IN THIS ISSUE: PUT MY MONEY WHERE MY MORALS ARE? WHAT’S THE REAL PRICE OF YOUR CLOSET? PLASTIC BAGS HURT TURTLES TOO
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FALL / WINTER 2018
CONTENTS
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Your Local Gov. Guide
Confused about local government? Let us guide you through it.
Throwback Theater
Skrt into the past as one of America’s favorites makes a comeback.
Education Over Incarceration
Goodbye JCPS school resource officers; hello restorative practices.
ON THE RECORD is a newsmagazine by and for the youth of Louisville. In 2015, this publication transitioned from the Crimson Record, a tabloid-size school newspaper for the duPont Manual High School community, to a city-wide magazine that focuses on in-depth storytelling and distributes throughout Louisville schools and businesses. Our mission is to produce quality local journalism for a Louisville audience from the important but often overlooked youth perspective. All pages are written, edited, photographed, and designed by students. Advertising pays for our printing and production, so please contact our ad team if you would like to advertise or subscribe: ontherecord@manualjc.com
PROS and CONtraceptives
A second installment of On the Record’s sex-ed series.
The Politics of a Chicken Sandwich Picking apart the politics of a pricetag.
The Final Straw
The straw ban: it’s helping, just not enough.
Not What it Seams
What’s the true cost of fast fashion?
Life in Liquor
West End communities fight liquor license applications.
Turning Tables
Everyone’s welcome to the Table, no matter what’s in your wallet.
My Birth, My Way!
The beginning of a series preparing Louisville’s youth for adulthood.
Addiction is in Again! An editorial cartoon.
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STAFF
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AUDREY CHAMPELLI MANAGING EDITOR LUCY CALDERON CREATIVE DIRECTOR OLIVIA BROTZGE
FROM THE EDITOR
ASSOCIATE EDITOR MATTIE TOWNSON SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR JEDIAH HOLMAN
DEAR READERS, Where do you shop? When you shop, what do you buy? How much do you know about where your food and clothes come from and where they end up? How much do you care? Over the past three months, our writers, designers, and photographers have been working on answers to these questions, but be prepared. This issue will invite you, the reader, to consider your place in the narrative of ethical consumerism. What role do morals play in your purchases? Why do you shop the way you do? We’ve explained the nuts and bolts, but a lot of it comes down to what you believe and what you can live with. As you peruse this issue, you’ll also see stories that address issues like local government, changes in school discipline, and different types of contraceptives — to name a few. I hope these topics are as interesting to you as they’ve become to me and the rest of us here in the On The Record newsroom. I started on this staff as a writer because I believed in the power of high schoolers to tell important stories that live up to the standard of professional journalism. Three years, dozens of late nights, and a few national awards later, I still believe it just as strongly. I hope that this issue will convince you too. And, if you’re curious to learn more, you can visit our website where we have expanded stories and sourcing information.
BEST,
MAGGIE
DESIGN SPECIALIST JESS MAYS PHOTOGRAPHY SPECIALIST MIA BREITENSTEIN MULTIMEDIA SPECIALIST NOAH KECKLER ADVERTISING TEAM MAYA MALAWI (DIRECTOR), MAGGIE STINNETT (DIRECTOR), ALANA FIELDS ASSIGNMENT EDITORS YSA LEON, EVAN SHOWALTER, ELLA TREINEN, ALI SHACKELFORD WRITERS FAITH LINDSEY, ANABEL MAGERS, LILLIAN METZMEIER, ALAURYN MOORE, CLAIRE ROONEY, ANNIE WHALEY, SYLVIA CASSIDY, MADDIE CURRIE, KATIE CUMMINS DESIGNERS EVELYN WALFORD, CLAIRE WILLIAMS, GEFEN YUSSMAN, MAGGIE GEDIMAN, PATRICK HARPER, AMAL HASSAN PHOTOGRAPHERS MARSHALL GAULT, MCKENNA CONWAY, LAINEY HOLLAND
ADVISER LIZ PALMER
THE EDITORIAL BOARD
SKY
COPY EDITOR SKY CARROLL
MULTIMEDIA NOAH GREBE
AUDREY
LUCY
NEWS DIRECTOR MAGGIE MITCHELL
JEDIAH
MATTIE
OLIVIA Fall/Winter 2018
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YOUR LOCAL GOV. GUIDE
With the general election all said and done, it’s time to explain what local government means to us. words by YSA LEON AND MADDIE CURRIE • design by MADDIE CURRIE
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he first Tuesday in November — election day. Yikes. Walking up to your voting site, you realize the names you’re seeing are unfamiliar. Divided by parties and levels of power, the letters strung together form titles you don’t understand. You pick up the No. 2 pencil, preparing to exercise your 15th Amendment right. You hesitate, unsure of your decision. Who are you placing in power? How much impact will your vote have? Will you make the right choice among the strange names?
What’s the issue? If you’ve ever experienced this voting anxiety, you’re not alone. Jefferson County had a 17.7 percent voter turnout in the 2018 local primaries, according to the State Board of Elections. Hundreds of thousands of Louisville citizens stay home or at work on election day for one reason or another. However, younger people are displaying a different trend. The Center for Information and 6
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Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, or CIRCLE, at Tufts University conducted a study to see if newer voters are showing up to the polls. It revealed that turnout among voters ranging from 18 to 29 years old has increased by approximately 10 percent since the 2014 midterm elections. Although we’re seeing progress, there’s still room for improvement. CIRCLE also coordinated a survey in 2016, showing that six million young persons in the same age range were registered to vote but did not. Sixty-five percent of those six million cited their reason for not voting as “not liking the candidates or the issues,” but could it be that they just weren’t informed about them? We can’t use our own ignorance, as new or future voters, as an excuse for staying home in November. Educating ourselves on local government can be a daunting task, so let’s start from the beginning.
What is local government, anyway? Although local government can be any particular city or state body, our local city government consists of Democratic Mayor Greg Fischer and those under him that help govern Louisville. Our city government can enforce laws, elect officials, and enact taxes that affect Jefferson County. But Louisville government had to undergo some major changes to reach what it is today. “In 2003, this whole apple cart was turned on its head,” said Tom Owen, former Metro Council President and current University of Louisville associate archivist and community relations associate, speaking of the 2003 city-county merger. Until the merger, the “city” of Louisville, only included a little over 250,000 residents, but was still under the jurisdiction of Jefferson County. In 2000, a task force consisting of 54 major elected officials (including the mayor, the 12 aldermen — or
elected councilmen — and 29 state legislators) formed with the purpose of creating a merger plan unlike the ones that had failed in the past. Their proposal, House Bill 647, passed through the House and Senate after forging a few compromising details. The task force decided that it would officially take effect in January 2003 following the 2002 election. Before the merger, Owen was one of the 12 aldermen representing 12 districts comprising the legislative branch. These aldermen had similar jobs to our current Metro Council members and worked with a “strong-mayor.” A “strong-mayor” system defines the Metro Council as the primary legislative body, while the mayor is the city’s chief executive. They work concurrently to achieve their homogeneous goals for the city. We still use this same model of power division in Louisville today.
However, the old organization of government could not last with the new city lines. The new Louisville Metro Council divided the county into 26 districts based on population, according to Owen, each with its own council member. Today, the Metro Council and mayor govern Louisville and Jefferson County, which are one in the same, although renamed “Louisville-Jefferson County Metro Government” (aka “Louisville Metro”).
Who’s in charge? So who have we entrusted our city to? The answer isn’t so simple. With our strong-mayor system, Mayor Greg Fischer heads the team. Fischer won the mayoral election in 2010, again in 2014, and in November won re-election for his third and final term (mayors are limited to three consecutive four-year terms). Mayor Fischer works with the Metro Council to
address city and district-specific problems. The council works as the legislative branch; they propose new laws, organize the city budget, and work with city services. You can find what district you live in and your representative by going to Louisville’s government website (louisvilleky.gov) and typing in your address in the district map. Under the mayor and Metro Council are the small city mayors that became a part of Louisville Metro after the merger like the mayor of St. Matthews, Rick Tonini, and mayor of the City of Hurstbourne, Mary Schneider. These people handle more civil services, like an individual fire department or police force, and work with the mayor and Metro Council to address issues in their small city. There are also other elected positions that contribute to local government, like the county sheriff or the county clerk, that may not always cross our minds.
