10 September 13, 2007 <strong>Park</strong> <strong>Slope</strong> <strong>Food</strong> <strong>Coop</strong>, Brooklyn, NYCOMMUNITYCALENDARCommunity calendar listingsare free. Please submit yourlistings in 50 words or less bymail, the mailslot in the entryvestibule, or GazetteSubmissions@psfc.coop.Submissiondeadlines are the sameas for classified ads. Pleaserefer to the <strong>Coop</strong> Calendar inthe center of this issue.*Denotes a <strong>Coop</strong> member.MON, SEP 17WOMEN’S WELLNESS GROUP:Free orientation session, 6:30-8:00p.m. at TRS Professional Suite, 44East 32nd St, 11th floor (betweenMadison and <strong>Park</strong> aves). Subway:6-33rd St. Oct 1–Dec 10. Space islimited! Pre-registration required.For program rates and information,www.nourishingworks.com or contactangela@nourishingworks.com.THUR, SEP 20ALBUM MAKING BEES at MemoriesOut of the Box! Bring yourphotos and stories and make thatalbum you’ve been meaning tomake! Resources, refreshments,tools and support provided weekly!No fee! Thursdays 7–9 p.m. andSundays, 4-8 p.m. Memories Outof the Box. 633 Vanderbilt Ave. btwSt. Marks and Prospect Place.(718) 398-1519FRI, SEP 21<strong>The</strong> Brooklyn Co-Housing Groupis actively recruiting new foundingmembers to design and builda child-friendly community-mindedapartment complex here. ContactAlex Marshall at alex@alexmarshall.org or 212-227-9392for information.SAT, SEP 22DANCING FOR ANIMALS, a nonprofitorganization, is holding Saturday-nightdance parties onalternate Saturdays through Dec15. Intro dance class 8:30-9:30p.m. General dancing 9:30-12:30a.m. Dance Times Square, 156 W.44th St., 3rd floor. $10. 212-946-1824www.dancingforanimals.orgSAT, OCT 6MILES FOR MIDWIVES: CelebrateNational Midwifery Week at 10a.m. with our 5th annual 5krun/walk in Prospect <strong>Park</strong> (Bartel-Pritchard Square, 15th St andPPW). Adults $15 advance/$20day-of, children $5/$7. Raceapplications/more info atwww.nycmidwives.org/links/miles4midwives.asp. Or arrive 8-9:30a.m. to register on race day.MilesforMidwives@yahoo.comfor questions.WHAT IS THAT? HOW DO I USE IT?<strong>Food</strong> Toursin the <strong>Coop</strong>If you listen very carefullyyou can hear a faint humthe wind lifting the leavesin swift rushesthe earnest pockets of conversationplans being laidthe fires in the grates as we all return hometo the work we doIf you watch very closelyyou can see the lightdawn arrives a little latedusk too earlythe afternoon light softensthe sceneand here and there a leaf spiralsdown no longer greenIf you speak very softlyyou softenthe world opens up to youpeople turn smilesin your directionchildren take your handIf you wait a small whilenot longthe pumpkins will cometo sit on your stoopspiders will come nestin the corners of your homeapples will fall like homageat your feetAnd if you can’tcome to the <strong>Park</strong> <strong>Slope</strong> <strong>Food</strong> <strong>Coop</strong>we’re taking it all inwe’re here for youwaitingby Myra KlockenbrinkMondaysWednesdayTuesdayandandSeptember 24 (B Week)October 15 (A Week)October 29 (C Week)Noon to 1 p.m.1:30 to 2:30 p.m.October 3 (C Week)October 30 (C Week)2:30 to 3:304:00 to 5:00 p.m..Or you can join in any time during a tour.CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9RECYPLASTICSLINGMonthly on the. . .Third Thursday • Sep 20 • 7:00–9:00 pmLast Sunday • Sep 30 • 10:00 am–noonSecond Saturday • Oct 13 • noon– 2:00 pmOn the sidewalkin front of the receiving areaat the <strong>Park</strong> <strong>Slope</strong> <strong>Food</strong> <strong>Coop</strong>.What plastics do we accept?• #1 and #2 non-bottle shaped containers and#1 and #2 labeled lids. Mouths of containersmust be equal width or wider than the bodyof the container.• All #4 plastic and #4 labeled lids.• #5 plastic tubs, cups & specifically markedlids and caps (discard any with paper labels).