researchdata.
COMMUNITY
Charles A. Jones, Local Resident And Business Owner Is Inducted Into The Black Legends Hall Of Fame Silicon Valley
C
By El Ravenswood Staff
harles A. Jones, owner and operator of Jones Mortuary in East Palo Alto was inducted into the Black Legends Hall of Fame-Silicon Valley on February 25 in a red carpet event at the Hammer Theater in San Jose. He received the Clay-Williams Business & Entrepreneurship Award, an award partly named after Roy L. Clay Sr. the founder of Rod-L Electronics Inc., a company that has created quality electrical-safety testers since 1977. Roy L. Clay who was honored in 2015 and is considered a founding legend presented the award. Mr. Jones was born on August 13 1937, in Pleasant Hill, Louisiana. He attended Southern University in Baton Rouge Louisiana as well as University of San Francisco’s College of Mortuary Science. An army veteran, he moved to the Bay Area in 1950 and has uninterruptedly lived here since then. With his financial background and qualifications, he worked for several companies in the Bay Area and was highly sought after by others across the nation. Electronic Data Systems (EDS), a company owned by Henry Ross Perot who was later to run for President of the United States twice, offered him a position which he declined despite the counsel of those close to him. After the offer, he was later to reflect I went home to my birth place and on the banks of a creek that we fished and swam in as children, I laid my head on the open palms of my hand and stared at the clear blue skies and pondered on what my decision should be. Contrary to the advice of my wife, my parents and my friends he
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COMMUNITY
admitted, I decided that I would not take the offer, regardless of the size of the compensation, which was quite substantial. It clearly occurred to me that I was worth to EDS at least three or four times what I was being offered and that unless they were willing to offer me that, I would not take the position. To the chagrin of my wife, my parents and friends, I declined the offer. In 1972, he established Jones Mortuary Inc and in 1975 bought the current business located on a 1.25 acre site on Donohoe Street. For the last forty-five years he has offered personal and funeral services as well as crematories. Known for his empathetic knack of being the calm in the emotional storm
16 MARCH - APRIL 2017 EL RAVENSWOOD
that follows the death of loved ones, Mr. Jones has built a business that adeptly walks people through the details of saying final farewells to family and friends. Jones Mortuary Inc. has also been known to take care of those with no financial ability to bury loved ones. An avid proponent of local business, Mr. Jones always insists on meeting with people prospecting for his business in local eateries. I always tell them that if they want my business, then they should be willing to spend money in the community that accounts for the bulk of my clientele he told El Ravenswood recently. It is a win-win situation for me as well since it allows me to be seen locally he added.
The induction ceremony was the second in what will continue to be an annual event, the proceeds from which will go towards the building of the San Jose Black History Museum Silicon Valley. The event is the result of a tri-agency cooperation between the Joyner/Payne Youth Services Agency Inc, African American Community Service Agency and the Silicon Valley Black Chamber of Commerce. The goal is to raise $5 million for a facility that will have a Virtual Museum and physical Exhibit Halls covering six portals of time period: Mother Africa; The Transition; Establishment of Slavery in America, Freedom Not Realized, the Civil Rights Era, and the Black Legends Hall of Fame-Silicon Valley. Sixteen inductees were honored including Judge LaDoris H. Cordell who established the first Law Office in East Palo Alto (1975-1982) and who was equally instrumental in the establishment of the East Palo Alto Community Law Project, a project that has provided critical legal services to East of Bayshore residents. The work the project started continues to exist as the Stanford Community Legal Clinic as well a Community Legal Services.
COMMUNITY
While local communities are battling to limit aircraft noise from planes landing at San Francisco International Airport, the airline world is quietly celebrating the world’s longest flight. Air India set the record in October last year on its Delhi to San Francisco flight. Airline experts attribute this to Air India’s flight path which changed by flying east over the Pacific Ocean instead of its usual route of flying west over the Atlantic. This record breaking journey covering 15,300/9507 km/miles took 14 and a half hour to complete beating the previous titleholder Emirates which flew from Dubai to Auckland, a distance of 14,200/8823 km/miles in 16.5 hours. A senior Air India official attributes the record to flying eastward allowing the aircraft to take advantage of strong tailwinds thereby allowing it to cover a longer distance in less time.
