Tag: diversity

Chico’s Bonfire storytelling is defined by diversity

Changemaker: Bonnie Pipkin will tackle language barriers in next week's program
by Leslie Layton | Posted March 29, 2025

photo by Karen Laslo
Bonnie Pipkin was thoughtful during an interview in her downtown Chico office.

This is ChicoSol’s third monthly profile in our Changemaker series that features people whose work benefits or brings together the community.

Bonnie Pipkin has resurrected the spirit of what some people call “old Chico”: During a couple of recent decades, Chico, to many of us, felt like a city that was big enough to value artistic freedom and small enough to feel like a friendly rural town.

Pipkin accomplishes this every other month when she stages her multi-generational storytelling program “Bonfire” at the Chico Women’s Club. For a couple of hours, an audience of 180 people sits spellbound listening to a 10-minute story from each of six storytellers that will somehow relate to the evening’s theme. read more

Homeland Celebration delivers “taste of the world”

Pae Xiong: "We are trying to tell people that we exist"
by Yucheng Tang | Posted September 13, 2024

photo by Yucheng Tang
Hmong dancers during the Thursday Night Market.

On stage at City Plaza, 13 Hmong girls from Oroville, dressed in traditional attire, performed a dance to the Hmong song, “Hello, Hello, I Like You.” Below the stage, audience members took pictures, recorded video and applauded. This was the opening performance at the Sept. 12 Homeland Celebration event.

“Our girls love to perform. It’s a good experience for them,” Passion Chue told ChicoSol. She works as a program supervisor at Oroville’s Hmong Cultural Center and oversees all youth programs, including the dancing team. Chue said the girls practice dancing at the center after school in a limited space and without mirrors. read more

From Chico to the Bay Area, Americans discuss their country

"El Viajero" had a few straightforward questions
by ChicoSol staff | Posted September 11, 2023

As Chico’s Juan Flores speaks with random Americans in Northern California, he learns that from fast food to national parks and diversity, people love the country and worry about it. Video produced by Juan Flores.

Bidwell Junior High diversifies its curriculum

"World Cultures" class invites Amma Culture, community elders
by Leslie Layton | Posted August 19, 2021

photo by Leslie Layton
Anecia Johnson, founder of the nonprofit Amma Culture.

Amma Culture founder Anecia Johnson, for the past several years, has been delivering a pointed message to this community: Teach African American kids African history and they’ll identify with accomplishment, not oppression.

Before they learn about slavery or police violence, Black children — and all children, for that matter — should learn about Africa’s magnificent history that includes stories of kings and queens, astronomers and architects, Johnson says. In pre-colonial Africa, for example, ancient Egypt was known for its remarkable systems of literacy, mathematics and medicine. read more

Sick of gerrymandering? Join California’s redistricting commission

Panel seeks to end political rigging of voting districts
by Mark Hedin | Posted July 18, 2019

Kathay Feng, Common Cause national redistricting director, has championed independent redistricting efforts across the country. Those efforts began with two initiatives California voters passed prior to the 2010 Census, leading to the formation of the state’s Citizens Redistricting Commission, which is now seeking new members.

California is looking for new commissioners to draw its redistricting maps — the maps that define who votes for California’s representatives in Congress, its state Senate, Assembly and Board of Equalization members. The deadline is coming up fast to apply for the job, which pays up to $300 per day.

The initial application form takes five minutes to fill out. It’s due by Aug. 9 for the first round of the application process. Find it here.

(The California State Auditor’s office reported today that more than 5,500 Californians have already submitted applications and only .68 percent are from Butte County.) read more