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Our voice is BUILDing

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Write something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview.

Weaponizing Memory: Reclaiming the Past, Preserving Black Voices, Reshaping the Future

6/9/2025

 

Author: Elizabeth Porter
​Learner | Deliberative | Restorative | Includer | Relator 

Growing up in Tacoma, Washington, as the oldest of five children, my identity has always been shaped by a legacy larger than myself. My family’s history is rooted in community — in feeding it, serving it, and standing with it. My father owned Porters Place BBQ, a beacon in Tacoma until 2012. It wasn’t just a restaurant; it was a place where generations gathered, where people found comfort in food and in the warmth of our family. It was Black-owned, Black-built, and deeply rooted in the belief that community care is radical and revolutionary.
After my father passed, I returned from college to a Tacoma that had changed in many ways — gentrified, more polished on the surface, but still carrying the same spirit I knew as a child. It looked different, but it still felt like home. The echoes of my family’s legacy lived on, and I felt a responsibility to honor that legacy — not through BBQ, but through social work.
Today, I stand not behind a counter, but in community clinics, churches, meetings, and advocacy spaces — doing the same work my family taught me to do: to serve, to fight, to heal. I am a Black social worker, and I carry my parent’s voice in everything I do. They taught me that dignity matters. That showing up for people is the work. That feeding bodies and feeding souls are not so different after all.
But my path has not been easy. Being Black in the social work field — especially as a Black woman who also lives with a disability — has meant navigating a system that often tries to define me by what it misunderstands. During the height of COVID-19, I experienced racism in its most raw and violent forms: I had objects thrown at me. The police were called on me — not because I posed a threat, but because my presence in certain spaces as a disabled Black woman disrupted the narrow boxes people expect us to fit into.
It was dehumanizing. It was terrifying. But it was not the end of my story.
​Instead, it became the fuel for a new chapter — one where I use my lived experience as expertise. Where I speak up for others who’ve been silenced or stereotyped. Where I create space for disabled, Black, educated professionals who are not anomalies, but part of a rich legacy of resilience. I do this work in a city that raised me, in memory of a father who poured love into ribs and cornbread, and in defiance of systems that once tried to erase me.
Now, I work for an agency that not only sees me but amplifies me. I'm part of programmatic and policy efforts that seek equity, not as a buzzword but as a practice. I get to help shape services that center clients' lived realities, advocate for anti-racist healthcare, and mentor the next generation of social workers — particularly those who’ve never seen themselves reflected in power before.
Now, I work for an agency that not only sees me but amplifies me. I'm part of programmatic and policy efforts that seek equity, not as a buzzword but as a practice. I get to help shape services that center clients' lived realities, advocate for anti-racist healthcare, and mentor the next generation of social workers — particularly those who’ve never seen themselves reflected in power before.
In many ways, I’ve learned that weaponizing memory is about more than remembering; it’s about using memory to build. It’s about reclaiming our family stories as roadmaps for the future. It’s about holding space for Black voices — past and present — so that we don’t just survive but lead.
I am my father’s daughter. I am my community’s hope. I am a Black, disabled, educated woman — and I am exactly who I was meant to be.

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An essay on "Master Slave, Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom" by Ilyon Woo

6/9/2025

 
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Author: Laura Lagerstedt 

BUILD Member 

Reading about the incredible journey of William and Ellen Craft, I realized how much of U.S. history I had either forgotten or, more likely, never learned. The incredible way in which they escaped together, with Ellen disguised as a white male slaveholder and her husband William as her slave, via public transportation, "…they moved in full view of the world, harnessing the latest technologies of their day: steamboats, stagecoaches, and above all, an actual railroad…" (pg. 4)

The book had me on the edge of my seat, rooting for the couple throughout their ordeal, and particularly disappointed and heartbroken by Woo's description of the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. (pg. 204) Passed in the 31st United States Congress, years after the Crafts had escaped to the north and had been on the lecture circuit with other abolitionists, after they had settled down and started their lives anew with profitable businesses and plans for their futures in Boston, their struggle was reignited.

​The book had me on the edge of my seat, rooting for the couple throughout their ordeal, and particularly disappointed and heartbroken by Woo's description of the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.

