sharonksobotta

Undocumented Community Members Come Out of the Shadows in Oakland

March is National Coming Out of the Shadows Month, a designated time for undocumented youth and their families to declare themselves as undocumented and unafraid. The tradition began in 2010 in Chicago when undocumented youth spoke out publicly about their status, and has now become a national tradition that is acknowledged in cities throughout the country. On March 10, 2013 the East Bay Youth Immigrant Coaltion hosted Oakland's first ever Coming Out of the Shadow's event.

Inn Serendipity--Living a sustainable life

Ross Mirkarimi Hearing

Sikh Community Unites

Parents, Teachers and Students say 'No' to School Closings

Parents, children, teachers and community members are saying 'No' to the closing of schools in Oakland by 'sitting in' at Lakeview Elementary school.

Robert Slaughter shares stake in the Occupy movement

Thousands of college students occupied UC campuses and campuses throughout the country to make a statement about keeping education an affordable and obtainable entity for all. SMC Senior Robert Slaughter was one of many arrested from the Berkeley campus while peacefully protesting. In this interview, Slaughter shares what he gained from the experience and what his stake in the "Occupy" movement is.

Be your own advocate!

Be your own advocate. Imagine the life that you want, put a lot of energy into making that happen, but always leave room for miracles. After getting diagnosed with incurable stage four cancer, Kris Carr took matters into her own hands. She moved out of the city, went back to school to study nutrition, changed her diet and lifestyle, and started a website called crazysexylife.com. Kris says the biggest killer on the planet is stress. She says stress is caused not just by our work environments, morning rush hour, and disgruntled family members, but also by the food we put into our bodies. She learned that there are no shortcuts to health. "I have a very rare sarcoma. Cancer basically changed my life and made my life a better journey. What I've been doing through my website, crazysexylife.com, is basically helping other people overcome obstacles--whether its cancer, depression, or crazy sexy divorce. I think that whenever we hit our tipping point, it's a sign. We can go one way or the other. I think I chose the right way, which was basically to go back to the basics and learn how to take care of myself and really take care of myself and not be a weekend warrior about it. No one is going to give you permission to live. That permission is your birthright, and so if you can’t stand up for yourself, make it your New Year’s Resolution starting today (regardless which month and day it is when you read or listen to this) is to start doing it now. There is no time to waste. We come here alone, we leave here alone, and everything else is just delicious in between, so make it good. BC (Before Cancer) I was an actress and a photographer living in the City. I was burning the candle at both ends. I lived on fast food and pre-packaged things. Anything that was good ‘to go,’ preferably with a Martini, was perfect. When I was diagnosed and found out there was no treatment, I left the City, I moved to Hippyville, also known as Woodstock. I moved to a house in the mountains. I started living the life that I said I was going to live much later. And then I went on a huge journey around the country for different integrative modalities that might help me. I made a film about it for TLC called Crazy Sexy Cancer. That was the beginning of cancer really being a teacher to me. Prior to that, I was a closet journaler, but I didn't think I had what it took to be a writer. Once I was diagnosed with cancer and I could face that, writing, making a film and trying new things seemed pretty easy. What did I have to lose? Absolutely nothing. When I heard the phrase, the rhythm of change, the first thing I thought of was energy. I think it's important to leave room for miracles. When you start to make changes in your life, the energy really shifts. It brings about unexpected beauty and peace that really connects you to your spirit." Kris Carr, Founder of Crazy, Sexy, Life

Star Jones

Star Jones is an attorney by trade and a vibrant television personality by practice. She caught the attention of Americans for her no-nonesence approach as a co-host on the View, and today she is a legal correspondent for NBC. When Star encountered some major health issues and had to undergo heart surgery, she reassessed life and got back on her feet by writing and narrating a novel. I encountered Star at an Audiobook Authors' Tea. I was exhausted that afternoon and contemplated leaving early. But, I had always been intrigued by Star's courage and candor and decided it would be a loss not ask a question. I asked a version of my signature question--What is the most important lesson that you've learned on your journey? Although the question was personal, she answered with her usual candor, courage and honesty. "For the majority of my life--from the time I was twenty-years-old until I was forty-one, I was morbidly obese. At my heaviest, on the day that I had weight-loss surgery, I was 307 pounds. I was in the very unique position of having started in television at 220 pounds and then the audience watched me gain seventy-five pounds in front of their face, and then watched me lose 160 pounds over the course of two years. It was an emotional up and down. I gained a lot of problems with the seventy-five pounds and then I lost an entire human being when I lost the 160 pounds. I don't think that I fully appreciated the emotional toll it would take on me. I had to actually accept my shortcomings, accept that somebody who was supposed to be so smart, allowed her health to get so out of control that she needed to have an intervention. I finally got control of my guilt with therapy, because it actually did require someone to sort of say, 'Shut up Star. Get over it!,' Once I got control of my guilt and forgave myself, I started to live again and like life. When I got diagnosed with heart disease, which by the way is the number one killer of all Americans, I said I could curl up in a bed and put covers over my head or I could sort of laugh at the soap opera parts of my life and share them. I thought other women would find joy and sadness and laughter and all of the emotions that I felt, so I wrote Satan Sisters. It is a fun, trashy, featurey novel and if you're recovering from anything, it'll make you laugh and that's what I wanted to do."

In wine, truth

The voice and story of John Patrick Gill, wine maker and Tenba Ridge Winery Owner.

Malalai Joya

"An eye for an eye makes the world blind." This is a snippet of an interview with Feminist Anti-War Afghani Activist Malalai Joya from April, 2011.