The Rotary Club of Kirkland held its regular weekly meeting online on August 24, 2020.
Attending were James Nevers, Dave Aubry, Darcia Tudor, Gary Cohn, Dan Bartel, Joanne Primavera, John Woodbery, Terry Cole, Amy Mutal, Rich Bergdahl, Rick Walter, John Pruitt, Rick Ostrander, Margie Glenn,George Anderson, Brandon Honcoop, Monica Fratita, Kristin Olson, Patti Smith, Steve Shinstrom, Scott Becker, and Bill Taylor. Let me know if I missed anyone.
President James Nevers rang the bell at 6:16 p.m.
Scott Becker recited the Pledge of Allegiance, while the rest of us stood, mostly mute, in order to avoid ‘out-of-sync-problems’ with our audio.
Guest: Cherese Bourgoin, who is considering applying for membership in our Club. She owns Bella Sirena beauty salon here in Kirkland. She is also considering getting involved in local politics and local community service.
At 6:23 p.m. we had short breakout sessions to discuss members whom we have not seen at our virtual meetings recently. How can we keep everyone engaged? Discussed expanding our member pool – perhaps by holding hybrid meetings by having some people actually come together and then share that online.
We then did Happy Dollars, with several happy members.
At 6:42 p.m. our speaker, Paula Clements, spoke about the Native American experience. She is a diversity and inclusion trainer and Victim Advocate with the King County Prosecutor’s Office. Darcia Tudor once again acted as facilitator and offered several insights during the program.
Ms. Clements noted that her experience is very specific to her. She is from Boston, MA, and grew up in a diverse neighborhood. She identified at that time as a Catholic-American, who learned to make marinara sauce. All her experiences shaped her growing-up and development experience. Real estate redevelopment shattered her community. At that point she began to develop cultural/racial identity. She went to college and got involved in community service. She came to the Northwest 40 years ago. She noted that the area has been changing quite a bit.
She learned about her background in bits and pieces; she has become filled with rage because the American population lacks a real knowledge of our past and who we are as a people. We do not understand the price paid by Native Americans. But she believes in the promise of this country – that we do what it takes to make corrections.
At this point, Darcia spoke about the song from “South Pacific” – that you have to be “carefully taught to hate and fear” people whom we perceive as different.
Ms. Clements said we have not done a good job of reconciling past sins with our current efforts to repair our society. Plus, efforts to do this are sometimes co-opted by white groups with different agendas. This destroys the intended message of the marginalized groups.
There were several questions from members:
How to address a Native American? That varies and is often a personal choice of the individual involved. When in doubt, ask!
Ms. Clements suggested that we learn about the peoples who lived here before Europeans came. Check out museums and cultural exhibits.
We adjourned at 7:21 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted
David Aubry - Acting Scribe