Anchorage Celebrates True Diversity
After sitting through an hour and a half of Senator Begich’s Town Hall meeting on health care, I needed a break. I don’t know what the names are of all the brain chemicals that get secreted during times of stress, but I do know that I was marinading in them. Rude people, ignorant people, and angry people all squished together in a room can be pretty draining on the psyche, even if there are really great people among them. I think it takes about eight or ten brilliant polite people to undo the damage caused by one really obnoxious wingnut. It’s unfortunate that the math works out that way.
But right after this soul sucking event, there was one I was really looking forward to – The True Diversity Dinner. This wonderful community event was the brain child of the Alaska blogging world’s newest and most awesome power couple John and Heather Aronno.
The Mayor’s Diversity Month was started by Mayor (now Senator) Mark Begich. The new mayor has decided that diversity is not really his thing. After vetoing an ordinance that would have added sexual orientation to the existing non-discrimination ordinance covering such things as housing and employment, he also decided to remove the “d” word from the traditional festivities, and renamed the Mayor’s event the “Unity Dinner.” Then he got noted GOP homophobe Lynn Swan to be the guest speaker at the event, which he decided to relocate to the only boycotted hotel in the city. There were some who had something to say about that, outside the “Unity Dinner.”
~
~photo by Jansen Jones
The True Diversity Dinner was totally sold out and the place was packed. I walked out of the rain and in to a party already in progress where lots of people were smiling, and hugging, and having a great time. The sound of Alaska Native drumming from the Masingka Dance Troupe filled the air, and the dancers had the crowd mesmerized. There’s no way to explain how all those drums fill a room. You can feel it in your solar plexus.
The atmosphere was full of positive energy, and memories of the last event quickly faded.
I walked around the room and saw lots of friendly faces.
~Kelly and Rep. Les Gara
~ACLU Executive Director Jeff Mittman, and gubernatorial candidate Ethan Berkowitz
There were also Assembly members Mike Guttierez, Patrick Flynn, Elvi Gray-Jackson, and Sheila Selkregg, Gryphen from the Immoral Minority blog, Shannyn Moore, Mel Green of Henkimaa, Jackie Buckley from Equality Works, gubernatorial candidate Bob Poe and his wife Terzah, former congressional candidate Diane Benson, many I’ve forgotten, and a whole room packed with people who have the right idea about how to celebrate diversity in our community.
There were a series of really great speeches, including one from Assembly member Elvi Gray-Jackson.
I was talking on the phone to a friend afterwards, and I said that Diane Benson was really great. And she said, “Diane Benson is always really great.” And I thought, “Yes. That’s true.”
And the keynote speaker was none other than my old Netroots roommate Shannyn Moore. She did really well, despite being half loopy on cold meds. And she took it all in good humor when she was “Kanye Wested” by Daphne from Mad Myrna’s.
There was a series of awards given, including one presented by Bob Poe for outstanding print journalism. The award went to Julia O’Malley, who was unable to attend. But the award was accepted by her proud Mom, Assembly member Sheila Selkregg.
And the Excellence in Online Media Award went to the very deserving, and immensely talented Mel Green from the blog Henkimaa.
And then, just when everyone thought things were wrapping up, who came by but Senator Begich himself! How he managed to endure the Town Hall meeting, and then go to another event and still have enough energy to come to the Diversity Dinner is beyond me. Had I been your senator, I assure you, I would have been home in my jammies, drinking something out of a snifter, petting my dog, and engaging in some kind of self-soothing rocking motion. So, it’s a good thing we have him and not me.
And I can tell you, everyone was quite surprised and very happy that the senator stopped in. He was greeted very warmly, which was probably appreciated on his end too.
He grabbed the mic and thanked everyone for celebrating the spirit of diversity in our community, and said that as the Mayor who started the Mayor’s Diversity Month, he thought this gathering was pretty great.
The entire event was a blast. The music was awesome, the speakers were top notch, the awards were fun, the food was good… the only thing wrong was not enough space. And isn’t that a great problem? Here’s hoping that this becomes an annual event.
~Photo by Jansen Jones
Kudos to all those who volunteered, told friends, showed up, and contributed to the success of the evening.
