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September 2006
Do you need an interpreter to live in Gwinnett?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sometimes I think that I need the assistance of United Nations interpreters while I navigate through an ordinary day in Gwinnett.
In our county there are more than 100 different languages spoken and it often seems like English is the minority language. Of course, English is still the most common language among Gwinnettians, but undoubtedly more and more native English speakers like me are encountering sudden roadblocks in communications while having a run-of-the-mill day.
Here is a trio of language barriers that I encountered in the last two weeks:
I noticed an unfamiliar man performing landscaping services in my backyard. I opened the window and asked him what company he worked for and what days they are scheduled to work in our community. The middle-aged gentleman who looked Latino just smiled and kept saying “Buenos dias.” He was unable to understand or respond to basic questions that he probably knew the answers to. Because my Spanish is about good as his English we were at an impasse to communicate basic information.
I went to the drive through at a fast food restaurant near my home to grab a quick dinner. The gentleman who took my order appeared to be from South Asia and, to his credit, could understand enough English to know what I wanted on my cheese steak but was unable to chat beyond that. While pulled up at the window and waiting for my order I asked him how business was and he could only repeat “Yes, yes, cheese steak with mayo, lettuce, tomato…” Beyond taking and repeating my order he could not make friendly small talk with his customers.
While visiting a local nail salon to get a manicure and pedicure, the workers in the shop smiled politely and made rudimentary conversations with me in acceptable English. But they talked with each other in their native language and laughed. I tried to not be paranoid but couldn’t help but wonder if they were talking about my crazy-looking toes or something else about me. Rationally, I know that they were probably just more comfortable talking in their own language to each other, but it really robbed me of the high-quality customer service experience that I think should enjoy while pampering myself. This happens to me regularly at this salon.
What is ironic is that if you travel abroad many shopkeepers, street vendors, and restaurant operators and employees speak very understandable English.
Not long ago, I was in San Diego for a conference and I was able to squeeze in a day trip to Tijuana, Mexico. I had no problems communicating with the hordes of business people wanting me to buy souvenirs and meals from them. But on the home front I cannot communicate beyond nods and smiles with a stranger mowing my backyard.
My goal is to learn at least conversational Spanish, but it’s impossible to learn all 100 of the languages spoken in Gwinnett. I hope that business people will help their non-English speaking employees to learn enough English to provide good customer service to those who do not speak their language.
Are you frustrated by language barriers in Gwinnett?
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If you’re educated, why don’t you vote?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I am gung-ho about all eligible Americans exercising their right to vote!
I feel so strongly about voting in the United States because it has taken two constitutional amendments and a congressional act to ensure that I, a black woman, have the right to participate in our political process.
Thanks to the 15th amendment, which guaranteed the right to vote regardless of race; and the 19th amendment, which gave women the right to vote; and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, (renewed recenty by Presiden Bush for another 25 years) which explicitly outlawed discriminatory voting practices; I can have input on how local, state, and national government is shaped and operates.
Because I know how powerful and precious the right to vote is, I hope that Gwinnettians will join me in exercising their right to vote during the upcoming general election in November.
During the August runoff election only 23,584 of Gwinnett’s 304,749 registered voters - 7.74 percent - cast their ballots. The low voter participation rate is sorry for any county, but it is especially tragic for a county that prides itself on its literacy and affluence to have such paltry numbers.
Usually educated people with more economic resources vote in higher numbers because they are more aware that voting is important and that voting has a lot to do with the quality of leadership as well as access to resources in their communities.
If you still need to register to vote for the upcoming election the deadline is October 10.
In addition to voting it is important that citizens help their local Elections Board with staffing up during the election cycle. Workers are needed to operate the hundreds of schools, recreational facilities, and other venues that double as polling places for the November election. I was paid to be a poll manager in Gwinnett in 2002 and 2004 and it was an empowering experience.
Gwinnett County Elections and Registrations Supervisor Lynn Ledford and her employees are busily working to ensure that November elections run smoothly here in the county. They are still in need of additional temporary elections staff.
Election clerks and assistant managers are needed most. Training on federal and state election laws and on operating elections equipment is provided to interested persons at least 18 years of age who have never been convicted of a felony or declared mentally incompetent.
Also, the Gwinnett Elections and Registrations office has moved from the Gwinnett Justice Administration Center to a new venue. The new address is 455 Grayson Highway, Suite 100 in Lawrenceville (in the Town Center shopping center). The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. for voter registration and early and absentee voting.
