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Part of Cooper Point Journal (February 22, 2019)

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STUDENT HUNGER
PROBLEMS EXPOSED 3

FLAMING EGGPLANT
CLOSING FOR SPRING,
REOPENING FALL

the cooper point journal

The Evergreen State College Newspaper Since 1971| February 22,2019

FOOD INSECURITY

RUKA VERBENA
6

ARTIST INTERVIEW
BY BRITTANYANA PIERRO 13

FEBRUARY 22, 2019 / THE COOPER POINT JOURNAL

1

The Cooper Point Journal

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FROM THE ARCHIVES Evergreen students intern at a hostipal, spring 1973. Coutesy of the Evergeen

photo archives.

HOW WE WORK

The Cooper Point Journal is produced by students at The Evergreen State College, with funding from student
fees and advertising from local businesses. The Journal is published for free every other Wednesday during the
school year and distributed throughout the Olympia area.
Our content is also available online at www.cooperpointjournal.com.
Our mission is to provide an outlet for student voices, and to inform and entertain the Evergreen community
and the Olympia-area more broadly, as well as to provide a platform for students to learn about operating a
news publication.
Our office is located on the third floor of the Campus Activities Building (CAB) at Evergreen State College
in room 332 and we have open student meetings from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. every Wednesday. Come early if you’d
like to chat with the editor!

WORK FOR US

We accept submissions from any student at The Evergreen State College, and also from former students,
faculty, and staff. We also hire some students onto our staff, who write articles for each issue and receive a
learning stipend.
Have an exciting news topic? Know about some weird community happening? Enjoy that new hardcore
band? Come talk to us and write about it.
We will also consider submissions from non-Evergreen people, particularly if they have special knowledge on
the topic. We prioritize current student content first, followed by former students, faculty and staff, and then
general community submissions. Within that, we prioritize content related to Evergreen first, followed by
Olympia, the state of Washington, the Pacific Northwest, etc.
To submit an article, reach us at cooperpointjournal@gmail.com.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

We want to hear from you! If you have an opinion on anything we’ve reported in the paper, or goings-on in
Olympia or at Evergreen, drop us a line with a paragraph or two (100 - 300 words) for us to publish in the
paper. Make sure to include your full name, and your relationship to the college—are you a student, staff,
graduate, community member, etc. We reserve the right to edit anything submitted to us before publishing,
but we’ll do our best to consult with you about any major changes.

News

Student groups pack boxes at Thurston County Food Bank, 2018. SHAUNA BITTLE. Courtesy of Evergreen photo archives.

Hunger Problems Widespread
By Daniel Vogel
Washington Senator Patty
Murray has decried rising
student food insecurity following the publication of a Government Accountability Office
Report she commissioned.
“Being able to afford food
is not an issue that affects
few,” said Murray on a recent
conference call. “It’s clear from
this study, federal action needs
to be taken to address college
hunger.”
The report focused on
students who are eligible for
SNAP benefits but don’t participate. “Almost two million students are able to receive SNAP
benefits but aren’t,” said Murray.
The report recommends campuses provide more information
to students about their eligibility, especially through their
financial aid office.
A co-author to many of
the studies cited in the GAO
report, Dr. Sara Goldrick-Rab,
echoed these concerns. “This
really is a problem, that a lot of
people think they’re non-eligi-

ble,” said Goldrick-Rab, which
in part comes from “the small
American bureaucratic tragedy
known as the FAFSA.”
“A big part of people not
using their SNAP benefits
— seniors, or working people,
whatever the population is —
usually it’s how difficult the
application process is,” said
Samuel Chu, National Synagogue Organizer for MAZON:
A Jewish Response to Hunger.

“Starving during
college is treated like a
normal thing. Eating
ramen everyday is treated
like a normal activity.”
Evergreen graduate student
Pamela Ronson argued that
increasing student access to
EBT would do little to solve
on-campus hunger. “Every time
I come to campus I cannot

buy food with my EBT card,”
said Ronson. “I have to leave
campus to buy food with my
EBT card.”
The GAO report lauded the
spread of on-campus food pantries, of which there are now
650 in the United States.
“Our satellite food system
typically closes down during
breaks,” said Ronson. “Students
are extremely food insecure
during breaks.”
Ronson chairs the Food System Working Group under Evergreen’s chapter of WashPIRG,
which is circulating “a petition
for EBT cards to be accepted
on campus,” said Ronson. “I’m
trying to eat and go to school.”
Goldrick-Rab also pushed
against the “starving artist”
stereotype imposed on college
students. “Starving during
college is treated like a normal
thing. Eating ramen everyday is
treated like a normal activity,”
said Goldrick-Rab.
“Students today are not the
same students we think of 20

years ago,” said Chu, who stated
that 71% of college students
today would be categorized as
“non-traditional.”
Chu said the US currently
spends $122 billion a year on
financial support for students.
”If those students are unable to
complete their credentials, then
we’re wasting that investment,”
said Chu.
Goldrick-Rab highlighted three main findings of the
GAO report: (1) Previous
on-campus food insecurity
reports have only studied local
sites, and the report affirms
that the issue is widespread; (2)
Food insecurity most directly
affects student parents, students
of color, and foster children; (3)
It is increasingly an issue for
students classified as “middle
class,” indicating a general
decrease in wealth.
“College right now is not
affordable for many people,
and it’s causing them to make
significant compromises,” said
Goldrick-Rab.

