Mayor Kitty Piercy with OP Teen Volunteer Sara Asher!

Looking forward to Fall!

Come join us for fun, fashion and friendship....

The next Feel-Good Closet event will be held on Monday, September 15th from 4-6 PM!

The Feel Good Closet is a project made possible by our very own teen volunteer Sara Asher. After being inspired when cleaning out her closets last summer, Sara secured donations of building materials, money and fashionable girls' clothing to create this event opportunity for girls to come together and take home some new (or gently used) fashionable clothing. The closet holds clothes from sized 0 to 22, with a mix of styles from classic to funky.

On June 16, OP proudly hosted the grand opening of Sara's project. Mayor Kitty Piercy came and delivered a moving speech about following your dreams, taking risks and using your creativity to make things happen- just like Sara has done.

Are you a teen who wants to make a difference?

Come volunteer at Ophelia's Place and bring your good ideas to life! Contact Kyra at 284-4333 or kyrakelly@opheliasplace.net.

Our newsletter is created primarily by and for girls! If you are a young woman who would like to submit her ideas and talents, please send us an e-mail or give us a call! We need reporters, commentators, poets and artists to help make it happen! Contact Kyra at 284-4333 or email: kyrakelly@opheliasplace.net!

Summer Has Been Fun!

Above: Improvisational Theatre Workshop, led by Therese Dudeck, was a hit this summer at Ophelia's Place! Photo by Sabrina Black.

Ophelia's Place was filled with creativity this past summer. All of our groups and classes have now officially wrapped up. We will be sending out our Fall Events calendar by September 1st. Please call to request a copy if you're not already on our mailing list. Our number is 284-4333.

Fall Events:

We will continue
Movie Fridays from 3:30-6 PM, every Friday. Check our calendar for specific movies and ratings. Also, let us know if you have favorite movies featuring a strong girl or woman lead character.

Drop-in: from 3-6 PM, OP will continue to offer a different self-directed activity for each day of the week. Bring a friend and have fun! Themes are listed below.

Me-Time Monday: Come relax and enjoy making bath salts, do some fun personality tests to discover more about the inner you, make and write in your own hand-decorated journals!

Tuesday: She’s Crafty! Come make jewelry, decorate candles, make your own unique greeting cards, try your hand at Origami or create your own mini-scrapbook!

Wacky Wednesday:We will have an assortment of cards, mad libs, board games and puzzles available for you to challenge your intellect and communication skills.

Thursday: Speak Your Truth We will be writing and listening to poetry. This is a friendly place to be creative with your ideas and express yourself! We will also have help creating our own ’zine. Bring your good ideas and enthusiasm!

Movie Day Friday: Every Friday beginning at 3:30 PM we will be showing a girl-positive movie (featuring a strong female lead character) that has been recommended by our girls at OP.

For Fall groups, workshops and classes, please see our calendar of events and call ahead to register in advance. Once a group has begun, new members cannot be accepted. Please let us know if there is something that interests you so we can sign you up in advance and reserve your space.

Special Feature: We are proud to present this thought-provoking essay written by Kana, one of our Girls Advisory Council members. Feel free to e-mail us with your feedback!

Kana is a senior in high school. A year ago, she was verbally assaulted with a racial slur while playing water polo. She wrote this essay, as well as a larger senior thesis, in response to this incident, and as a way to help raise awareness about racism as an important issue today. She hopes that people will recognize the impact of their words, not only as a hurtful medium for racist slurs, but also as a powerful means of confronting offenders.

For years I have struggled with my racial identity. Even before I knew what race was, I was aware that I am different than most. I am conscious that I am one of the few in my class with almond eyes and the ability to speak my ancestral language. I grew up hearing stories of my great-aunt, who was killed when the atomic bomb was dropped over Hiroshima, and my great-grandparents, who were forced into Japanese internment camps during World War II. In school, we learned about individual ethnic groups without recognizing the reality of multiethnicity. My paternal ancestors fought in the American Revolution, but I often feel as though I have to “prove” my natural-born American citizenship. Because my Caucasian heritage is overridden by my Japanese features, I feel that I cannot belong in any particular ethnic group. People look at me and make assumptions about who I am that are neither true nor educated.

Even so, I was completely unprepared when I was verbally assaulted with a profanity-laced racial slur during a water polo match last year. I did not expect the severity of her words, nor my own emotional reaction. People told me to quit crying, to get over it, that it wasn’t that bad. According to them, she was jealous of my playing ability, and I was letting her get to me.

But what did they know? We have all heard the childhood rhyme, “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” And yet, these were words that had hurt. And still hurt. I continue to be upset by the lack of any formal or personal response to this incident. People in authoritative positions minimized the seriousness of this incident and I was excluded from the response process. For all I know, she still has no idea of the implications, power, and pain of her comments.

I have a responsibility to educate myself and others about racism, diversity and multiethnicity. This attack showed me that not much has changed since World War II, when my relatives were interned by the country of their birth. People should not think it is ever acceptable to spew racial slurs. My IB Extended Essay is titled “Responding Effectively to Incidents of Racism in High School Sports.” I wrote it largely in response to my own experience in water polo and to other racist remarks made at recent high school sporting events in Oregon. Unfortunately, I found through my research that many of the false, stereotypical views reflected in these remarks are still widely held and supported by much of our society.

It is critically important that people recognize the reality of racism today. It is not a thing of the past. We must be prepared to act in an effective and timely manner when incidents occur. Continued awareness and education about racism and diversity in schools and the community—even after individual incidents have been dealt with—can hopefully limit future offenses and misunderstandings. Only then can we create a more inclusive and compassionate society.