Later, Woo had me laughing out loud and cheering for the couple when the slave catchers sent to return the Crafts to Georgia, and back to the bonds of slavery were thwarted by the courts, Craft's legal team, and a large crowd of protesters in the north disgusted with the institution in the south. Instead of apprehending the fugitive slaves, the slave catchers were themselves arrested, "Hughes and Knight were charged with slander for having called William Craft a slave and thus "causing damage to his business and character, and for carrying dangerous weapons with the intent to assault William." After they were let out on bail, "…new posters were made up to alert all of Boston. "SLAVE HUNTERS IN BOSTON!!!" the handbills screamed. They included unflattering physical descriptions of the Georgians, with the kinds of information about size and color usually found on public notices for escaped slaves." (pg. 230)
​
Later, Woo had me laughing out loud and cheering for the couple when the slave catchers sent to return the Crafts to Georgia, and back to the bonds of slavery were thwarted by the courts, Craft's legal team, and a large crowd of protesters in the north disgusted with the institution in the south. 

Eventually, the couple was forced to flee to England, from where Ellen and William wrote the second half of their lives, which included publishing the narrative of their escape, "Running A Thousand Miles for Freedom." Their journey continued, sometimes together and sometimes apart, and included a long-awaited reunion of Ellen and her mother Maria shortly after June 19th, 1865, when, “…on a hot day in July,…”, a letter was read to Maria in Macon, Georgia from her daughter in London by, “…a young Union General, James Harrison Wilson,...” (pg. 327)
With hope for the future while keeping ourselves grounded in the truth of our past, wishing everyone a Happy Juneteenth 2025!

On Confidence

5/14/2025

 
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Facing Uncertainty After a Stroke
When I emerged from a month-long hospital stay after I experienced a major stroke, I found myself uncertain of my new world and my place in it.
 
The world hadn’t changed, but I had. The uncertainty was about whether I could pick up the pieces and move on with my new brain injury-related disability.
 
You know that feeling when you walk into a room and realize you don’t remember why you walked in? After the massive stroke I experienced, I felt like I came to this planet, but couldn’t remember what for. It was very awkward and very unpleasant at times.
 
I wasn’t quite confident my new self could navigate through the old world where I had been quite comfortable with myself and my abilities. I was quite sure I could do it if I could just face the challenges to come with my old confidence and self-assurance.
 
But how was I ever going to do it in my new disabled state? After a short readjustment phase, I found the answer.
 
The Power of Acting Confident
I remembered the advice from my younger years that had served me well throughout my previous life, from a (then) well-known actor.
 
In an interview he was asked about overcoming stage fright and what he did to get over it. His answer was to just act like someone with confidence.
 
It sounded kind of simplistic, but that really struck a chord; it sounded right to me. I took that bit of wisdom to heart and ran with it. It got me through a lot of awkward situations.
 
And now here I was in one heck of an awkward situation, being a stroke survivor with an acquired traumatic brain injury.
 
Visualization and Self-Programming
I can tell you what I did, and that it worked for me (again). I can’t guarantee the same result for anybody else, but if I could do it, anybody should be able to.
 
I would lie in bed at night with my eyes closed and tell myself I would face the world with complete confidence, in all situations, and no matter what.
 
I would also visualize myself in different situations acting with complete confidence. I picked someone I admired and kind of “programmed” myself to behave in the manner he modeled. I couldn’t be him, so I had to come up with my version of how he behaved. I visualized carrying myself with confidence, poise, and self-deprecating humor.
 
I also visualized people telling me they had noticed how I approached situations with calm and poise. In my head I “overheard” people making comments about me in that vein.
 
I formed a kind of image in my head of coming off as smart, funny, approachable and fun to be around. I could do that, I thought; I could see a mental image of myself being that way. But I knew deep inside I would always basically be an introvert and still be living in my head.
 
Visualization and Self-Programming
I try to strike a balance between being bashful and socially confident: I learned all over again to be an extroverted introvert (psychologists call a person like this an ambivert).
 
In other words, though I was still often painfully introverted, I could be extroverted when the situation required it.
 
Before long, it was common for people to tell me that if they hadn’t already known I’d experienced a massive stroke, they would never have guessed it.
 
I would say that one of the most important things to remember about acting confidently is don’t overdo it; don’t overcompensate. And keep it realistic. Outwardly become the person that lives inside you—don’t try to be something you could never realistically hope to be.
 
Psychological Concepts on Confidence
That leads to two more concepts, both from psychology. They’re known as the Dunning-Kruger effect and impostor syndrome.
 
The Dunning-Kruger effect concerns how people rate their own competence. People with lower levels of competence often overestimate their competence, while highly competent people often  underestimate theirs. In my mind, the ones who overestimate themselves are likely more on the obnoxious end of the scale, while those who underestimate themselves tend to be more likely to lack confidence and hold themselves back.
 
The Dunning-Kruger effect has its critics, but I pretty much agree with the simplified interpretation I just laid down here. It just intuitively feels right to me.
 