Chu and Goldrick-Rab both
recommended more initiative
from college administrations. In
particular, Chu said Financial
Aid offices should automatically notify students about their
eligibility.
“There are many administrative staff on campus that are
a critical point of campus that
can be trained and take up this
role to connect students and
benefits,” said Chu. “Starting a
food pantry is a great first step.”
Goldrick-Rab argued that
student action was the best
method for students to decrease
food insecurity on campuses.
“One of the things we’ve
seen in many cases is that
administrators have been
inspired to action by students.”
She cited two historically-black
colleges in Atlanta, Spelman
& Morehouse, whose students
successfully leveraged hunger
strikes to force their on-campus
food provider (Aramark) to
implement meal-swipe sharing
programs.

FEBRUARY 22, 2019 / THE COOPER POINT JOURNAL

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News

People of all ages get creative at Hummingbird Art Studio. AMY BRIGGS.

Local Art Studio Advocates for
“
”
By Marta Tah j a- S y re t t
On Feb. 2, Hummingbird Studio held a grand
opening ceremony in honor of its move to Adams
Street SE. Hummingbird
Studio is a free art studio,
described on Kokua Services’ website as a “space
where art belongs to everyone!” The numerous,
beautiful images hanging
against the freshly painted
white walls of Hummingbird Studio illustrate the
organization’s
extensive
and important presence
within the Olympia community.
Hummingbird Studio’s
grand opening event attracted an exuberant crowd,
bringing an atmosphere of
excitement to the studio
prior to its official opening. Colorful, swirled cupcakes arranged beside candied paintbrushes greeted
event-goers as they walked
into the naturally-lit studio
adjacent to Gallery Boom.
The concrete floor beneath
innumerable pairs of shuf-

4

fling feet was no longer
colored grey, stained now
in beautiful shades of galaxy-tones and decorated by
twinkling stars. Two tables,
placed above churning purple nebulas, presented the
public with markers and
plain paper for drawing
and doodling. The gently
floating balloons outside,
attached to the Hummingbird Studio sign, seemed
languorous in comparison
with the bubbly energy
that found itself inside.
Hummingbird
Studio
initially opened in 2015,
operating as an organization of Kokua Services,
“a nonprofit agency that
provides residential support services to adults
with disabilities in Thurston County.” According
to Kokua Services’ website, the LEAD (Literacy
and Education for Adults
with Disabilities) program
also functions under their
agency. Within the LEAD
program, adults with dis-

WWW.COOPERPOINTJOURNAL.COM

abilities are paired with
students from several local
colleges for regular tutoring sessions. Kokua Services, in conjunction with
The Center for Community Based Learning and
Action (CCBLA), established the program at The
Evergreen State College in
2011. Kokua Services’ website notes that since 2011,
LEAD has expanded to
St. Martin’s University and
South Puget Sound Community College.
Randi Miller, the Community Programs Coordinator for both the LEAD
Program and Hummingbird Studio, said that keeping these non-profit organizations open serves as a
challenge at times. “It is a
combination of individual
donations, business support, grant writing, and
fundraising and it never ends! As the programs
grow (and both have grown
a lot), our expenses have
increased,” said Miller. “We

hope that as the programs
grow, so will awareness of
what we are doing and the
impact they have on both
the disability community
and the general population helping us to generate
more community support
and leverage additional
revenue.”

“Artists with disabilities
did not have an
inclusive accessible space
to make art in our
community, and we
wanted to provide that
opportunity.”

But the difficulties that
come with funding do not
surpass the joys that these
services bring forth. Miller, speaking of Hummingbird Studio, said “We believe that art is vital to the
health and vitality of all

communities and is a powerful and healing outlet for
many individuals.”
As stated on Kokua Services’ website, Hummingbird Studio was only open
for two art sessions per
week at its original location. Now the studio, located in a space reserved
solely for the Kokua-run
organization, is open for
six sessions per week. At
each art session, participants are provided with
an abundance of supplies,
such as watercolors, markers, and collage materials.
During the hour and a
half long sessions, those at
Hummingbird Studio are
given a suggested theme,
but it is not required that
the theme is followed. Everyone is free to make what
they wish; to enjoy their
experience devoted to personal creativity.
Miller said that Hummingbird’s creation was
initiated by previous issues
of inaccessibility. “Artists

with disabilities did not
have an inclusive accessible space to make art in our
community, and we wanted
to provide that opportunity. Hummingbird Studio
was born from the belief
that art belongs to everyone! We believe that integrated art programs benefit the individual artists
and the community as a
whole. Inclusion promotes
empowerment, acceptance,
compassion, and enrichment,” said Miller.

