June 2023 Newsletter
Making Things Work - A Monthly Newsletter from Everett Housing Authority
June 2023 | Issue 10
A Look Inside This Issue:
- Juneteenth
Why do we celebrate Juneteenth? Learn about this commemorative day and the history behind it. - Father's Day
Did you know that the nation's first Father's Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910, in the state of Washington? - Sun Safety Tips
With temperatures rising and longer days, protect yourself from the heat and sun with these tips
Upcoming Events
- Office Closures:
June 19 - Juneteenth - Other Holidays:
June 18 - Father's Day
Juneteenth: Commemoration of The Ending of Slavery In The United States
From its Galveston, Texas origin in 1865, the observance of June 19th as the African American Emancipation Day has spread across the United States and beyond.
Today Juneteenth commemorates African American freedom and emphasizes education and achievement. It is a day, a week, and in some areas, a month marked with celebrations, guest speakers, picnics, and family gatherings. It is a time for reflection and rejoicing. It is a time for assessment, self-improvement, and for planning the future. Its growing popularity signifies a level of maturity and dignity in America long overdue. In cities across the country, people of all races, nationalities, and religions are joining hands to truthfully acknowledge a period in our history that shaped and continues to influence our society today. Sensitized to the conditions and experiences of others, only then can we make significant and lasting improvements in our society.
General Order Number 3
One of General Granger's first orders of business was to read to the people of Texas, General Order Number 3 which began most significantly with:
- "The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired laborer."
The reactions to this profound news ranged from pure shock to immediate jubilation. While many lingered to learn of this new employer-to-employee relationship, many left before these offers were completely off the lips of their former 'masters' - attesting to the varying conditions on the plantations and the realization of freedom. Even with nowhere to go, many felt that leaving the plantation would be their first grasp of freedom. North was a logical destination and for many it represented true freedom, while the desire to reach family members in neighboring states drove some into Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. Settling into these new areas as free men and women brought on new realities and the challenges of establishing a heretofore nonexistent status for black people in America. Recounting the memories of that great day in June of 1865 and its festivities would serve as motivation as well as a release from the growing pressures encountered in their new territories. The celebration of June 19th was coined "Juneteenth" and grew with more participation from descendants. The Juneteenth celebration was a time for reassuring each other, for praying and for gathering remaining family members. Juneteenth continued to be highly revered in Texas decades later, with many former slaves and descendants making an annual pilgrimage back to Galveston on this date.
Juneteenth in Modern Times
Today, Juneteenth is enjoying a phenomenal growth rate within communities and organizations throughout the country. Institutions such as the Smithsonian, the Henry Ford Museum, and others have begun sponsoring Juneteenth-centered activities. In recent years, a number of local and national Juneteenth organizations have arisen to take their place alongside older organizations - all with the mission to promote and cultivate knowledge and appreciation of African American history and culture.
Juneteenth today celebrates African American freedom and achievement while encouraging continuous self-development and respect for all cultures. As it takes on a more national, symbolic, and even global perspective, the events of 1865 in Texas are not forgotten, for all of the roots tie back to this fertile soil from which a national day of pride is growing.
The future of Juneteenth looks bright as the number of cities and states creating Juneteenth committees continues to increase. Respect and appreciation for all of our differences grow out of exposure and working together. Getting involved and supporting Juneteenth celebrations creates new bonds of friendship and understanding among us. This indeed brightens our future - and that is the Spirit of Juneteenth.
On June 17th, 2021, President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law establishing Juneteenth as a federal holiday.
Learn more about Juneteenth!
Smithsonian: The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth
On "Freedom's Eve," or the eve of January 1, 1863, the first Watch Night services took place. On that night, enslaved and free African Americans gathered in churches and private homes all across the country awaiting news that the Emancipation Proclamation had taken effect.
Juneteenth.com: How to Celebrate
There are many ways to celebrate Juneteenth. From an outdoor cookout with traditional foods to the modern-day office conference room, Juneteenth can be celebrated in various settings. Start with a reading of the "History of Juneteenth" to learn how Juneteenth celebrations have endured and evolved through the years.
Video: What is Juneteenth and why is it important?
From TED-Ed, watch this animated video narrated by Karlos K. Hill and Soraya Field Fiorio.
Contacting Your Voucher Specialist
Specialists are assigned based on the zip code of your address. If you are part of the rent study, your contact will be a THRIVE Program Specialist. If you are not part of the rent study and are served by the traditional HCV team, your contact will be an HCV Certification Specialist. Please note: some individuals may have a different specialist assigned to them than what is listed. View certification specialists here (Coming soon).
Ask EHA: Submit Your Questions
Do you have a question about EHA's services and offerings? Maybe you would like to learn more about RentCafe or different teams here at EHA. Send your question or inquiry to Heather Stults via email and it might be featured in next month's newsletter!
