{"id":2967,"date":"2015-08-08T15:02:08","date_gmt":"2015-08-08T22:02:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.unitedforcommunityradio.org\/?p=2967"},"modified":"2015-08-28T21:46:10","modified_gmt":"2015-08-29T04:46:10","slug":"2967","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.unitedforcommunityradio.org\/?p=2967","title":{"rendered":"Marilla Arg\u00fcelles"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Marilla<\/a>

Marilla Arg\u00fcelles<\/p><\/div>\n

Former President of home care workers\u2019 chapter, SEIU, Local 616, editor of \u201cExtracts from Pelican Bay,<\/a>\u201d former KPFA Labor Collective member.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

I, Marilla Arg\u00fcelles, have developed, provided, and advocated 30 years for services to those facing trauma, deprivation, and stigma. I welcome the idea of serving KPFA because it\u2019s given me my best teachers and allies. Everyday its programming helps me as an artist and teacher to battle bureaucratic obtuseness and lack of funds with creativity and Socratic obstinacy.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0 I am well aware of the frustration, waste and expense that accompany litigious solutions. In 1983 Barbara Lubin and I co-founded Project PLAE, Play and Learning in Adapted Environment, the East Bay\u2019s first physically integrated, children\u2019s recreation program.\u00a0 It became a model for programs ranging from Palestine to Siberia.\u00a0 During the three years that Berkeley Unified School District<\/a> sued our family for insisting on a language-based, local education for our son, every Berkeley Special Education student under 12 was referred to its summer sessions. (Our son became the first wheelchair user to attend Berkeley High School.)<\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a>

Photo by Kiren Koehl, from Tages Zietung<\/p><\/div>\n

\u2022 In 1984 I founded Consensus, California\u2019s first nonprofit head injury program to receive Adult Ed funding.\u00a0 As Community Colleges became more inclusive, our focus morphed into media education projects at underachieving high schools.\u00a0 These differed radically from other digital storytelling programs because it taught students to look for the root causes of social problems, rather than to focus on personal histories of injustice as isolated instances of cruel fate or bad luck.<\/p>\n

Students-created Powerpoint presentations on child slavery (BitterSweets: The Dark Side of the Chocolate Trade<\/a>), criminal injustice, agribusiness, and With or Against Us: The U.S. Patriot Act). They presented these for community service credits to Union meetings, church groups, adult education classes and public library community forums.<\/p>\n

\u2022 In 1993 a Flashpoints\u2019 interview led me to the California Prison Focus<\/a>, where Bato Talamantez graciously allowed me to edit letters from the SHU at Pelican Bay into an unauthorized (underground) anthology lauded by Adrienne Rich, Carlos Mu\u00f1oz, June Jordan, and the BBC.<\/p>\n

Since then I\u2019ve spent equal time and heartache serving on Union Contract Negotiations and Executive Boards. As a current member of ULTCW, United For Long Term Care Workers<\/a> and former president of SEIU 616\u2019s chapter for In-Home Support Service providers, I\u2019m keenly aware of the need for fiscal vigilance, transparency, and resilience. And for the need of unions to work cooperatively with local grassroots efforts on campaigns such as the Fight For $15<\/a>, MediCare For All<\/a>, and CoalFreeOakland<\/a>. KPFA and other Pacifica stations have long supported teachers\u2019 unions, it\u2019s time to empower PTA parents at the local level by hosting events focused on examining the impact of deregulation and international corporate interests on local budgets and cuts.<\/p>\n

I pledge to work to replace corporate obsessions of profit, growth, and technology with local democratic economies geared towards Justice and Survival. I\u2019m endorsed by the UnitedforCommunityRadio slate and by Barbara Lubin, Michael Parenti, and Judith Ehrlich.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Official Q. & A.<\/h2>\n
1.\u00a0 In what ways are the station moving in a positive direction, that you would want to continue or perhaps improve?<\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
KPFA (particularly Dennis Bernstein) does an excellent job fulfilling Sections (d) of the Mission Statement: \u201cobtain[ing] access to sources of news not commonly brought together in the same medium,\u201d by \"Guns<\/a>exposing the craven manipulation of news by main stream media. I\u2019ve learned far more from Letters and Politics,<\/a> Project Censored,<\/a> Guns and Butter,<\/a> Uprising,<\/a> HardKnockRadio,<\/a> and Against The Grain<\/a> about history, politics, and economics than I did at The University of Chicago<\/a> despite majoring in history.\u00a0 They\u2019re certainly better at explaining \u201cthe causes of religious, philosophical and racial antagonisms\u201d (growing up in Tennessee, always considered immutable and inevitable).\u00a0 I\u2019m indebted to KPFA for Joy De Gruy-Leary<\/a>, Tim Wise<\/a>, and others analysts of white privilege, and pleased that a more racially, age-diverse audience now attends the speaker series. Pacifica Archives<\/a>\u2019\/KPFA\u2019s Adopt a School Library day is a brilliant collaboration.<\/div>\n
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2.\u00a0 In what ways are the station moving in a negative direction, that you would want to stop or change? What changes would you work for?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Except for speaker series, KPFA apparently lacks a coordinated plan to involve Berkeley\u2019s 30,000+ college students \u2013 most have never heard of KPFA.\u00a0 Several UC professors have created \u201cCourse Threads\u201d and \u201cBig Ideas Courses\u201d that synthesize knowledge from different disciplines to promote nuanced understanding of an important topic.\u00a0 Could apprentice staff broadcast these regularly?\u00a0 We need to support Social Action Committees of local Faith Based Congregations.\u00a0 They\u2019d probably welcome guest speakers with information about the Archives, especially if Archives were cataloged by topic. (Robert Reich recently joined with MoveOn to promote 300+ small house party Teach-Ins featuring 12 different 3-minute videos on ways to Save the Economy. Many filled within days.)<\/div>\n
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\"Richmond<\/a>