“We believe that art is
vital to the health
and vitality of all
communities and is a
powerful and healing
outlet for many
individuals.”
Resources such as Hummingbird Studio are extremely valuable in a world
where both social and physical barriers often cause individuals with disabilities
to feel excluded. As reported on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website, some of the
barriers that hinder people
with disabilities from accessing resources include
physical obstacles, discriminatory attitudes, ignorant
legal policies pertaining
to accessibility, and communication
limitations.
Also, according to a study
published on the BBC’s
website, social views surrounding disability differ
greatly from the treatment
that people with disabilities actually interface with.
The BBC reports that “The
Scope survey, based on a
sample of more than 2,000
adults across Britain, suggests public support for the
rights of disabled people to
be part of mainstream society is not matched by everyday experience. It sug-

gests people with physical
and mental disabilities remain excluded from many
people’s social or work life.”
By providing the community with accessible spaces
and inclusive environments,
organizations and programs
such as LEAD and Hummingbird Studio help to
bridge this aforementioned
divide between lived experience and societal perception. The mission statement
on Kokua Services’ website
specifically addresses the
incorporation of everyone
into communal contexts,
stating that “we advocate
and work toward true community inclusion.” As reported by Inclusive Social
Development,
exclusion
produces drastic effects,
and “Persistent exposure to
discrimination can lead individuals to internalize the
prejudice or stigma that
is directed against them,
manifesting in shame, low
self-esteem, fear and stress,
as well as poor health.” But
the inverse of this occurs
when people feel accepted.
“Evidence also shows that
belonging to a community
and feeling connected leads
to better mental health,
wellbeing, and productivity,” VicHealth reports.
Community
members
who are interested in supporting Hummingbird Studio can do so by donating
their resources and time.
“We accept both monetary donations and in kind
donations of art supplies,”
says Miller. To be a volunteer, it is required that you
are aged 16 or above, pass
a background check, “have
an open heart and mind,
and love art and the creative
process.” The public can also
show support by attending
events put on by Hummingbird Studio. This year
the studio, located at 514
Adams Street SE, will be
apart of Olympia’s Spring
Arts Walk. Arts Walk will
take place on April 26 and
April 27.

Community

Lynda Weinman 2008. Carlos JAVIER SANCHEZ. Courtesy of TESC photo archives.

WHERE DID LYNDA GO?

LYNDA.COM NO LONGER A FREE STUDENT SERVICE
By DJ Pfeifle
Until recently, Lynda.com
was a service given freely to
Evergreen students, under an
agreement with the founder
and Evergreen alumni Lynda
Weinman. Sometime this year,
however, after a recent buyout
of the website by LinkedIn, the
agreement was dropped and
the service no longer available.
Lynda.com is a website that
offers video tutorials in many
different disciplines, such as
computer science, writing,
and art, among others. The
software training website was
offered to students free of
charge under the community
section upon logging into My
Evergreen, but the link now
says the website is “no longer
available as a free resource.”
The website is now known as
LinkedIn Learning, and offers
the same services as before the
buyout.
Staff only realized the resource wasn’t working after
students reported the issue. Director of Academic
and Enterprise Technologies Rip Hemingway explained, “We discovered it
after LinkedIn had shut us
down.” He said that he was
unsure whether a broadcast
message announcing the
change was sent to students,

and the Journal could not
find an announcement.
Hemingway said the website functioned “on the periphery of an official paid service
[and] was shut down without
any warning by LinkedIn.”
There was potential for the
service to remain available, but
after conversations between
LinkedIn and Evergreen,
LinkedIn offered the college
the ability to continue services
by purchasing an institutional
license for a paid annual subscription. At that point, the
service was determined by senior staff to be too expensive
to maintain for the time being.
The school is looking at potential resource-sharing with
other groups that already have
paid contracts for the service,
like Timberland Regional
Library. Students who have
Timberland library cards can
currently access the resource
with their library account information. Hemingway said
that other similar resources have been mentioned, but
there is no specific timeline for
when something like Lynda.
com will be directly available
through the school.
Senior student Finian Gallagher shared how he valued
Lynda.com, saying, “I used to

be in INS and I would help
my classmates with their excel graphs. I’m not in the class
anymore, but I’m still helping them with stuff that I’ve
learned with Lynda.”
Another student, Matthew
Lowdermilk, has used the
website to learn independently
for years. “I used it for learning
Backbone, a JavaScript framework, and Lynda was a quality
resource,” he said.
Lowdermilk also explained
how the site can be a source
for students struggling to learn
at the pace or in the style of
a professor’s way of teaching,
saying, “If that doesn’t fit you
so well, finding another perspective, another way of being
taught, that is very helpful.”
As far as alternatives beyond the Timberland library,
there are many free websites
and apps that offer similar services. Khan Academy is a wellknown and popular service
that is free to use. Khan Academy also offers interactive
tutorials so you can test your
skills in real time. Coursera is
another resource that aims to
bring free quality education to
anyone who seeks it. There’s
also always YouTube tutorials
to help out with whatever it is
you are looking to learn.

