The response to our recent recruitment for Mentors and Mentees was very positive.  As a result, nineteen mentor/mentee pairs ( sixteen new pairs and three returning from last year ) were matched for the 2009 -10 Mentoring Program, which officially launched with a half-day workshop on November 16th.  Congratulations and good luck to all of the participants!

The Mentoring Pairs from last year will enjoy a Celebration Lunch on December 3rd. This will commemorate the completion of their formal mentoring relationship. We hope everyone has had a great experience.

The Diversity Team sponsored two events over the summer. In August, nearly a hundred hungry FM, SM and Treasury employees crowded into the Ethnic Cultural Center's  Black Room for the Taste of Diversity, bringing with them dishes, treats and snacks from cuisines around the world. Dishes ranged from lumpia, curries (seafood, and tofu), king salmon dip, ratatouille, fried rice with shrimp and barbecued pork, an entire Ethiopian feast including seasoned split sauce, red lentils, vegetables and lamb, as well as freshly-made sushi, and sausages grilled on site. Those with a sweet tooth were in luck. Desserts galore were offered on the tables -including chocolate oblaten, Nigerian buns, zucchini bread, English tea cookies and baklava.

In September, folks gathered again, this time across the street at the Ethnic Cultural Theatre for a talent show. Randy Abaya served as MC in a suit jacket and jazzy yellow kicks, introducing an amazing group of performers. First were Kari Le and her brother Thanh Le on guitar, dressed in national garb and singing a Vietnamese folk song. Then Kari and Minh-Tam Nguyen performed a dance number to an energetic Vietnamese pop song. Barbara Hill and Cass Seely performed several classical numbers on violin and piano. Kathryn Harrington, Dawn Lake and John Whitney were next with soulful songs punctuated with harmonica and tambourine. Younger performers graced the stage when Michael DeShazo’s sons criss-crossed the floor with lively breakdancing moves, and later daughter Kenzie sang a duet with Michael.  Ann Anderson wowed everyone with her piano expertise (and her red shoes), and Brett Mulholland wrapped up the show with several guitar and vocal performances, including a song he wrote in high school.

Many thanks from the Diversity Team to all who participated and attended these events

Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen, and a push in the right direction.

John Crosby

We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give. Winston Churchill Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.

Mother Teresa

You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

Maya Angelou

The unselfish effort to bring cheer to others will be the beginning of a happier life for ourselves.

Helen Keller

In every art beginners must start with models of those who have practiced the same art before them. And it is not only a matter of looking at the drawings, paintings, musical compositions, and poems that have been and are being created; it is a matter of being drawn into the individual work of art, of realizing that it has been made by a real human being, and trying to discover the secret of its creation.

Ruth Whitman

A lot of people have gone further than they thought they could because someone else thought they could.

Unknown

Delicious Lumpia Shanghai

• 2lbs of ground pork or beef
• 1 package of lumpia (eggroll) wraps
• 2 minced cloves of garlic
• ¼ cup minced onions
• ½ teaspoon of salt.
• 1 teaspoon of pepper
• ¼ cup of soy sauce
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch, ¼ cup of warm water

Prep work

Mix ground meat, minced garlic, minced onions, salt, pepper, soy sauce and egg together in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, mix the cornstarch in a ¼ cup of warm water.  This will serve as the glue for the lumpia and prevent them from falling apart.

Cut lumpia wraps in half to double amount. To prevent lumpia wraps from drying out, do not take them out of the package until you are ready to wrap.

Place the lumpia wrap on flat surface for rolling.

You want to place the meat in the shape of a snake at one end of the wrap.  Put as much meat as you want into the wrap to achieve desired thickness.

Begin rolling lumpia and leave about 1cm on the end to apply the cornstarch/water mixture.  Apply the cornstarch/water mixture to the end that’s left and the close the lumpia completely.  Make sure the wrap is very tight.

Repeat process until ingredients are finished. 

Cooking

Cook lumpia in a deep fryer or a frying pan.  Use enough oil to cover lumpia while cooking.  Fry lumpia until they golden brown.  You can either use vegetable or peanut oil.

Lumpia Shanghai is a great appetizer and is easy to make.  It can be served plain or served with any sauce you like.

Recipe by Randy Abaya and photo courtesy of edelalon.com 
 

October 4, 1957 - The Space Age began as the Soviets launched the first satellite into orbit. Sputnik I weighed just 184 lbs. and transmitted a beeping radio signal for 21 days. The Soviet accomplishment sent a shockwave through the American political leadership resulting in U.S. efforts to be the first on the moon.

Birthday-October 9th - John Lennon (1940-1980) was born in Liverpool, England. He was a member of The Beatles, an influential rock group which captivated audiences first in England and Germany, and later in America and throughout the world.

