Liberty Hill Blog: News from the Frontlines

Manuel Pastor Accepts Changemaker Award

Manuel Pastor accepts Liberty Hill's 2012 Changemaker Award at the 30th Anniversary Upton Sinclair Awards and Dinner at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

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Wendy Chang Accepts Founders Award

 

Wendy Chang accepts Liberty Hill's 2012 Upton Sinclair Award at the 30th Anniversary Upton Sinclair Awards and Dinner at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

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Dustin Lance Black Presents Paris Barclay with Liberty Hill's Upton Sinclair Award

Dustin Lance Black presents Liberty Hill's 2012 Upton Sinclair Award to Paris Barclay at the 30th Anniversary Upton Sinclair Awards and Dinner at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

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Best Online Auction Ever

As a companion event to Liberty Hill's 30th Anniversary Upton Sinclair Awards Dinner, we're proud to announce that Liberty Hill's 2012 Online Auction goes live at p.m. tonight, Wednesday, May 9. Even if you can't be with us at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, you can bid on celebrity experiences and memorabilia from Elton John, One Direction, Katy Perry, Garth Brooks, Norah Jones, Foo Fighters, Tim McGraw, Elvis Costello and more on eBay to benefit Liberty Hill.

The online auction runs until 6 p.m. May 19. Help us meet our goals to raise money to fund community organizers working for economic justice, LGBTQ justice and environmental justice in Los Angeles!!

We'll be posting photos and notes as our honorees TV producer-director Paris Barclay, philanthropist Wendy Chang, and scholar-activist Manuel Pastor are celebrated by the vibrant, diverse community of Liberty Hill supporters and allies.

Meanwhile, why not bid a little?!

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White House Looks Beyond Model Minority Myth

Byline: Preeti Kulkarni

In April, I was one of three Liberty Hill representatives to attend the first-ever National Philanthropic Briefing on the Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) Community at the White House. I was joined by my colleagues Kristin Aldana-Taday and Carol Lee (we're pictured above with Chris Lu, Assistant to the President and Cabinet Secretary & Co-Chair, White House Initiative for AAPIs and below with Seema Patel, Policy Advisor for Labor & Civil Rights, White House Initiative for AAPIs) .

It was an historic occasion. 

There is a dramatic imbalance between the amount of philanthropic dollars that go to the AAPI community (less than 1/2 of 1%) and our representation in the general population (6%). White House staff appear to understand how grave the situation is, and that the model minority myth helps perpetuate this disproportionate allocation of resources. We also discussed how the aggregation of AAPI population data results in overlooking urgent needs in our communities and the importance of sharing these problems with others in philanthropy.

We believe this is a critical time to make philanthropy more inclusive. Without strong AAPI leaders at the table, the needs in our communities will continue to be distorted and under resourced.

We were very proud to share Liberty Hill’s efforts to address communities in need.  Liberty Hill has not shied away from focusing on communities of color and our efforts include partnering with the Latino and African American communities. As Liberty Hill is L.A.’s House of Justice, we are founded in diverse communities. The AAPI community is a part of this.

Over the last three years, more than half a million dollars (between 10 and 15% of our annual grantmaking budget) has been invested in AAPI communities including urgently needed support for the Khmer population in Long Beach, the Korean population in Koreatown, and Pilipinos, South Asians and AAPI lesbian and gay individuals throughout L.A. County.

Few foundations in attendance could boast the commitment to AAPI issues that Liberty Hill has.

Our pride was only underscored when White House staff dimmed the lights for a video produced by one of our grantees, Khmer Girls in Action. The video is a powerful statement about the needs in the Khmer community. You can see it here.

New census data indicates that the AAPI poverty population is increasing. Between 2002 and 2010, the Asian American poverty population increased in real terms by 46 percent! Most of those AAPI families are living in a handful of metropolitan areas including Los Angeles. This alarming news only reinforced our commitment to strengthen the work Liberty Hill does to invest in local, low-income AAPI communities.