FEBRUARY 22, 2019 / THE COOPER POINT JOURNAL

5

Community

Eggplant Facing Major Changes
Closed for Spring, Re-opening in Fall
By Zainab Ummie Sillah

Is this the end of the Flaming Eggplant Café, or a new
beginning?
A press release was sent out
by Kayla Mahnke on Thursday,
Feb. 8, discussing the Eggplant’s
budget crisis and announcing
the closure of the café. That
same day, the café had its busiest
day of the entire quarter. Students and faculty shared memories over a bite in the eatery.
Rumors of the café’s closure
first circulated in December of
2018, however, the issues that
are prompting the closure date
back a decade ago. Evergreen
has had a decline in student
enrollment since 2008. Lower
enrollment means a decrease in
the student fees normally paid
in tuition costs, which feeds
Student Activities annual budget, including funding for the
Eggplant.
“Student Activities has always been a strong supporter of
the Flaming Eggplant,” Mahnke reflects on the relationship
between Student Activities and
the café. “We have advocated
for the Flaming Eggplant for

6

the past ten years. What is
happening right now does not
change the relationship between
Student Activities and The
Flaming Eggplant. We are going to continue to support The
Flaming Eggplant through this
process of transformation.”
The Flaming Eggplant
recently celebrated its tenth anniversary Oct. 11, 2018. The café
began with a volunteer based student group serving quality food
to the Evergreen community on
Red Square. With aid from the
office of Residential and Dining Services, the student group
expanded their business model to
a food truck. A one-time student
fee was used to purchase the 900
square foot space in which the
Eggplant exists today. “What
students want and expect has
changed over the past ten years,”
says Jeanette Smith, Director of
Student Activities. “The Flaming Eggplant just celebrated its
golden birthday. Going into its
eleventh year of operation, we
can expect many changes and
new implementations to the
café.”

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Painted eggplant sign outside the CAB. MASON SOTO.
Since the enrollment deProvost of Student Activities,
cline, Student Activities has
assigned Jeanette Smith, Kayla
been making necessary cuts and
Mahnke, and Andy Corn to
adjustments to sustain programs. draft a course correction plan.
In this period of time, the Flam- The three have worked intiing Eggplant has accrued a debt mately with the collective in
of $155,000.
formulating the Fiscal Health
More than half of the debt
and Sustainability Proposal for
was accrued over the past three
the 2017-2018 fiscal year.
years due to external pressures
Mahnke brought the proposthe café has no control over. The al to the collective for discussion
raised minimum wage, added
during the first week of Decembenefits, resources, and products, ber. Members of the collective
along with student enrollment
reached a consensus by Dec. 10
decline has exacerbated the
on how to address its budget
gap. The café currently operates
crisis and implement long-term
on a loss of $1,200 per week.
program improvements. A
“This issue with the Eggplant
formal letter released on Jan.7,
has been going on for so long,”
2019, outlined the decisions as
Kayla Mahnke, the Eggplant’s
follows:
Advisor, states. “Student Ac1. Reducing café operations
tivities felt they cannot keep
from 5 days to 4 days per week
trying to maneuver the situation for Winter Quarter 2019.
while cutting corners in oth2. Continuing current efforts
er areas. Something has to be
to increase pricing and kitchen
done at this point to correct this efficiencies.
debt and move into a positive
3. Forming a working group
trajectory.”
of students, staff, and faculty
In reaction to declining
dedicated to developing a new
profits, managerial aspects of
model for the program with
the café are at an incline. Last
stronger campus partnerships
January, Wendy Endress, Vice
and fiscal responsibility.

4. Focusing academic objectives of the current collective
towards the working group
objectives.
The collective formed a Disappearing Task Force following
the letter. Members met weekly
to discuss menu development,
community outreach, the formation of a Board of Advisors,
and learning opportunities to be
offered as curriculum in future
courses. The group acts as a
liaison between Student Activities and the larger collective,
working on a course correction
outline that suits the needs of
the collective while reforming its
operational model.
The café plans to pause all
operations on Friday, March
22. A course correction plan is
set to unroll this spring continuing into fall. A response to
the course correction proposal
states, “The work the collective
has put in over the last year has
had some positive momentum
toward fiscal sustainability.” The
Flaming Eggplant hopes to
reopen in fall of 2019.
“When they reopen in the
fall, I think you are going to see
a program that’s more responsive to the current population
while still upholding those
values around food justice and
community. We’re going to see
a stronger business and governance model that better serves
our students and faculty. Part of
[Student Activities’] role is to
[aid the collective in] processing
through grief, because this is a
loss.”
As the quarter comes to an
end, current collective members reflect on their work at the
Flaming Eggplant Café thus
far. Mel, an Eggplant collective
member says, “working with
the Eggplant has enriched my
time at Evergreen immensely,
and working in a collective has
taught me skills I would not
have been able to learn at a ‘regular’ job.” When asked why they
value the café, they explained,
“The Eggplant is indispensable to
Evergreen students, and I hope
that it can continue to function
as a collective and serve the Evergreen community as well.”
The Journal will have more
news to come on this story as it
develops.
Zainab Sillah is a collective
member of The Flaming Eggplant
and a staff writer for the Journal.

