Sourdough and civics - starter and water edition

While government has many problems, it’s important to remember the essential work it does.  In the
United States, clean water has been a public health miracle.  In this blog and accompanying video (link below), I provide tips on sourdough and highlights on the history of clean water.  This is the first video I have made for this blog.  I would love feedback on the format and content, as well as help boosting it.   

Most of you know I am a maker who bakes, upcycles, sews and crochets. I have also spent decades working in nonprofits and government (and this blog does not represent the views of my employer, by the way).

I have been making sourdough bread for more than a decade. My starter is that old too. I store the starter in the fridge between baking and when it turns a bit black and separates, it’s time to feed it. If I am not planning on baking with it soon, I will discard about 80% of the old starter of what is here, then add ¼ cup all-purpose flour, ¼ cup whole wheat flour and ¼ cup water from the tap.

Because of efforts by government, I can safely use water from the tap. My regional water utility is St. Paul Regional Water Services.  The Board of Commissioners of the utility is comprised of St. Paul City Council members and people appointed by the St. Paul mayor and city councils of suburban communities who rely on the water services. According to SPRWS website, the utility provides about 450,000 people with 40 million gallons of clean water daily.

Safe and clean drinking water is a public health miracle.  A number of government agencies have made it possible.  According to the Centers for Disease Control, Jersey City New Jersey was the first town to disinfect its drinking water in 1908.  Many other cities followed suit leading to a dramatic decline in diseases such as typhoid and cholera. According to the CDC, in 1900, there were approximately 100 cases of typhoid fever per 100,000 in the United States.  By 2006, the incidence of typhoid fever had decreased to 0.1 cases per 100,000 people (only 353 cases) and the majority of people who acquired it, acquired it while traveling internationally.

Back to my starter now. After adding the two flours and water from the tap, I mix up the starter, put the lid on the container and put it back in the fridge. I can keep it in the fridge for a week or two before I need to feed it again. 

An exhausting and terrifying week for diversity and equity

It’s been a hard week for those who care about diversity and equity. I am scared and I am scared about even posting this blog.  But I can’t erase 30 years of my professional experience and values. We are at a critical juncture. If we don’t seek to understand what is actually happening and oppose it, people will be hurt and we will be well on the road to throwing out our democratic processes. Recently,  I have had several interactions in which people seem to be misunderstanding what the recent actions are, in addition to what DEIA is.  This post seeks to illuminate the issue.

In the past week, President Donald Trump has issued executive orders or taken other actions covering civil rights, diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility. Some fall within his authority while others do not under our current system of government/law.

On Trump’s first day of his second term, he issued an executive order entitled, “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI programs and preferences.” This order directs the “termination of all discriminatory programs, including illegal DEI and ‘diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility’ (DEIA) mandates, policies, programs, preferences, and activities in the Federal Government, under whatever name they appear.”   Trump has broad authority to set direction for the executive branch of the federal government, but the description of programs as illegal is questionable since programs to remedy discrimination have generally been acceptable under federal civil law for a long time.  

Unfortunately, emails have been sent to many federal workers encouraging them to report their co-workers working on DEIA, which is downright terrifying.  The Ending Radical order does not contain a mandate to nonprofits or corporations and these organizations should continue to publicly share their values supporting diversity efforts.  Laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act and related statutes that require government and other institutions to make their building and services more accessible to people with disabilities are still on the books.

Another executive order Trump issued ended affirmative action requirements for government contractors.  These requirements were established by President Lyndon Johnson in 1965 through Executive Order 11246 . In my home state of Minnesota, similar requirements are codified in state law. This represents a significant change to federal contracting. Most other remedies under federal and state civil rights laws are complaint based and this removes a tool encouraging business to take proactive steps to end discrimination. I am deeply disappointed in this, but Trump has the authority to end this program. However, non-discrimination laws like the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the ADA still stand.

I am personally troubled by Trump’s designation of Andrea Lucas as acting head of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. She has voiced concern about corporate DEI programs.  But again, given the lack of changes in the law, it is still an open question as far as I am concerned about whether corporations need to end these pre-emptively. Large corporations often have the capacity and resources to handle EEOC complaints and I am disturbed that many are capitulating ahead of time.  

I have also seen major mischaracterizations of what DEIA actually is and who it benefits. It encompasses both civil rights laws and more general education and actions to make sure organizations are serving everyone.   

When I worked at the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, disability discrimination was the most common basis for complaints.  We are all a car accident or a couple decades away from a disability. When it comes to physical accessibility, ramps help our grandparents who use walkers get into libraries. They also help people without physical disabilities like parents with strollers. Likewise, anti-discrimination protections based on race strengthen those protections for people with disabilities.

When I was a diversity coordinator at another state agency, I hosted or conducted learning opportunities for all staff. I organized sessions on veterans in the workplace, issues facing rural Minnesota, understanding one’s own culture, working across cultures, treaty rights, gender, gender identity and sexual orientation, ability/disability, and religious diversity.  We also addressed systemic oppression because it is simply our country’s history.  Black and Indigenous people have had their land, labor and culture taken and we need to acknowledge that honestly.  Many other groups have also not been afforded equal rights and opportunities. Through these learning sessions, we covered issues affecting a wide range of our employees and the people we served.

When it came to hiring, I have never encouraged anyone to hire people who weren’t qualified. I’ve been a manager – it’s not in my personal interest to hire unqualified staff because that is more work for me.  However, I did encourage reflection because studies demonstrate that when researchers test resumes with similar qualifications, Black people are still at a disadvantage.  When it comes to workplace accommodations for people with disabilities, many are simple.  In my experience, accommodations often include things like stools, lighting, written instructions and bigger computer monitors. C'mon people, really we can’t offer these accommodations to make it possible for more people to work effectively?

In our country’s history, there has often been a backlash to efforts to expand rights and opportunities for the marginalized.  DEIA has basically become a bugaboo. But when you understand it more deeply, you realize that DEIA benefits society as a whole.  Losing these efforts will harm us and it’s up to us to state our values and take a stand.

p.s.

I put this on my crafting blog, because I don’t have the energy to set up a new blog right now. Please do take care of yourself during these times. Upcycling a way that I keep sane.