Wow… night and day ( or is it more , dark and light?) the difference between those two events that you attended. And the difference between the two “camps” , in general. All the anger, hatred and toxic energy from those professing to follow Christ – how very, very sad.
And I just have to say, there’s something about Elvi Gray-Jackson. Is it just that photo or does this woman have an extra glow?
Looks like a really great time was had by all. What a wonderful group.
Politically, Lynn Swann is a joke. And a symbol of what’s wrong with the Grumpy Old Party. The pennsyltucky version of the GOP tried to go Hollywood by selecting him to run against the politically damaged incumbent Ed Rendell but Swann was unable to do anything with his football fame. Tons of pennsyltucky democrats sat out the election but Rendell still landslided Swann.
Goes to show that fame alone is no longer enough to get a cynical electorate to vote for mediocrity.
The haters at the Town Hall meeting ought to be made to watch and listen to this Boy George tune for a few years as reprogramming. There’s a really psychedelic version out there but the neocons appear to be on plenty of drugs already and I don’t want to waterboard anyone with that version.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aLLDX7m68U
I can’t believe any politician would think it’d be a good idea to choose a boycotted (for WHATEVER reason) hotel as the venue for any kind of event, but especially an ‘Unity’ event.
Is he so politically obtuse that he can’t see he’s implicitly stating that he’s uniting against ‘the little guys’?
I wonder who owns the hotel….
I sit here..smiling in particular..about the awareness of the drums and the whole-body experience..they produce. It is..primal..for is not this isolated..hardly ever seen tissue portion of our body..always..on guard, always fighting for the health and survival of its brother and sister tissues..and..even as we sleep..our heart beats thrum..into the night..the body-village..rests as can, dreams to gain the nutritive bits..from the days exertions and exposures..winnows dullness from our whole body and reaches out to the nether edges..to heal..to make well. It was our heartbeat..while still in the womb..it is our last beats as we nestle deep into the passing-on..as we leave our family..and return to..the energy..leaving our relatives hearts..’to pickup the beat’..to carry the burden baskets of our communal villages..with love..determination. So then there is no need, never..a need to feel more than a swift ‘flighting thing from an exit from a near woods’..when exposed to toxisity from emotionally ..draining experiences. When..’ugly’ happens..we must note it..but..deep inside..the Drum reminds us..in our entirety..to ..Come Back to Center..in moments..we are..back to center..and thus..the healing weaves deeply through, and around us..spreading to others. It is..in my humble opinion..our duty in a global village..to be aware..of dangers..but also..to allow our strengthening..Mind..to isolate-out the perception of incoming ‘hits’..and deflect them. The older we become..the better at it..we become. Tis a lil ..Dance really..ya see something negative..and in your mind..you ‘see’ a jutted hip-SMACK..and the perception of a ‘hit’..is fragmented..and sailed out to a compost pile. Pretty soon..it IS..automatic..’Incoming/OUTGOING!’ So yeah..my mental hipswing..is …epic..y’all go practice..and let none of those with tiny minds..slow you down, nor damage you..even..for a minute! Awareness=OUTGOINGness…
On a lighter note, I would have LOVED to attend the diversity event, if only to get Fabulousness tips from Daphne….
After slogging through that town hall hell, Senator Begich needed the cleansing properties of happy, friendly people before heading home.
What a slap in the face for the GOP goons to take Senator Begich’s idea and pervert it in to a divisive event that locks half the community out because they have different ideas or beliefs.
Kudos to John and Heather Aronno for organizing what sounds like a great event that will probably continue for years.
The Diversity Dinner was definitely the highlight of my weekend.
Anchorage has NEVER been represented better than it was that night.
And I can guarantee you that our next Governor, and our next Congressman/Congresswoman/Congressperson were at that event as well.
And they very likely shared my table. (You know who you are.)
