Recently posted by Gerri Pozez

"President Obama told a story on the campaign trail about a young volunteer named Ashley who, when her and her mom were on food stamps, would eat ketchup and mustard sandwiches and convince her mom that they were her favorite thing to eat. I'm a hunger advocate because I don't want any kid to ever have to eat ketchup and mustard sandwiches, and I don't want any parent to ever have to experience the heartbreak of not being able to afford nutritious food for their children." ~ From an advocate

My cousin Lindsey (who is basically my sister), works in DC for Feeding America, the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity whose mission is to feed America's hungry through a nationwide network of member food banks and to engage the country in the fight to end hunger. While she works on issues of hunger and poverty in the U.S., I watch from the sidelines at the amazing work her and her organization are working on. For example, did you know 13.3 million or approximately 18% of children in the U.S. live in poverty--the rate of poverty for children under 18 remains higher than those aged 18 - 64 and for those aged 65 and over. It is these startling facts and figures that prompted me to write this particular post.

Today, on the front page of the New York Times was an article about a woman who used to run a homeless shelter and is now homeless. The economic climate has been tough for everyone but for those who were already struggling, it is even worse. I know I am fortunate to not have to worry about where my next meal will come from or how I am going to feed a family, but there are many out there who think about these issues on a daily basis. As the weather has begun to shift, so have people begun talking of the upcoming holiday season. While the thought of hearing jingle bells in November is already haunting me so is the thought of not having enough food in our nation's food banks to really help those in need this holiday season.

Although I have decided to study and follow issues relating to international affairs, I am reminded by my cousin that many of the important issues that I look at through the international lense are in fact right here in our own backyards. As we begin to think about 2010 and the holiday season, think about how fortunate you are and do what you can to make a difference for others. As Sheri West, the woman in the New York Times said today, "No one could have told me in a million  years: I'd wake up in a homeless shelter. I had a house for homeless people. Now I'm homeless." Take this time to think about how fortunate you are and what you can do to make a difference for others.

Until next time I ask all of you--who inspires you to make a difference?? What are the causes that matter most to you and to your communities?

  This photo is of First Lady Michelle Obama, Jill Biden, and other congressional spouses at a Feeding America event at the Capitol Area Food Bank in Washington, DC.

* Note: For more information, to donate or to get more facts and figures you can go online to Feeding America

This past weekend, thousands flocked to Washington for the National Equality March where President Obama committed himself (although sometimes being quite vague) to pushing forward for equal rights for gay's and lesbian's across the U.S.

Although I was unable to attend (since I was a bridesmaid in one of my Simmons friend's wedding), I thought it important to call your attention to this timely issue.

Since pictures are worth a thousand words....here are some mighty powerful one's from the march for you all to think about.

This afternoon, while relaxing with my girlfriend DC I came across this New York Times article, High Price of Being a Gay Couple. While I understood a long time ago it is a constant uphill battle for myself and other gay and lesbian couples, it never occured to me to think about, let alone add up all the costs and complexities they laid out in this article. From paying to file joint and seperate tax returns to social security to the countless legal costs, the price tag to be gay is quite high. And that is just the physical dollar amount, not to mention the other "costs" associated with being gay (like losing friends or family who disagree with your 'life choice,' not being granted equal rights, harassment, hatred, etc.). While I am one of the lucky ones whose family and friends have always been supportive, there are so many others who are not so lucky.

When I think about equal rights it seems silly to me that there are so many people out there who disagree with the concept. While the issue over gay marriage is quite controversial, it is a basic fact that the term marriage brings with it a host of rights that gay and lesbian couples just do not get. As we approach 2010 it seems ludicrous (to me) that it is such an issue. While I understand that everyone may not be as liberal minded as myself (something I am reminded often by my conservative republican brothers) or that many may not even know someone who is openly gay, I think it is terrible that gays and lesbians in most of the country are treated as second class citizens. Sure, living in huge metropolitan areas I am lucky--if I were to get married in a state that has legalized same-sex marriage, my marriage would be valid in both DC and NY (where my partner and I live)--if we walk down the street holding hands no one even notices, but I have to remember that that is not the norm.

While the topic, for many, will forever remain taboo I hope in the coming year(s) we can continue to see positive changes, both legally and socially. Recently there have been a host of articles published on the topic. Last weekends New York Times Magazine ran this as its cover article: Coming Out in Middle School--an article that I thought was very enlightening and gives me hope for the next generation. I see positive steps being taken across the country and can only hope, that with time and more education, others will begin to realize that we are not so different from them--we want to be married, have a family, and a normal life, just like our heterosexual counterparts. And in the end we will have equal rights for all. Until then, I will continue to be active in the LGBT community, be vocal about these issues that directly affect my life, and push others to think differently.

This past weekend I celebrated the Jewish New Year of Rosh Hashanna, in DC with my family. On the bus ride from New York to DC (bolt bus is amazing) I ended up sitting next to a friends-friends little sister who was headed home for the holiday as well. Hillary, a sophomore at NYU, is currently living in NYU apartment style dorms with three other similarly religious Jewish students. Even though they all keep kosher and belong to the same movement of Judaism, what three weeks of living together has taught them is that they have varying degrees of observance and ideas about what it means to be Jewish. My conversation with Hillary got me thinking a lot about beliefs and religion.

