Sisters of Color United for Education

Antonio C. Valenzuela

Sisters of Color United for Education; agents of change

Redecorating the walls of his 13th and Cherokee design studio with building plans for Sisters of Color United for Education’s recent art fundraiser “Bubbly,” Alex Degelman used Mayan architecture to reflect the people they represent; mind, body and spirit.

Degelman donated the space of the usual design studio to display the work his Denver Institute of Art inters did creating the design for construction of the new community SOCUE building saying, “I have fell in love with the work Sister’s is doing since the first day I walked into their little office in West Denver.”

“Sister’s has helped to educate the urban communities about dangerous health disparities by offering alternative methods to the people,” issues Degelman openly supports SOCUE for.

Addriena Corrales described the work of SOCUE in one word; Promotora.

“The word means promoter. In this case a promoter of health for the community…a defender,” Addriena explains, “There are promotoras of education, food and other areas that protect the people with knowledge…it a model of leadership.”

SOCUE’s programs and methods used are atypical in the U.S. and SOCUE aims to empower their community members with alternative methodologies they believe can help with issues like drug abuse, mental health, sexually transmitted infection, and education.

Corrales spoke specifically about the role media plays in perpetuating stereo-types, “blinding people to the systemic issues in the community”

“One out of every Five teenagers in the urban communities of the U.S. will get Chlamydia according the CDPHE,” Corrales cites.

Informative media in the form of cartoons, commercials and video are some of the avenues SOCUE sees are pathways to use to get their message to the Denver metro area and beyond.

Therapies like Body Talk Colorado, Zumba, counseling, suicide prevention, therapy for former drug abusers, ESL, Yoga and many other services are other ways they seeks to change the culture in these communities.

Heather A. Holden, a Certified Massage Therapist, Film Maker and supporter described the role of SOCUE informing the public saying, “If you don’t know that your options are, you don’t have any.”

In regards to offering different health modalities she said, “People are the mercies of the medical system… these are people helping people.”

Universal languages like art, music, and dance are conduits that SOCUE wishes to use to appeal to people from all walks of life.

Working together with other non-profit organizations and media entities like; The Prodigal Son Initiative, Pay It Forward, Speechless Magazine, Unidos en Orgullo, 2Kool, Tidwid Entertianment and many others, SOCUE has created a media collaborative dubbed Arteculture.

The goal of this collaborative will be to educate through media about physical, mental and social wellness. Aiming to achieve this through values like promoting stronger local economies, sustainability, health alternatives, community readiness and cultural awareness making issues they support viral.

The biggest obstacle all non-profits like this face one common enemy regardless of the demographic they represent; funding.

Corrales describes the problem as, “disparity dijour,” Referring to the ironic situation that her company faces trying to help people in communities with health disparities while looking at their own financial disparities.

Eudamonia Green a Body Talk practitioner and collaborator in Arteculture said, “It is important people know their health is not dependent on drugs and that the medical industrial complex is more about money than health,” referring to the work SOCUE is doing to bring education to the people.

SOCUE’s mission in the community embodies this perspective using a strength based method to, “creating health equity for strong mind, bodies, and spirits.”

More information can be found about some of the measures being taken by SOCUE including the current 100 foot mural being painted on their 8th and Clay facility at http://www.socue.org/