June is Pride Month
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month (LGBT Pride Month) is celebrated annually in June to honor the 1969 Stonewall riots and works to achieve equal justice and equal opportunity for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) Americans. In June of 1969, patrons and supporters of the Stonewall Inn in New York City staged an uprising to resist the police harassment and persecution to which LGBT Americans were commonly subjected. This uprising marks the beginning of a movement to outlaw discriminatory laws and practices against LGBT Americans.
Today, celebrations include pride parades, picnics, parties, workshops, symposia, and concerts, and LGBT Pride Month events attract millions of participants around the world. Memorials are held during this month for those members of the community who have been lost to hate crimes or HIV/AIDS. The purpose of the commemorative month is to recognize the impact that LGBTQ individuals have had on history locally, nationally, and internationally.
Federal and local policies and practices are increasingly acknowledging and focusing on LGBTQ youth and numerous national advocacy and other organizations are also giving greater attention to LGBTQ youth in their work. Encouraging greater acceptance and support for all youth, including those who are or are perceived to be LGBTQ, will make communities, schools, and other settings safer, and better places for all youth.
To get involved:
- The White House is holding an LGBT Pride Month Champions of Change Video Challenge to explore the stories of unsung heroes and local leaders who are leading our march towards a more perfect union. In early June, you will have a chance to weigh in and help identify finalists that will be featured as Champions of Change at an event at the White House!
- Take a look at resources from the Administration on Children and Families' National Clearinghouse on Youth and Families. These resources are geared at helping youth-serving organizations understand and more effectively support lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning young people. Please click here for resources serving Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Youth With Open Arms.
- Pride events occur throughout the month. Find an LGBT Pride event in your area.
- Check out the Find a LGBT Pride It Gets Better Project. Take the pledge to speak up against hate and intolerance whenever and wherever you see it. Watch videos from folks who know "It gets better," or submit a video of your own.
Father's Day: History and Around The World
The nation's first Father's Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910, in the state of Washington. However, it was not until 1972-58 years after President Woodrow Wilson made Mother's Day official-that the day honoring fathers became a nationwide holiday in the United States. Father's Day 2023 will occur on Sunday, June 18.
Mother's Day: Inspiration for Father's Day
The "Mother's Day" we celebrate today has its origins in the peace-and-reconciliation campaigns of the post-Civil War era.
During the 1860s, at the urging of activist Ann Reeves Jarvis, one divided West Virginia town celebrated "Mother's Work Days" that brought together the mothers of Confederate and Union soldiers.
However, Mother's Day did not become a commercial holiday until 1908, when inspired by Jarvis's daughter, Anna Jarvis, who wanted to honor her own mother by making Mother's Day a national holiday-the John Wanamaker department store in Philadelphia sponsored a service dedicated to mothers in its auditorium.
Thanks in large part to this association with retailers, who saw great potential for profit in the holiday, Mother's Day caught on right away. In 1909, 45 states observed the day, and in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson approved a resolution that made the second Sunday in May a holiday in honor of "that tender, gentle army, the mothers of America."
Origins of Father's Day
The campaign to celebrate the nation's fathers did not meet with the same enthusiasm-perhaps because, as one florist explained, "fathers haven't the same sentimental appeal that mothers have."
On July 5, 1908, a West Virginia church sponsored the nation's first event explicitly in honor of fathers, a Sunday sermon in memory of the 362 men who had died in the previous December's explosions at the Fairmont Coal Company mines in Monongah, but it was a one-time commemoration and not an annual holiday.
The next year, a Spokane, Washington, woman named Sonora Smart Dodd, one of six children raised by a widower, tried to establish an official equivalent to Mother's Day for male parents. She went to local churches, the YMCA, shopkeepers, and government officials to drum up support for her idea, and she was successful: Washington State celebrated the nation's first statewide Father's Day on June 19, 1910.
Slowly, the holiday spread. In 1916, President Wilson honored the day by using telegraph signals to unfurl a flag in Spokane when he pressed a button in Washington, D.C. In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge urged state governments to observe Father's Day.
Today, the day honoring fathers is celebrated in the United States on the third Sunday of June: Father's Day 2021 occurs on June 20.
In other countries-especially in Europe and Latin America-fathers are honored on St. Joseph's Day, a traditional Catholic holiday that falls on March 19.
Father's Day: Controversy and Commercialism
Many men, however, continued to disdain the day. As one historian writes, they "scoffed at the holiday's sentimental attempts to domesticate manliness with flowers and gift-giving, or they derided the proliferation of such holidays as a commercial gimmick to sell more products, often paid for by the father himself."