Kudos to all who planned this event- looks like everyone had a simply fabulous time. Where was Brian? I can’t image he would miss that party…
now THAT’S a party!!! may the diverse and gorgeous peoples of alaska keep on keeping on and loving on each other and dancing together with the drums just a tapping and a talking and a telling stories the way drums and drummers always have. thanks for bringing me along akm
This was an extremely awesome and proud evening for all of Anchorage. In particular, I’m deeply grateful to Heather and John Aronno for orchestrating such an enormously successful event. This was an incredible demonstration of local political action and of advocacy, of stepping up to the plate and actually doing something positive and constructive for the community.
So, thanks to John & Heather and to all other co-organizers. And my thanks to all those who came to the event, celebrated diversity with us, and made the evening a remarkable one!
I’ve you have extended interest in more photographs from the True Diversity Dinner, I’ve posted quite a few at Floridana Alaskiana, http://floridana.typepad.com. We also covered the entire event with video — which will begin posting this upcoming week.
Thanks to everybody involved!
Janson Jones,
Floridana Alaskiana.
Gryphen; Can you narrow it down little more. I counted 18 people seated, per table.
*************mona lisa ************* you are already fabulous. the camera loves you!! i don’t know if you saw the pics my daughter took of you but you are really good looking. too bad Leonardo Davinci didn’t paint you. he might have become famous. might have made something of himself.[giggle]…. love, bubs.
Great way to start my Monday morning. I do wish you’d gotten a picture of Shannyn’s boots – I bet I would’ve liked them.
You know the new mayor is going to keep up this discriminatory behaviour and someone is going to take him and the city to court for violation of civil rights, etc.
Mr. Begich looks exhausted, I bet it did his soul good to go to the Diversity party. I hope he can keep up the good work, seriously trying times for a progressive Senator from Alaska!
Ethan Berkowitz always looks like he’s from New Jersey…..a cousin of Tony Soprano, Joey the pants, Pantoliano, or Joey Buttafuoco…….bada bing, bada boom!
Seems like that’s how he expects to be the next governor too…….:
Bada Bing
The club’s title is a stereotypical Italian-American expression, also rendered as “bada bing bada boom” or “bada boom bada bing”. The use of Bada Bing as the name of the club and elsewhere in the series popularized the catchphrase such that it was added to the 2003 Oxford English Dictionary as:
an exclamation to emphasize that something will happen effortlessly and predictably.[3]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bada_Bing
Now that’s a party I would have enjoyed! Glad you all had a great time and I hope that this becomes an annual event for fun, laughter, and love. And your Senator Begich sounds pretty good – if only you could nail him down to supporting a public option for sure.
Happy Monday everyone!
Seriously, Sheila Selkregg is Julia’s mom? I had NO idea; how cool! (and hi to Julia, if she’s reading this!)
I also have posted some photos from this event over at DemocraticUnderground here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=6636037&mesg_id=6636037
It was nice to read such an uplifting, fun article. Especially when the news now days seem to be full of negative, hatefilled stories. It was good to see Senator Begich show up, after the past weeks this party must have been a relief for him. By the way, where is Brian?
Aw, come one…..you mean you don’t actually prefer a good Hate-fest? You just wouldn’t fit in with the ‘values voters’ crowd. Although I’ve always wondered exactly what ‘values’ they are promoting.
John and Heather Arrono are fine examples of the future of Anchorage. Let’s remember to nominate them for some awards at next year’s Diversity Dinner.
I’m so glad everyone had a great time, and that it was so well attended. What a great way for a community to celebrate diversity.
I have to wonder why the people who don’t like diversity stay in Alaska. There must be places where they could live where most of the people are like they are. Well, maybe not so much anymore.
The rest of the nation has mostly figured out that our diversity makes us more interesting and all the richer for it.
Pat, Washington state Says:
“There must be places where they could live where most of the people are like they are…..The rest of the nation has mostly figured out that our diversity makes us more interesting and all the richer for it.”
I wish that were true. Here in the heart of bleeding ‘red’ Fox country in the midwest, many people assume that even if the whole world isn’t like them – it SHOULD be.