• Plastic film, such as shopping and drycleaning bags, etc. Okay if not labeled.ALL PLASTIC MUST BE COMPLETELY CLEAN AND DRYWe close up promptly.Last drop offs will be accepted 10 minutesprior to our end time to allow for sorting.Thursday,Oct. 47:30 p.m.at the <strong>Coop</strong>WORKSLOT NEEDS<strong>The</strong> HealthyHedonistFrom <strong>The</strong> Healthy Hedonist Holidays:A Year of Multi-Cultural,Vegetarian-Friendly Holiday Feasts,a tasting from the first menuin the book, the feast of Eíd Al Fítr,the end of Ramadam.MENU• Chickpea Charmoula Strudel• Roasted Red Pepper Pesto with Almondsand Sesame Seeds• Macerated Oranges with Cinnamon, Honey,and Orange Blossom Water$4 materials feeViews expressed by the presenter do notnecessarily represent the <strong>Park</strong> <strong>Slope</strong> <strong>Food</strong> <strong>Coop</strong>.Myra Kornfeld is theauthor of the forthcomingbook, <strong>The</strong> HealthyHedonist Holidays:A Year of Multi-Cultural, Vegetarian-Friendly Holiday Feasts(October 16, 2007) aswell as <strong>The</strong> HealthyHedonistand <strong>The</strong> VoluptuousVegan. A veteranteacher, consultant, chef,and food writer, Myrateaches at the NaturalGourmet Institute for<strong>Food</strong>and Health as wellas the Institute ofCulinary Education inNew York City.MEMBERS &NON-MEMBERSWELCOME.Come earlyto ensure a seat.Kitchen CleaningWednesday, 8:00 to 10:00 a.m.Deep clean all three kitchens in the <strong>Coop</strong>: childcare, meetingroom, staff room. You will work independently to cleancountertops, cabinets, drawers, kitchen equipment, sinks,and refrigerators. Must be reliable as you are the only personcoming to do this job on your day. Please speak toAdriana in the Membership Office, Monday to Thursday, 8:00am to 2:00 pm if you are interested.Office SetupWeekday mornings, 6:00 to 8:30 a.m.Need an early riser with lots of energy to do a variety ofphysical tasks including: setting up tables and chairs, buyingfood and supplies, labeling and putting away food and supplies,recycling, washing dishes and making coffee. Soundlike your dream come true? This job might be for you. Pleasespeak to Adrianna in the Membership Office, Mondaythrough Thursday, 8:00 am to 2:00 pm.Community Ties Data Entry,Phone Canvassing and OutreachTimes to be DeterminedCommunity Ties, at www.foodcoop.com, is our directory ofbusinesses offering exclusive discounts to <strong>Park</strong> <strong>Slope</strong> <strong>Food</strong><strong>Coop</strong> members. This feature is being updated on our Web siteand in print after a three-year hiatus. <strong>The</strong> <strong>Coop</strong> needs workersto canvas the neighborhood (via phone and/or foot) to enlistnew businesses. We also need workers to update the participantaddresses in FileMaker. If interested in helping with thisproject on a flexible FTOP basis, please leave a voicemailmessage for Camille Scuria at: 888-922-2667, mailbox 87.
<strong>Park</strong> <strong>Slope</strong> <strong>Food</strong> <strong>Coop</strong>, Brooklyn, NY September 13, 2007 11DIVERSITY & EQUALITY COMMITTEE REPORTDiversity Committee Members Are on a MissionBy Maitefa AngazaA<strong>Coop</strong> entrance worker isuncomfortable with what shefeels is the impatient and perfunctoryreception the worker next toher gives a Black woman seekinginformation about joining the <strong>Coop</strong>.She compares this with the accommodationand friendly attention thisworker gave to a white woman withthe same questions a half-hour earlier.She is unsure if, or how, she shouldmake her concern known to her coworker.Months later, after having suppressedher displeasure, she isplagued by vague, but persistent flulikesymptoms.Just kidding—but now that we’vegot your attention, we can tell you alittle about what your Diversity andEquality Committee (DEC) has beendoing. By the way, all but that lastsentence is true, as is the following:• One <strong>Coop</strong> member tells anotherthat “you people,” meaning those whowear their heads covered in the style ofMuslim women, “should not beallowed in the <strong>Coop</strong>.” <strong>The</strong> victim of thisbigotry wishes to report the incident,but feels that the perpetrator is not stable,and therefore not fully responsiblefor this outburst. <strong>The</strong> victim wants theincident recorded in <strong>Coop</strong> records, butdoes not want disciplinary proceduresadministered. Is it up to her?• A Black woman squad leader saysshe sometimes contends with whitemales who report for make-ups, butrefuse to take direction from her. Evenafter being repeatedly told who’s incharge, these men will turn to anotherwhite person on the squad (usually amale) to ask any questions or toreceive further instructions.