The meeting at the White House was just the first step in what promises to be an ongoing effort to address the needs within AAPI communities. You can be sure that we at Liberty Hill will be at the frontlines of that action.

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Liberty Hill Honors Social Justice Leader Wendy Chang

On May 9, at Liberty Hill's 30th Annual Upton Sinclair Awards and Dinner, Wendy Chang, one's of L.A.'s most influential social justice leaders, will receive the 2012 Founders Award. This award honors an individual whose philanthropy
embodies the spirit of change, not charity.

Wendy, who has worked for more than 23 years in the world of nonprofits and foundations, is passionate about equality and justice for all, a commitment she has expressed through her inspiring professional and personal work in civic engagement and philanthropy.

When she was just five years old, Wendy Chang’s family immigrated from where to the United States seeking freedom and a better life, a journey that took courage and determination. Wendy remembers that “once we made the leap, however, there was no going back – so there was built-in commitment. I’ve since realized that  commitment holds a very strong truth in each of our lives. If you hold yourself responsible to your commitments, you’re living your life’s purpose.”

 

As a nonprofit professional, Wendy’s focus has been on grant making, program development, public policy, technical assistance, and training.Currently, Wendy directs grant making, initiatives, and capacity building activities at the Dwight Stuard Youth Fund. Originally established as an independent foundation in 2001, the Dwight Stuart Youth Fund was endowed by Dwight L. Stuart, Sr. to benefit and serve the needs of children and youth in the greater Los Angeles area.

Wendy’s previous positions include Executive Management Academy Director at the Whitecap Foundation; Director of Training and Advancement at Public Corporation for the Arts; Special Projects/Membership Director for the California Association of Nonprofits; and Director of Consulting Services for CompassPoint Nonprofit Services.

Wendy Chang is an active volunteer, donor, and long-time board member in many local organizations. For Wendy, contributing is the answer for achieving personal growth. As she has acknowledged “leadership and growth are manifested and come to life through the act of service.”

Wendy’s community contributions include serving as executive board member and chair of the Investment Committee and Audit Committee of the Liberty Hill Foundation; member and past chair of Asian American Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy, Los Angeles; executive committee member of the LA Partnership for Early Childhood Investment; founding board treasurer and president-elect of the National Charity League, Inc., Westside Chapter; project lead and advisory member of the Trustee Initiative: Effectiveness through Diversity; as well as advisory board member of Foundation Boys. She is also a Cohort 3 Member of America's Leaders of Change of the National Urban Fellows.

Previously, Wendy was a founder and president of the Long Beach Nonprofit Partnership; president of Leadership Long Beach; membership vice president and training chair of Junior League of Long Beach; president of Asian Heritage Council; and chair, Financial Literacy of Women’s Leadership Circle. She was also a member of Los Angeles Urban Funders, as well as Family Foundation Committee and Program Advisory Member of Southern California Grantmakers.

Wendy is a founding member of five community giving circles: Asian American Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy’s National Donor Circle, Women of Color Giving Circle, Los Angeles Asian Pacific Islander Giving Circle, Circle of Change, and the OUT Fund, which she currently co-chairs. Wendy believes that giving circles have been a great vehicle to leverage resources for the community.

Wendy Chang  has also produced a number of  MarquezSTAR youth musicals, written and directed by Marquez Elementary teacher Jeff Lantos including: “Plymouth 2.0,” premiered at Santa Monica’s Broad Stage; “Water and Power,” an official selection for the 2010 New York Musical Theatre Festival; and “Carry On,” showcased in the Festival of New American Musicals.

Wendy is the recipient of the Leadership Long Beach Jim Ackerman Alumnus of the Year Award, Distinguished Leadership Award from California Association of Leadership Programs, Distinguished Leadership Award from Community Leadership Association; Community Pride Award from Children’s Nature Institute, and Business Associate of the Year from American Women’s Business Association. She is a graduate of University of California at Santa Cruz, with majors in Business Economics and Computer Science.

