Amanda Strouse

The Daily Aztec

 

Hard News Stories:

“Louie, campus executives talk”

“Unemployment hits grads hard”

“Islam expert to speak at SDSU”

“Be heard: Vote in the California primary”

“Students eye peace”

Special section stories:

“Singles can enjoy Valentine’s Day too”

“Sweetwater Saloon review”

“DiMille’s Italian Restaurant”

“Gift shopping without gaining debt”

“4.0 Deli review”

“An upscale feel on a PB budget”

“Down the stairs, into the hole”

 

 

Opinion Columns:

“CNN lost my respect”

“The overlooked discrimination”

“The GOP has been caught faking it”

“Clinton is ready for presidency”

“Even you can follow the green footsteps”

“Prohibited from smoking and drinking in fun, public places”

 

**Please note: Some of these links are currently broken due to changes within The Daily Aztec since I worked there, but I am working to find the up-to-date urls. I apologize about the inconvenience.

 

 

 

 

The San Diego Union-Tribune Articles

 

 

“Senior pageant: a way to inspire”

“Curbside recycling reconsidered”

“SDPD gets high-tech ‘mousetrap’ to catch car thieves”

“Grant will help fund garden in new park”

“‘Lucky’ young heart patient sees skateboarding wish come true”

“Free kids book party set for Saturday”

“Fundraiser will benefit camp for children of cancer patients”

“Healing Arts Festival on Sunday in Balboa Park”

“Nonprofit lax with its books, city says”

“Buffers for Wilderness”

“Asian historic district to get face-lift”

“Nonprofit rec center, after-school site closing”

Some early examples of my “Check it Out” articles that run every Saturday in the printed paper:

“St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival”

“Explore SDSU”

“La Jolla Children’s Pool”

“San Diego Science Festival Expo Day”

“Harper’s Topiary Garden”

“Seaport Village Spring Busker Festival”

“Healing Arts Festival”

“San Diego State University”

“Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve”

“Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon”

“Sunset Cliffs Natural Park” (The photo with the story is taken by me, too.)

“Museum of San Diego History”

“Mount Helix Park”

“Japanese Friendship Garden”

“Tijuana Estuary”

“Chollas Lake Community Park”

“Pride Festival”

“Lake Jennings”

“Bates Nut Farm and Pumpkin Patch”

“Dudley’s Bakery”

“William Heise Park”

“Encinitas Library”

“Solid Rock Gym”

“Mission Santa Ysabel”

“Lawrence Welk Resort”

“Magee Park”

“The Joe Martin Foundation Craftsmanship Museum”

“Salk Institute”

 

 

 

 

KPBS Stories

Published on KPBS’s Web site: EnvisonSanDiego.org

“The next step toward a greener San Diego”

“Slumping markets, stressed San Diegans”

“Internet Consumerism”

 

 

 

 

 

San Diego Uptown News Articles

 

“A past full of pride” My first article for them and a front page feature story

 

When Cleve Jones first came out, it was illegal to be gay. It was illegal for him to have sex or even dance with another man. It was illegal for him and other gays and lesbians to be themselves.

Jones, a human rights activist and founder of The NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, said he has seen incredible change in his lifetime. There has been an observable increase in tolerance and activism to support the LGBT community, he said. Today, the LGBT Pride Celebrations which are held nationwide every year are hugely popular.

This year is San Diego’s 35th Pride celebration. The festivities, including a parade, a two-day festival and many other social events, began July 1 and run through July 19.

Sure, these celebrations are attended by millions of Americans who want to wave rainbow flags, gaze at the brightly colored floats, take handfuls of free condoms and show off their flamboyant clothing (or lack thereof). But to Jones, the events are more than just entertainment. To him and many others, these gatherings symbolize the consistent need to assemble, to create support and to spawn change for the gay community.

“It’s not just a celebration, but it’s about continuing the fight,” said Jones, who has been chosen as the San Diego Pride’s 2009 Grand Marshal because of his activism. “We have a lot to celebrate about, but we also have a lot of work to get done.”

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York City. On June 28, 1969, violence broke out as a result of police raiding the Stonewall Inn bar and attempting to arrest supposedly gay people. The riots made their way into the history books and became the stepping stone for the gay rights movement, launching activist groups and the Pride events that are prevalent in many major cities today.

The first organized gay and lesbian protest march in San Diego was held downtown in 1974. Although it was small and lacked a city permit, it paved the way for the following year’s march and rally in 1975, considered the first official San Diego Pride events.