AIRLINE
FROM
TO
KILOMETERS
MILES
AIR INDIA
DELHI
SAN FRANCISCO
15,300
9507
EMIRATES
AUCKLAND
DUBAI
14200
8823
QANTAS
DALLAS
SYDNEY
13800
8575
UNITED
SAN FRANCISCO
SINGAPORE
13593
8446
DELTA
JOHANNESBURG
ATLANTA
13581
8439
ETIHAD
ABU DHABI
LOS ANGELES
13502
8390
EMIRATES
DUBAI
LOS ANGELES
13420
8339
SAUDIA
JEDDAH
LOS ANGELES
13409
8332
QATAR AIRWAYS
DOHA
LOS ANGELES
13367
8306
EMIRATES
DUBAI
HOUSTON
13145
8168
MARCH - APRIL 2017 EL RAVENSWOOD 17
COMMUNITY
Each year, the City of East Palo Alto’ s Public Works DepartmentEngineering Division, receives many requests from residents and businesses to install stop signs, according to city officials. Requests, they report, are frequently inspired by the mistaken belief that stop signs are effective speed control devices. According to City engineering officials however, stop signs are not for speed control but rather are effective traffic management devices. They facilitate the flow of traffic at intersections allowing drivers to orderly enter intersections. This is a reproduction of a city document expressly designed to answer some of the most common questions residents have about stop signs and when their installation may be appropriate. The article is also a follow up of one in last month’ s publication that lamented the over speeding on East Bayshore between University Avenue and Menalto and the dangers drivers entering East Bayshore from side streets encounter each time they seek to make a left or right turn.
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How effective are stop signs and can they be used to reduce traffic speeds or discourage cut-through traffic? Studies have shown that stop signs are ineffective speed control devices. Vehicles often increase speed after a stop sign to make up for “lost time”. Stop signs are also ineffective at reducing the amount of cut-through traffic on a street. . If stop signs can’t reduce speed or cut-through traffic, what can? Concerns about speeding vehicles or
Kamal Fallaha, Public Works Director, City of East Palo Alto cut-through traffic can be addressed by the City’ s Neighborhood Traffic Management Program (NTMP). If your street qualifies for the NTMP, traffic calming measures such as speedhumps or traffic circles can be considered for installation. These devices, and many others, have proved successful at reducing traffic speeds or the amount of cut-through traffic. To learn more, contact the City at the telephone number or email address listed at the end of this document. What harm can another stop sign do? When an excessive number of stop signs are installed traffic congestion can increase with little or no gain in public safety. In fact, safety could even
be reduced. Pedestrian and rear-end accidents tend to increase, as the stop signs present a false sense of security. Excessive use of stop signs also reduces the credibility of all stop signs, as many motorists become frustrated and either speed up after the stop sign or run through it. In some cases, stop sign violations can occur up to 25% of the time. Where can stop signs be installed? Stop signs can be installed at entrances to certain through streets or where a stop sign “warrant study”indicates the need for a stop sign. What is a stop sign warrant study? Stop sign warrant studies, called “warrants” are used to determine whether or not a stop sign should be installed. In other words provides
answers to the question as to whether a stop sign is warranted or not. Warrants establish factual data regarding: • The number of vehicles at an intersection over a certain period • Accident history of an intersection • Vehicular and pedestrian conflicts • Visibility • Unusual conditions including: • High concentrations of pedestrians or vehicles. • Regular use of the intersection by children, the elderly or disabled. What costs are involved with installing stop signs? The installation of a stop sign is inexpensive, but associated costs are not. The following costs must be considered before a stop sign is installed: • Cost of the stop sign warrant study. • Sign maintenance.
• Extra fuel consumed when cars accelerate after a stop sign. • Air pollution increases as a result of increased fuel consumption. • Residents living near stop signs experience increased air and noise pollution. What else can be done? Often, simple solutions may improve a situation. The City may need to trim trees or bushes to uncover signs or to increase sight distances (on private property this is the responsibility of the property owner). The City Engineer may also be able to install warning signs near an intersection. However, if you believe there is a chronic traffic concern in your area, contact the Engineering Division at 650-853-3189.