Richmond public housing residents at a crowded discussion called by Richmond Alliance’s then Mayor Gayle McLaughlin.<\/p><\/div>\n

We need a daily half hour early morning labor show with Andres Soto and\/or Steve Zeltzer covering issues and actions like The Richmond Alliance<\/a>. Volunteers could staff KPFA information booths at Farmers\u2019 Markets.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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 <\/p>\n

3.\u00a0 What key experience, connections, skills or traits would you bring to the Local Station Board to advance the station’s mission?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
Our son\u2019s stays in ICUs staffed by physicians and technicians dangerously ignorant about nutrition, health alternatives, and environmental dangers force us to tread carefully when challenging privilege and authority.\u00a0 It\u2019s vital to distinguish between genuinely held beliefs, arbitrary decisions, and assumptions.\u00a0 Layna Berman<\/a> taught us to challenge \u201cimpossible\u201d odds, health systems, and environmental dangers (saving our son\u2019s life twice without meeting him).<\/div>\n
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Serving as unpaid founder\/director of a nonprofit for brain injured, learning disabled individuals honed my skills for grant writing, collaborating, and creating programs that stress inclusion. Providing homecare for 37 years has taught me how low wage workers must organize.\u00a0\u00a0 Steve Zeltzer <\/a>and the Labor Collective generously coached me in producing shows on pesticides and farm workers, Sami Al-Arian, unorganized labor and unions, so I know something about production and editing.\u00a0 I listen carefully, have a rather photographic memory, and can be a stickler for detail (mixed blessing\/curse).<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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 <\/p>\n

4. What ideas do you have for helping the station and the Pacifica Foundation meet the financial challenges currently being faced?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
Pacifica\u2019s Mission Statement Section (c) urges us \u201cto establish awards and scholarships for creative writing, and to promote and aid other creative activities that serve the cultural welfare of the community.\u201d My husband is a widely published poet. I\u2019m an artist and writer. We\u2019ve never heard this goal mentioned on air. Many of KPFA\u2019s more affluent members\/listeners would support such efforts, particularly if encouraged to fund them at their former schools, clubs, and houses of worship, and acknowledged as co-sponsors. (more fun and influential than your name on a plaque.) Pacifica\u2019s Archives could be the source of reference materials for topics of competitions.<\/div>\n
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Winners of awards and scholarships could be invited to submit and\/or perform productions at workshops (\u201cMini-Oscar\u201d events), producing further revenue from the general public. If KPFA (especially HardKnockRadio) publicized BUSKERS ON BART (transient performers from youth programs) it could win hearts, minds, and donations.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Former President of home care workers\u2019 chapter, SEIU, Local 616, editor of \u201cExtracts from Pelican Bay,\u201d former KPFA Labor Collective member. I, Marilla Arg\u00fcelles, have developed, provided, and advocated 30 years for services to those facing trauma, deprivation, and stigma. … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sfsi_plus_gutenberg_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_show_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_type":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_alignemt":"","sfsi_plus_gutenburg_max_per_row":"","_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[492,534,498,494,490,491,489,500,100,499,495,179,493,496,497,162],"class_list":["post-2967","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-basic-information","tag-against-the-grain","tag-arguelles","tag-bittersweets-the-dark-side-of-the-chocolate-trade","tag-california-prison-focus","tag-guns-and-butter","tag-hardknockradio","tag-letters-and-politics","tag-play-and-learning-in-adapted-environment","tag-project-censored","tag-project-plae","tag-seiu-616-chapter-for-in-home-support-service","tag-steve-zeltzer","tag-the-richmond-alliance","tag-ultcw","tag-united-for-long-term-care-workers","tag-uprising"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.unitedforcommunityradio.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2967","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.unitedforcommunityradio.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.unitedforcommunityradio.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.unitedforcommunityradio.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.unitedforcommunityradio.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2967"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"http:\/\/www.unitedforcommunityradio.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2967\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3314,"href":"http:\/\/www.unitedforcommunityradio.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2967\/revisions\/3314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.unitedforcommunityradio.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2967"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.unitedforcommunityradio.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2967"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.unitedforcommunityradio.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2967"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}