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Tunnel of Intersections: Voices at the Intersection of Oppression Explore intersections of social identity, culture, and systems

We live in a world of many cultures, and there are many ways to understand and communicate with each other. Although, at times, we can find ourselves so challenged by our assumptions of the “other” that we are unable to see beyond the narrative we tell ourselves.

Edmonds CC’s fourth annual Tunnel of Intersections, exhibited on Feb. 28 and March 1, explored the intersections of social identity, culture, and systems through a “tunnel” of interconnected vignettes. Through this interactive, multimedia experience, our Triton community was able to connect with the stories of immigrants, students in transition, the #MeToo Movement, and others.

Take a virtual tour of the vignettes below. Keep in mind each vignette was exclusively created by Edmonds CC students and campus groups to illustrate their intersections of identity. They are by no means an expression of everyone’s identity, but rather, just a glimpse into what some in our community experience.

Vignette: Breaking the Silence, created by the campus HEART team

We are at a crucial time in history when people are speaking out against harassment, assault, abuse, and the misuse of power. Inspired by the #MeToo Movement and the 2017 Time Magazine Person of the Year, the goal of this room was to visually demonstrate a stand in solidarity with those who are breaking the silence in our community.

As a campus, we say that no one should ever be in fear of mistreatment of any kind. But if someone hurts you, you will be heard. We will listen, and then we will do something about it.
Poems, paintings, drawings, and sculpture in the room were created by Edmonds CC students and employees.

More art and stories inspired by the #MeToo Movement in the New York Times story, "The #MeToo Moment: Art Inspired by the Reckoning." For more information about healthy relationships, visit the Edmonds CC HEART (Healthy Relationships Team) website at edcc.edu/heart.

Vignette: What is cyberbullying?, created by Student Activities Board/CSEL

Are you being bullied? Or, are you a bully? Eighty-seven percent of today’s youth have witnessed cyberbullying, while 72 percent of youth have reported cyberbullying that attacked their physical appearance.

Cyberbullying includes sending, posting, or sharing negative, harmful, false, or mean content about someone else through electronic communication. It can include sharing personal or private information about someone else causing embarrassment or humiliation. Some cyberbullying crosses the line into unlawful or criminal behavior.

Have you experienced or witnessed cyberbullying? The most common places where cyberbullying occurs are: social media, such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter; email, and text messages.

Positive messages were left for those who have experienced bullying.

Vignette: Students in Transition, created by EdCAP students

Who are we, those who created this room? We are EdCAP (Edmonds Career Access Program) students. We are all different colors, all different genders – or no gender at all – all different ethnic backgrounds, speaking many languages and celebrating many different holidays. We have religious beliefs of all kinds or no religious belief at all. We are all differently abled. We are smart in many different ways. We are working and in school or just in school. We are at that age where others may be taking care of us. We may be taking care of others, or we may be alone. Our ages are 16 years old to 21, so we are still learning how to make sense of it all. Often when we are faced with a choice, people or circumstances really give us no choice.

We want the same things you do. You’ve seen us, you may be one of us. The cards in the photo above are barriers we've faced in our young lives that have given us little choice. Take a few seconds to take them in. Think about which of those barriers you may have encountered.
EdCAP (Edmonds Career Access Program) students shared illustrated stories about barriers to education they've faced and also positive experiences they've had in the EdCAP High School Completion Program.
Dropping out of high school is not failure; sometimes it's a move forward, and in our case, a move to EdCAP.
Vignette: Native Identity, created by the Native Student Association

Imagine you are ripped away from your family and taken miles away from home. You are tied down or beaten if you try to run. You and other Native children are taken to a large building and as soon as you walk through the door you are stripped naked, bathed, and scrubbed in kerosene and your hair is cut in front of everyone. You cry and scream for the other children that are next to you, and you are beaten. For every word that you speak you are beaten and/or soap is shoved in your mouth.

Legacy of education in Native communities

Between 1860 and 1978 hundreds of thousands of Native children were forcefully removed from their families and communities and taken to Christian government operated boarding schools, mission schools, labor schools, and day schools. Many children died in these schools.

This vignette was a brief snapshot of the Native experience starting from colonization through today and with special attention to education as well as an overview of contemporary issues that Native people experience.