Mayor
The mayor, Greg Fischer, is the city’s chief executive. He addresses city issues and is in charge of city services. He works with Metro Council on legislation, like the budget, and has the power to sign or veto. He is in charge things like health and safety, and he works with JCPS on student services.
Metro Council
The Metro Council is the primary legislative body, and it’s run by a president, currently David James. The 26 representatives propose legislation, organize city budget, work with city services, and handle concerns in the 26 districts.
Small city mayors are in charge of small city services. Kentucky has over 80 small cities.
The county clerk, Bobbie Holsclaw, keeps records of public documents of Jefferson County. She is chair of the Jefferson County Board of Elections, filing candidate petitions for elective county offices. She draws ballot positions, prints ballots, and certifies election day votes to the secretary of state of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Her office also runs the Legal Records Division and Motor Vehicle Division.
Small City Mayors County Clerk Misc.
Miscellaneous positions under Fischer include other elected positions, such as the county sheriff.
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The JCPS Board of Education, arguably the most influential for us, also falls under local government. To learn more about the current predicament facing JCPS and a possible state takeover, head to our website and read “Do It For State.” Now that you are familiar with the primary positions, we should look at what they do and how their daily duties can affect you.
What do our elected officials do? On a day-to-day basis, you may envision a lot of meetings and paperwork (which it definitely is), but the work of local government officials goes beyond the typical formalities. “We’ve chosen to fundamentally reposition the city in terms of where we fit with American cities and global cities. To be known as a city of innovation, an equitable city, a compassionate city, an inclusive city and one that is very economically dynamic as well,” Mayor Fischer told On the Record. “What I do everyday kind of flows down from that.” With the strong-mayor system, Fischer works alongside Metro Council to pass or kill legislation. “They are our legislative partner, so they will come up with concepts that they debate and pass and not pass and we will provide ideas to them from time to time. They are an important partner of the mayor,” Fischer said. Your Metro Council district representative can address concerns specific to your neighborhood. Any pronounced potholes, sickening smoke, or confusing construction are perfect things to take to your rep. Remember: they are representatives for a reason; representing you is their job! Government officials, especially district reps, work for YOU. 8
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But what can we do? Voting in local elections can be confusing, but it doesn’t have to be. By using a search engine on the Jefferson County Clerk’s website, you can easily enter your address and find the closest voting center. But before you ever reach for the ballot, staying informed is crucial in making a decision. On Ballotpedia, an online political encyclopedia, you can see the number of upcoming elections and the candidates running in them, as well as primary and general election results. Click on any particular candidate and you can view a short biography about their profession, political history, and party affiliate. No matter if you are old enough to vote, you should always stay in the know; local government affects everyone. “Whatever age you are, hopefully you still have that fire to be pushing toward a more perfect union,” Fischer said. “It’s very effective when young people speak out because you can work on your parents and grandparents and really question.” Fischer says that consistency is key; people who continue to demand action will catch the attention of government officials. “You all have the ability to be courageous in your conversations and expressions and I really encourage you to do it,” Fischer said. If you have a problem within your district or beyond, the Metro Council holds meetings every two weeks. You can arrange to speak by going to their website, where you can find speaking guidelines and the phone number of the Metro Council Clerk to request speaking time. Contact information for each district representative is on the Louisville government website, and you can use the district map feature to
see who your council member is. Voting and staying informed on your representatives isn’t the only way you can make a difference in your community. The youth have a voice and it’s a loud one.
What now? If you are 18 or older, you can register to vote now. Kentucky is one of the 37 states that offers online voter registration — a few easy questions about your eligibility, identification, and political affiliation and you’re good to go. Head over to the Kentucky State Board of Elections website, make sure you haven’t passed the deadline to register (28 days before the next election), and click on “Register Online to Vote.” Even though the 2018 general elections have passed, it’s never too early to register to vote for 2019. Some things to remember: Dec. 31 is
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You all have the ability to be courageous in your conversations and expressions and I really encourage you to do it. - Mayor Fischer
your last day to change your political party for 2019 and April 22 is the last day to register for next years primary elections. Don’t worry if you haven’t made it to your 18th yet; staying informed is something everyone, regardless of their age, can, and should, start now. It may take some homework, but you’ll feel proactive and, when it comes time, ready to take on the matrix we call local government. •
THE STAR OF THE SHOW:
The illuminated car attracts oncoming movie goers to the pastime of our grandparents’ generation, The Georgetown Drive-In, on Sept. 22. photo by MARSHALL GAULT
If you love the ‘50s and movies, boy have I got a pastime for you. words by ALI SHACKELFORD • design by PATRICK HARPER
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hen I was growing up, my parents would tell me stories about going to drive-ins. My mom remembers going with her mom, grandma, and siblings to see the 1979 film, “Penitentiary.” The kids had to cover their eyes through some scenes (the movie was rated R) as they sat in the back seat of their grandma’s Buick. My dad recalled going to the nearby drive-in often as a kid — either going with friends, his mom, or a group of kids from the neighborhood. They would lay out blankets and inhale juice soaked chips, dust, and a little bit of BO. I remember when my family took our Kia Sedona to the drivein around the corner; we saw “Hancock” and all the Tobey Maguire “Spider-Man” movies. I remember snuggling up, getting comfy, and drifting off while everyone else in the trunk was mesmerized by all the action. We surrounded ourselves in blankets and pillows, listened through car speakers, and munched on snacks. Though all of our local drive-ins are now closed and the Sauerbeck family one in La Grange hasn’t quite gotten off
the ground — strong storm winds damaged their screen — I still find drive-ins to be valuable in maintaining connectedness. Sure, it’s easier to drive to the nearest theater where you’ll pay absurd amounts for subpar food and sit in stiff, uncomfortable seats. But that’s no fun and the experience just isn’t as rich. I haven’t always been pumped about drive-ins — heck, I slept through most of the movies we saw there. Recently, though, I went to the Georgetown Drive-in in Indiana. On their website, which is worth checking out in order to feel prepared, I saw that they have a playground and the original outside speakers from when they opened, which I thought was pretty cool. That night was rainy so I packed my car with blankets and towels. After dinner, my friends and I went to a nearby Walgreens to stock up on snacks, although the drive-in does have a concession stand with things like hot dogs, pretzels, popcorn, and candy. When we got to the front gate, we learned that admission for a double feature is $12 per person and, though the concession stand
accepts credit cards, the box office only accepts cash. When we finally got in and found the perfect parking spot — there was plenty of space for us to be picky — I tuned the radio to the right station. There are two screens that show double features every weekend. Usually, the first films start around 8:15 or 8:30 p.m. and the second films start around 10:00 p.m. We only stayed for one, but were lucky enough to be part of a raffle for an oldtimey RV just like the one from the old 1975 horror film we had watched, “Race with the Devil.” Though the night was cold and damp, I’m glad I went. I had my legs propped up with the window down, leaning on a friend. That’s the way films should be viewed and it’s just as immersive as any Cinemark theatre, especially with its much bigger screen. Maybe it’s just the novelty, amusements, and nostalgia speaking, but it’s a place I genuinely recommend, especially for a cozy movie night. I believe everyone should have at least one story about the drivein, even if you have to cover your eyes the whole time. • Fall/Winter 2018 On the Record
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JCPS’s new efforts to combat the school-to-prison pipeline could change the way YOU are treated in the classroom.
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words by SYLVIA CASSIDY & ANABEL MAGERS • design by JESS MAYS
n edge. There had been a shooting in the California neighborhood; six teenagers were hurt, and some of them attended Jeffersontown High School. According to Steve Mattingly, a school resource officer (SRO) at J-Town, some of the students that heard about it were still recovering, and the teachers were tense. “A lot of things are happening in our streets here in the city that spill over into the school,” Mattingly said. This sort of thing wasn’t uncommon, but it still concerned the local police department enough to place five extra officers in the school. Conflict. It was during lunch — a small dispute over some headphones quickly escalated. One student pushed another, causing an assistant principal to step in.
