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Friday, May 26, 2006
Index to articles on this page:
• Tanya Aguilar: Immigration and the Latino Community: A
Personal Perspective
• Norman Kunkel's New Book: WWII Liberator's Life: AFS Ambulance
Driver Chooses Peace
• Georgie Kunkel - Grannies Have Plenty To Rage About
Friday, May 26, 2006
Immigration and the Latino Community: A Personal Perspective
 (This article was published in the Washington State Democratic Party Newsletter
in May 2006. It is reprinted here without permission!)
(Photo at right from an immigation rally. Click to enlarge it. Tanya is at the left end of the 34th District Democrats banner, wearing a baseball cap.) For a copy of this article in PDF format (134kb), click here.
This year, Republicans are using immigration as a wedge issue.
On April 10th and May 1st, hundreds of thousands of people across the country
filled the streets in peaceful rallies, fighting Republican efforts to needlessly
criminalize hard-working immigrants, many of whom pay taxes, serve in the armed forces,
volunteer in their communities, and fulfill other responsibilities that are a part of
citizenship.
Tanya Aguilar, vice chair of the 34th District Democrats and a Latina Mexican-American,
took part in both of these rallies. Because Republican immigration legislation primarily
targets the Latino community, this is a very personal issue for her. She says,
"They're contributing, and they’re not getting anything out of it… we need to stand
up for our community."
There was one moment at the April 10th rally in Seattle that was especially moving for
Tanya. "(Seattle Mayor Greg) Nickels gave me pride to be an American when he addressed
the crowd and said that all he saw were Americans standing before him," she said.
This statement gets to the heart of what our country is about. "This country was
built by immigrants...You can’t take away the identity of America."
Tanya took part in the Latino Vote Project in 2004, where she reached out to
Latino voters east of the mountains. "So many people were happy to be contacted," she said.
"It means so much for them to hear a friendly voice speaking their native language."
Inspired by her experiences with the Latino Vote Project, Tanya wanted to continue
those efforts with her local Democratic organization.
Tanya encouraged the 34th District Democrats to adopt the 15th District Democrats
as a sister district. The 15th District is in the heart of 4th Congressional District,
encompassing most of Yakima County and towns like Wapato, Toppenish and Sunnyside.
Members of the 34th District Democrats will work with the Latino Vote Project and the
15th District Democrats to help the 15th develop organizational infrastructure and prepare
for the unique challenges they face. Ivan Weiss, chair of the 34th, is excited to have
this sister district relationship, saying, "We've got a lot of potential to bang on a lot
of doors." The 34th is prepared to listen to the 15th and chair Wendell Hannigan, working
with them to figure out where their needs lie on their own terms. Tanya says, "If
we've got all these great volunteers, there’s no reason why we can't help out districts
that face such an uphill battle."
These efforts will have ripple effects. This kind of cross-district assistance can,
in Tanya’s own words, "build bridges between the Western side of the mountains and the
Eastern side of the mountains." We don’t have to settle for the east-west and
red-blue divide. Because of the partnership between the 15th and 34th, the 15th will
be better prepared to engage Democratic supporters in all the various communities in
their district.
If you want to get more involved in boosting voter turnout within the Latino community,
contact the Latino Vote Project. This year, Tania María Rosario is serving as director
of that program, and she is enthusiastic and very eager to hear from Democrats all across
the state. To contact her, please call (206) 352-3963 or e-mail her at
taniamaria@wa-democrats.org.
The work of Tanya Aguilar and the 34th District Democrats is a perfect
demonstration of how we can be stronger if we work together. We need to fight the
cynicism and decisiveness created by the Republicans. As Tanya says, "We can help
our community and live by the values that we preach as Democrats… I want my country back."
Saturday, April 1, 2006
Norman and Georgie Kunkel's New Book:
WWII Liberator's Life: AFS Ambulance Driver Chooses Peace
 This book by two long-time 34th District members will be available by April 1, 2006.
It all began when Norman C. Kunkel came west with his whole family,
joined up with a private ambulance corps during WWII, courted Georgie by mail
with letters creeping slowly across the ocean during the war
and ending with their marriage 60 years ago.
April 29th, 2006 will be the 60 wedding anniversary celebration at
High Point Community Center at 6920 34th S.W.
RSVP to gnkunkel@comcast.net or by calling 935-8663
Their Oprah Show appearance will be shown on the big screen at this event--
all five minutes of it!
Their book will be on display as well.
If Georgie is in good voice, she will sing the love song
she composed for their 50th celebration.
Friday, February 24, 2006
Grannies Have Plenty to Rage About
Georgie Bright Kunkel, Guest Columnist
A few years ago, I donned an outrageous hat and added lots of jewelry
and became one of the Raging Grannies of Seattle. I linked my voice
with the voices of many more grannies to sing out against war mongering
and the rape of the environment. We even sang a mammogram song urging
women to put up with the squishing of their mammary glands to get
a look at their "dark side." Then we sang parodies of the usual
holiday carols with messages about buying no more war toys and replacing
greed with the true spirit of the season.
Other times we sang about the obscene amounts of public money going
to build sports palaces for mostly male sports teams. We picketed
the marketer of athletic shoes made in countries with substandard
wages and working conditions. We also sang about the need for jobs
and adequate health care and adequate education for all --even preschool
children.
Oh, yes, we always sing about the overwhelming need to achieve
peace in the world.
I was drawn to this flamboyant group because it gave me the opportunity
to rage once more about issues that I had already raged about in
the '70s and '80s but without all the seriousness that I put into
my earlier activism. After all, if one stands on a street corner
and hands out pamphlets with a glum face, it doesn't have the same
impact as singing songs with an ironic bite while dressed in costumes
the viewer can hardly ignore. Our audience accepts our messages
in good humor and an attitude of "Go get 'em, Grannies!"
If you were over at the Trident base in Kitsap County during any
protests there or if you were downtown during any war protest marches,
you would have heard the Raging Grannies singing:
"Oh, we're a gaggle of grannies
Urging you off of your fannies
We're raising our voice
We're sick of your toys.
No More War!"
But we aren't just protesters. We sing for schools and many groups
that ask us to share our serious messages of peace and hope for
the world. The glue that holds us together is the dedication to
changing the world to make it more equitable for all the people
who live on the planet. And you're right. We aren't terrorists,
far from it.
We would all agree that humor and outrageousness do communicate.
They connect. I love it.
You are free to "steal" any of our parodies to sing at your favorite
group meetings.
Georgie Bright Kunkel of Seattle is a Raging Granny on sabbatical
but assists in publicity for the Raging Grannies. Check out the
group's Web site: www.Seattleraginggrannies.com
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