Community

Eggplant collective members in Fall 2018. GEORGIE HICKS.

FLAMING EGGPLANT
PRESS RELEASE:
Students Take Steps to Renew Cafe

Flaming Eggplant Cafe Temporary Closure
(OLY, WA, February 06,
2019)- The Flaming Eggplant Cafe, a student-run cafe
on the campus of The Evergreen State College, will temporarily pause Spring Quarter
2019 operations while the
students work with campus
stakeholders to re-envision a
more fiscally sustainable operation model and supportive
governance structure.
The cafe will pause operations beginning Friday, March
22. Students employed by the
cafe have been provided five
weeks’ notice and offered support from the Academic and
Career Advising Office and
Student Employment as they
seek other opportunities. A
committee comprised of students, staff, faculty, and community is forming to take on
the exciting work of strengthening the academic ties to the
program, developing a fiscally
sustainable operating model,
and re-envisioning a cafe governance structure that supports the needs of the current
student population.
The cafe has weathered
student leadership staff administrative transitions as well
as increases in the minimum
wage. As food production
costs rose over the last several
years, the cafe remained true
to their values of serving lo-

cal, sustainable food options
at an affordable cost to their
patrons. Evergreen staff put
the cafe on notice a year ago
to allow time for the students
to work with their advisor in
addressing sustainable operations. Working with CoFed,
a non-profit with a mission
to support campus food cooperatives, several changes in
staffing and pricing slowed
the budget drain, but could
not stem it.
The beloved campus eatery began 10 years ago as a
student group serving food
to the Evergreen community
on Red Square. The students
formalized what once was a
volunteer-driven event by collaborating with the office of
Residential and Dining Services to purchase a food service trailer; where they served
sustainable food at low prices.
Thanks to a one-time student
fee, the trailer evolved into
the current 900 sq foot space
inside the College Activities Building. With a goal of
re-opening Fall Quarter 2019,
opportunities for students,
staff, faculty, alumni and community to offer support and
feedback will be available in
the next few months.
For more information contact: Kayla Mahnke at 360867-6220.

Eggplant members in action, Winter 2019. MASON SOTO.

A Letter From The
FlamingEggplant
Dear Evergreen Community,
The Flaming Eggplant Collective and Cafe will be taking
a hiatus in Spring of 2019,
with the intention of reopening Fall 2019. Due to the current college financial situation
and under-enrollment, the
Eggplant has been unable to
access the support needed to
operate in a financially sustainable way. This hiatus will
give the collective the opportunity to reboot, develop new
structures, and build upon the
legacy of student work that has
made the Eggplant what it is
today. This work will be undertaken by an intracampus democratic committee that will
include representatives of the
Eggplant, student representatives, staff and faculty representatives, and members of
Student Activities. This work
will happen over Spring and
Summer and into Fall Quarter.

While we regret the need to
halt cafe and collective operations for spring, we firmly
believe that this brief pause in
operations will allow us to focus on the structural work that
is necessary for the cafe to be
a resilient and perennial part
of Evergreens community. The
cafe and collective were born
of student desire, organizing,
and action for a non-corporate
organic and local eating option on campus. Since that initial organizing drive a decade
ago, the cafe has evolved, striving to be a radically inclusive
safer space, focusing on feeding people healthy, affordable
food. The cafe and collective
have a rich legacy of student
work to draw from and build
upon and add to. The work of
the democratic committee to
reboot the Eggplant will involve
a deep dive into all the governing documents that are cur-

rently part of the institutional
knowledge the Eggplant. Over
the next few weeks, the collective will be drafting a document that the members on
this committee will take with
them forward into their work.
We invite public comment and
input to this document from
the larger campus community.
If you would like to contribute
ideas of what you would want
to see the in the Eggplant in the
future, feel free to contact us at
flamingoutreach@gmail.com, or
fill out our survey in the cafe. In
the meantime please come eat
with us, share our space, and
tell us how we can best serve
you in the future. We love you,
and we see all students as part
of our collective. Thank you.
Sincerely,
The Flaming Eggplant
Collective

FEBRUARY 22, 2019 / THE COOPER POINT JOURNAL

7

Art

uk a
R
Verbena
artist interview by
Brittanyana Pierro
on page 13

“My dream is to have a safe space,
a home. Where queer people of
color, mothers of color, can come for
counseling. My little dream. It’s
still blossoming, it’s still blooming.”

8

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Art

FEBRUARY 22, 2019 / THE COOPER POINT JOURNAL

9

Stuff 2 Do
UP
COMING

&

Details of mural in library basement. MASON SOTO.