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She realized that she couldn’t calm the students down so she reached for her radio and called for help. Three police officers and Mattingly rushed to her aid. Controversy. According to Mattingly, a student involved took an “aggressive stance towards one of the officers.” Surveillance video showed an officer grabbing a student from behind and the student trying to shrug him away. The officer then wrestled the student to the ground. Arrest? After his fellow officers had put the student in handcuffs, Mattingly led him to the parked cop car outside of the building. The student’s brother, still inside, approached the officers to defend his sibling. An officer pushed the brother away twice.
Smack. According to Mattingly, the brother struck the officer across his face. The officers responded quickly by forcing him to the ground. Because the brother resisted the restraint, the officer used pain compliance — knee strikes. Onlookers circled around the commotion. In an effort to ward them off, another officer waved his taser in their direction. Force. The officer stood up and walked around his coworker, who still had a taser in hand, and made his way to the right side of the brother. He pressed his taser to his back and delivered the electric shock. The brother instinctively touched his back where he had been tased. He stopped resisting. Viral. Videos of the incident blew up on Snapchat and Twitter. Behind the cameras, voices
shrieked for the officers to stop. Anger spread from phone to phone throughout the city. And when local news displayed footage of the brother showing his taser marks, frustration grew. Outraged citizens called for the principal to step down and for JCPS to remove law enforcement from schools. Protesters, including Black Lives Matter activists, interrupted a school board meeting on Nov. 7, 2017 to spread their message. And it worked. Well, not completely, but it got the conversation started. Incidents like this opened up dialogue about law enforcement in schools and convinced JCPS to reconsider the way they do discipline.
From Pencils to Prison
SROs are police officers placed in schools across the nation to ensure safety. JCPS currently has 37 SROs and they are stationed at schools upon request. Since JCPS employs SROs from local police departments, SROs have the same authority as any other police officer — school staff has no power over them. So if an SRO wanted to arrest a student, but a teacher or principal said no, the SRO would have the final say. JCPS has little control over the law enforcement in their schools, resulting in the dilemma at hand: a debate over law enforcement’s presence in schools. JCPS’s Racial Equity Policy acknowledges continuous gaps in disciplinary outcomes among racial and ethnic groups. In the policy, JCPS explains how their strategies are attempting to eliminate practices, including disciplinary practices, that “create systematic racial disparities in educational opportunities and outcomes.” Dr. Chris Kolb, a JCPS board member, offered some of his insight to the connection between law enforcement in school and the school-to-
prison pipeline, a common metaphor used to describe school disciplinary actions that result in more youth, specifically minority students, entering the criminal justice system. “What we know from research is that when there are police in school buildings, there tends to be a pretty big uptake in the amount of low-level behavior incidents that are reported,” Kolb said. Kolb went on to explain how before SROs were in schools, small disciplinary infractions were handled by school officials and since SROs are in schools, even minor infractions can be legally handled by them. The U.S. Department of Education’s Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) found that during the 2015-2016 school year, minority students made about half of the total enrollment in public schools nationwide, yet they accounted for 64 percent of the students who were referred to law enforcement or arrested. During the 2017-2018 school year, about 80 percent of the 276 JCPS students arrested were non-white. With higher rates of arrest, some high school students are graduating with a legal record on file; however, this record is only permanent for 18-year-old students. Additionally, the CRDC found that while white males made up 24 percent of the total number of suspensions in public schools, non-white males made up 44.3 percent. White females made up eight percent and non-white females made up 22.1 percent. Kentucky Public Records show that while one in 11 black elementary school students in JCPS were suspended last school year, one in 51 white students were suspended. This staggering disparity in suspension rates has stacked the odds against minorities, causing them to miss more class time each year.
Already, minorities are disproportionately present in the prison system. The 2010 U.S. Census found that the percentage of black people incarcerated was over five times greater than the number of white ones. So the disadvantages for minorities in schools only further feeds into an everlasting school-to-prison cycle.
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“The research shows the most predictive factor in keeping our schools safe is to have strong relationships where students feel that they belong.” Dr. Lisa Willner Vice Chair of the JCPS Board of Education
Likewise, zero tolerance policies in schools that mandate suspension, expulsion, and arrest for certain student behaviors also reinforce the school-toprison pipeline. For example, first-time offenses for things like vandalism of school property or theft could get students suspended or expelled, moving them from class to the couch.
Revamping the System
For years, schools nationwide have attempted to find practices that effectively discipline students for an infraction and don’t deprive them of classroom time. “I think part of it is, when you decrease the number of suspensions or removals from the classroom, what you do is you increase the number of instructional minutes each student receives,” Shalonda Foster, principal of Western Middle School for the Arts, said. Western is one of many schools that are experimenting with alternative forms of discipline. “So obviously the more a student is in class, the more instruction they’re receiving.” JCPS, for example, is implementing a new type of Fall/Winter 2018
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SOURCE: JCPS, CENSUS, KENTUCKY DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
ELEMENTARY 2.4% LATINO
5.0% OTHER
16.2% WHITE
76.1% BLACK
MIDDLE
0.5% ASIAN 4.1% OTHER 4.8% LATINO 24% WHITE 66.6% BLACK
HIGH
0.5% ASIAN 3.8% OTHER 5.4% LATINO 26.5% WHITE 63.8% BLACK
STUDENTS WHO ARE SUSPENDED OR EXPELLED ARE NEARLY THREE TIMES AS LIKELY TO COME INTO CONTACT WITH THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM THE FOLLOWING YEAR.
FORTY PERCENT OF KIDS WHO GO TO JUVIE END UP IN JAIL BY AGE 25.
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discipline strategy: restorative discipline. This means that punishments directly relate to the student’s offense. For example, if a student were to spray paint a wall, under this new practice they might be responsible, with guidance, for the cleaning up of that wall. This system also emphasizes repairing relationships and the feelings of others through discussions and hands-on work. Restorative practices work under the belief that people will change their behavior when they understand the consequences and how it affects others’ feelings. “And actually, the research shows the most predictive factor in keeping our schools safe is to have strong relationships where students feel that they belong,” said Dr. Lisa Willner, the vice chair of the JCPS Board of Education. “I’ve been really proud of our board that we have invested significant resources in restorative practices, whole school restorative practices.” At schools where restorative practices are implemented, there are sometimes classroom circles, along with other forms of discussion, where students are able to get to know one another and discuss their emotions. These practices also come with fewer students missing class to serve punishments. In the 2017-2018 school year, Waggener High School was one of around 20 schools in JCPS that received specific training in restorative practices. Waggener saw their number of issued suspensions decrease by about 30 percent and they had approximately 1,300 fewer behavior incidents than the previous year, like minor offenses or cutting class. “The positive school culture has overall improved
by using restorative practices,” Foster said. “Students are more active participants in conflict resolution and making sure that if they’re hurt or harmed, that there are people there to restore or repair their relationship.” Western has been using discussion circles since 2015-2016 school year through a program called Mentors & Mentees, or M&M. During this time, students meet with a group of their peers led by a staff member or administrator to talk about issues students may be facing each day. “What I have seen now is that students are taking more initiative. It’s not so much that a teacher is identifying that a student is hurt, but that students are noticing it about other students or they are advocating more for themselves,” said Foster, who has an M&M group herself. “Students, I think, feel more of a safe place to share their feelings and emotions. Because that’s really what restorative practice is all about. It’s about the social and emotional learning of our students.” Along with implementing restorative practices in every school, JCPS is implementing
their own security force starting in the 2019-2020 school year. Rather than using SROs, a proposed 48 officers will make up the new in-house security team. At the time of publication, there is little known about what the security force will be like; the complete proposal is scheduled to come out on Feb. 1. So far, JCPS has announced that a member of the security force will be present in every middle and high school as well as two to three elementary schools. JCPS will directly hire, train, and pay these officers, which was not the case with SROs. The security force will cost JCPS an estimated $9 million — $5 million more than SROs. “We really need to have many more details flushed out,” Willner said. “It’s so loose right now that it’s hard to have an opinion until we have a clear idea of what it is. There’s been a lot of question about will the security team be armed or not, will they have powers of arrest or not? And those are really important questions to have answered.” The restorative disciplinary process and the specialized security team is new for
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“The positive school culture has overall improved by using restorative practices.” Shalonda Foster Principal of Western Middle School for the Arts
JCPS, but it will be officially implemented and widespread at the start of the 2019-2020 school year. The school-to-prison pipeline isn’t the kind of thing that can be fixed overnight, but restorative discipline and the new security could be the change that JCPS needs. JCPS officials are studying examples like Duval County Public schools in Florida, a district similar to JCPS, which implemented its own security program. Duval County reported that the number of student arrests and citations decreased by 88.3 percent. This gives JCPS officials reason to hope. “So, if we are following those models, we’re significantly decreasing school suspensions, significantly decreasing arrest,” Willner said. “That would be very positive.” •
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PROS AND
CONtraceptives
In part two of our series, it’s time to get informed about the best way for you to protect yourself.
words & design by MADDIE CURRIE
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et’s face the facts: A lot of people are having sex way before they want kids. According to Planned Parenthood the average age is 17, but that’s none of my business. If you are having sex or plan on starting, there are some things that should probably be cleared up so you and your partner can avoid sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unwanted pregnancy. Sex education in our state can make things a lot more confusing than they need to be: schools are not required to have a sex education curriculum or to even mention a condom. So, here are the need-to-know smart and safe sex basics for those who need to know.
