Local Initiatives Support Corp > Strength In Diversity

Our Strength Comes From Our Diversity
By Maurice Jones, President & CEO, LISC
Link > http://www.lisc.org

6.22.2017 - LISC StoriesCommunity Wise Blog

Part of our mission at LISC is to do everything we can to help all Americans live with dignity and contribute to and share more broadly in the prosperity of our country. That includes LGBTQ Americans. This June, as cities and towns around the United States mark Pride Month, we’re reaffirming our commitment to creating inclusive communities, and reflecting on how we can do better.
For example, we have supported affordable housing for low-income LGBTQ seniors in Chicago.
We also helped build a new facility for the venerable Los Angeles LGBT Center, which has been providing services and advocacy since 1969.
And there are many more examples of similar work underway. We at LISC are always working to make sure our own staff represents the same diversity--of race, ethnicity, age, gender and sexual orientation--as the communities we serve. Only when we pool the collective talent of our diversity can we achieve excellence.

All of this is critical. In order to realize the extraordinary promise of this country, we must tap and develop the talents of all and work to ensure that all have access to the abundance of opportunities throughout our beloved communities. During this month of celebration and pride, LISC rededicates itself to these values. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Maurice Jones, President & CEO, LISC
Prior to joining LISC, Maurice was the Secretary of Commerce for the Commonwealth of Virginia, where he managed 13 state agencies focused on the economic needs in his native state.

Before that, he was second in command at the U.S. Dept. of HUD, serving as deputy secretary in charge of operations.

He has also been Commissioner of Virginia’s Dept. of Social Services and Deputy Chief of Staff to then-Gov. Mark Warner.

At the U.S. Treasury Dept. during the Clinton Administration, he managed the CDFI fund. His private sector experience includes top positions at the Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, a Richmond law firm and a private philanthropy investing in community-based efforts to benefit children in Washington, D.C.

Using Form-Based Codes to Create Vibrant, Walkable Communities

Published on Jun 23, 2017

Views: 5

Duration: 1:25:41

This recorded Smart Growth Network webinar explains how communities are using form-based codes to create vibrant, walkable places.

Chris Zimmerman of the Form-Based Codes Institute and Smart Growth America draws upon his experience in Arlington, Virginia to explain what form-based codes are, how they work and, most importantly, why they matter to planners and public officials who want to create walkable communities.

Arlington County used FBC as part of an effort to transform Columbia Pike from an auto-oriented corridor into a lively Main Street lined with restaurants, retail and attractive public spaces. Chris uses this example to explore the basics of FBC for planners and others who are familiar with the concept and want to learn more.

Norway: Fix This Planet, Not Leave – Martin Rees disagrees ...

Published on Jun 22, 2017

Views: 354

Astronomer Royal Martin Rees spoke to the audience at the fourth Starmus Festival, at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), on Thursday, in which he disagreed with the theory presented by renowned physicist that humans should leave Earth for Mars.

Video ID: 20170622 029

PRE-HISTORY ? America Before Columbus Documentary

Published on Jun 22, 2017
Views: 1,914
Duration: 1:11

Here's one comment that was posted
"Christopher Columbus was not his real name. In the Papal Bull of 1492 and 1493, the Pope named the Captain who sailed to the new world as Christobal Colon, his real name. He was, in fact, a Jew. He spoke Castilian Spanish, not Italian. . . "

WAY TOO DAMN HOT > Record Temps/Intense UV/200+ degree soil: PA/MA/NJ/GA/CA/OR/MT/PX

Published on Jun 21, 2017

June 21, 2017: Relevant data you need to know...Be safe out there. *What is UV Index?*
"High"- A UV Index reading of 6 to 7 means high risk of harm from unprotected sun exposure. Protection against skin and eye damage is needed. Reduce time in the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. If outdoors, seek shade and wear sun protective clothing, a wide-brimmed hat, and non-toxic UV-blocking sunglasses. *What is Total UV?*
Ultraviolet (UV) is an electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength from 10 nm (30 PHz) to 400 nm (750 THz), shorter than that of visible light but longer than X-rays. UV radiation constitutes about 10% of the total light output of the Sun, and is thus present in sunlight. *What is Ozone?*
A layer in the earth's stratosphere at an altitude of about 6.2 miles (10 km) containing a high concentration of ozone, which absorbs most of the ultraviolet radiation reaching the earth from the sun.

Mormon Married And Gay ? [only Part 1]

Opinion

Married. Gay. And Mormon. (Part 1)

By Jana Riess | June 13, 2017

Source: http://religionnews.com

Readers might ask why your MesaZona blogger is featuring a post on this subject. Easy to respond since so much on this issue with LDS adherents is usually avoided from both internal and external discourse, except for recent items like Mormons ending their long-standing sponsorship here in Arizona for The Boy Scouts.
It's also been no secret at all that current Senator Jeff Flake and former Congressman Matt Salmon both have gay sons [Perhaps that is "a blessing" in-disguise ?]  who have been forced to undergo what's called conversion therapy.

What happens to Mormons who are gay and still have a strong testimony of LDS beliefs? Can they remain active in a church that claims to welcome them but whose policies have been—and continue to be—damaging?
In this guest post, journalism MFA student Kristin Lowe follows a same-sex couple over the course of four months as they move from Hawaii to Washington and learn that “bishop roulette” is very real in the LDS Church.

Because of length, I’m putting up the first section today and the conclusion tomorrow. — JKR
A guest post by Kristin Lowe with one excerpt. You can read the entire article by going to the link with the headline: "Nick and Spencer were born and raised Mormons in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It’s no longer a sin to be Mormon and gay, but the church says it is a sin to act on same-sex attraction. Nick and Spencer are trying to navigate the largely uncharted territory of being gay and married and active in the LDS church.
By the church’s standards, they are living in sin and are subject to church discipline. When they got married in Hawaii, they lost the privileges of full membership in the church, and they were forced to accept painful restrictions—no partaking of the sacrament on Sundays, no callings in their ward, no temple attendance, and no wearing of sacred garments. . . "

 

About the author

Kristin Lowe is an active member of the LDS Church who loves her faith and her faith community. She is currently a MFA student in the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism studying narrative nonfiction writing, while also learning to embrace the beautiful mess of being a mother of five.

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