TUE. FEB 26
BHM Presents: A Celebration
of African American Women
8 - 12 p.m., 5$ suggested, 21+

Rhythm & Rye

WED. FEB 27

WOC in Leadership:
Rosa Clemente, Lecture

11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m., Free & Open to Public

Purce Lecture Hall 1

Gateways Open Mic

6 - 8 p.m., $5 suggested donation

Student Equity & Arts Lounge

Tenants Union of WA:
Rent Control Day 2019
12 - 9 p.m.

Olympia Capitol Building & Campus

IWW Gen Ed Union:
Victory Social
1 - 3 p.m.

By Zainab Ummie Sillah

The Flaming Eggplant

STUFF 2 DO!

THU. FEB 28
WOC in Leadership:
Rosa Clemente, Workshop
3 - 5 p.m., Free & Open to Public

Longhouse

By Mason Soto

FRI. MAR 1
Eamon Fogarty
10 p.m., 21+.

Le Voyeur

UMW Rummage Sale

9 a.m. - 4 p.m., through March 2

Ethics in Action Conference
6 - 8 p.m.

Purce Hall

Ethics in Action Conference
10 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Purce Hall

Trans & Queer Youth
Legal Rights Session
4 p.m. - 6 p.m., all ages

Stonewall Youth Oly

TUE. MAR 5
Where is the Water
5:30 - 8 p.m., recurring

Olympia Center

10

STUFF ON CAMPUS

ROSA CLEMENTE
LECTURE & WORKSHOP

BLACK EXCELLENCE IN
SCIENCE SERIES

Lecture: Purce Lecture Hall 1
11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Workshop: Longhouse
3 - 5 p.m.
Public & Free!

First United Methodist Church of Olympia

SAT. MAR 2

WEDNESDAY 2/28

Rosa Clemente is an Afro-Puerto Rican journalist
and scholar-activist who researches national liberation struggles inside the United States, Afro-Latinx
identity and politics, sexism within Hip-Hop culture, media justice, Hip-Hop activism, and African
American and Latinx unity.
Rosa’s lecture and workshop will focus on centering women of color in social justice movements and
their leadership, as well as, using Hip-Hop and other
forms of art and media, including radio, in social
justice movements. The event is sponsored by The
Women of Color in Leadership Movement, Media
Island International, KOWA-LP, and the Willi Unsoeld Seminar Series. The lecture and workshop are
free and open to the public.

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Near the Computer Center
Indefinitely

Check out this series in honor of Black History
Month by the Health Science Club. It features 28
individuals in a series of photos and descriptions of
their contributions to science, such as conservationist
Wangari Maathai, and Mary E. Mahoney, the first
African American trained as a nurse practitioner. It
is displayed at the entrance of the Computer Center.
Health Science Club holds meetings every Monday at
3:30 p.m. in Purce Hall 6.

CLANDESTINE MURALS
Library Building & Beyond
Indefinitely

The library is full of murals, discoverable just
beyond the central areas of the building. In one
stairwell, nearest the main entrance, a long amorphous dragon winds around the bends of the steps,

Stuff 2 Do

Details of mural in library basement. MASON SOTO.

...and some weird murals
becoming waves here, then a flock of birds, in bright
primaries, and stanzas of poetry placed throughout.
Up on the third floor are hopeful works, like the
religious and folktale-reminiscent scenes painted on
library windows by Cappy Thompson. Then there
is also an idyllic scene of nature, the stars, and two
purple human figures, a spider, hummingbird, along
with other creatures, in close harmony.
For a decidedly more critical view, venture to the
basement, from the elevators closest to the main
entrance, and you will be confronted by a panorama
of epic proportions and themes: scenes of the advent
of colonialism, prisoners, agricultural spaces branded
with McDonald’s imagery, Uncle Sam drinking the
tears of the Earth, and a beast with grey skin and red
eyes. The mural seems to be a group effort, produced
in the spring of 1989, and its inscription reads ‘Democracy & Tyranny.’ Interpret and digest as you will.
Beyond the library, some few miles, outside the
West Olympia Co-Op there may or may not be a
mural of suited figures whose heads have been exchanged for various objects. I’ve only seen it online,
so if you go, and it’s still there, call it a blessing.

Outside of West Olympia Co-Op, 2008. TORI SLOANE. Courtest of WIKICOMMONS.