INTRAUTERINE DEVICE (IUD)
WHAT IS IT? Small devices inserted deep into the uterus that can prevent pregnancy for three to 12 years. You can either get a hormonal IUD that releases progestin into your body or a copper IUD that blocks sperm from ever entering the uterus.
WHERE CAN I GET IT? They require a healthcare professional to insert and remove them, so you have to go to the doctor to get one. COST? IUDs are usually covered by health insurance, they can cost as much as $1,300 without insurance.
STI PROTECTION? Nope, so they should be combined with other contraceptive methods.
ARM IMPLANT
WHAT IS IT? Small plastic rod inserted into a woman’s arm that releases progestin for up to five years.
WHERE CAN I GET IT? They require a healthcare professional to insert and remove them, so you have to go to the doctor to get one.
COST? They’re covered by most health insurance but without it, they can cost as much as $1,300 for insertion and $300 for removal. STI PROTECTION? Nope, so they should be combined with other contraceptive methods.
SPERMICIDE
WHAT IS IT? A chemical that slows sperm. Comes in gel, foam, or cream form. WHERE CAN I GET IT? Most drug stores. COST? About $8-$15 a tube.
STI PROTECTION? Nope, so they should be combined with other contraceptive methods. 14
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PILLS
WHAT IS IT? Birth control pills are taken once daily to prevent ovulation. Emergency contraceptives pills are taken within three days of having unprotected sex.
WHERE CAN I GET IT? You need a prescription to get birth control pills but you can get emergency contraceptive pills over the counter at most drug stores.
COST? Birth control pills are covered by most insurance companies but without coverage can cost up to $50 a month. Emergency contraceptive pills are not covered by insurance and can cost anywhere from $15-$50, depending on the brand. STI PROTECTION? Nope, so they should be combined with other contraceptive methods.
VANGINAL RINGS
WHAT IS IT? A small plastic ring that is inserted into the vagina and is changed out every month. WHERE CAN I GET IT? You need a prescription from your doctor, a nurse or your local Planned Parenthood.
COST? With most insurance plans, the ring is free but without coverage can cost up to $200 per ring. STI PROTECTION? Nope, so they should be combined with other contraceptive methods.
MALE CONDOMS
WHAT IS IT? A small pouch made of latex that covers the penis during sex and discarded after one use. WHERE CAN I GET IT? You can find them at most drugstores, grocery stores, gas stations or for free at Planned Parenthood. COST? $6 for a box of three, but it really depends on the brand and where you buy them. STI PROTECTION? Yes! This is one of the most effective ways to prevent STIs!
FEMALE CONDOMS
WHAT IS IT? Small plastic pouches inserted into the vagina to keep sperm from entering the uterus. WHERE CAN I GET IT? You can find them at most pharmacies and grocery stores. COST? About $2-$5 each.
STI PROTECTION? Yes! Female condoms are just as effective at preventing STIs as male condoms!
INJECTIONS
WHAT IS IT? An injection of progestin thats administered every three months.
WHERE CAN I GET IT? You have to go to the doctor to get the shots because they have to be administered by a healthcare professional.
COST? The shots are covered by most health insurance but without coverage can cost up to $150. STI PROTECTION? Nope, so they should be combined with other contraceptive methods.
Fall/Winter 2018
ON THE RECORD
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THE DOLLAR VOTE, BOYCOTTS, AND NIKE… WHERE DO WE DRAW THE LINE? words by KATIE CUMMINS • design by JESS MAYS
R
ecently, I put off my homework with my usual YouTube-binge session. About four videos in, a segment by Trevor Noah — host of the Daily Show — popped up in my recommended column about several recent controversies and people’s reactions to them. I clicked on it, hoping for a couple of laughs. Throughout the video, Noah discussed all of the boycotts that have recently taken place. From the new movie, First Man, depicting man’s first flight to the moon, to Nike’s controversy with Colin Kaepernick, to the New Yorker’s festival, where Steve Bannon was set to be interviewed, both
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sides of the political spectrum called for boycotts. At the end of the video, Noah abandoned his typical light-hearted banter and pointed out the fact that, before long, it will be hard to make a purchase without questioning the politics behind it. Once it was over, instead of amused, I felt a little overwhelmed. I guess this shouldn’t have come as a surprise to me. After all, as a 15-year-old in an increasingly polarized society, I’ve grown up fairly acquainted with the concept of the “dollar vote” and political consumption. I’ve heard about the controversy surrounding companies like Chick-fil-A and Hobby Lobby
and their conservative values, and I’ve just kind of accepted them as part of the daily life of a consumer. But it occurred to me that maybe I don’t know enough about why I’ve always been told to “buy local” or spend my money on fair trade items, so I decided that it was time I figured it out. I began by looking up the concept of the dollar vote. In my journalism class, we talked about ways that sophomores in high school could bring about social change. My teacher pointed out that while we can’t vote, we can decide where we spend our money. I had never thought about it that way.
I discovered that the term “dollar vote” is relatively new, although the ideas upon which it was based are not. The moniker itself was coined by American economist James M. Buchanan in 1954; he claimed that every single American consumer has the choice to express themselves politically through the purchases they make. But Americans have been using consumerism as a form of political self-expression since the beginning of America. Pretty much everyone knows that during colonial times, Americans boycotted British goods in order to protest taxation without representation. Of course, that led to a fullfledged war, but they did get their point across. Basically, America has a long and complicated history with the dollar vote, and it’s still a pressing issue today. But what’s the point? Does the perfect, non-problematic company or organization actually exist? Can we actually make a difference by burning — or buying — a pair of tennis shoes? Kathryn Williams, a 21-yearold junior at Western Kentucky University, might have an answer. Or at least, she has an answer that works for her. As a consumer, she tries to spend her money in places that she knows aligns with her own sense of ethics. She avoids companies like Amazon and Walmart because of the treatment of their employees and the way that a lot of the companies’ wealth is concentrated at the executive level. Though Williams utilizes her dollar vote primarily to uphold her own values, she does admit that it’s sometimes seen as the “cool” thing to do in her group of friends. While recalling personal experiences as a student at Atherton High School, she said, “It’s cool to have these cool
political and ethical things. Everyone’s like ‘Let’s all be vegan and hold hands and sing Kumbaya!’” Of course, social media has played a large part in this apparent increasing popularity of ethical consumption. It has worked not only to promote the “trendiness” of ethical consumption, but also to increase the accessibility of boycotts. On Twitter, one person can inspire thousands to boycott a brand in less than 240 characters. Companies such as Nike, Target, and Uber have been subjects of this kind of backlash on social media. And after a federal judge in Hawaii elected to go against President Trump’s executive order banning travel from several predominantly Islamic countries, the hashtag #boycotthawaii trended on Twitter. Just this spring, a group of survivors from the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shootings inspired boycotts across the nation of companies that supported the National Rifle Association. Their efforts were so effective that companies like Yeti, Best Western, and United Airlines severed all ties with the NRA. Boycotts have hit pretty hard at home, too. Recently, Louisville resident and Papa John’s CEO John Schnatter was at the root of some controversy after Forbes’ magazine published an exposé in July detailing a conference call that Schnatter made several years ago in which he used a racial slur. This scandal sparked boycotts across the nation. Schnatter resigned as chairman of the board of trustees for the company, but that didn’t prevent customers from being unhappy with the company. I talked to Pete McCartney, an executive at the Papa John’s Corporation in Louisville, about the company’s “listening tours,” an effort by the executives to travel
to individual franchises around the country and hear how the scandal had impacted them. “In Atlanta, they’re really having a hard time with it. There are a lot of people who are just unplugged and just wouldn’t order Papa John’s at all. My job is to fix that, so we went around and said, ‘We hear what you’re saying and now we’re going to change this image. We’re rebranding and it’s going to be a different label,’” McCartney said.