October 28, 1886 - The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on Bedloe's Island in New York Harbor. The statue was a gift from the people of France commemorating the French-American alliance during the American Revolutionary War. Designed by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, the entire structure stands 300 feet (92.9 meters) tall. The pedestal contains the words, "...Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

 ***

November 7, 1990 - Mary Robinson became Ireland's first female president.

November 9, 1989 - The Berlin Wall was opened after standing for 28 years as a symbol of the Cold War. The 27.9 mile wall had been constructed in 1961.

November 24, 1859 - Charles Darwin's book On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection was first published, theorizing that all the living creatures descended from a common ancestor.

***

December 1, 1955 - The birth of the modern American civil rights movement occurred as Rosa Parks was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, for refusing to give up her seat to a white man and move to the back section of a municipal bus. Her arrest resulted in a year-long boycott of the city bus system by African Americans and led to legal actions ending racial segregation on municipal buses throughout the South.

December 3, 1967 - The first successful heart transplant was performed by Dr. Christiaan Barnard at Cape Town, South African, on Louis Washkansky, who lived for 18 days.

December 6, 1865 - The Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, abolishing slavery in the U.S.

On Campus

Education for Diversity in a Global Society
Fricay October 30 from 9:00AM - 5:00PM in the Husky Union Building (HUB)

This regional conference is being held to launch "The Routledge International Companion to Multicultural Education", to celebrate the culmination of this two year project and to disseminate the results of this project. "The Routledge International Companion to Multicultural Education" is the first authoritative reference work to provide a comprehensive international description and analysis of multicultural education from many nations, including the United states, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Norway, Indonesia, Brazil, and Mexico. The volume consists of 40 newly commissioned chapters written by a prestigious groups of internationally known scholars.
Details: http://education.washington.edu/cme/

Crossroads of Asian Music and Poetry: China and Inner Asia/China and Southeast Asia 
Friday, October 30, 2009 7:30 PM at Brechemin Auditorium

Crossroads of Asian Cultures puts the musical and poetic interactions between Chinese and neighboring cultures on vivid display. On Friday evening, we are proud to present a concert, Music from Asia’s Crossroads, featuring musical performances from Chi Li (erhu, Chinese two-string fiddle), Hsin-chun Tasaw Lu (Burmese mandolin), Peter Marsh (Mongolian horse-head fiddle), and Helen Rees (dizi and xiao, Chinese flutes).
Details: http://jsis.artsci.washington.edu/events/

Complexions 
Thursday, November 12, 2009 through Sat, November 14, 2009 8-10 PM at Meany Hall for the Performing Arts

Founded by Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson (two powerhouse alumni from the Alvin Ailey Dance Company), Complexions has lit up the dance scene with its innovative and envelope-pushing creativity. Drawing inspiration from point to pop and using a variety of music and media, the choreographers create dance works that reflect their passions for diversity, multiculturalism, and the exploration of the human condition. Join us for their UW World Series debut.
Details: http://www.uwworldseries.org/artists.cfm?page=complexions

World AIDS Day Lecture with Dr. Grace John-Stewart 
Tuesday, December 1, 2009 1:30 - 3:00 PM at Hogness Auditorium, Health Science Building Room A-420

Joint lecture between School of Medicine and School of Public Health.
Details: http://sph.washington.edu/cal/event.asp?content_ID=2344

Freedom on the Fence
Thursday, December 3, 2009 7:00 PM at Kane Hall 110

Presentation and screening by producer/director Andrea Marks of Oregon State University. "Freedom on the Fence" is a documentary project about the history of Polish posters and their significance to the social, political and cultural life of Poland. Examining the period from WWII through the fall of Communism, "Freedom on the Fence" captures the paradox of how this unique art form flourished within a Communist regime.
Details: http://depts.washington.edu/uwch/calendar.php?d=28&m=12&y=2009#top or contact slavicll@u.washington.edu

Off Campus

Dia de Muertos: A Mexican Remembrance
Saturday and Sunday October 31 - November 1, 2009 at the Seattle Center House

Celebrating life through death and the communion where the spiritual comes close to the world, the Dia de Muertos or "Day of the Dead" festival helps us to remember that nothing is eternal. Indigenous and Spanish roots intertwine in traditional community altars, sugar skulls, sand painting, special foods, candles, processions, music and dance. Renowned artists create artwork reflecting the Mexican cultural links between the living and the dead. This event highlights the life-affirming creativeness of the Mexican people with crafts and a procession to remember lost loved ones. Presented by Taller Mexicano para la Cultura y las Artes.
Details:  http://www.tallermexicano.org

The Bush School's third annual Diversity Speaker Series 
Tuesday, October 20 from 7-9PM at The Bush School: New Gym, with additional events through 2010