FEBRUARY 22, 2019 / THE COOPER POINT JOURNAL

11

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Photo of Ruka Verbena. RUKA VERBENA.

without reflecting Black culture
into it, it felt like it was missing
something. So, now that I’ve been
aware of that, the art that I’ve been
creating more recently is changing. And it’s feeling more whole.”
They are re-focused on their own
desires for the art, instead of worrying about others’ perceptions: “I’m
not solely thinking about everyone else, and how everyone else is
gonna like it. That’s inspiring me to
incorporate things that I like. Stuff
that I admire. Certain textures that
I admire. Afro hair, crystals, plants.”
With this internal inspiration in timing with Black History Month, Verbena has chosen
to encourage other artists’ success by using their platform as a
way to engage and support the
wider Black artist community.
“I wanted to draw more Black
people, and that was just kinda
like the intention. Just to also influence people to support [Black]
artists more. The platform that I
already have also [benefits] my
other artist friends who are black
artists as well. People who have
bought from me, they also go and
support them, creating that chain
and getting everybody supported and seen like we deserve to be.”
One of the art pieces they did
recently was a portrait of two Yoruba Women, and also happens to
be the piece that inspired them to
do a Black History Month feature.
This piece is featured as the covcarry. It feels so solid now. I feel very er art for this issue of the Journal.
established as an artist in this place.”
“I was in the process of changing
Verbena’s own identity as a my explore page on Instagram beBlack person in a predominantly cause I noticed that it was like really
white area of the country is com- white. And so I just went into this
plex, and a big part of their inspi- rabbit hole of looking at a bunch of
ration. They shared how wanting African women. All the hair and the
to be accepted by their white peers textures and all the textiles. I was
made them avoid focusing on Black just feeling inspired,” Verbena said.
identity and features in the art.
Recently,
Verbena
traveled
“I wouldn’t even draw hair on a back to their home state for a
lot of my figures, because I didn’t few months to do an internship
want that attachment. I was like, with an LA-based graffiti artist.
‘I want everybody to be able to
“Our focus was painting muconnect to it.’ But now I feel like rals,” Verbena explained. “I got all
that disconnected me from it.” this art knowledge from my menThis led to a breakthrough for the tor, Robert Gomez. He’s a realartist. As they said, “I need to use this ly cool guy. He goes by Dytch.”
challenge, and accept my blackness,
Gomez and Verbena traveled the
and stand and honor it. And that’s Los Angeles area painting murals
what I’ve been practicing doing, for Gomez’s customers. Burbank
trying to incorporate it into my art.” and Hollywood were the two cities
Verbena continued, “I feel like that got the most attention from
[my art] reflects who I am. And the pair, as they spray painted ev-

RUKA VERBENA

Artist interview by Brittanyana Pierro

Ruka Verbena is a local portrait
artist based in the Seattle/Tacoma
area. Though Verbena is originally
from San Bernardino, CA, they have
blessed the Pacific Northwest with
their presence for the last five years.
Verbena’s portrait style can be
classified as abstract linework. It
took time to develop their particular form, starting as somewhat of
a cartoonist, and then eventually
coming into their current art style.
The artist is currently in the
middle of a portrait special in honor of Black History Month. Each
portrait is only $14.14. This venture has been one of their most
successful, with over 30 people
commissioning portraits only in
the first two weeks of February.
“It’s going amazing. I’m actually
surprised at how well it’s going. It
finally has rhythm. I don’t feel unsure about whether or not it’s gonna

Art
erything from schools to businesses. The two even managed to grace
the side of Capitol Records with a
mural in tribute to Paul Mccartney.
Gomez started his career in
Venice Beach, where his family has been since the 1950’s. He
considers himself a product of his
hometown, influenced by “all the
creativity and diversity” of Venice, as he said in an interview
with Gabba Gallery. Dytch can be
found on Instragram @Dytch66.
Verbena says the internship experience with Gomez above all taught
them about keeping up business and
building relationships with art buyers. “It’s not necessarily about how
many people, it’s about having loyal people, who keep coming back.”
The relationships Verbena has
fostered through their portrait commissions and social media have given the artist a supportive following.
“With the portraits, I’ve been
doing it for a while. And every time
I bring them back I change the
style, so they’re all kinda different,”
said Verbena. “I have other artists
who just continue to support my
portraits every time I bring them
back, even if they’ve already been
drawn before. They see that the
style is slightly different, or they
see that I’m doing it for Black History Month, and they come back
and they’re like ‘we support you’.”
Aside from being an artist, Verbena has dreams of being a botanist
and opening up an herbalist wellness
center for QTPOC, mothers, and
other community members in need.
“My dream is to have a safe
space, a home. Where queer people
of color, mothers of color, can come
for counseling. My little dream. It’s
still blossoming, it’s still blooming.”

@
h
a
n
d
o
f
v
e
r
b
e
n
a

FEBRUARY 22, 2019 / THE COOPER POINT JOURNAL

13

Comix

COMIX

By Isaac

By Isaac

By Niah
Nude Pleasure By @MARCROSSART

By Severin, Isaac & Marcus

14

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Horoscopes

RUBY THOMPSON.

by Mariah Guilfoil-Dovel

ARIES

3/21 - 4/19

Mars is moving into Capricorn and this means your ambitious go-getter spirit will be
amplified. You already have a natural pioneering spirit, but this week it’s kicked into hyperspeed. Your desire to work out, to do ALL the homework, to facetime all your friends,
and to watch every YouTube on how to install your own shelves will be so strong, but
remember to prioritize! Your high energy levels are good, but don’t start 100 new projects
when you still need to finish the 5 you began last week.