The other concept is called the impostor syndrome.
 



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BUILD Celebrates Black History Month

3/26/2025

 
Article written By- RaChelle Nelson, Co-Lead- BUILDs History & Activities Subcommittee
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The History & Activities subcommittee for BUILD is ran by-Undra Simpson, Lead and RaChelle Nelson,Co-Lead (In picture).
This subcommittee puts on the Black History Month and Juneteenth Celebrations for government employees! 

On February 20, 2025, BUILD (Blacks United in Leadership and Diversity) celebrated Black History Month at The Evergreen State College – Tacoma Campus. BUILD is a business resource group for Black Washington State employees and our allies. The celebration's theme was “African Americans and Labor”, highlighting the significant contributions of Black people to the workforce across various sectors. This includes skilled and unskilled labor, free and unfree labor, and even community-based work, throughout history.
​At the event, we were delighted to have a message from Governor Ferguson, along with speakers including Professor Nathan Webster, Marketing Consultant; April Sims, President of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO; and Chana Lawson, Chair of the Tacoma Pierce County Black Collective Political Committee & President of the Black Women’s Caucus Tacoma Chapter. 

​Attendees enjoyed an interactive Kahoot hosted by Dr. Shamyka Sutton, a 360-degree photo booth, a Black history exhibition, and the musical interludes of the BUILD choir.

The BUILD mission is to: Improve the experiences of Black state employees, Increase representation in leadership positions, Give voice to the Black perspective, And BUILD each other up as we move forward.
​

Learn More: www.BUILDwa.org
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The Definition of Community

3/25/2025

 
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Since I got a traumatic brain injury of my own I’ve seen many references to the TBI community, but I’ve never really seen that community described or defined.

So, what is the TBI community? I know what community means but the idea of the word doesn’t really sum up the group of people of which I am now a part. The online dictionaries I’ve looked at have quite a few definitions, some of which apply to the TBI community, and others not so much.

It can get quite involved, so I guess I’ll just lay out here my ideas about what the TBI community is about. But one thing is for sure: the TBI community has too many qualities to be summarized by a dictionary definition.

The TBI community isn’t a place or a geographic location. We are everywhere. We live in every country in the world, in every region where there are people. We are from all walks of life, from every religion, faith, race, ethnicity, economic status. We are men and women, boys and girls. We are husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and friends; you name it.

We have no centralized authority, like in a government or a corporation. We are pretty much leaderless; we have spokespeople and advocates, one of which I am proud and privileged to be. There is no head of the TBI community or organization issuing marching orders and there is no hierarchy. Everyone with a TBI is an equal part of the community. Each of us can be leaders in our own way, depending on our own individual desires and capabilities, and we are all leaders and spokespeople at different times. We have many groups and subgroups, which are unfunded or underfunded.



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Dealing with Stigmas

3/25/2025

 
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A while ago, I wrote about some of the things people say to me that make living with a traumatic brain injury even more of a challenge.

I didn’t yet realize it at the time, but what I listed were actually stigmas.
​
Stigmas are the preconceived notions people without a traumatic brain injury (TBI)  have about us; and at the very minimum, they can be very frustrating, and sometimes discouraging or even hurtful. Many people seem to think traumatic brain injury is the same as brain damage, and treat us accordingly. It can lead to people having unrealistic expectations of us; stigmas can even make them shun us or treat us as less than fully human.
The misunderstanding is theirs, but when they act on those misconceptions, they can make their problem ours.

And it happens more than some might realize.

According to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC),  1.7 million people experience a traumatic brain injury annually.  I’m not sure if that figure includes people who already had a TBI and suffered a new one. Some of those people get new injuries by falling and hitting their heads, being in car accidents, or any number of ways.
The CDC also says that of those 1.7 million people, 275,000 people a year are hospitalized and 52, 000 die. There is obviously no way to know how many traumatic brain injuries go unreported. Some people may go a long time between the time of the brain injury and finding out they have one.

That’s an awful lot of people in this country with injured brains, and an awful lot of people with the added burden of having to deal with hurtful stigmas.
Like I said above, I’ve had the misfortune of dealing with some of those stigmas; I won’t rehash them here. I will however list a few other stigmas below and make some brief comments about them.

To make it easier, they’re numbered.

Stigma #1: You didn’t get hit that hard. You can’t have a brain injury.
Oh yes, you can. It really doesn’t take that much force to cause your brain to move a bit inside your skull.  My TBI–the legacy of a major stroke–is what’s called a closed skull TBI. Even I was surprised when I found out that was considered a TBI. The bleeding in my brain caused pressure in my skull and gave me a traumatic brain injury.