Vignette: Civil Rights and the U.S. Military, created by the Veterans Resource Center

Brave members of the U.S. Military have defended our country and guaranteed our liberty for more than 200 years. While the military is often at the forefront of civil rights issues, the rights and liberties of those who serve have not always been guaranteed.

Participants took an event and pinned it on the timeline when they thought it occurred. The docent then matched the event with the correct time.

Do you know when the U.S. Marine Corps began recruiting and training African American recruits in Camp Montford Point, North Carolina?

The first African American marines were trained at Camp Montford from 1942 to 1949. According to montfordpointmarines.org, in 1942, President Roosevelt established a presidential directive giving African Americans an opportunity to be recruited into the Marine Corps. African Americans, from all states, were not sent to the traditional boot camps of Parris Island, South Carolina and San Diego, California. Instead, African American Marines were segregated, experiencing basic training at Montford Point, a facility at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

Vignette: Poverty, created by Instructor Melody Schneider's HIST 035 students

What does poverty look like in the U.S.? Participants were encouraged to "step into someone else's shoes" by reading true stories from those living in poverty or lacking the usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions.

Find out what living "spent" feels like. The Urban Ministries of Durham serves more than 6,000 people each year who are struggling with poverty and homelessness. Their interactive game, SPENT, (shown above) will challenge you to manage your money, raise a child, and make it through the month – on a minimum wage salary. Accept the challenge at playspent.org.

Vignette: Immigration, DREAMers, and DACA; created by the Center for Student Cultural Diversity and Inclusion

With the exception of Native Americans, the U.S. is a country made up of immigrants. For hundreds of years and thousands of reasons, they immigrated here, but ultimately, it was to make a better life for themselves. This vignette helps us to understand how and why people immigrate to the U.S.

Seeking a better life

Journeys can be both exciting and frightening. Imagine how immigrants might have felt about leaving their homeland, the long and difficult trip, and then the cultural shock.

More than 12.5 million undocumented people live in the U.S.

They contribute to society, but they do not get many of the benefits of being a U.S. citizen. There are only a few ways for immigrants to become legal U.S. citizens, but the process can be intimidating and take up to 10 years.

Time is only one barrier to citizenship. Due to other barriers, including high costs, many immigrants avoid the legal process, in hopes that their contributions to society will allow them to stay.

Many immigrants have made their home in the U.S., and many brought their children with them – in search of a better life. The children had no say in coming to the U.S., and for many, it is the only home they know. DACA or the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program has granted some who applied with two-year permits to work or go to college, deferring deportation.

However, many face the risk of deportation by even filling out the application and answering detailed questions about themselves and their families. In 2017, the Trump Administration rescinded DACA. In the video above, hear the voices of immigrant children in response to the administration's decision.

Would you pass the test above?

Vignette: Intergenerational Intersections, created by the Equity and Inclusion department

Do you recognize me? I am each one of you, and each one of you might become me. I am your mother, father, brother, sister, uncle, auntie, friend, neighbor, teacher. I am your grandmother and grandfather – your elder, at least generationally speaking. When people see me – an elder person – they may associate me with canes, walkers, assisted living communities, memory loss, retirement, hospitals, and hearing aids, among others.

Although we may not be able to hear like we used to, we are still here – and of use, too!

Did you know? By 2020, over 35 percent of the U.S. population will be over 50 years of age and that will more than double in the next 35 years.

96, and owning it

Iris Apfel is a 96-year-old American business woman, interior designer, fashion icon ... and if that's not enough – a self-proclaimed "geriatric starlet." Read more in W magazine's story, Iris Apfel Turns 96: A Look Back At the Fashion Icon's Most Delightfully Eccentric Looks.

You have to try it. You only have one trip, you've got to remember that. –Iris Apfel

80-year-old bodybuilder started working out at 56

"Every single morning Ernestine Shepherd wakes up at 2:30 a.m., embarks upon a 10-mile walk and then heads to the gym at 7:30 a.m. where she continues to work out and lead exercise classes until 11:30 a.m." Read more about Ernestine's fitness journey in the Independent's story.

Express Yourself

The graffiti table offered our Triton community a space to express thoughts and reflect on the journey through the tunnel through writing or drawing.

It starts with awareness.

We hope this exhibit will spark healthy and vigorous discussion among participants, and ultimately will lead to a deeper understanding and appreciation of how various members of our community cope on a daily basis with the intersections that are an integral part of their identities. –Tunnel of Intersections committee