During the 1920s and 1930s, a movement arose to scrap Mother's Day and Father's Day altogether in favor of a single holiday, Parents' Day. Every year on Mother's Day, pro-Parents' Day groups rallied in New York City's Central Park- a public reminder, said Parents' Day activist and radio performer Robert Spere, "that both parents should be loved and respected together."
Paradoxically, however, the Great Depression derailed this effort to combine and de-commercialize the holidays. Struggling retailers and advertisers redoubled their efforts to make Father's Day a "second Christmas" for men, promoting goods such as neckties, hats, socks, pipes and tobacco, golf clubs and other sporting goods, and greeting cards.
When World War II began, advertisers began to argue that celebrating Father's Day was a way to honor American troops and support the war effort. By the end of the war, Father's Day may not have been a federal holiday, but it was a national institution.
In 1972, in the middle of a hard-fought presidential re-election campaign, Richard Nixon signed a proclamation making Father's Day a federal holiday at last. Today, economists estimate that Americans spend more than $1 billion each year on Father's Day gifts.
Work at EHA!
We're hiring at EHA. We have job openings in Housing Management, Resident Services, Maintenance, Finance, and Policy and Innovation. Check out our Careers page and learn more about each position.
South County Fire: Free Online Community Programs
All classes are free, but you must register in advance.
Car Seat Class
June 7, 6-7 PM | June 21, 10-11 AM
We know car seats can be confusing, so we hope you will join us for our free online car seat safety class. This class provides basic awareness about car seat use. You will learn how to properly use a car seat from birth to the adult seat belt. Open to anyone who wants to learn about car seats and child passenger safety.
For child transporters: The information learned will allow you to safely transport children in your care but does not qualify you to conduct car seat checks nor advise or instruct others on car seat installation. Need special accommodations? We can accommodate. Please fill out the registration form for more information.
New to Zoom? We can help you login and learn how to use Zoom! Contact Outreach via email.
Disaster Preparedness for Families
June 14 | 6-7 PM
Learn how to prepare and care for your family in a disaster in this one-hour training presented by South County Fire:
- Overview of disasters known to Washington
- How to start a preparedness kit for your family
- Basic steps to creating a family disaster plan
- Shutting off utilities
Who should take the class: Anyone who would like a basic introduction to preparing for disasters. All abilities are welcome. Children ages 13 and up are welcome when an adult caregiver is also registered. When: Classes are offered in March, June, September, and December.
Need special accommodations? We can accommodate. Please fill out the registration form for more information.
Upcoming classes will be offered using Zoom videoconferencing tools. New to Zoom? We can help you login and learn how to use Zoom! Contact Outreach via email.
Child Safety & CPR Class
June 21 | 6-7 PM
Unintentional injuries are a leading cause of death for children. Learn how to keep little ones safe at home, at play, and on the road. You'll also learn CPR for children. This free, one-hour class is offered from 6-7 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of every other month.
This is not a certification course. South County Fire still encourages everyone to take a full CPR & First Aid course. Need special accommodations? We can accommodate. Please fill out the registration form for more information.
New to Zoom? We can help you login and learn how to use Zoom! Contact Outreach via email.
Sun Safety Tips
Spending time outside is a great way to be physically active, reduce stress, and get vitamin D. You can work and play outside without raising your skin cancer risk by protecting your skin from the sun.
Most skin cancers are caused by too much exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light. UV rays are an invisible kind of radiation that comes from the sun, tanning beds, and sunlamps. UV rays can damage skin cells. Protection from UV rays is important all year, not just during the summer. UV rays can reach you on cloudy and cool days, and they reflect off of surfaces like water, cement, sand, and snow. In the continental United States, UV rays tend to be strongest from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daylight saving time (9 a.m. to 3 p.m. standard time).
The UV Index forecasts the strength of UV rays each day. If the UV index is 3 or higher in your area, protect your skin from too much exposure to the sun.
How to Protect Your Skin from the Sun
- Shade - You can reduce your risk of sun damage and skin cancer by staying in the shade under an umbrella, tree, or other shelter. Your best bet to protect your skin is to use sunscreen or wear protective clothing when you're outside-even when you're in the shade.
- Clothing - When possible, wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants and skirts, which can provide protection from UV rays. If wearing this type of clothing isn't practical, try to wear a T-shirt or a beach cover-up. Clothes made from tightly woven fabric offer the best protection. A wet T-shirt offers much less UV protection than a dry one, and darker colors may offer more protection than lighter colors. Some clothing is certified under international standards as offering UV protection.
- Hat - For the most protection, wear a hat that has a brim all the way around that shades your face, ears, and the back of your neck. A tightly woven fabric, such as canvas, works best to protect your skin from UV rays. Avoid straw hats with holes that let sunlight through. A darker hat may offer more UV protection. If you wear a baseball cap, you should also protect your ears and the back of your neck by wearing clothing that covers those areas, using sunscreen, or staying in the shade.