”
“The dollar vote is really much more about yourself.” AVERY KOLERS
professor of philosophy at the University of Louisville
They changed the label, removing Schnatter from the pizza boxes and taking him out of commercials. University of Louisville President Neeli Bendapudi even changed the name of the university’s football stadium from Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium to Cardinal Stadium. Regardless of the company’s efforts, many are still not buying pizza and Papa John’s stock has continued to fall. Even though I had just learned a crap ton about recent boycotting trends in America and the dollar vote, I still wondered whether or not it was my ethical responsibility to be aware of the controversies behind every product I buy and every service I use. So, I met with Avery Kolers, a professor of philosophy at the University of Louisville, to see if he could help me find an answer. “The [dollar] vote is really much more about yourself,” he said. Given that you have a limited amount of resources, how do you want to direct those? Fall/Winter 2018
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CHICK-FIL-A
Former Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer S. Truett Cathy and his wife, Jeannette McNeil, started the WinShape foundation which has given millions of dollars to reportedly anti-gay organizations. CEO Jack Dorsey also said that WinShape does not support same-sex marriage, sighting the organization's religious beliefs. Following protests of Chick-fil-A in 2012, the foundation stopped donating money to those anti-gay organizations, with the exception of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Facebook has been all over the news lately with what seems like new scandals popping up every other week. Most recently, Facebook was hacked and at least fifty million users’ accounts were broken into. Facebook was criticized for their lack of security.
AMERICAN AIRLINES
In April 2017, American Airlines was under fire after a Kentucky doctor who refused to leave an overbooked flight was forcibly dragged off a flight that was headed to Louisville. A passenger posted a video of the man to Twitter where it went viral.
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Some people, like Williams, know that the five dollars they choose not to spend at Walmart won’t bring about corporate change, but they choose to do that anyway because they don’t want to monetarily support a company that they don’t agree with. Especially because, as Kolers pointed out, highly-publicized boycott campaigns don’t always harm their targets. Take Nike and the recent Colin Kaepernick controversy. After Nike appointed Kaepernick as its spokesman, they got a ton of publicity, causing their profits to peak, despite boycotts from those who oppose the former player. Nike may even have known that would happen. In the end, does Nike — a corporation with thousands of employees, each with differing political views and experiences — really have an opinion on kneeling NFL players? Now, there has been a push at the executive level for companies to work toward sustainability, stronger communities, and respect for those of different socioeconomic class. Certified B Corporations are “businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose,” according to the B Corps website. Some companies you may recognize from their growing list are Patagonia, Inc., Ben and Jerry’s, and Kentucky’s own MobileServe. Plus, it is now easier than ever for a consumer to be informed when making a purchase. Apps like Buycott allow you to scan items before you purchase them
and read about potential controversies. Sleeping Giants is a campaign that is designed to “make bigotry and sexism less profitable” by targeting companies that advertise on far-right websites such as Breitbart. Another simple way to avoid supporting controversial companies is to buy smaller by buying local. It’s unlikely that small businesses in your community are wrapped up in large scandals that you don’t know about. So, what does this all mean? Do politics really affect our lives so much that we can’t enjoy a chicken sandwich? We can continue to boycott pizzeria after pizzeria and even shoe store after shoe store, but does the perfect, non-problematic company or organization actually exist? Should we continue to boycott brands we don’t agree with, knowing it might not make a significant difference? Yes, of course. You do you. Large-scale boycotts can really scare big corporations into doing what the people want. Political consumerism is a perfectly viable form of political self-expression. One person choosing not to use a plastic straw because it’s bad for turtles or opting not to buy from Chick-fil-A because they don’t support their agenda is not going to bring about much change. But, when you do choose not to use a straw or not have a chicken sandwich, is it really about bringing down an entire corporation? Or is it just you choosing to uphold your values? As Kolers said, the dollar vote is really much more about yourself. It’s all about what you can live with. •
Concerned about the straw? Don’t forget about the cup. words by CLAIRE ROONEY • design by PATRICK HARPER traws suck. While using a straw might make drinking an iced coffee more enjoyable, the reality is: most people don’t need them. We can’t completely get rid of them because they are necessary for the elderly and disabled, but they are a luxury for the rest of us. People seem to be realizing this around the world, with companies like Starbucks and Disney completely banning straws. What Mickey Mouse and the gang don’t realize is that the problem is a lot bigger than straws. Straws make up about four percent of plastic waste. That’s not a lot compared to the 91 percent of plastic waste that isn’t recycled each year. This waste goes from coffee shop trash cans to the Ohio River to the ocean. Justin Mog, a sustainability coordinator at University of Louisville, had a few thoughts about the straw ban. “It frustrates me when people get all in a tizzy about something like straws because the crisis is so much bigger than that,” he said, throwing his hands in the air.
In Louisville and around the world, that crisis is tons of wasteful plastic that go into the ocean. According to the World Economic Forum, the equivalent of a garbage truck full of plastic enters our oceans every minute, and it’s expected double by 2030. “I’m excited that Kroger has committed to getting rid of their disposable plastic bags, but they’re not going to do it until 2025 for crying out loud,” Mog said. The next time Urban Outfitters has a sale on sweaters, you might want to think twice about spending your cash on one. Plastic is even in our clothing. When you wash fleece, it throws off little bits of plastic that go down the drain and eventually into our ocean. Plastic is everywhere. It’s in our clothes, around our coffee, and in our waterways. We’re using the straw ban to feel like we’re helping, but it’s merely scratching the surface of the plastic waste problem. “Maybe straws will help us get there. I just hope we don’t get overly focused on one thing as if that’s going to be the
‘silver bullet’ to solve all our problems,” Mog said. Banning straws isn’t going to save the world. Straws aren’t even the biggest perpetrators of ocean plastic waste. If you opened Facebook over the summer, the video of a straw stuck in a turtle’s nose was plastered all over the trending page, but we didn’t feature marine who mistake plastic bags for jellyfish and try to eat them. Limiting single-use plastic items such as straws and grocery bags is a baby step in this marathon of living sustainably. If we took considerable steps towards sustainability, how different would our world look? Using straws isn’t the end of the world, but plastic waste in its entirety very well could be. While starting small can make a difference, it takes change on a global scale to really make a dent Taking small strides like replacing single-use items with reusable ones, reducing plastic waste, and biking instead of driving are just a few things we can do to potentially make our earth a little better for generations to come. •
WHAT ARE BUSINESSES DOING? Heine Brothers’ coffee is known for their fair trade and sustainability initiatives, but what are they doing about the world’s plastic problem? The local coffee shop has switched to biodegradable straws and constantly encourage customers to recycle their cups.
Starbucks encourages their customers to buy reusable cups to refill in-store. They’re also in the process of phasing out plastic straws, replacing them with strawless lids, similar to the paper lids for hot drinks.
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NOT WHAT IT
ALTERED Faith Lindsey,
a 16-year-old duPont Manual High School sophomore, wears thrifted and altered clothing. “It’s more sustainable and it looks great,” Lindsey said. Photos by Marshall Gault
SEAMS
How the truths of fast fashion made me change the way I shop.
A
words by FAITH LINDSEY • design by GEFEN YUSSMAN
t seven years old, I became the first model for a young and budding designer. There were no deals or contracts, just love and raw creativity. That designer was my big brother, Zach Lindsey. You may know him as a contestant on 20 On the Record Fall/Winter 2018
“Project Runway: Junior” — or just as the dude who remains fly no matter the circumstance — but I know him as the little kid who stole my Barbie dolls to dress them himself. Eventually, he upgraded from the Barbies and started using me as his doll.
