Mariposa In The Middle

James Baldwin's words and thoughts are beautifully narrated by Samuel L. Jackson in the historical documentary film by Raoul Peck titled  I Am Not Your Negro.   It stands as a shining gem in both cinematography and anti-racist content but most importantly drives straight to the simple truths regarding the creation of the 'negro' in America. Baldwin makes a case towards the inhumanity of racism by touting simple truths buried beneath centuries-old hate and resentment.   The ironic redundancy of hearing the same words I heard as a kid in 1980's Harlem and finding them even more applicable to today's social environment, is not lost on me. The message forces me to reflect on my future. As I prepare to become an English Language Arts teacher, I am even more committed to providing useful instruction in my classroom. I know my inherent responsibility as a BIPOC to arm my students with the knowledge to navigate the reality of a racist world operating around them. T...

Our current educational system is a product leftover from days of domineering patriarchal white supremacy. In its inception, it was planned to advance a very limited number of citizens to obtain knowledge and create wealth. The system has changed from that past but not enough to service all students with the same opportunities to obtain social advantages. Dr. Gholdy Muhammad, a professor, a former middle school teacher shares her pedagogical strategy to bridge the gap many students face by implementing a system that provides a useful framework to better service out students. Muhammad's Historically Responsive Literacy is built upon thoughtful emphasis on identity, skills, intellect and criticality. Identity celebrates the student's background as a an asset and strength. By acknowledging their identity and valuing it, a student can feel safe and open to learning from that teacher and in that space. Skills  are an important asset to learning objectives. Unlike standardized...

  Structural racism can be interlinked to the past history of white colonization of the Native American tribes people. The list of grievances and violence against the Indigenous Americans is long and complicated riddled with years of ancestral disadvantages. One of the many disadvantages from this forceful colonization was the tribes' lack of evolutionary immunity to resist the new deadly diseases brought from overseas. Today's COVID-19 pandemic is another repeat of a disproportionate infection rate amongst   these marginalized  communities. One example of this was the high rates of Corona Virus within the Navajo community , making their percentage rates higher than largely affected states like New York or New Jersey. Though far away from densely populated cities,  reservations were greatly affected by the global pandemic as a result or lack of quality health resources, preventive disease information and inherited group poverty. It is not surprisi...

The documentary film, In Sickness and in Wealth , gives a very real forecast of how the inequalities of wealth will ultimately affect the health of all Americans. The contributing experts and narrators speak to demonstrate how life expectancy and personal health is statistically dependent on monetary income.  By showcasing three different citizens living in the same city but divided by social districts, the film drives the point that social class conditions can be even more powerful than the genes and histories carried within our bodies. I, like Corey, grew up with a single mom dealing with desperate financial insecurity and bottom of the rung survival. She worked long hours and still needed food assistance federal programs to feed our family. The stress of not knowing if we had enough was transferred to my sisters and I. Even though my mother was luckily very health conscious regarding nutrition and family dinners, we are now all middle-aged and dealing with myriads of health is...

I am From Neither Here Nor There... I am from wise female strength,  And long matriarchal lines.  Not giving up too easy, "Keep the family alive!" I am from sugarcane islands, and mixed ancestral bloods. " Cojelo   con  take it easy", learning New York City slums. I am from  dancing  under the moonlight, to Bachata and  Dembow. Dreaming of a better outcome, "Education is our way to grow". I am from "we are all in this together", and "together we have it all", Unity is our survival, Black Lives Matter  and  "we don't need no walls" . I am from Spanish and English cultures, like a butterfly in the middle. I'm from neither here nor there... Mariposa spelling  mundos  in her Spanglish noncommittal. Yesenia Abreu