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Beyond Reflection: Turning Black History into Action for the Future

3/25/2025

 
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Resilience and unity have always been the driving forces behind progress, especially for African Americans in labor. As Co-Chair of BUILD, I often reflect on the strength and determination of those who came before us—individuals who broke barriers and carved out opportunities in environments that weren’t built for them to succeed. Their stories aren’t just history; they are a constant reminder of what’s possible when we persevere together.


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February 24th, 2025

2/24/2025

 

Sparkle C. Maldonado

BUILD Member, SAFETY OFFICER 1 BHA MHD WSH QUALITY MANAGEMENT

My Thoughts on Black History Month: A reflection on the journey in Washington State Black History Month serves as an essential reminder of the rich heritage, struggles, and resilience of African Americans throughout history.  Living in Washington state, I have either witnessed first-hand the progression and complications of the African American experience from the 1930s to the present day, or have had stories passed down to us for protection.  As my family celebrates nearly 100 years of residency in this remarkable state, I can’t help but reflect on how far we have come, while recognizing that the journey is far from over.

In the 1930s, the landscape for Black Americans in Washington was laden with systemic racism and social inequities.  Despite the state’s physical beauty and the promise of opportunity, Black individuals often faced discrimination in housing, employment, and education.

​Communities were segregated, and those who dared to challenge the established order frequently encountered violence and hostility.  The 1940s onwards saw some progress with the contributions of Black soldiers in World War II, as well as the early Civil Rights Movement’s slow, yet impactful, advances.  Yet, the inequalities persisted, creating a paradox of apparent progress alongside the tenacious grip of discrimination.

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BUILD Spotlight: Terry Redmon

1/29/2025

 
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Dear New ESA Colleagues and Friends:

I am pleased to be joining your ranks as your new Assistant Secretary and want to take a moment to say hello and introduce myself to all of you.
I’ve been involved in strategic executive leadership throughout DSHS in several roles and have always wanted to work in ESA.

I know that poverty is the root cause of so many issues our families and communities face, and I’ve been keeping track of the incredible work you all have been doing to make a difference for your neighbors; your accomplishments have not gone unnoticed.

The opportunity to build off the great efforts of your outgoing Assistant Secretary Tony Bowie and the ESA team, and to steward this work, are great honors. I will fully transition to this role on July 16. I have been working closely with Tony and ESA leadership to ensure a smooth handoff. Soon after the transition, I will begin visiting as many of you as I can in our field offices, which I am very much looking forward to.
In the near future, my goal is to get to know you and learn and grow with you as much as possible. Be on the lookout for more from me soon.

Sincerely,
Terry Redmon

Uplifting Marginalized Voices

With over 20 years of experience in vocational coaching, mentoring, and leadership, he exemplifies dedication and resilience. Growing up during extreme segregation, his journey is one of perseverance and purpose. Born to incredible parents who were also sharecroppers in the South, Terry and his family traveled to WA., where he was determined to transform the world with his labor of love. He has never stopped moving- working tirelessly to impact the lives of those he serves positively. Terry is not as well known as MLK, but he makes just as powerful an impact by serving and uplifting marginalized voices.

Isiah Turner Case -- Snakebites, Superiority, Saving US From Ourselves

1/28/2025

 
Written by Don Williamson In ​Oct 21, 1990
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THEY announced Isiah Turner's resignation exactly one week ago.

An audit has shown that as state commissioner of Employment Security, Turner misused or failed to keep proper records of almost $22,000 in travel and telephone expenses over five years.

Since The Times broke that story several weeks ago, there had been speculation whether Turner would weather the storm and whether Turner's problems would damage relations with and opportunities for other people of color in general and African Americans in particular.

There even were some who said Turner should resign even before the audit was finished.

In Tacoma, the folks who run the Northwest Knights Information Hotline called for Turner's head immediately. They also called him a ``token non-white'' and asked ``their supporters'' to call the governor's office.

The booming brain-dead voice on the taped message of the Northwest Knights proudly acknowledged being chartered by the National Office of the Ku Klux Klan in Harrison, Ark.

It would be hard to find a finer bunch of bigots, pinheads and race-baiters. This week they are boycotting Coors beer for having a Kosher designation and because the company received a corporate achievement award from ``the anti-Christ Jews'' in 1989.

Such stupidity spread by such mentally deficient slime-merchants is enough to make you say prayers for the First Amendment and to wonder if these bozos have been sniffing the bleach in the bedsheets they like to wear.


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