Once upon a time, there was a little Diversity Center that could.
Every day, the little Diversity Center that could worked hard “building a diverse community, promoting health and well-being, and advancing social justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and questioning individuals and their allies in Santa Cruz County”.
But one day, the little Diversity Center that could received a $75,000 grant from the California Department of Public Health — probably larger than any other grant or donation they had ever received — to assess and create programs to combat smoking in the LGBT population of Santa Cruz County.
And because of that, the little Diversity Center that could, yes, embarked on a multitude of campaigns to educate people about the dangers of tobacco use and help smokers to quit smoking.
Until finally, the little Diversity Center that could was even giving out free rainbow wristbands printed with “DIVERSITY CENTER” on one side and “I LIVE SMOKE FREE” on the other side.
And ever since then, you can find the little Diversity Center that could’s rainbow wristbands/bracelets and anti-smoking literature laying around free on tables at the Santa Cruz Pride Festival and various other political/artistic/cultural events in Santa Cruz County.
(By the way, if you know why I structured the above paragraphs the way I did, you win a No-Prize! Or for that matter, if you know what a No-Prize is, you win a No-Prize!)
And actually, the “ever since then” above is no longer correct — although it was true for a while that the wristbands would turn up at a variety of events, the anti-smoking grant happened back in 2005, and eventually the money was all spent and the wristbands all given out and so on.
Anyway, I would say that this is my second-most-frequently-worn bracelet (following my black “Strength” wristband). Of course I wear a lot of Pride shirts and other multi-colored outfits that it coordinates well with, but it also represents Santa Cruz and home and valuing diversity to me, so if I’m going to some event or place that celebrates these things, or where I feel I need to represent these things, or that IMHO is woefully in need of these things (or where I likewise feel woefully out of place), then it helps me to keep an appropriate mindset.
updated July 4, 2011
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