With many people I know, if I actually express my true opinion, I either get a blank stare of incomprehension, or a look that says “OH, you’re one of THEM”
There is a good explanation of the boycott at Hilton at http://www.henkimaa.com/
The hotel is now owned by a Kentucky corp. and wants it’s service employees to pick up a larger share of health care benefits (about 2 weeks work value), and proposed a TEN CENT raise! They have been in negotiations for a year, and started picketing in April. The company also owns Anchorage Marriott. The AK Repug party held a paid speaker ($40K) Lynn Swan fund raiser dinner at the Hilton prior to the “Unity” event. Coincidence? Oh yeah. The NEA has tried to help in the negotiations, and when it became obvious this Outside corp could care less about it’s employees, has now severed all ties with the hotel, and is instructing it’s members to do the same. (Ouch! That is big).
As a frequent hotel guest in Anchorage, I intend to boycott both of these hotels. I will let my fellow travelers know as well. There are many nice hotels in Anchorage that are suffering during this recession. I usually stay at the smaller hotels that are owned by small Native village corps. They are just as nice, more free services, and centrally located.
#16 Martha
My DH is Italian and he maintains that a smack to the back of the head is a bada bing given when you do something particularly stoo-pid! LOL
The “diversity” bug is catching. Alaskans will tell you, this is freaking amazing:
http://www.adn.com/opinion/comment/hickel/story/950504.html
Do I detect some regrets?
Well, there’s no doubt which party was more fun!
Congrats to everyone who made a true night of diversity happen instead of just complaining about how the other event had been changed. Way to make some lemonade out of lemons!
Wally had had a falling out with Sarah prior to the time she was picked for VP. He was very unhappy with her TransCanada deal and stated as much in an Alaska Dispatch article in August of 2008. http://alaskadispatch.com/news/politics/23-hickel-still-says-stevenss-time-is-over The article states “At one point, Hickel expressed his unhappiness with Gov. Sarah Palin, who last month pushed the Alaska Legislature to grant Calgary-based TransCanada an exclusive state license to build a multibillion-dollar natural gas pipeline. Hickel, of course, has long favored an “all-Alaska gas line,” with the pipe running to Valdez, where the gas would be turned to liquid and shipped on refrigerated vessels. When Palin was running for governor in 2006, Hickel appeared in advertisements supporting her and the Alaska pipeline.
“I made her governor,” Hickel told me, “but when she did that deal with the Canadians, I wrote her a letter and I told her, ‘I’m never going to support you again.’ Now we’ve got to replace her.”
Glad you all had a wonderful time at the Diversity Dinner. Now’s the time to start looking for a venue with more room for next year’s event.
It continues to amaze me how some people can sleep soundly at night knowing that they’ve treated others so unfairly. If I offend someone and reflect back on it later in the day, my conscience won’t allow me to rest until I’ve made it right with that person, but I guess the consciences of some people switch off when it comes to doing what is right for anyone except themselves and others like themselves.
The Mayor needs to realize that to unify you have to diversify. The diversity party got it right. Seemed like alot of fun.
What an excellent response the Alaskan community had to Hiz Honor’s snotty move. All the organizers and attendees should be hugly proud of what you have done, and what you have said to the rest of the community. Diversity and tolerance is alive and thriving inspite of their hate and biggotry.
Contratulations to you all and many happy returns.
25 CRFlats Says:
September 28th, 2009 at 11:01 AM
http://www.adn.com/opinion/comment/hickel/story/950504.html
Thanks for posting that link. I ran across the piece somewhere yesterday. It is a wonderful statement.
It is interesting that Sarah has managed to snooker so many expereinced polticians and political supporters. Somehow she has managed to get past their BS radar.
Apparently most of her Asian speach was based on lies and non truths. Surely eventually even people like Murdock will realize how tainted the RepoTaliban has come and how their lies are being met with truth more and more.
Like the Diversity Dinner, we can push back and do so civily.
Overheard tonight at dinner at a Chicago area assisted living complex:
Woman #1: Obama is going to Denmark to plug Chicago’s bid for the Olympics!
Woman #2: I thought he was sending Michelle!
Woman #1: He was, but he changed his mind.
Man: Obama’s a liar!
They’re everywhere!
~~from a Juneau resident visiting her mom in Chicago
The Diversity Dinner sounded like fun. Thanks for sharing.