• A white male squad leader wantsto know if allowing members whomaintain a kosher diet certain accessnot afforded other <strong>Coop</strong> members isan allowable religious accommodation,or an exception that can beviewed as favoritism.• One Latina woman says that whiledoing a make-up, she was offended bya white woman who was there for amake-up as well. <strong>The</strong> white womanwalked up to her and insisted on takingover the job she’d been assigned,announcing that the Latina womanwouldn’t be able to figure it out.• A person working a shift feels thatshe has been subjected to race bias.She loses her temper and, subsequently,her work assignment. Aftershe brings her case to the DEC severalwitnesses are interviewed. All, includingthose witnesses of her same race,accuse her of being verbally abusive.• A Black man leaving the <strong>Coop</strong>after shopping reports being asked toopen for inspection the personal baghe’d been carrying when he arrived.He says that neither the shopperbefore him nor the shopper after wereasked to open their bags.• A white woman is changing in thelocker room at a local gym and overhearsone Black woman telling twoothers about an infuriating slight shejust suffered that she feels is racerelated. One of the women says to her,“You must have just come from the<strong>Coop</strong>.” <strong>The</strong> white woman is shockedto learn that there are people at her<strong>Coop</strong> who feel this way. She respondsby joining the DEC.As readers may deduce from theseanecdotes, the Diversity and EqualityCommittee, the new kid on the block,has been busy. We boast a roster oftalented and dedicated people, severalof whom either work in this fieldprofessionally, in the legal profession,or in human resources. We also have awonderful, devoted chairperson who’sgreat at keeping up and keepingpeace. Here’s an overview of whatwe’ve been doing:<strong>The</strong> members of the Education andTraining Subcommittee feel that theDEC is fulfilling a long-time need atthe <strong>Coop</strong>. <strong>The</strong>y point out that fewentities as large as the <strong>Coop</strong> functionthese days without a diversity component.Many members probablybelieve that real diversity-relatedproblems at the <strong>Coop</strong> are small innumber. But while the cooperativeand voluntary nature of our ventureprobably fosters a greater degree oftolerance here, it’s also true that wecome in closer proximity to diversegroups of people than we do in theaverage workplace or community. ARastafarian and a Hasidic Jew may livenear one another in Crown Heights,but will only stand together choosingproduce at the <strong>Coop</strong>.<strong>The</strong> Education and Training Subcommittee’smission, therefore, is tohelp make our close encounters productiveones. <strong>The</strong> Committee hasconducted numerous workshops forsquad leaders at which there havebeen some very interesting discussions.Squad leaders, who have voluntarilytaken on a higher level of serviceto the <strong>Coop</strong>, are usually interested inhelping to foster the cooperative climate.Those members who may beinvolved in, or witness to a diversityrelatedincident while working theirshifts, are encouraged to turn first totheir squad leaders, when possible.<strong>The</strong>y will inform you about how tocontact the DEC.Also hard at work have been themembers of the Survey Subcommittee,which will soon canvas membersto find out about their perspectives onthe issues and their experiences, ifany, with diversity-related incidents atthe <strong>Coop</strong>. <strong>The</strong> designing of an efficientsurvey is a task requiring a considerableamount of consideration. Primarilythe data will help us to moreeffectively address diversity issues anddesign programs aimed at helping toavoid rifts. However, the informationthat will be provided will also allowmembers to have a clearer picture ofwho we are and how we function.