 Wendy’s intense commitment to social change is evident in her professional and volunteer life. She not only talks the talk but walks the walk. Wendy notes, “Being involved in Liberty Hill has taught me that change doesn’t just happen, it’s something you do. When you want change, actively seek it. We all have the power to make that choice.”

Join Liberty Hill at the 30th Annual Upton Sinclair Awards Dinner on May 9, 2012 as we honor Wendy Chang with the Founders Award. Purchase your tickets today! 

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Liberty Hill Honors TV Luminary-Activist Paris Barclay

On May 9, at Liberty Hill's 30th Annual Upton Sinclair Awards and Dinner, one's of television's most acclaimed and multi-talented creators, Paris Barclay, will receive the 2012 Upton Sinclair Award.

This award is presented to a person of unwavering idealism and vision, a person like Upton Sinclair, whose lifelong crusade for equality and justice inspires us even today.

Paris Barclay's life and work are infused with his desire to tear down the walls between us, a lofty goal as expressed by Barbara Jordan, who said, “For the rest of the time on this planet, I want to bring people together…We, as human beings, must be able to accept people who are different from ourselves.” 

Whether he is vividly characterizing the disabled (in the Emmy-nominated “Wheels” episode of Glee), revealing the patriotism that drives the fictional White House (in The West Wing), or looking death unflinchingly in the eye (in Jimmy Smits’ final episode of NYPD Blue), Paris has used the medium to reach deeper into the hearts and minds of people around the world.

Born in Chicago Heights, Illinois, Paris earned a scholarship to attend The La Lumiere School in Indiana as its first African-American student (just one class behind future Chief Justice John Roberts). Accepted at Harvard, he honed his talents on the theater stage where he wrote 16 musicals before graduation (sometimes working alongside previous Upton Sinclair honoree John Manulis.)

After Harvard, Paris turned to advertising -- and for the first time (in 1986) bent the media to his message by writing and directing Elizabeth Taylor’s first television commercial: a dramatic PSA for the recently established American Foundation for AIDS Research. A few years later, he formed a music video and commercial production company, with the specific goal of nurturing and developing more people of color behind the camera. Black & White Television, as it was called, quickly became a major force in the field, and his videos for Bob Dylan, Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson, and most especially his 8 videos for LL Cool J won acclaim. (The MTV Award-winning “Mama Said Knock You Out,” LL Cool J’s black and white boxing video, is still recognized as a classic in the field.)

 And while the company “brought people together,” Paris found a bigger canvas in directing, writing and producing film and television.

Over 120 episodes later, Paris has overseen crimes-solvers (NYPD Blue, CSI, The Shield, Law & Order, Monk, Numbers, The Mentalist, NCIS: Los Angeles, Cold Case), doctors (ER, City of Angels, House, In Treatment), lawyers (The Good Wife, Law & Order) and outsiders (Weeds, Lost, Sons of Anarchy, Glee, and Smash). City of Angels, in particular, co-created with Steven Bochco and Nicholas Wootton, was a daring attempt to create a prime-time drama with a largely Black cast. Although it only lasted two seasons, it introduced viewers to the talents of Hill Harper, Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer, along with stars Blair Underwood and Vivica Fox.

Paris Barclay’s work has been recognized for its craft with two Emmy wins (from six nominations), one DGA Award (from ten nominations), four Peabody Awards, two Humanitas Prizes, two NAACP Image Awards, two recognitions from the TV Academy’s “Television With a Conscience,” and a Voice Award from the US Department of Health and Human Services. In 2010, he also received a Writers Guild nomination for co-writing Pedro with Dustin Lance Black, the story of HIV activist and Real World hero Pedro Zamora.

Paris is the face of his fellow directors as their First Vice President of the Directors Guild of America (tearing down walls again as the first African-American officer in the history of the Guild) and the chair of the DGA’s Political Action Committee. He has served on the board of the LA Gay and Lesbian Center, Project Angel Food, and currently serves on the Advisory Board for the Carsey-Wolf Center at UC Santa Barbara, and as a Trustee for the Humanitas Prize.  He has been recognized for his charitable and community service work for organizations such as GLAAD (the Stephen F. Kolzak Award), Project Angel Food (the Founders Award), OUTFEST, and was honored with the Pioneer Award at the Pan African Film Festival. Along with all these organizations, he is a strong supporter of the Trevor Project, the Black Aids Institute, the American Foundation for Equal Rights, and of course, Liberty Hill.

