josh martinez - be the future (Page 24)

a picture of Big Tex at night. Big Tex, the giant statue of a white guy in hideous clothing, used to welcome visitors to the

personal

writing my name in lower case started with y’all

chipping at the facade of professionalism

a photo of my achchi in a busy produce market, her face full of pleasant surprise.

personal

the cultural legacies of our elders

My achchi passed away last weekend at 87 years old. She and I were 50 years and a couple weeks apart. Mourning a loved one in the age of coronavirus gives me a sense of how it must have felt before planes or trains existed. That said, I was lucky

a photo of hills and trees in Washington wine country at sunset. the sky is light blue with gorgeous peach-colored clouds. a

working

coronavirus update

It’s been an unbelievably long seven weeks working the COVID-19 response. I’ve spent a lot of time working with my part of an interconnected network of partners across the state. Our response changes at least once or twice each week. We make plans, we communicate those plans,

a photo of a forest in the Pacific Northwest. scrub trees and ferns litter the ground. hints of cloudy sky peek out from behi

working

how do workers grow?

I see professional advancement as the incremental development of skills. I identify a task or role, then compare it to my existing accomplishments. The more I learn, the more I can apply to the next challenge. I approach employee advancement the same way. I give guidance on new challenges and

a photo of a palm tree, a trunk, and a bird in flight.

working

why would we write policies based on extremes?

I recently listened to an episode of a podcast called Activist Class, where they interviewed one of my heroes, Nikkita Oliver. Nikkita talks about the new youth jail in Seattle. They point out that “it was designed to be the nicest public building that kids of color might access.” What

a patch of clover-like redwood sorrel fills the picture

personal

the R in SARS

I started my career in public health. In school I wanted to be a doctor, but I hated memorization and preferred working to studying. My first public health job was in disease intervention. I spent my days tracking down people exposed to HIV and syphilis. At the health department, I

a graphic of a matrix titled "Just use [blank] straws!" with a list of alternatives to single-use plastic straws. Each altern

essay

ableism is invisible if you are not disabled

ableism is invisible if you are not disabled transphobia is invisible if you are not transgender homophobia is invisible if you are not homosexual white supremacy is invisible if you are white oppression is invisible if you are the oppressor I used to think it was okay to ban straws

a photo of the view from a plane above a layer of bumpy cloud cover. a sunrise peeks over the scene from the right. streaks o

walkthroughs

exploring Targeted Universalism

This series documents my experimentation with the use of Targeted Universalism (TU). I used the Othering and Belonging Institute‘s primer on the subject. There are five steps: * Exploring TU * Step 1: set a universal goal * Step 2: assess general performance * Step 3: identify groups * Step 4: understand the structures

photo of a metal statue of a bear outside a building in Reykjavík.

working

questions about effective management

I was recently interviewed by a student taking a class on effective management. Here’s a reprint of our interview. Please describe a typical day at work. What do you do all day? I’m in a lot of meetings! I am one of three directors in my department, and

a mural of a humanoid rhinocerous and warthog, dressed in street clothing

walkthroughs

implementing the advice process: first update

I first learned about the advice process less than a year ago. I like the advice process for many reasons. The biggest is that it pushes back on the dominant-culture notion that there’s only one solution to a given problem. In truth, there can be many solutions to

a photo of a white lighthouse with a red roof sits against a deep blue sky with streaks of clouds.

working

centering people when collecting information

I have a stable job that pays me well. I live in a nice apartment with my husband. We can afford to buy the things we need. My job pays me to provide social services to others, but it’s not likely that I will ever need those services myself.

a photo of a flock of birds flies above the camera on a backdrop of a sunny blue sky with scattered clouds. trees and a build

working

race and ethnicity questions

I’ve filled out a lot of questionnaires in my life. The question I hate the most is the one asking me my race or ethnicity. Nobody standardizes these questions. Sometimes I have to choose one; sometimes I can “check all that apply.” Sometimes questions about race and ethnicity combine