Talking Wellness
Subcommittee Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, September 1, 2004
4:00-5:15 p.m.
Present: C.
Edward Corbett, Chair Rochelle
Monteiro
Fonda
Whitfield Grant
Broadway
Tammy
Moore Linda
Morse
Israel
Gethsemane Albert
Mathews
Herman
Brown Linda
Hightower
Rodney
Cobbs Robin
Madison
Adolphe
Prince Valena
Hall
Bowen
Chung Armond
Anderson-Bell
Ken
Wells Andrea
Jones, minutes
Visitors: Montie
Thomas Cherry
Webb
Dee
Suiter Marc
Bowen
Tammie
P. Jackson Larry
Green
Tempie
Williams Todd Gregory
Todd
- Introductions: There were many new faces at this meeting, and everyone was
welcomed. Ed Corbett, the Chairman
of the subcommittee, stated that at this time, the Talking Wellness
Subcommittee is not soliciting new members. Current members of the Talking Wellness
Subcommittee are welcome to bring guests with them; however, their guests will
not receive a stipend. The
minutes from the last meeting were approved.
- Update: The
Talking Wellness Working Group will focus on the Baldwin Village and
communities in close proximity. Others will focus on photos and
poetry. In the future we will start
talking about depression and the environment, i.e.: the noise, abandoned
buildings, things that depress you; make you get an attitude. Start taking notes on them, for example
trash trucks early in the morning, someone in one of your AADAP meetings
“pissing you off”, the police “jacking you up”--write it down. Also, do you talk to someone about
it? Write these things down—no
“cussing”. Keep a diary of these things for your personal use. For clarification, Ed Corbett stated
that the Photovoice projects still need IRB approval.
- Discussion: There was a discussion on things that
bother us and ways we can use cameras.
People throwing trash upset one member, especially when the person
throwing the trash was in a brand new car.
She wished she’d had a camera then.
(We are not taking pictures of people at this time.) The state can fine or imprison people
for this, especially if they are dumping trash, but people don’t always
respond to punishment. Cameras are
being used to stop dumping: once you’ve been caught on film, you must show
up in court and pay a fine. This is
also being used to catch people who run lights. The cameras get the license plate
number, which is used to find out who owns the car. Some of our trash can be recycled: Homeless people pick up the cans and
bottles (helping themselves and the community), and clothes that are thrown
out can be taken to Goodwill instead.
Mattresses are the worst. “A
community is a mindset. The idea is
to get people involved in advocacy through poetry; get people aware of how
they’re affecting themselves.
Different communities have different problems. In Compton, it’s chickens because a lot
of Latino families keep them.”
- Poetry and the Spoken Word:
Is the
poetry without restrictions? The
poetry should be related to depression, relationships and emotions. Some one said that their demographic was
not represented at the Spoken Word.
Everybody’s depression is not the same, and the poets spoke about
their lives, conditions and families.
Cussing was mentioned: There is an open mike at Starbuck’s every
Wednesday and Thursday, 6:00-9:00 p.m.
CD’s are still under discussion.
- UCLA Posters: Ken Wells gave a presentation of the
way photos were used in another UCLA Project. Photos were taken of various things and
then put into a collage on a particular subject. For example, one poster depicted a scale:
fruits, vegetables, and other “good for you” foods on one side, and soda,
chips, and other junk foods” on the other, heavier, side. The caption read: “Which side are you
on? More people are overweight than
ever.” The other posters were about
stress and family. These posters
were a perfect example of empowering the community and getting people
involved—that’s what this project is all about. This UCLA Photovoice project was
featured in the LA Times.
- Phases of Project: 1st Phase-Target group Baldwin Village. The Poetry and Photos will be the
working phase of the project. Some
people will probably break off into the Photo Group.
- Next Meeting: Wednesday,
October 6, 2004, 5:30-7:00 p.m. at the HAAF office located at 3856 W.
Martin Luther King Blvd. Suite 209,
Los Angeles, CA 90008