<strong>The</strong>re have been, for example, a fewarticles in various publications thathave either featured or mentioned the<strong>Coop</strong>. On more than one occasion,our membership has been portrayedas being predominantly white andupper middle class. Is this true? Well,we don’t know definitively becausethe <strong>Coop</strong> does not collect this kind ofdata. Some say that a number of Blackpeople, feeling unwelcome, have leftthe <strong>Coop</strong> over the last two decades. Isthe membership less diverse than itonce was? Do we need to reach out tomore diverse communities of all ethnicitiesand abilities in order toachieve what many assume wealready have? <strong>Coop</strong> members willsoon be asked to assist by taking partin the survey. Please comply.<strong>The</strong> Complaint Review Subcommitteehas received a minor flurry ofcases after a quiet introduction. It hastaken information from membersreporting incidents of perceived biasand advised them of their options. It’salso made recommendations regardingthe resolution of incidents to theparties involved and, in one instance,was honored to be asked by the DisciplinaryHearing Committee to weighin on a case. <strong>The</strong> incidents the subcommitteehas addressed have been,in themselves, diverse in nature.<strong>The</strong>y’ve required the subcommittee tofine-tune its policies and operationearly on, which is a very good thing.If anything would help this group tofunction even more effectively itwould be, guess what? Greater diversity!<strong>The</strong> Complaint Review Subcommitteeis composed of a small groupof capable persons, but does notinclude a Spanish-speaking person, awhite male, or someone of Asiandescent, for example. <strong>The</strong> DEC wouldlike to try to ensure that members filingincident reports feel they are dealingwith a group sensitive to theirconcerns. For example, a Black personwho feels victimized and a whitemember who has been accused, bothlikely feel more comfortable speakingat a meeting that included at leastone other person who “looks likethem,” and may be able to relate totheir position and perspective.Subcommittee members havefound that most complainants don’twant revenge or to see someoneembarrassed or dismissed from the<strong>Coop</strong>. <strong>The</strong>y want primarily to berespected and taken seriously.Although not every case will be foundto have merit, each should heard.When not reviewing cases, the ComplaintReview Subcommittee is workingat making sure this process isavailable to all members.Well, now that you know a littlemore about how our Diversity andEquality Committee functions, feelfree to weigh in with suggestions or toask questions. We can be contacted at1-888-204-0098. Messages can be lefthere for the general committee or forthe various subcommittees. We canalso be reached at diversecoop@yahoo.com and the Complaint ReviewSubcommittee can be reached at psfcdiversity_cpr@hotmail.com.A formrequesting contact with the ComplaintReview Subcommittee can befound in the stacks in the vestibuleand can be deposited in the entrywaymail slot once completed. ■ATTENTIONBUSINESS OWNERS<strong>The</strong> <strong>Park</strong> <strong>Slope</strong> <strong>Food</strong> <strong>Coop</strong> invites merchants, service providersand business owners to join an exciting community-building programat the <strong>Coop</strong>, the Community Ties Program! This is a directory ofbusinesses offering exclusive discounts to <strong>Park</strong> <strong>Slope</strong> <strong>Food</strong> <strong>Coop</strong>members, at www.foodcoop.com. <strong>The</strong> program connects ourdynamic membership of more than 13,000 with participatingneighborhood merchants.Merchants who register with the Community Ties Program offerPSFC members who show a <strong>Coop</strong> membership card a discount orsome other special offer that is not available to the general public.We may provide your business with literature identifying you as aparticipant in the program. We periodically publish a list of participantswith a description of the type of services/merchandise providedand the special offer; that is, continuous, free advertising to ourvast membership.If you would like to include your business in our listing, leave avoicemail message for Camille Scuria at: 888-922-2667, mailbox87. In your message include your business name, category, address,phone number, and your contact name. We’ll contact you about theexclusive discount that you will offer to PSFC members.
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