TAURUS
4/20 - 5/20

You are known for your green thumb. Like most Tauruses, you have a knack for keeping
things alive. Except for your social calendar, that is. It’s good to hide away in your green
room or walk in nature, but you are still a person who needs human interaction. Find a
friend who also cares about the little things in life the way you do and you two can stop
and smell the roses together.

GEMINI
5/21 - 6/20

Are you Khloe Kardashian’s daughter? Because you are a TRUE friend. Geminis are the
truest of companions, but they have a tendency to fake confidence so that people will
think they are bolder than they are. This week, ease up on the people pleasing. Your real
friends will love your authentic self even more. You’re proud of your extensive music collection and rare vintage pop culture items, so find someone else who will appreciate those
gems with you.

CANCER 6/21 - 7/22

LIBRA 9/23 - 10/22

You love stopping serious conversations and isolating yourself away from feelings. Just like
Michael Scott when he runs to catch the train after he declared bankruptcy, you are also
likely to say, “I’m running away from my responsibilities and it feels good!”
Unfortunately, you live in the real world, my friend, and deep down you just want a ride
or die. Someone to inspire you to get up and do your homework and then spend the night
watching your favorite episode of Friends even though you already know all the lines. It’s
time to open up the winter cocoon and butterfly into the badass you really are!

SCORPIO 10/23 - 11/21

Cuffing season is alive and well in the scorpios world. You’ve got your partner handcuffed
and you’ve already conveniently “misplaced the key.” Congratulations! You worked hard
to have a snuggle buddy all winter. It’s time now for you to step up your game to make
sure your partner knows how precious they are to you and that every day with you is Valentine’s Day. You know how to draw others in without seeming needy but now you need
to work on actually not being needy. Be a source of strength and support for your family
and friends this week.

SAGITTARIUS 11/22- 12/21

If you gave a TED Talk, it would be about how to always win an argument, but that’s not
entirely a bad thing. Due to being ruled by Jupiter, Sag’s have the ability to inspire people
and use their big imaginations. But you also might come off as fake to people who don’t
really know you. Don’t be afraid! Keep doing your thing and work on opening up this
week, even if people don’t understand you at first.

CAPRICORN
12/22- 1/19

You have 20 journals and diaries that you’ve started just in 2019 alone. You’re more likely
to rock a vintage hat than a brand new Supreme beanie. If you’re feeling over-emotional at
the moment, don’t stress. There’s a full moon in Virgo this month that explains those wild
mood swings you’ve been having. Stay true to yourself and stay the course. Resist the urge
to drop everything and run away from your problems. Facing them head on and dealing
with those dark corners in your life will bring a bright new spring that’s just around the
corner.

DUDE you don’t know how to relax! Somebody had to say it. Your ideal surprise party is
a party you’ve planned for yourself, by yourself, 6 months in advance, with a full guestlist
that RSVP’d to you in person. Then you’d want all your work recognized while also getting
to be the most humble person in the room. It’s not all bad though. It comes from your
desire to be a hard worker and your love of excellence. Those are great things, just don’t
let them come at the expense of your family. It’s no fun to throw a party if nobody wants
to come.

You love action. All this snow has given you serious cabin fever. Don’t take it out on those
you love though, just because they’re closest to you. You love leaving people on read and
buying expensive shoes (probably ones that have lions on the heels tbh), but don’t go over
your budget just because you’re bored!! Leos love attention and being in the spotlight,
which is hard in these literally dark times. But take heart! The sun is staying out longer
and the days are getting longer. Just keep holding on, Winter Quarter is almost done!

1/20 - 2/18

LEO 7/23 - 8/22

VIRGO 8/23 - 9/22

We all know you’re the smartest person in the room, but sometimes you can be kinda
dumb when it comes to emotional intelligence. Just like how your biggest pet peeve is
people leaving dishes in the sink, other people’s pet peeves include you walking around in
the middle of conversations. Don’t lie, you know you do it. This week, you’re going to be
faced with some difficult emotional situations. You can do it. It’ll be hard to step out of
your constant state of “don’t question me or what I am doing” but a little humility will go
a loooooooong way.

AQUARIUS

Hope you sucked up every second of Aquarius SZN! You deserve it! You love mystery and
standing out for your unique style. You love surrounding yourself with others who value
your uniqueness and don’t care about what other people think. Starting off this new year
of life, remember to be thankful for everyone who helped you get this far. Send out some
thank you notes to the special people in your life. The stars are calling for an attitude of
gratitude.

PISCES
2/19 - 3/20

It’s PISCES SZN and you are ready AF! Pisces are total sweeties and get what they want!
You love it when people appreciate your aesthetic, allow you to be sad, and show you
through their actions that you matter to them. Pisces also love pets, so it’s highly likely you
want a new puppy for your birthday. Stay away from local shelters unless you’re truly ready
to treasure your new best friend. Whatever you do this Pisces szn, have a happy birthday!
FEBRUARY 22, 2019 / THE COOPER POINT JOURNAL

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