MARCH - APRIL 2017 EL RAVENSWOOD 19
WORD PLAY
Circle the words listed below, in the grid. The words are situated left to right, right to left, up to down, down to up, and diagonally in both directions. 1. Air India 2. Black Legends Hall Of Fame 3. Roy L Clay Sr 4. Charles A Jones 5. The March 6. Be Peaceful Be Great, 7. Proudest 8. Unifying 9. Oxford Day Academy 10. Breaking Silences 11. Tee Ball 12. Sustainability Award 13. Executive Order 14. Sanctuary Jurisdiction 15. Immigration Laws 16. Removable Aliens 17. Jonathan Bryant 18. Streetcode 19. Character Builders 20. Space Tinkerer 21. Kate Belden 22. Knowledge Is Power Program 23. Fisher Fellowship 24. Socio-Emotional 25. Lorena Cuffy 26. Digital Literacy 27. NTEN 28. Speeding 29. NTMP 30. Cut-through traffic 31. Arts Showcase
End and Begin A puzzle by Sandy Farley
Today we are looking for two word phrases such as RUSH HOUR where the ending letter of the first word is the beginning letter of the second word. Let the hint lead you the two word phrase. 1. Wait seated 11. What you do with a list 2. ADA compliance facility feature
12. A carpenter or napper may do this
3. Apple or cherry but not berry
13. Defensive positions in NFL football_________ and
4. Infinity sign 14. Glass cleaner 5. Probably lower than an alto’s,
15. Interviewee or press release
6. Election day, often
16. Symphony by Anton Dvorjak
7. First defense against flames
17. Warm wind in Southern California
8. I hear your advice or correction.
18. Ringling Brother’s Headliner
9. Shallow bowl 19. Winner of a prize in literature, science or peace 10. Eerily scary 20. Piece of a pungent bulb
Answers on page 22 20 MARCH - APRIL 2017 EL RAVENSWOOD
STAFF CHANGES
Jonathan Bryant Jonathan Bryant is the new Commissioner for the East Palo Alto Tee Ball Pitching Machine. He grew up in East Palo Alto and it is through the Ravenswood Little League thathe learnt how to play baseball. He went to elementary school as part of the Tinsley Transfer Program attending Hoover Elementary , Escondido and Jordan Middle School in Palo Alto. For high school, however, he attended Eastside College Prep. He attended Notre Dame de Namur University for his undergraduate degree. I feel it is important that programs such as Tee Ball Pitching Machine and other program like it need to be preserved he said recently. Those programs are critical character builders for our youth he added noting that he hopes to continue the legacy of the programs founders. Mr. Bryant is also the Program Manager for StreetCode Academy, a local non-profit teaching design and coding to the community. He is also a teacher at Belle Haven School working in the Make a Space program as a Space Tinkerer.
Answers to puzzle Sit tight, wheelchair ramp, fruit tree, figure eight, tenor range, first Tuesday, fire extinguisher, point taken, soup plate, hair raising, read down, saw wood, right and left tackle, window washer, news source, New World, circus star, Nobel laureate, garlic clove.
What’s a Makerspace?
To describe them simply, makerspaces are community centers with tools. Makerspaces combine manufacturing equipment, community, and education for the purposes of enabling community members to design, prototype and create manufactured works that wouldn’ t be possible to create with the resources available to individuals working alone. These spaces can take the form of loosely-organized individuals sharing space and tools, for-profit companies, non-profit corporations, organizations affiliated with or hosted within schools, universities or libraries, and more. All are united in the purpose of providing access to equipment, community, and education, and all are unique in exactly how they are arranged to fit the purposes of the community they serve. Makerspaces represent the democratization of design, engineering, fabrication and education. They are afairly new phenomenon, but are beginning to produce projects with significant national impacts. (Source: Spaces.makerspace.com)
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COMMUNITY
What Are/Were They Thinking?
TOP LEFT: Graffiti on the new Sobrato building at Cooley and Donohoe TOP RIGHT: Graffiti on a mural at bell Street Park. BELOW LEFT: Graffiti on a beautifully painted electrical box at Bell Street Park BELOW RIGHT: Semi-Truck on Menalto Avenue, regularly travels down this street at least three –four times a month, picking up shipments to the Pacific Islands.
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This is a new section of the magazine that would feature pictures and stories that would record activities in the community with the simple question: What are/were they thinking? It is unlikely that this section would lead to a change in behavior but the hope is that outstanding citizens who are neighbors to or might be related to the perpetrators and who witness some of these activities will step up and report some of these individuals to the appropriate authorities.