For information on registering to vote, updating your current voter information, or to work at the Gwinnett polls, please call 770-822-8787.
Do you plan to vote in the November election? Will you consider working at the polls, enabling others to vote?
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Want to enrich your life?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Don’t let the name mislead you: Hands on Atlanta has its grip on Gwinnett, too.
If you want to enrich your life and serve your community, then consider joining Hands on Atlanta. Hands On Atlanta, founded in 1989, matches everyday people with meaningful volunteer opportunities.
It offers individuals and groups an opportunity to share their time, talent and resources in or near their communities. Volunteers can work in almost any capacity imaginable to help ease suffering and bring hope and joy to neighbors in need.
Volunteer opportunities can be short-term, long-term or a one-time special.
I began my affiliation with Hands On Atlanta in the spring of 2003 as a project coordinator for Technology Service Day.
I brought together a group of business and human resources professionals to instruct people who were soon graduating from a computer technology training program sponsored by Operation P.E.A.C.E. (Positive Education Always Creates Elevation)
We helped students prepare resumes and coached them on how to interview with prospective employers.
That experience was so rewarding and addictive that I found myself quickly emerged in other Hands On Atlanta projects.
In three and a half years, I have served as a project coordinator mentor to help new project coordinators with designing, staffing and managing their projects.
I’ve also been co-chair of the Hands On Atlanta Volunteer Council and served on the Hands On Atlanta Citizen Academy to help plan and implement training and lecture programs.
If you want to get involved with Hands On Atlanta there is no better time. Every year, the first Saturday in October is designated as Hands on Atlanta Day. This year’s day, Oct. 7, is co-sponsored by Accenture and is expected to bring the largest centralized gathering of volunteers in the nation together to work on more than 200 projects throughout the 14-county Atlanta metro area.
This year 17,000 volunteers (including children eight years of age and older as well as business, religious, and civic groups) will perform valuable services in areas ranging from adult literacy, animal support and AIDS support services to helping those who are homeless, providing groceries for those in need, cleaning up parks and helping senior citizens.
Hands On Atlanta Day service projects in Gwinnett County are still in need of volunteers and donations. They include: A. Worley Brown Boys and Girls Club, B.B. Harris Elementary, Greater Works Childcare and Community Development Center, Gwinnett Technical College, Hooper Renwick School, Lawrenceville Housing Authority Adventure Center and Sheltering Arms, both the Lillian Webb (Lawrenceville) and Duluth centers.
Participants work from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. Afterward, they celebrate their accomplishments by gathering at Centennial Olympic Park; where good food and music is provided as a thank-you for a job well done.
To begin your own rewarding journey with Hands On Atlanta, visit www.HandsOnAtlanta.org or call 404-979-2808.
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When to say ‘take this job and shove it’?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
On Labor Day we celebrate and reflect on the contributions of American workers in creating the strong economic foundation and wealth of our nation.
Most of us are grateful for our jobs and the necessary income that they provide us and our families.
In my years in the labor force I have found that what can make work life troublesome usually has very little to do with the actual job but instead involves the ‘Four P’s’: personalities, politics, promotional opportunity and pay.
I have seen great company leaders and outstanding employees succumb to a few poisonous personalities who have turned the workplace into a hopeless toxic wasteland.
I have witnessed how petty work politics can make even little tasks a complicated and nightmarish process. Moreover, I have seen diligent employees’ spirits broken because of slim opportunities for promotions, job growth and well-deserved raises.
Some people respond to difficult bosses, co-workers, and customers with a strong resolve that nobody and no circumstance will run them away. But sometimes the workplace can become so intolerable that it is wise to consider making new economic and career opportunities for yourself.
I have had jobs where I have used both strategies in navigating around noxious personalities and other workplace impediments. Usually the caliber of the job and how emotionally invested I am with my position and employer determines my response – whether I tough it out or move on.
Sometimes even though workers’ strive hard to be excellent contributors to their companies, there are ongoing obstacles that can keep them from being recognized for their efforts. Usually those obstructions are a sign that you should consider your career options and be prepared to make some changes in your work life.
When should you hang onto your job – no matter what?
When should you take a line from the late country singer Johnny Paycheck and tell your boss ‘to take this job and shove it’?
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