He pinned old curtains, tablecloths, and scrap fabrics to my fidgety body as I rebelled against every action. Every time would end with crying, violent screaming fits, and one of us yelling, “I hate you! I’ll never do this again,” stomping away and
slamming the door behind us. Of course, the next day I’d be back in his room admiring his work and planning our next in-house fashion show. The shows would consist of me strutting down the hallway to any Beyonce track we were feeling at the moment, and illuminating his designs with every lamp and flashlight we could find. Now he’s 19, struggling to pay the bills in Brooklyn with two fashion internships in between shifts at Banana Republic. He’s living his best life and chasing after the dream he established over a decade ago. He’s taught me everything from the importance of acceptance, to what it means to “serve face,” to how to express yourself fearlessly. But everything I’ve grown accustomed to — like the countless shared screenshots between my brother and me from brands such as H&M, Zara, Urban Outfitters, and ASOS — totally contradicts every statement I’m about to make. Those brands are examples of fast fashion, the quick manufacturing of apparel for an extremely low cost, many times at the expense of the environment and the people living in it. Fast fashion allows for a new cycle of clothing to enter the fashion ecosystem every week in order to fulfill the demands of the American consumer. While watching “The True Cost,” a documentary that explores fast fashion, I saw images of children sprawled out on worn clinic cots over cold concrete. I discovered that women of all ages work their hands down to the bone for grueling hours and inadequate pay — and their reality pulled at my heartstrings. My love story with fashion had been dented. I became upset with myself for obliviously upholding a system that oppresses others. As a black young woman in the U.S., I pride myself in using my
voice to fight for the voiceless, yet I’ve had a hand in stifling the voices of many because of my lifestyle. Fast fashion has been a hard topic for me to make sense of because so much of my identity is formed around fashion. For me, fashion isn’t just a status symbol or a facade to cover up insecurities, but an art form used to release energy into the world. My intention was never to hurt others in the process, but now I realize I have to evaluate the impact of my actions. The reality is we all participate in a system that makes the top one percent richer. You don’t have to take my word for it: the Federal Reserves 2017 Bulletin shows the widening gap in income inequality. The fashion industry is not exempt from that. It has us believing that more is better — wanting new and fresh outfits for every occasion, dishing out more money to fill the pockets of the executives of these large companies. This is the “American” way. Our collective impact holds more weight than our so-called intentions. They say beauty is pain. To you or me, that might mean enduring the discomfort of a couple hours in five-inch heels. But for children in developing countries that produce products like my heels, our inessential beauty demands could be far more painful. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that about 85 percent of post consumer textile waste is not recycled, but is instead thrown into landfills worldwide. Americans are accountable for 10.5 million tons of that waste, making us world leaders in choking the life out of our world. And we’re hurting people in the process. According to a 2014 report by the Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations, in some spinning mills, recruiters
are used to convince parents to send their daughters to work for the promise of, “A well paid job, comfortable accommodation, three nutritious meals,” and other benefits like education, only to be met with unappealing conditions. These girls aren’t the only ones paying for our fashion choices. For the women making up 80 percent of garment workers, getting paid one to three dollars a day. America’s ideal beauty standards and overconsumption causes a lifetime of immense heartache. The fashion industry has shattered families, towns,
I discovered that women of all ages work their hands down to the bone for grueling hours and inadequate pay — and their reality pulled at my heartstrings. My love story with fashion had been dented.
and countries — from various factory collapses and fires to the decision on whether or not to send a child to school. The fashion industry has a chokehold on entire economies: the big dogs call the shots and everyone behind them follows suit. Knowing this, I had to own up to my personal contribution to this cycle. It can be hard to see our global footprint since you and I only make up two of 325.7 million Americans, but many of us wear our Fashion Nova sweaters, Nike slides, and Topshop jeans on the daily, not realizing how buying from brands with unethical and unsustainable practices contributes to the burdens on humans and the Fall/Winter 2018
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environment alike. So, what can we do about it? How can we make change? We can do this by “walking with our dollar,” or refusing to support companies that don’t align with our values. Yes, I would like to think that people have hearts, but when money is inserted into the equation, compassion for others goes out the window. To put this into context, Mark Parker, CEO of Nike, makes the same amount of money in four days that a garment worker in Bangladesh would make in their lifetime.
Slow fashion is a lifestyle that upholds the values of fairness between consumers and producers while promoting a clean environment.
On top of that, according to Oxfam International, his wealth has increased by 13 percent since 2015, compared to the 2 percent increase of the average non-billionaire. If the fashion industry is able to make billionaires out of its CEOs, shouldn’t they be able to afford giving their workers better wages? Americans function off of a system of supply and demand, so if our actions demand sustainable practices then their supply will reflect that. This will not happen without the collective efforts of a large group of people, though. Let’s consider being more conscious consumers. When your friends ask to go to the mall,
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instead suggest going to second hand stores, charity shops, and local boutiques where you can find new, nearly new, and used items. If you’re short on time, apps like Depop and Poshmark are platforms that make secondhand trendy, unique, and quirky items accessible. Instead of throwing away your clothes, pass them down to someone you know. If you grow out of your clothes, alter them! This includes hiring someone to alter them for you, cutting items yourself, and even learning how to sew them on your on. Altering clothing keeps them from being added to the 10.5 million tons that already exist in landfills. Support small, local businesses that thrive off of small batch production, where a smaller number of items are made to reduce the amount of waste. The New Blak, a store at Oxmoor Center, is doing just that. The New Blak uses the most effective fabric cutting layouts to prevent waste; they never discard fabric — scraps are always used in making other products. The goal in all of this is to keep all fibers in the fashion ecosystem in order to cut back on the amount of waste we produce, whether that be through creating hair ties, headbands, and belts with scraps or encouraging brands to burn those scraps in order to power their factories. It’s a method known as “closed loop fashion.” As far as corporate progress, businesses like American Apparel set the standard for ethical work environments and respectable wages. They have 24 hour clinics attached to their production facilities in Central America, the Dominican Republic, and Bangladesh, where their employees receive free health care services.
If you were to look up brands like Everlane and Aritzia, popular for their push for sustainability, you may be put off by their prices. They are more expensive than your usual Forever 21 or H&M, but slow fashion does require a lifestyle change. Having a few quality staple items instead of a ton of cheap ones alleviates some of the burden felt on the environment. Through this lifestyle change, we can separate ourselves from the shackles of our consumerist society and influence a systematic shift. This can all be hard to grasp. In order to understand, you might need to look deeper. What void has consumerism tried to fill for you? Maybe it’s served as imitation of confidence. Sort of like a fiend to its drug of choice, fast fashion is satisfying for only a moment, but then leaves you longing for more. We have to become in tune with ourselves and ask what we really want. If it’s things like confidence, happiness, purpose, or love, find that through education, self affirmations, meditation, self-love, and spirituality. These tools don’t require any material satisfaction. I’ve spent less time scrolling on clothing websites, watching hauls on YouTube, and going to brick and mortar stores in the past two months than I have for years. I feel more purpose-driven and feel like a weight has been lifted off of my conscious. My love for fashion has not diminished, I’ve just begun to move differently so that my love contributes to my growth as a person, without limiting the growth of other people. Maybe to know the worth of helping prolong someone else’s life, you have to realize the worth of your own first. •
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LIFE IN LIQUOR
A community reaches their breaking point and protests liquor stores invading their neighborhoods. words by Alauryn Moore • design by Amal Hassan
O
n the morning of July 30, Louisville citizens took to the streets, even though it was cloudy and raining, and headed toward the closest Family Dollar to object to the corporation’s application to sell liquor in 23 locations throughout Louisville’s western and southern neighborhoods. Protesters stood in front of the stores with picket signs in hand and a demand for change. The communities of the West End did not want these 23 Family Dollars to join the 175 stores that already sell alcohol. Of those stores, more than half of them are located west of Ninth Street. Now, “stores” doesn’t refer to restaurants with a classy wine menu or hotels with a bar in the lobby. In fact, it doesn’t refer to bars at all; it just refers to liquor stores whose sole purpose is to sell alcohol. When Family Dollar submitted those 23 liquor license applications, West End residents decided they’d endured enough. If you were to walk down the street in the east end, you
would find grocery stores with fresh produce, sit-down family restaurants, and coffee shops. If you were to walk in the West End, you might see a liquor store every few blocks, mostly fast food restaurants, and if you’re in the right spot, maybe one of two Kroger locations. The slew of liquor stores has been a common complaint among West End residents due to the abundance of businesses that sell alcohol. Adding more liquor stores is not ideal when it comes to the revitalization of the neighborhoods because it serves as a continual roadblock for the recuperation of these communities. Jackie Floyd is the neighborhood liaison for the Center for Neighborhoods, an organization that works toward community engagement and education throughout Louisville — but when it comes to the issue of liquor licenses and alcohol sales, she speaks as a concerned West End resident. “Why do you want to sell in our community? Are you just in our
community to make a profit or are you more concerned about meeting the West End’s needs?” Floyd said. West End residents, including Floyd, find it upsetting that there are more cheap alcohol sales in communities that already struggle with addiction. According to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, there are approximately 88,000 deaths annually due to alcohol abuse. That makes it the third leading lifestyle death in the nation.