A STORY
S
By El Ravenswood Staff
he could not remember when she picked up the keys, someone else’s keys.Even when, at the end of the successful event at the Presidio in San Francisco, she heard and saw a lady the owner of the keys, frantically asking everyone exiting the event location whether they had seen any keys abandoned keys. Kate never raised an eyebrow or a finger. She after all had not seen any abandoned keys. It was not until she arrived at her home and reached inside her purse, picked up the keys and was sorting through them to find her front door key that her fingers suddenly told her that those were not her keys. “They felt oddly different” she was later to say. “I immediately was in a state of panic thinking “if these were not my keys where were mine?” She immediately rushed back to her friend’s car holding the keys in
front her, almost screaming. The friend had given her a ride back from the Presidio event since they both lived in Menlo Park. “These are not my keys!” She screamed. She desperately dug into her cluttered purse again, reminding herself that she must do something about the clutter. Inside, her fingers immediately recognized the familiar feel of her keys and the other appendages on her key ring. Her audibly loud sigh of relief was only tempered by the memory of the panicked lady in San Francisco in a state of confusion like a mother who had lost a child in a shopping mall. She immediately began to worry, that night, about the lady. In addition to an obvious car key, the bundle of keys contained other miscellaneous keys that most certainly included keys to doors,
various drawers and cabinets, post office boxes and other miscellaneous appendages that we attach to key chains with some superstitious rhyme and or reason. She was overwhelmed by a cloud of sadness knowing that the lady key owner would probably not be able go home that night since she had neither her car or her home keys. She worried all night about the impact her unintended action had on the owner of the keys. Did she have spare keys for her car, house and any other places or locations for which she carried keys? Did she share a home and could therefore access her car and her home? Did she have to spend the night in a hotel or hostel? “Oh my goodness, what had she done. How would she be able to make amends” She was to learn later that Kate did spend the night with friends in the City, friends that she had wanted to spend some quality time with for years but just never had the opportunity. She felt terrible that she could not contact anyone that night, regarding the matter, after all the staff of the agency that sponsored the event at the Presidio would not be in their offices that late at night and she had no personal phone numbers. In any case it would be grossly impolite to call people up so late at night.
MARCH - APRIL 2017 EL RAVENSWOOD 23
A STORY She tossed and turned for most of the night, trying to replay in her mind her entire evening trying to nail down when she had inadvertently picked up the lady’s keys. She worried about the impact her action may have had. She imagined how the person could not access her car and hoped that he or she would be able to lay her hands on spare keys. She worried about whether the person was and how the entire saga had impacted her family. Meanwhile, Kimani, her ride from the charity event at the Presidio sent an e-mail to the event organizers that same night. “You will not believe this”, his e-mail said, “Katherine had somehow in advertently picked up Kate’s keys.” He asked them to call her as soon as they could so that the keys could be returned. Katherine, she added was really torn up about the incident and was very worried about the lady. His e-mail to the charity event organizers finally were responded to and early the following day, Katherine received a call from the key owner. G Kate was of course glad that her keys had been found. Displaying surprising understanding about the entire incident, she suggested meeting at some midway point between San Francisco and Menlo Park so that she could retrieve her keys.. Apologetic about her inadvertent action Katherine volunteered to travel back to San Francisco and to meet anywhere so that she could return, with sincere apologies, the keys. They agreed to meet at the Presidio’s Officer’s Hall. Riding to San Francisco in a ride share she shared her story with the lyft driver. “Perhaps fate wanted to use the keys as a way of bringing you and the owner of the keys together” the driver with a lilting foreign/maybe
24 MARCH - APRIL 2017 EL RAVENSWOOD