Salome Thomas-El opens The Bush School's third annual Diversity Speaker Series with I Choose to Stay: A Teacher’s Fight for America’s Inner-City Schools, a moving and hopeful account of his story as a nationally acclaimed teacher and eight-time championship chess coach at Vaux Middle School. Free and open to the public, the talk takes place on. Each year, The Bush School's Diversity Speaker Series invites nationally recognized speakers to engage Bush families, students, faculty, staff, alumnae/i, and the greater Seattle community in conversations about privilege and diversity. For more information, please visit www.bush.edu/diversity, or contact Dr. Eddie Moore, Jr., Director of Diversity, at eddie.moorejr@bush.edu or 206-326-7731.

Details: http://www.bush.edu/ourschool/diversity.asp 

No Boundaries
Thursday, November 12, 2009 from 6-9PM at the Seattle Center House Harrison Street Gallery, 305 Harrison St., Seattle

Please join us for the Opening Reception and Awards Ceremony for our 2009/2010 No Boundaries Art Exhibit, titled, “Transcendence”. Click:  NB 09 Formal Invitation Electronicto see the full invitation as a pdf.  Please RSVP to 206-443-1843 or rsvp@creativeactivities.org by November 9th.

Details: http://www.creativeactivities.org/news/no-boundaries-opening-reception-a...

Winter Worldfest Weekend
Friday, November 27, 2009 through December 31 at Seattle Center

Winferfest's cultural fest features great ethnic entertainment. Re-imagine the spirit of the season at Seattle Center Winterfest. The 74-acre Seattle Center campus, illuminated in thousands of twinkling lights, sets the scene for five weeks of free and affordable, fun-filled activities and entertainment, Nov. 27 – Dec. 31. Winter Train and Village returns, along with the region’s best music and comedy, jazz and dance, ice sculpting, ice skating and fireside sing-alongs.

Details: http://www.seattlecenter.com/programs/detail.asp?EV_EventNum=24

American Heritage Series: From Pioneers to Mayors - Blacks in the West
Thursday, December 3, 2009 at 7pm at the Northwest African American Museum 2300 S Massachusetts St, Seattle, WA
Other events sponsored by Central District Forum for Arts and Ideas throughout 2010

The CD Forum celebrates its 10th Anniversary Season by honoring our past and looking to our future. Too often, the Black experience in America is limited to the North and South, but the Black West is the frontier of a unique history. Join the CD Forum as we explore Blacks in the West with our American Heritage Series.
Details: http://www.cdforum.org/?cat=21

Friendly and courteous, with a winsome smile on his face, Mesfin E. Moreda works as a Fiscal Technician 3 in Accounts Payable.  He also serves as treasurer on the 2009 Diversity Team.

Mesfin was born in the small city of Welliso, 90 kilometers from Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia.  Most of his family still live in Ethiopia where families tend to be large (he has four sisters and three brothers) and they are very supportive of each other.  Mesfin is tri-lingual:  he speaks Amaharic, the national language of Ethiopia, Oromigna, his ethnic language, and English.

In 1996, he earned a 2-year diploma in Purchasing and Supplies Management from Addis Ababa Commercial College.  In 1997, he started working for Ethiopian Airlines, first as an Inventory Controller, and then after taking aviation and pilot training classes, joined flight operations as a Senior Flight Control Agent for six years.  During this time, he also attended evening classes at Addis Ababa University toward earning a degree in business.  Upon moving to Seattle, he attended Shoreline Community College and North Seattle Community College and earned an Associate of Arts Degree in Accounting.  He hopes to continue his education and become a licensed CPA.

Mesfin and his wife, Helen Assefa, were married in October 2003.  His cousin and best friend were both living in Seattle, so in June 2004 he decided to move to the United States to pursue better opportunities.  One younger sister, Tigist E. Moreda, came with him, but Visa problems kept his wife from joining him in the United States for 3 years!

Mesfin has a eight-month old son, Naol Mesfin Ejigu.  Children take the grandfather’s name as their last name and the father’s name as their middle name.  His son will be raised bi-lingual.

Mesfin’s recent claim to fame was at the Taste of Diversity in the Ethnic Cultural Center on August 25th where he presented an Ethiopian "feast", including seasoned split sauce, red lentil sauce, vegetables, fried lamb and beef sauce, served in a wrapper of flat, very thin bread known as “Enjera.”  Mesfin learned to cook when he lived by himself and his favorite food is vegetables, especially cabbage.  Ingredients for Ethiopian dishes can be purchased locally at Ethiopian grocery stores.  Members of the Diversity Team are hoping to get a copy of his recipes and share them in a future newsletter!