“We’ve come a long way,” said Ron deHarte, the executive director of San Diego Pride. “We’re not marching down the streets of Hillcrest to Balboa Park with paper bags over our heads anymore, out of fear. A lot has changed, but at the end of the day, some of those fundamental issues that were around in the ’60s and ’70s continue today. The addressing issues of homophobia and hate crimes, looking at being treated equally and not being separated in the law of the land.”

DeHarte said Pride is the largest civic event in San Diego, and means something different to every person. “We create the opportunity to allow the community to come together in this celebration, in this protest, in this call of the community to celebrate diversity, to celebrate human rights,” he said.

The San Diego Pride celebration kicked off with a flag raising ceremony on July 1. The parade takes place July 18, starting at 11 a.m., at University Avenue and Normal Street. Roughly 30 boldly-decorated floats and between 8,000 to 10,000 participants will head west on University Avenue, then south on Sixth Avenue to Upas Street.

An estimated 175,000 spectators are expected to watch the parade, deHarte said. Celebrity participants will include television chef Sam Zien – also known as Sam the Cooking Guy, and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. The parade’s grand marshals include Jones and famous drag entertainer The Lady Chablis.

The parade will be filmed a broadcast later on Aug. 6 at 8:30 p.m. on Channel 19, Aug. 8 at 4:30 p.m. on Channel 19, and Aug. 8 at 7 p.m. on Channel 95.

About 300 vendors and at least 80 different performing groups will be at the festival in Balboa Park, which will run from noon until 10 p.m. on July 18, and 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. on July 19. The festival will feature carnival games, adult face painting, prize give-a-ways and tent dances. There will be more stages than last year to host various types of performances and bands, such as Berlin, Shiny Toy Guns and The Bird and the Bee. There will be an Art of Pride exhibit, which will showcase local LGBT artists; a Children’s Garden, which will have entertainment and games for kids; three different wine or beer gardens; and a Get Tested Pavilion, which will offer free and confidential HIV Early Tests.

The festival will also have a few new additions. There will be a farmer’s market, which will sell fresh fruit and flowers, to promote a healthy lifestyle. There will also be a Green with Pride Zone, which will have 15 to 20 exhibitors focused on interactive, eco-friendly booths.

Even though the Pride Parade and Festival are the most popular affairs in the celebration, many other events have been organized.

The San Diego Dyke March and Dyke Fest will start on Centre Street at 11 a.m. on July 12. The Official Pride Concert will feature the San Diego Men’s Chorus at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., also on July 12, at 5757 Morehouse Drive. The Pride Community Breakfast from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. on July 17, at The Center at 3909 Centre St., is scheduled so people can meet other community members and be able to look back on past Pride events. The Launch Party, an outdoor house party from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m. on July 17, is a bigger event each year, according to deHarte. And the Run and Stride with Pride 5K Run and Walk starts at 10 a.m. on the morning of the parade.

Although the Pride Celebration is a major event in San Diego, deHarte said the gay community stills needs a lot of public support. “As long as people are treated separately, we need more support,” he said. “It’s about creating a world where everyone is treated equal. Until that happens, we have to continue to call on the community.”

–Tickets for the festival are $20 – $10 for students and seniors – and can be bought online or at the festival’s entrance. Other events may have admission fees. For more information, go to www.sandiegopride.org

Amanda Strouse is a freelance journalist in San Diego

 

“Activist for LGBT small businesses leaves big footprint”

Joyce Marieb knew that with money comes political stature. The phrase “money is power” was an ideal she held close to her heart. And she felt this idiom could be used to improve the clout of the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender community — people whom she holds close to her heart.

She was right.

Her determined power-through-good-business mindset landed her the position as the fifth chief executive of the Greater San Diego Business Association in 2000. After nine years dedicated to increasing membership, programs, revenue and political power, Marieb has decided to retire.

She felt it was the right time for her to retire because she accomplished the goals that she had for the organization, she said.

“I really think it’s time for someone else to bring new, fresh ideas and a new vision and really different talents to the organization,” she said.

The GSDBA, also known as San Diego’s Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, was founded in 1979 to promote interaction and support within the gay and lesbian business community. The association successfully published a business directory every year and became the third largest gay and lesbian business association in the country in only its second year. During Marieb’s tenure, it grew to 800 members strong and is now the second largest gay and lesbian chamber of commerce in the country.

An unpaid board of directors initially ran the GSDBA but with limited time, so it, therefore, had limited room to grow. In 1993, after realizing that a staff was needed, the board hired the first chief executive. Marieb became the first long-term chief executive.

“We are the business arm of the equality movement,” Marieb said. “This is business with a cause. It is business to help LGBT people be competitive in this society.”

The GSDBA is the umbrella organization that allows the LGBT business community to have a larger venue for getting information, networking and building relationships, Marieb said.

“I think money is power,” she said. “Power used for the good results in equality.”

