South Valley
Follow these three simple steps to Recycle Right !
1
EMPTY
Empty excess liquids from bottles and cans before recycling .
Debbi & Mike Sanchez , Publishers
2 3
LOOSE
Do not bag recyclables in plastic garbage bags . Place loose in recycling bin .
DRY
Remove food scraps from containers before recycling .
UNSURE OF WHERE SOMETHING GOES ?
Visit Recology . com / SouthValley . Under the “ Helpful Resources ” tab , check out our What Bin Tool to find out what goes where !
In print everywhere you go . Take us with you at gmhtoday . com
We are your South Valley Lifestyle Magazine !
In the fourth grade I ( Mike ) took my mom on a date to see my older sister Diana and her pals perform in the EE Brownell Jr . High talent show at the Gavilan College Theater . It was a big deal .
Lights , camera , action ! Wild skits and wild costumes . Donny DeLorenzo read minds , little Doug Foreman shredded to Santana on guitar , and the tune “ Hot Rod Lincoln ” played as a cardboard car chase went down . Epic acts indeed . All fun and laughs . Then , somewhere in the middle of tarot cards and slapstick , things got real . Lights down . Set stage . Queue the music — Sly and the Family Stone ’ s “ Everyday People ”
Lights up . Five circles of cross-legged kids , each clothed and painted from head to toe . All circles distinct . All separated by — color . There was a red circle , a green circle , a blue circle and so on . Dancing begins . A “ green ” kid leaves her circle and dances over to the “ blue ” circle . She is denied entry . Next , a “ blue ” one tries to join the “ red ” ones and is turned away . Things are not going well for the colored kids who venture out . Then suddenly , a “ red one ” is accepted into the “ brown ” group . It starts a movement . All barriers of color , size , shape , and status begin to crumble to the ground . The skit ends two minutes and twenty-one seconds later with kids of every “ color ” unified in dance and song . Celebrating difference , they demand independence from the dogmas of previous generations . Now the only color on stage is the color of freedom to be uniquely themselves — just like everyone else . Together they proclaim with the song ’ s final line ; “ I am everyday people .”
That was 1972 . The act was timeless . My big sister and her friends sent a clear message — they disagreed with the hate-filled segregationist sentiment of the day . By their efforts and through their art , they pointed out just how ludicrous that sentiment was . But this was middle school . What could these kids possibly know ? A more relevant question is — what didn ’ t the adults of the day , nor the leaders of that time , understand ? These kids were ahead of their time . They were also of their time , facing an uncertain world and filled with angst . They were indignant . By their courage , or simply by the audacity of their truth , they stood tall .
These days much has changed , and nothing has . Our fears and insecurities are exploited for reasons beyond our comprehension . We are told to love and taught to hate . We live in a world where green is less than red , red is less than blue , and so on . Today , I first wonder if a performance like this could even take place without protest . These , after all , were just primary colors . What about the fluorescent ones ? What about the gradients ? Progress has been made . Yet , progress calls .
A healthy community is about putting others first . It ’ s about chasing something greater than ourselves . It requires healing old wounds , abolishing generalizations , and ditching our predefined perspectives . It ’ s about listening more than speaking and speaking more than shouting . It includes listening to the kids in our families and communities , who , after all , don ’ t see the differences in others as a threat . At least not yet . They simply see everyday people . As it should be .
Let ’ s celebrate our differences and proclaim our independence from the fear of “ others ” fueled by those who stand to benefit from our division . Only then can we realize the freedom to be uniquely ourselves , together . As the song says , ( You , and ) I am everyday people . Yeah , yeah .
- Debbi and Mike