Caribbean accent suggested. “Fate, I do not believe in fate” she asserted. “If anyone wanted us to meet, we could have met yesterday at the event” she added a little exasperated. A sleepless night worrying about the key owner seems to have tampered with her temperament. In addition to she missed her grandmotherly duties that she performed every morning. “Perhaps you did, but the keys may want to have you meet again” he persisted. During the ride, the key owner called to confirm as to how far away she was. Traffic was slow along 19th Avenue but Katherine assured her that she expected to be there in twenty minutes or less. At the Presidio, three women, a grandmotherly looking woman, a middle aged who later turned out to be the elderly woman’s daughter and Kate, the key owner emerged from a car in the parking lot and approached her excitedly. Greetings were shared all around and she quickly said out aloud the apology that had been circulating in her mind throughout the journey from Menlo Park to San Francisco. “1 am so sorry. I do not know how this happened and when.” She said. “I sincerely apologize for all the inconvenience this saga has caused you” she added. “I cannot imagine how difficult it has been for you” “Hi they call me Kate although my name is actually Katherine. I am the key owner” the third woman introduced herself. “This is Betsie and her daughter Georgia my longtime friends and supporters. They hosted me last night and we had a good time reconnecting after so many years” she added. “Perhaps this was meant to be, the key loss I mean, so that I could spend time with my dear friends” she said as her two friends nodded in agreement. Baffled by the surprised look in her
face, Kate continued to assure her that everything was fine and that she was truly happy that she had found her keys and could proceed on with her day. Kate added that she was a retired school teacher and that she had joined the Global Children Fund with a project supporting orphaned young girls in a community in India. She added that she spends her time travelling back and forth to ensure that the educational program she raises funds for annually is not lacking of resources. The bafflement switched to Kate’s face when she introduced herself as Katherine and added that she is popularly known as “Kate” and that she too was running an educational and afterschool girls program in a local community. “Perhaps we should say thank you to the keys” Kate suggested placing the keys in the palm of her hand and stretching her arm out in front of everyone. Before saying goodbye they all hugged and briefly talked about how the two girl programs across continents could collaborate. Walking back to the ride share car, she wondered why the driver and Kate both concluded that the Kate and Kate encounter was meant to be and that the keys, inanimate objects or their loss made possible a meeting that would open up possibilities. “I do not believe in fate” she told the driver “but it is interesting that you and Kate both thought that this key loss was meant to be. “The word for “key” in Kiswahili is “Kifunguo” which translates in English as “that with opens”. The keys just opened the doors to a relationship that will certainly benefit both you and Kate and your programs” concluded the driver as he drove off from the Presidio Officer’s Hall Parking Lot. “Kifunguo indeed” Kate murmured.
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MARCH - APRIL 2016 EL RAVENSWOOD 25
PA Belle Haven Information Inc E P.O. Box 50849 East Palo Alto, CA 94303
Please Find El Ravenswood At These Choice Locations Want to be an El Ravenswood distribution location? Please contact El Ravenswood at info@eastpaloaltoinformation.com EAST PALO ALTO Above All Insurance, 907 Newbridge Street # B; | Boys and Girls Club-East Palo Alto, 2031 Pulgas Avenue; | Brentwood School, 2086 Clarke Avenue; | Cesar Chavez & Green Oaks, 2450 Ralmar Avenue; | Ravenswood Child Development Center, 952 O’Connor Street, | Community Development Department, 1960 Tate Street; | Costano School, 2695 Fordham Street; | County Services Building-Lobby; 2415 University Avenue; | East Palo Alto Academy, 1040 Myrtle Street; | East Palo Alto Charter School, 1286 Runnymede Street; | East Palo Alto Community Development Department, 1960 Tate Street; | East Palo Alto Phoenix Academy, 1039 Garden Street; | East Palo Alto Police Department, 141 Demeter Avenue; | East Palo Alto Senior Center, 560 Bell Street; | East Palo Alto YMCA, 550 Bell Street; | Ecumenical Hunger Program, 2411 Pulgas Avenue; Gregory’s Enterprise & Barber Shop, 1895 E. Bayshore Road; | Jones Mortuary, 660 Donohoe Street; | Los Robles Spanish Immersion School, 2450 Ralmar Avenue; | Oakwood Market, 2106 Oakwood Drive; | Peninsula Park Apartments, 1977 Tate Street; | Rainier’s Service Station, 1905 E. Bayshore Road; | Ravenswood City School District, 2130 Euclid Avenue; Ravenswood Family Health Center, 1807 Bay Road; | Ronald McNair School, 2033 Pulgas Avenue; | San Mateo Credit Union, 1735 Bay Road; | St Francis of Assisi, 1425 Bay Road; | St Johns Baptist Church, 1050 Bay Road; | Stanford Community Law Clinics, 2117 University Avenue; | Starbucks-East Palo Alto, 1745 East Bayshore Road;
MENLO PARK Belle Haven Library, 415 Ivy Drive; | Belle Haven School, 415 Ivy Drive; | Esquire Barber Shop, 830 Newbridge street; | Job Train, 1200 O’Brien Drive; | Jonathan’s Fish & Chips, 840 Willow Road; | Markstyle Barber Shop, 828 Willow Road; | Menlo Park City Hall, 701 Laurel Street; | Menlo Park Senior Center, 100 Terminal Avenue; | Mt Olive AOH Church of God, 605 Hamilton Avenue; | Project Read-Menlo Park, 800 Alma Street; | Tony’s Pizza, 820 Willow Road; | Tutti Frutti, 888 Willow Road; Willow Cleaners, 824 Willow Road; | Willow Oaks School, 620 Willow Road