She has recently been recognized for her accomplishments – she won the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce Lifetime Achievement award in May.

“She’s been a great CEO,” said Jon Borgeson, the board chair for the GSDBA. “She’s been out there fighting for our community for a long time and she’s made a difference in the community and goes to people in the general market and general community and shows them the value of marketing to the LGBT market.”

Marieb has a background in business and education and a desire to intertwine the two. It was her eclectic experience in the education and business fields that made her viable to head the GSDBA.

She grew up in Massachusetts and earned her undergraduate college degree in English and Journalism from Elms College, a small women’s college in Massachusetts. She received her Master’s Degree in theology from Marquette and Ph.D. in philosophical thought from Boston University. She taught philosophy and theology at three different colleges (one of which was Notre Dame) and taught English, speech and drama at three different high schools. Around 30 years ago, she said, she decided to move to San Diego because of the weather. And she insisted she’s not planning to leave.

“I had one winter too many,” Marieb said.

While in San Diego, she and her partner owned a natural ice cream store called the Amazon Sweet Shop from 1978 to 1984. Then she worked for 7/11 as a corporation representative for almost 10 years.

“She brought a perspective as a former business owner herself, so she always did things with that in mind so that businesses involved with GSDBA would grow,” Borgeson said.

Marieb said part of her mission at the GSDBA was to offer programs that make a difference to small businesses, because they have a low success rate.

The GSDBA offered many training and social events during her tenure, including business expo exhibits, consulting programs that offer one-on-one training, networking groups, social mixers and skills workshops for networking and social marketing.

Marieb said the GSDBA didn’t have much money when she first got on board, but she is proud to say she was able to create a healthy reserve so the association can rest easily and be able to try new things.

She started the Affinity for Business Groups two years ago, which has been successful in providing in-industry support and professional advice. Additionally in her tenure, the GSDBA’s Web site was revamped, the association’s directory was published in full color, the “Friends Do Business with Friends” billboard and TV campaign was launched and the association won Chamber of the Year by the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce in 2006. She also was highly involved in the national LGBT equality movement and was the Western Regional Chair for the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.

She said that along with taking on new projects, she’ll miss being a public figure and having the political power that came with the job.

“I’ve always been an activist,” she said. “That’s not going to stop until I stop breathing. I like to be involved in supporting causes that work for people’s rights and for peace.”

She was an activist with the peace movement, the women’s movement, civil rights movement and now the LGBT movement, she said. After leaves the GSDBA, she said she’ll mostly be engaged in promoting marriage equality and ending the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Policy.

But she doesn’t have a solid plan for her retirement. She said she’s going to take at least six months to relax in her La Mesa house and find out who she is.

“I’ve been working since I was 8 years old,” she said. “I want to see what it’s like not working.”

Marieb will also pour more energy into her creative hobbies, which are wood carving, sculpting stone and writing poetry.

But for the next couple of months, Marieb will be sticking around the GSDBA office to ensure the new chief executive, Tom Luhnow, has a smooth transition into his new position.

“I am thrilled that Joyce will be staying on for a couple months to train Tom,” Borgeson said. “That’s something that’s hugely appreciated. It shows how much she cares about the mission of the organization.”

Being passionate about the GSDBA’s mission is shared by Marieb and Luhnow, both of whom said they have a lot of qualities in common.

“I’ve heard nothing but praise about everything she’s done,” Luhnow said of Marieb. “I hope I can live up to those big shoes and carry the organization on.”

Luhnow worked in the nonprofit industry, wrote screenplays and, for the last 12 years, was the executive director of Flying House Productions, home of the Seattle Men’s Chorus, which became the largest gay men’s chorus in world and one of largest community choruses in America during his tenure.

Luhnow was the only applicant recommended for the chief executive to the board of directors by the GSDBA’s search committee, and the board voted unanimously to hire him.

He said CEOs must have an eclectic set of skills to be successful.

“I like to work at strengthening an organization and also I’m good at enlarging outreach to others outside of the organization,” Luhnow said. “I really am passionate about keeping the vision and mission of the organization so you don’t go astray.”

And a large part of that mission is to strengthen the LGBT community’s muscle.

“I think that through the GSDBA, the community can have economic clout that gets political action; and it’s important that we use that,” he said.

Marieb said it’s exciting to have played such a big role in increasing the power and support of the LGBT community.

“It’s exciting, of course, because so much of this is new,” she said. “Not only is it just the fact that we have great numbers now and more numbers involved in the movement, we have a level of acceptance in society that we never had before. The rate at which change is happening is very inspirational.”

She has herself to thank.

Amanda Strouse is a freelance journalist in San Diego.