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At the Haas, Jr. Fund, we are committed to helping people who are often denied a fair chance to enjoy what so many others take for granted: the right to equal treatment under the law; and the opportunity to participate fully in their communities and society. Through our grantmaking, we support gay and lesbian rights, immigrant rights, education opportunities, nonprofit leadership and community partnerships and initiatives. If you have a story to share about any of these issue areas, we'd love to hear from you. Please send us your ideas and contact information below/here. The Fund will not share your contact information or print your stories without obtaining the writer's consent.
Rachel Timoner, 41, and Felicia Park-Rogers, 41, were married on June 17, 2008. Their wedding took place on the first day that it was possible for same-sex couples in California to marry. It was shortly after the state Supreme Court ruling in May 2008 that the state’s ban on same-sex marriages violated state constitutional rights, and before California voters essentially reinstated the ban with their approval of Proposition 8 in November of the same year.
Sara Razavi, 33, was born in Iran and came to the United States at age 10. She grew up in Orange County, California. Paloma Wu, 30, grew up in Reno, Nevada; her father is Taiwanese and her mother's family is from Georgia and New Jersey. The two met in San Francisco in 2005. Today, Sara is in business school at University of San Francisco, and Paloma is an Associate for a global law firm. Both Sara and Paloma were open with their families from an early age about the fact that they were gay. The couple was married in 2008; they live together in the Mission District of San Francisco.
Joseph Yglesias serves as a Chief Cryptologic Technician in the U.S. Navy. He was born and raised in Corpus Christi, Texas. Joseph joined the Navy in 1998 when he was 28 years old and has received numerous medals, awards and decorations during his years of service. At the time that he enlisted, the military was operating under the 'Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell' policy that barred service by openly gay and bisexual men and women. Joseph, who says he was “gay right from the start,” had been active in gay rights issues while living in Austin during his 20s. For Joseph and other gay service members, the repeal of 'Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell' in 2010 meant they no longer faced the threat of being discharged for the simple act of acknowledging their true selves.
Katherine “Katie” Miller grew up in Findlay, Ohio, a town with a population of about 40,000 that is located roughly 40 miles south of Toledo in the northwestern part of the state. She attended the local public high school and was always a good student. When she was a sophomore, she started to think about attending West Point and pursuing a career in the U.S. Army — even as she was beginning to come to terms with the fact that she was gay.
Ernesto was raised in the heart of San Francisco's Mission District. Today, he oversees youth leadership programs for the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, the nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the Bay Area’s National Parks and making sure they are accessible to all people. Ernesto was appointed to his current position after he launched and managed an award-winning program at the Crissy Field Center called Inspiring Young Emerging Leaders (I-YEL).
Ju is an undergraduate student at U.C. Berkeley. He was born in Seoul, South Korea, in 1989 and came to the United States at age 11 with his mother and sister. It was not until he was applying to colleges as a senior in high school that he learned a secret his mother had kept from him for years: Ju is undocumented. Since learning about his status, Ju has become an outspoken advocate on behalf of undocumented students and their families.
Angel was 12 when his mother hired a coyote to bring the family across the Mexico-U.S. border in 1999. They settled in Florida and planned to stay only briefly—to work, save, and then go back to Mexico for a better life. Today, Angel juggles several part-time jobs while attending law school in San Francisco. He has been active in the gay and lesbian rights movement since coming out in high school.
Gabriela is a third-year student at UC Berkeley. After arriving in the United States from El Salvador as a teenager, she lived with her father and his girlfriend near Los Angeles while learning English and completing high school. A dedicated student and campus leader at Cal, Gabriela is active in promoting rights and opportunities for young people who were brought to this country as minors with undocumented parents. Each year, approximately 25,000 undocumented students graduate from California high schools. Across the country, the total number is 65,000. Gabriela spoke to us between classes at Berkeley.
Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa is a neurosurgeon and associate professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. Known as “Dr. Q.” by his students and friends, Alfredo performs more than 250 brain surgeries each year, directs a world-class research laboratory, and has been the focus of numerous media profiles and interviews. Alfredo came to the United States as an undocumented immigrant when he was nineteen years old. He spoke to us of the years he spent building a better life for himself and his family in this country, a journey that took him from the farm fields of the San Joaquin Valley to Harvard Medical School.
About
First-Person Stories
The Haas, Jr. Fund is developing this series because we believe in the power of listening and the importance of seeing the world through others' eyes.
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Dave Eggers of
Voice of Witness
As we set out on our path to gather these first-person stories, the Haas, Jr. Fund turned to Pulitzer Prize-nominated author Dave Eggers.
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