The History & Inspiration Behind
the Haring Valdeos Fund for Social Justice

Katia Valdeos & Cynthia Haring, writers of “That Sister is My Brother”

As lifelong teachers and performing artists, Katia Valdeos and Cynthia Haring, began to see troubling trends in areas of social justice. They were especially concerned about the increase in bullying and suicide among children & teens, the abuse of our environment, disrespect toward immigrants, prejudice toward the transgender community, the lack of support for veterans dealing with sexual abuse and PTSDs, abuse of Native American rights, and the growing number of homeless youth. 

Initially, at their church they participated in workshops, film nights, missions events, and social justice meetings that educated people about ways to make the world a better place. 

Pastor Robin & UCC members attending “March for Our Lives” in Tampa in 2018 

There was an initiative to teach people about how they could conserve resources and protect the environment. They were part of a team making and distributing “Blessing Bags” for homeless kids living in the woods. Then, during a Transgender Remembrance Day presentation, they began to learn about the high murder and suicide rate among transgender people. They later attended a Transgender 101 presentation, hosted by church members. They learned about parents & teens from Marjory Stoneham Douglas High School seeking common sense gun control and attended the March for Our Lives gathering in Tampa. From these educational experiences they felt moved to “take action,” rather than remain passive. Finally, they learned about the life and work of U.S. Navy Seal Kristin Beck, a transgender woman, which impacted them so strongly that they wrote a song dedicated to her.

CREATING A SONG: SUPPORTING THE TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY

After viewing “Lady Valor,” a documentary which portrayed the life of U.S. Navy Seal Chris Beck who transitioned to be Kristin Beck, Haring and Valdeos became inspired to write a song about her.  The result was their song, “That Sister is My Brother,” which they have dedicated to “Kristin Beck, a real American hero.”

“I wanted to write the song because it really bothered me that everyone praised and honored Chris Beck as a great war hero for serving countless tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, but when she became Kristin Beck, it was as if she had never done anything for her country,” says Haring. “To our way of thinking, she was still the great war hero she always was, and she deserved respect for that.”

 
Chris Beck

The song lyrics tell Kristin’s story after returning home from the war in the Middle East: “Now on this battlefield of life, she faces armies of conflict & strife. Ridicule and misconceptions and a heart full of family rejection. See this man is a woman inside, who just wants to be free, live a new life. Now comes the time to be true, to what she always knew.”

It was not an easy task to go into battle abroad, nor was it easy to return home to live a true life of freedom as a woman. “It saddens me that Kristin did not get the support that she deserved as a prominent and uniquely courageous human being, and that she also did not get much support in her efforts to help others – including war veterans with PTSD,” says Valdeos. “So, the song was our way to honor her and express appreciation for her service abroad and now her service to veterans and all other minorities seeking to live a life of freedom.”

  
Kristin Beck

Fortunately, not everyone from Kristin's military past rejected her new life. One of her Navy Seal commanders, when asked how he felt about his battle buddy Chris becoming Kristin, said, "I've known Chris for 20 years, and Chris was a great operator. That sister will always be my brother." This is where Haring and Valdeos got the title for their song. The goal of their song is to bring awareness, understanding, and respect to the transgender community. Their intention is to "save lives" by supporting and empowering transgender kids, teens, and adults who suffer from prejudice. The song is set for release in 2020 with the proceeds going to the Haring Valdeos Fund for Social Justice with some funds earmarked for work with veterans through Kristin Beck's Mindful Valor Foundation. 

SURVIVORS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING

A couple years ago, Haring & Valdeos were helping a 15-year-old woman from the Middle East who was trying to escape a forced marriage. In the process of helping her, they came into contact with attorneys, law enforcement, and counselors working with victims of human trafficking. They learned about the process of finding and freeing someone being trafficked, most often through an arrest, and how a team supports these individuals to get their records expunged and begin a new life. 

This kind of work is highly confidential, but the Fund for Social Justice offers scholarships to survivors of human trafficking as they transition out of the sex trade. In addition to counseling and “friendship team” support, they may receive scholarships to pursue an educational, vocational, artistic, or personal dream. “Mainly we wanted them to know that they are valued, and that we need them in this world,” says Haring. The fund could potentially extend the scholarship to a sponsorship (with donors paying for more time in college, for example). 

COCOBOLO PROJECT & EDUCATIONAL SCHOLARSHIPS

Haring and Valdeos are both cancer survivors whose Cocobolo charitable work has focused on cancer awareness, fundraising, and performances for Relay for Life events and the Moffitt Cancer Center Arts in Medicine program in Tampa. When Haring's mother passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2012, she started the Caryl Haring Memorial Scholarship Fund, in her mother's memory. The fund gives educational scholarships to graduating seniors going into education to "make a difference in the lives of children," as her mother did for nearly 40 years of teaching. Since 2013, Caryl's scholarship fund has given out 21 scholarship awards, totaling nearly $15,000.

When Haring was a senior in college, she experienced firsthand the power of an award given in support of “someone’s dream and path of study.” She received a $180 award for excellence in creative writing. She says: “It isn’t the amount of money that matters most, but rather that someone cares and believes in you.” So, Haring and Valdeos are looking to do this with their Fund for Social Justice as well.

Ezra 

An initial cancer funding source for the Fund for Social Justice is a charity song entitled, "Song for Ezra," that appears on their 2019 "School of Fish" children's album. The collection, featuring the Sue Sue Sisters and the World Nation Children's Choir, includes upbeat, funny originals - "I Just Wanna Hold a Piglet," "Caught Me in Rollers," "Cockadoodle Doo Doo," "Pouty Face," and "Happy Birthday Mooey" – as well as the Kermit classic "Rainbow Connection," a medley of "Heal the World & We Are the World," and their environmental support song, "School of Fish: Save Our Earth, Our Home."

Haring wrote a beautiful song as a tribute to Ezra, who passed away of neuroblastoma cancer at the age of 2 1/2. Each year about 800 children are diagnosed with neuroblastoma in the United States with 90 percent younger than five. It is the most common cancer found in children ages 1-2 years old. The lyrics for Ezra's song express deep sorrow for his loss of life, while celebrating his new life in heaven: "We held you close, filled our hearts with your smile, though now is the time, for a gentle good-bye. We will see you again, God knows it's true, time is so precious, we learned that from you. There's an ache in our hearts, don't want to let you go, but the angels are calling, calling you home... Free to sing, free to dance. Free to dream, dream in the night. Free to laugh, free to play. Free to walk in the light of the day."

In memory of Ezra, the Fund for Social Justice is donating 100 percent of the sale of "Song for Ezra" to Beat Nb!, co-founded by Ezra's parents, Kyle & Robin Matthews. In addition, during the first month of the album release, the group raised $1,000 in CD sales for Beat Nb! For more information contact kyle@beatnb.org. 

  
World Nation Children’s Choir:
Little People (ages 2-5) at Morrisound Recording Studio in Tampa

  
World Nation Children’s Choir:
Middle People (ages 6-18) at Morrisound with engineer Tom Morris.

“Song for Ezra” © 2019 by Cynthia Haring for “School of Fish” album,
released by World Nation Records®. All rights reserved.

“That Sister is My Brother” © 2019 lyrics by Cynthia Haring & Katia Valdeos,
released by World Nation Records®.  All rights reserved.