Next up: he’ll bring to the screen the story of Barbara Jordan, with Viola Davis set to star as his hero.

“There are only a handful of organizations in America that can truly claim they bring people together, across boundaries, beyond differences,” says Paris Barclay. “Liberty Hill is one of them.”

Join Liberty Hill at the 30th Annual Upton Sinclair Awards Dinner on May 9, 2012 as we honor Paris Barclay with The Upton Sinclair Award. Purchase your tickets today! 

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Being LGBT in the 21st Century

The film Bully has been the impetus for a national conversation on the dangerous and widespread impact bullying has on our kids and society. Liberty Hill has put together a webpage infographic "Being LGBT in the 21st Century" to show how profoundly bullying behavior impacts lgbt teens as well as some factors that can prevent it. Please share on social media and with all you know, so we can help curb these detrimental acts of intimidation.

In L.A.? Find out how local LGBT communities are building family and community acceptance and immigrant rights and challenging school yard bullying.

Liberty Hill staffer Darrell Tucci shares his story about being bullied. You can too. Share your story on our Facebook page.

And be part of Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network’s 2012 National Day of Silence on April 20.

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From Despair to Activist: The Challenges Facing LGBT Youth

A year and a half ago, Liberty Hill's Chief Development Officer Darrell Tucci, shared his story about surmounting the challenges of being an LGBT teen. We re-post this now as we release a new infographic that dramatically illustrates the difficulties LGBT youth face and the supports that can make all the difference.

At 18, I was suicidal.  I had decided I would take my life due to such deep self-hatred about being gay after years of being bullied and harassed about being the fat kid and the geek and often called faggot even though I wasn’t out or even sure I was gay.  I wrote a poem that would serve as my suicide note, I planned the date, got the prescription.  Two days before the planned date, I was walking as a sophmore through my university and just happened to look to my left and saw a Safe Space sticker on a faculty door.  It was closed.  I didn’t want to be seen looking at it but I knew it was some how gay related. 

I stuck a note under the door saying “I need help, please call” and included my number.

A young professor called.  He told me about this organization called GLSEN.  I never told him I was planning to kill myself.  But the idea there was an org helping high school kids struggling with what I was feeling made me feel less alone and I thought that I wanted to be sure no one else ever had to feel this way. 

I was bullied and harassed because people thought I was gay.  What kept me going was not that I was happy or less depressed but that I learned I might help someone else.  He introduced me to a therapist, the gay student group on campus and the GLSEN NNJ chapter.  I gave them my very first gift to a nonprofit. By meeting them, and others on campus they introduced me to, I finally told one of them how desperate I was and they helped get me into rehab to deal with my suicidality and my eating disorder in 1996.

I came back from rehab.  I came out at 20 with amazing support and immediately became an activist.  I lead the group with that same professor to add sexual orientation and gender identity to MSU's anti-discrimination policies immediately after Matthew Shepard's passing.  I changed majors and moved towards my nonprofit career.

I tell this story publicly now for the first time because I want youth to know there is hope but we as adults need to be sure they know where to find it. I hope you will check out the infographic about the challenges LGBT youth still face and the supports that can make all the difference. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Rendezvous at the White House

Liberty Hill Foundation staff members--Preeti Kulkarni, Director of Finance and Operations; Kristen Aldana-Taday, Deputy Director, Donor Services; and Carol Lee, Senior Program Officer, Donor Advised and restricted Funds--will be in Washington, DC on Monday, April 2 to take part in the National Philanthropic Briefing of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders . They'll be posting on Liberty Hill's Facebook page about the meeting, and tweeting highlights: #la2dc #aapiWH.

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