“Are you just in our community to make a profit or are you more concerned about meeting the West End’s needs?” -Jackie Floyd, Liaison for the Center of Neighborhoods So why are businesses increasing the amount of alcohol in these neighborhoods, knowing that people are suffering every day from the amount of alcohol in their communities?
LOCAL ACTIVIST On Oct. 8, Jackie Floyd stands with her grand-
son, Shaun Cooksey, outside of a Family Dollar on 15th Street and Market Street that attempted to obtain a liquor license. “Why should the community accept the fact that even more liquor is being put into their community?” Floyd said. Photo by MARSHALL GAULT
PROXIMITY Advertisements for alcohol, cigarettes, and gambling clutter the street corner of 6th Street and Winkler Street on Oct. 8. Photo by MARSHALL GAULT 25
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The Center for Disease Control and Prevention stated that there were 1,351 deaths each year in Kentucky due to alcohol abuse between 2006 and 2008. Of the 50 states, Kentucky is the 15th leading state in alcohol death rates per 100,000 people. Furthermore, Louisville has the highest rate of alcohol consumption in the state.
“I hope that one day we can all reach a point to where we can all be on the same page in terms of revitalization.” -Takoda Coleman, 16 However, Louisville isn’t the only city facing this issue. Underprivileged neighborhoods in cities throughout the Midwest have seen an increasingly heavy presence of liquor stores. For example, Family Dollar also attempted to introduce alcohol sales into underprivileged neighborhoods in both Dayton and Cincinnati, Ohio. The Dayton City commission denied the business’ applications, but in Cincinnati, nine locations have received licenses to sell alcohol since September of last year. To people like Floyd, it’s exhausting to watch businesses receive liquor licenses despite little increase in things like grocery stores and family restaurants. “Why should the community accept the fact that even more liquor is being put into their community if there is already an abundant amount of places to purchase it?” Floyd said. There is a drastic gap in economic development that different Louisville groups are striving to fill in order to make it equal across the board, no matter what the five-digit zip code is. 26
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Groups such as OneWest — a local nonprofit focused on bringing investment to West Ends neighborhoods — work to revitalize the West End while maintaining its culture and history. They strive to widen the range of retail goods and services as well as transform the streetscape with significant beautification to attract businesses. They are also working to increase economic prosperity that will help stabilize the housing market, enhance access to services, improve health and safety, and instill a renewed sense of pride in the West End. According to their website, OneWest plans to reach these goals with the help of individual donors, foundations, corporate donors, and government sources. Louisville’s history helps explain why things are still the way they are. The West End of Louisville has been oppressed through redlining, generational and multidimensional poverty for decades. In 1933 the Home Owners Loan Corporation created redlining maps of residential neighborhoods based on their desirability for investment. Each neighborhood was assigned a letter grade of an “A” through “D”. Predominantly white neighborhoods usually received an “A” or “B”. While, most black, Latinx, and other ethnic groups were given a “C” or “D”, which abolished their chance of having mortgage insurance or credit for decades. To this day, we still have the effects of redlining in the West End. Redlining is largely to blame for Louisville’s ranking as the fourth most segregated city in America. It’s not as if no one’s ever tried to reduce these lasting effects. They have. It’s just that, oftentimes, revitalization efforts either come up short, or have unintended consequences. Park DuValle is a prime example of a neighborhood that was renovated and now
the houses and streets look completely different; it was somewhat stripped of its historical character. Many West End residents, like Takoda Coleman, a 16-yearold junior at duPont Manual High School, are worried that the revitalization of these neighborhoods are coming from people who aren’t as knowledgeable about the historical aspects of the areas. “I hope that one day we can all reach a point to where we can all be on the same page in terms of revitalization,” Coleman said. If there is no advancement, the rest of Louisville will continue to look at West End neighborhoods as the “poor neighborhoods” of Louisville. Even though neighborhoods are in desperate need of revitalization, they are also at risk of losing their character. These are problems the West End has been dealing with for years: How does a community balance growth of new businesses with the preservation of history? How can it ensure that new investment will affect residents in a positive way? There aren’t easy answers to those questions, but on Sept. 28, West End residents saw a change for the better. More specifically, 23 Louisville Family Dollar locations received letters from the Department of Codes and Regulations, informing them that their liquor license requests had been denied. The reason? Community protests. Residents said they didn’t want more alcohol in their neighborhoods, and the city listened. Of course, for every case of an establishment failing to obtain a liquor license, there are plenty cases of businesses succeeding. However, protesters who were against the Family Dollars selling liquor saw their voices make a direct impact, and to them, that’s a step in the right direction. •
TURNING
TABLES
This Portland restaurant is giving back to their community, one meal at a time.
I
words by EVAN SHOWALTER & MATTIE TOWNSON • design by MAGGIE GEDIMAN
was covered in sink water and leftover soup. Thankfully, the shirt that The Table provided protected me from the splashing water flying off the dishes. Laughter echoed through the kitchen, bouncing off the tile floors and stainless steel ovens. In the back, a worker nicknamed “Money” was systematically washing, scrubbing, and disinfecting the dishes. He bumped his head up and down as he rapped along to music from his headphones. His singing filled the room, mixing with the clanking of pots and pans like a kitchen orchestra. As my fellow reporter, Mattie, and our photographer, Noah, washed the dishes, the mountain of plates, silverware, and kitchen equipment slowly dwindled down to a smaller pile. Eventually, there was nothing but an empty counter. All of the previous work was worth the tasty reward of my melty grilled cheese sandwich paired with The Table’s signature parmesansprinkled fries, free of charge. The Table is a local non-profit restaurant devoted to providing locally grown food to the people of Louisville. To satisfy their mission to serve, share, support,
and provide, The Table uses methods of paying tailored to the customer’s needs. These four methods include options to pay what you can afford and then pay the rest through service, pay the full amount of the meal price like a traditional restaurant, pay more than the suggested amount to pay it forward for the next customer, or pay it forward for someone else through your service, whether that be by sweeping, washing dishes, or helping in the kitchen. Though the restaurant was started through the Church of Promise, their day-to-day operations are not inherently religious; The Table has become a hub for the Portland community. Some people only think of Portland as being a crimeridden area, but The Table is working to replace these negative images by showcasing Portland’s lesser-known but rich culture, diversity, and generosity. “We have people that live in the community, we have people that work in the community, we have people from downtown, we have people that might be homeless. You just see all people gathered together in one room that normally probably wouldn’t be around each other,”
Tara Mattingly, the Front of House Manager at The Table, said. Inspired by the food insecurity in the area, The Table has made an effort to serve while building relationships with the people through their volunteer process. The Table has found a new way to provide affordable food for the Portland community. “There’s a lot of soup kitchens around Louisville but here, you get to build a relationship with those people,” Mattingly said. “You get to work side by side with them, you get to find out about their life and you get to share life.” Normally, restaurants are merely a business interaction between customers and the restaurant, but at the Table, there’s much more than that. Their mission isn’t to make money. Their mission is to serve and support the community. The Table certainly shaped our outlook on how restaurants operate. We left the Table with full stomachs and a sense of accomplishment. Our backs ached from all the washing, sweeping, scrubbing, and drying. However, none of us complained. The food and inviting aura of The Table made the whole experience worth it. • 27
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MY BIRTH , MY WAY
In part one of our series on explaining adulthood, we take a look at women across Kentucky who are fighting against modern stigmas to normalize home births.
