TWST Blog

After a brief rest at our hotel, we set out for our evening TWST meeting at the James Ramsey III Community Center hosted by the Salem/Keizer Coalition for Equality (SKCE). En route to the event, we crossed paths with the wildly famous and not oft’ seen, Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. We took it as a positive sign for the rest of our TWST.
 
We received a warm and generous welcome by our hosts, which included a fabulous Mexican dinner to share with all who joined the meeting. The meal was prepared by the a member of SKCE’s Parent Organizing Project, which develops parent leaders to support their meaningful involvement in public schools.
 
The James Ramsey III Community Center is a warm and inviting space that includes gorgeous murals depicting the work they do to support the education of their children and the success of the community. One wall is covered with a collage of photographs collected over the years that is a visual representation of the community they have built with youth leaders, parents, supporters, elected officials and more. Eduardo Angulo, the Director of SKCE, told me that a key aspiration behind the work they do is that the youth in the community have the opportunity to imagine their potential. His biggest sorrow is when a youth cannot envision positive options for her/his future. The work of SKCE is to create a safe and welcoming place for youth and families to overcome this.
 
Participants generously shared their personal stories with Sally and me, providing a remarkable depth to the work they do and what motivates them to do it. We heard how first-hand experience with homelessness and the foster care system created motivation to “pay it back,” and give others the opportunity to tap support systems and build self-confidence and skills to live full and healthful lives. The depth of their knowledge and dedication was inspiring.
 
Several times throughout the evening, we heard snippets of details about a tragedy that had recently befallen their community. Amidst the threads of conversation, Eduardo recounted his risky response: He described respectfully approaching gang members, who were overtaking a park that the community had created and where the tragic incident took place. He asked them to move out and let the rightful owners - the community - back in. The gang members have since left the park, demonstrating the power of the community, and establishing the foundation of the healing process that has begun.
 
We were deeply appreciative of our time at SKCE and grateful for all the new connections we’d made there.

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