When you grow up in a religious home, any religion--Jewish or otherwise, you tend to learn and take on the habits and rituals of your family. Not that there is anything wrong with this, in fact this is exactly how traditions and religion is generally passed down, in the home. That being said, what stuck with me from my conversation with Hillary was the idea that if you grow up in a very insular society, you often times end up doing things out of habit rather than understanding why it is you something in the first place.

For example, many Jew's keep kosher, however what it means to keep kosher can vary greatly from person to person. Where I grew up in Arizona we had very little options in terms of kosher foods and restaurants but to someone who grew up in New York or in Israel they would be much more versed in the many different hechsher's (A hechsher is "kosher approval" stamp; it is the special certification marking found on the packages of products (usually foods) that have been certified as kosher by different Rabbinical associations). For one of Hillary's roommates, only specific hechsher's are "kosher enough" for her, causing quite a furry of frustration within their suite. Because Hillary came from such an insular community, she feels like the way that she knows how to practice her Judaism is the only 'real' way that there is. This got me thinking about what religious and spirituality means to different people. For Hillary, her roommates way of being Jewish is seen as being closed minded--like she is doing things just because it is what she knows and not thinking about why it is she keeps kosher in the first place.

After my bus ride and conversation with Hillary, I attended my own families Rosh Hashanna dinner and went to services with cousins. For me, the way I connect with my Judaism isn't by observing every law in the book or even by going to services all the time. What being Jewish means to me is about celebrating holidays, observing traditions that have been passed down for generations, hearing the stories, becoming a good person, and one of the biggest things of course is the emphasis placed on family.

As I revisit Judaism over the coming weeks in celebration of the Jewish High Holidays, I am also beginning to think about what it is about Judaism that I hope to one day pass along to my family. For me, it is the Jewish traditions and rituals that are so important to me--the family shabbat dinners, celebrating the holidays, and recounting the stories of my people that make me feel Jewish, not keeping kosher or attending services on a weekly basis. Does that mean I am not "kosher" enough to some? Maybe, but what I love about religion is that it is supposed to be individual--each person can have their own brand or type that works for them. Over the coming months, I will begin to explore my Judaism along side my girlfriend, Whitney, who with the New Year of 5770, has started on her path of becoming a Jew. I am confident that with her I will revisit many different aspects of the Jewish faith that I have long forgotten since my days of Hebrew School. I'm hoping together we will find our own 'brand' of Judaism. I'm sure I will learn a lot from this process and I hope we find the right mix of tradition and rituals that will work for us.

Until next time I wish you all a Shana Tova a Good New Year and encourage you all to think about what religion and spirituality means to you in  2009.

 

As I type this from a computer lab within the monstrosity that is Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) I catch myself thinking about what it means to go back to school. I have now begun my 18th year of school (counting from grade 1 all the way until now) so returning to campus and classes is something that never gets old and feels in a way homey and familiar. Everyone is filled with excitement to see friends after the summer, the crisp blank pages in my new notebooks, reading the syllabus for my classes and getting excited for what is to come (not thinking about the hours in the library, the papers, or the exams) and settling back into life as a grad student.

Since I am beginning my second and last year in my master's program I have become a mentor to the incoming first year students. As I watch them flutter around campus, nervous and excited all at the same time I realize it was just one year ago that I was in their shoes. The span of one year doesn't seem like much time, but I feel like when that year is spent as a student you will inevitably grow and learn tremendously--much more than at other points during your life. For me, I am sure that although I am still in the same jeans and sweatshirt, I have grown and changed greatly since I arrived on campus last year. 

Watching the newbies hyperventilate and freak out about anything and everything in some ways put me at ease. While I have assured all of my mentees in a few short months all of this will seem like a distant memory as they will find their way, easily navigate around campus and feel comfortable in classes, I find that I am in fact still comforting myself. While I am excited about my classes (with the exception of my language requirement that makes me want to jump out of the window), I still know what lies ahead--Endless hours of reading, countless highlighters, late night study groups, quick naps in the library, writers block, writing, free food and beer (perks of being in grad school is that everyone is over 21), buying books, printing thousands of pages of reading (thus feeling bad about killing trees), cramming for exams, and obviously exhaustion. Still, I realize that in just a few years my friends and I will look back on all of these moments as "the good old days." I realize that despite the sleep deprivation and sore eyes from never-ending reading, it is these years, like my time at Simmons as an udnergrad that will forever remain as some of the best times of my life.

With that in mind I am trying to get into the mindset of adjusting to being back in school and being back in New York. Since I have many of my requirements out of the way I hope to enjoy being in the city a bit more than I did last year and have vowed to spend less time in the library. Who knows what mischievous fun and adventures lie ahead but I know I am excited to embark on my year and am glad to bring all of you along for the ride. Until next time I will leave you with this..." Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself." ~ John Dewey

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