- Sunglasses - Sunglasses protect your eyes from UV rays and reduce the risk of cataracts. They also protect the tender skin around your eyes from sun exposure. Sunglasses that block both UVA and UVB rays offer the best protection. Most sunglasses sold in the United States, regardless of cost, meet this standard. Wraparound sunglasses work best because they block UV rays from sneaking in from the side.
- Sunscreen - Put on broad-spectrum sunscreen that filters out both UVA and UVB rays and has an SPF of 15 or higher before you go outside. Don't forget to put a thick layer on all exposed skin. Get help for hard-to-reach places like your back. And remember, sunscreen works best when combined with other options.
- SPF - Sun Protection Factor. This rates how well they filter out UV rays. Higher numbers indicate more protection. Use SPF 15 or higher.
- Reapplication - Sunscreen wears off. Put it on again if you stay out in the sun for more than 2 hours and after swimming, sweating, or toweling off.
Angel of the Winds Community Career Fair
Wednesday, June 7 | 10:00 AM-2:00 PM
3438 Stoluckquamish Ln., Arlington
Do you seek career growth and fresh opportunities? Join us on Wednesday, June 7th from 10AM to 2PM at our Community Career Fair in the Rivers Run Event Center! With over 30 companies in attendance, you'll have a chance to connect, network and propel your career path forward. Don't miss out on this exciting event! More information about the Angel of the Winds Community Career Fair will be posted on their website.
Resource: Apply For Air Conditioner & Air Purifier
To apply for LIHEAP, please contact your local LIHEAP agency in your county.
FCC Affordable Connectivity Program
The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) was created by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) to help connect families and household struggling to afford internet service. HUD-assisted families automatically qualify for ACP and the subsidy is not considered income for the purpose of determining program eligibility or household rent.
The benefit provides:
- Up to $30/month discount for internet service
- Up to $75/month discount for household on qualifying Tribal lands
- A one-time discount of up to $100 for a laptop, desktop computer, or purchased through a participating provider
How to Enroll
- Go to AffordableConnectivity.gov to submit an application or print a mail-in application
- Contact your preferred participating provider to select an eligible plan and have the discount applied to your bill. Some providers may have an alternative application that they will ask you to complete.
Eligible household must both apply for the program and contact a participating provider to select a service plan.
To learn more about the FCC Affordable Connectivity Program, please click here or call 877-384-2575
June Events
Everett Farmers Market
Sundays | 10:30 AM-3 PM | 2930 Wetmore Ave.
Entrance at Hewitt & Wetmore or Pacific & Wetmore
Lawyers in the Library Legal Clinic: Snohomish County Legal Services
June 8 | 4 PM-6 PM | Evergreen Branch of Everett Public Library
Have a legal question? Attorneys from Snohomish County Legal Services will provide free legal assistance to qualifying low-income Snohomish County residents. At this legal clinic, SCLS attorneys will meet with you one-on-one for brief consultations on general civil legal issues, including family law (e.g. divorce, parenting plans, and visitation rights), housing (eviction, landlord-tenant issues), and debt collection.
Please sign up for an appointment at epls.org/signmeup. Preregistration is recommended; walk-ins will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis if spots are available.
Sorticulture
June 9-11 | 10 AM (Closing Times Vary) | 1607 California Street This wonderful celebration is all about arts and the garden at Sorticulture Pop Up. They will have a great showcase of maker artisans offering a range of products for the home and indoor outdoor lifestyle use. They have a great mix of new and returning vendors to the showcase. There is also a variety of things to eat and drink scattered throughout the event and free entertainment offered in the main Sorticulture stage area. Event is free to attend and all ages. This event is outdoors. Learn more about the Sorticulture event here.
Bike Repair Clinic: Sharing Wheels Community Bike Shop
June 13 | 3 PM-6 PM | Evergreen Branch of Everett Public Library
Drop or wheel by for free bicycle repairs! Volunteer bike mechanics from Sharing Wheels Community Bike Shop will be on-site to repair your bike for you or help you do your own basic repairs. Issues mechanics can help with include (but are not limited to) flat tires, broken chains, crooked handlebars, weird sounds, and sticky brakes. Mechanics can also help repair scooters, walkers, and other wheeled mobility devices! No registration required.
Everett 2044: Planning our future together (Open House)
June 13 | 4 PM-6 PM | Everett Community College Henry M. Jackson Conference Center 2000 Tower St. Learn about the different ways the city of Everett could increase housing opportunities and make room for more jobs in Everett over the next 20 years. Light snacks will be provided. Learn more about Everett 2044: Planning our future together (open house) here.