“I
words by ANNIE WHALEY • photos by LAINEY HOLLAND • design by EVELYN WALFORD
was 15 and no one really believed in me.” She traded prom for pacifiers, and exams for an epidural. The life of going to football games and homecoming parties was over. Just like that, she had to become an adult. Her parents were concerned. Her classmates distanced themselves. Besides being a pregnant teen, there was something else that made her situation unusual: Haley Gordon — who was, at the time, a freshman at Moore Traditional High School — decided to give birth at home.
28 On the Record Fall/Winter 2018
“The medical professionals told me that a home birth was impossible,” she said. “They said that if I wanted to make sure that she was safe, that the best way to do it was to be in a hospital because of my medical condition,” referring to the stress-induced seizures she occasionally experienced. Gordon watched as her daughter Brittany — now three — skipped around the room, her bright pink bows bounced up and down. “I had a few family members who were definitely shocked
to hear that I wanted to have a home birth and even tried to discourage me from my decision,” she said, smiling while Brittany pretended to be a cowgirl riding on her toy horse. Popular culture depicts women who deliver outside of a hospital as hippies with dreads who play in drum circles 24/7. But in reality, alternative birthing methods are on the rise among conventional women and families. According to the Association for Schools and Programs of Public Health, the percentage of outof-hospital births in the U.S.
“increased in the last decade by 72 percent from 0.87 percent to 1.50 percent.” Whether or not we think about it every day, many people reading this will take on the responsibility of parenthood in the next 10 years. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the average age of pregnant women in Jefferson County was about 26 as of 2014. Sooner than we realize, many of us will trade desk chairs for high chairs. Like Gordon, many young adults will be faced with the tough decision of how to bring their child into the world. However, without proper information about non-traditional — basically, not in a hospital — birthing techniques, women can’t make an educated decision on what method is right for them and their babies. According to a 2012 study by Dr. Marian MacDorman, a research professor at the Maryland Population Research Center, roughly 90 percent of home births were planned with the assistance of some sort of medical professional. “Having a home birth was just a better fit for me. Being in your own environment and your own home is more comfortable than being in some sterile hospital room,” said Mandi Guthrie, mother of four.
Guthrie is one of the many women right here in Louisville who planned a home birth with a local midwife and doula. A midwife is a professional that specializes in pregnancy and childbirth, playing the role of nurse and ally. They are trained to recognize the variations of a labor process that could be potentially dangerous. If an expectant mother is extremely young or has a medical condition that could complicate the birth, like Gordon had, the midwives categorize them as high-risk patients and typically recommend a supervised hospital birth with updated technology and medication. While a midwife deals with the physical aspect of the birthing process, a doula — or a birthing companion — provides mental stability to the mother during and after her labor. These professionals work together to strengthen a woman’s support system in her birthing journey. “At times I thought I was going to die, but then my doula would remind me that my body was meant to do this,” Guthrie said. “She would always say, ‘Your body knows what to do. This is normal, this is natural.’ She was soft-spoken and calm and exactly the type of person you would want in that experience.” For many mothers like Guthrie, bonding with the
newborn child after the birth is one of the most important aspects of the birthing process. Guthrie’s midwife immediately laid the newborn in her outstretched arms. Everyone left the room so that Guthrie could be alone with her newborn child, still connected by the umbilical cord, for an hour after the birth. “Those moments right after were really sweet to me where you are just sweaty and hot and tired but you have worked towards this precious little baby,” she said. Guthrie appreciated that her midwife and doula allowed her to experience those first key minutes privately. At the time, Guthrie and her husband paid about $500 for a doula and about $2,500 for a midwife. According to Fair Health, a non-profit data clearinghouse, the average cost of a normal hospital birth in Kentucky is $5,905. In the U.S., many health insurers don’t cover the cost of midwives, so many women have to pay out of pocket for their birthing services. According to the The Big Push For Midwives, a national campaign that strives to eliminate the stigmas against midwifery, many health insurers don’t cover home births like they cover hospital or clinic births. In fact, only New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, and Vermont require HOLDING TIGHT Haley and Brittany share a hug on Brittany’s bed. Haley’s tattoo on her arm is a symbol of her favorite quote, “Breastfeeding is a mother’s gift to herself, her baby, and the earth.” Photo by Lainey Holland
BOOK NOOK Haley and Brittany laugh and smile as they flip through a picture book together on Sept. 25. “When I found out I was pregnant I used that as one thing to turn my life around and get back on track,” Haley said. Photo by Lainey Holland Fall/Winter 2018
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insurers to cover home births at all. Expectant mothers already have the pressure of enduring a labor on their conscious, the last thing they need is the threat of looming medical bills not covered by their insurance.
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“Our ancestors did it,” she says. “Women are strong enough to do it. Every mother should have that right to choose what they want to do with their own birth.” - Haley Gordon
Gordon was scared. Scared about going into labor and bringing a child into the world. She was 15 and didn’t know the first thing about becoming a mother; she was practically a child herself. So, like so many other new mothers, she turned to online articles to calm her nerves. That’s how she stumbled upon home births. From Gordon’s perspective, she believes that natural births and home births should be normalized as much as hospital births are. “Our ancestors did it,” she said. “Women are strong enough to do it. Every mother should have that right to choose what they want to do with their own birth.” Gordon had an interesting birthing experience in that she went through a natural home birth and a medicated hospital birth within the same labor. Because Gordon suffers from seizures, her body would have been under too much stress to 30 On the Record Fall/Winter 2018
have a healthy home birth. She endured a home birth for as long as she could, but at the last minute, Gordon traveled to a hospital for an epidural. “I just wanted to be in a tub of water surrounded by my closest family members.” she said. Gordon recalls that accepting the trip to the hospital was one of the hardest things she had to come to terms with. Gordon felt she’d made the right decision opting to give birth in her home instead of a hospital, but that doesn’t mean everyone in her life jumped on board. She said that many people who were close to her were unsupportive of how she wanted to bring her child into the world. In Kentucky, women have the right to choose between different birthing options. But in the last two generations, home births have become a less accessible choice. According to the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, as of 2016, a person shouldn’t practice “laymidwifery” in the state unless they have a “valid and effective” permit. But, the cabinet then points out that applications to practice midwifery “shall not be accepted after April 9, 1975.” Kentucky passed this law 43 years ago and since then, hundreds of midwives have been unable to obtain licenses to legally practice their trade. Some midwives who practice unlawfully could potentially be arrested. This legislation has led some women to view home births as disreputable or almost shady. However, some Kentucky senators are trying to pass bills to legalize certain forms of midwifery throughout the state. Tom Buford, a senator from Nicholasville, filed Senate Bill 134 with the Kentucky Senate in 2018
to allow the state to issue permits to Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs). The bill passed 29-8 in the state senate and is waiting to be received in the house. CPMs learn through apprenticeships — which usually last three to five years — with other fully certified midwives. CPMs must meet the standard set by the North American Registry of Midwives. They have a lower client load (averaging 3-6 births a month) than obstetricians which allows for more personalized care with the mothers. On the other hand, Certified Nurse Midwives (CNMs), who are fully licensed in Kentucky, are the most trusted among physicians and obstetricians because of their advanced degree, similar to that of a nurse practitioner. They work more with women delivering in a hospital, but occasionally perform home births. No matter what type of midwife a woman may choose, permitting CPMs to legally practice would widen the choices open to pregnant women throughout the state. When it comes to birthing options, for women like Gordon and Guthrie, all of this comes down to a matter of choice. “I hope that my girls will be able to see home birth as a very normal option for them,” Guthrie said. Whether women are afraid of the possible pain or not having an OBGYN by their side, home births still only make up a meager 1.5% of all U.S. births. Even though information about this non-traditional birthing technique might not be crucial to the lives of our readers right now, you deserve to be informed about an unconventional option you might utilize in your future — the time for big life decisions is right around the corner. •
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