"My Life is My Message"

     James Baldwin's "I Am Not Your Nigger" documentary gives his perspective/story on the Negro in America.  Throughout the video, we, the audience should be able to concur that,"The story of the Negro in America is the story of America" and it is NOT a pretty story at all!      From the movie and television clips of the past that are intertwined with the commercial ads, broadway shows, freedom marches, police beatings, lynchings and other maltreatments of the African- American, Mr. Baldwin enlightens us on how this so called "Great Country" has never known what to do with the black population.  White society's actions have shown us this. We saw it in the past, the present and unless, whites face this reality, we will still see it in the future.  Baldwin provided the one solution to this anti-black acceptance with just a simple question: "White people have to find out in their own hearts why it was necessary to have a nigger in the first pl...

     The authors of the Dis/ability Critical Race Studies: Theorizing at the Intersections of Race and Dis/ability, hammer   the idea that a person's identity does not neatly fit into one category.  And if you're a Black or Brown person, it becomes even more complicated to truly see... race and dis/ability are socially constructed and intertwined.  In my opinion, the following quote by Bennita Love, author of We Want To Do More Than Survive, sums up the key ideas of this week perfectly:   "We who are dark are complex--we are more than our skin hues of Blacks and Browns. We intersect our moonlit darkness with out cultures(s) language(s), races(s), gender(s), sexuality(ies), ability(ies), religion(s).      Historically, "Black and Brown bodies were viewed as less developed than white bodies, more 'primitive' and even considered sub-species of humans" (Trent, 1998). These types of theories that are built on white supremacy ideals are ...

    The  Dumas reading,  Against the Dark: Antiblackness in Education Policy and Discourse,  mentioned that the 2060 US Census estimates that white people will no longer be the majority of the nation's population.  Intriguing... However, I am left to contemplate if this is indeed the case, how is it that mainstream white society still has all the power in the United States?  Ironic as it may be, it is our reality. Why? Systemic racism is the answer.      Not only does the black population experience racial disparity but so do the brown populations as well.  In the video,  Precious Knowledge: Fighting for Mexican American Studies in Arizona Schools , the message is clear~ public education plays a major role in how structural racism works. How? Some of the adults who choose a profession in education are the same ones who attribute cultural behavior for the disparities that exist in our country.      ...

         It's the 21st century and one thing has not changed: African American Males are still the most feared being in this country. They have been and still are crying out this inscrutable phrase: "I can't breathe!" This is the life that they live day in and day out because of the systemic racism that our so beloved country has bestowed upon them.  I say bestow because if you are a black man in America, the law basically has the right to lock you up! The irony in this, the color of their skin should be an honor, but instead it has become their "Scarlet Letter"; therefore, automatically marking them as a criminal, a rapist or a troublemaker in the eyes of the law. So, even though slavery supposedly ended 400 years ago, it really hasn't.  It has just transformed and the powers that be are still getting wealthy by keeping their knee on the black man's neck.  Hence, the phrase: "I can't breathe!"     In the Ted Talk Video,  How...

     In the video, "In Sickness and in Wealth," the narrator asks us, the audience to contemplate a question: Is inequality making us sick? Throughout the video this point is clearly examined as the studies that were conducted in Louisville, and the data reveal one significant factor:an individual's death rate correlates with his/her economic status.  The social gradients in regards to health show that education is a way to move upstream in the grand scheme of society.  However, not everyone will get this opportunity especially if you're Black or Hispanic. Yes, I am ashamed to admit that I never weighed the idea that where a person lives and that his/her education level will indicate his/her death expectancy due to the resources that are or are not accessible.  A sad reality is that the more education and money that you have, the more or less stress you will have.  Therefore, simply put:Wealth=Health. So, yes, inequality is making us, people of color, ...

"I am a teacher who stands up for all of my students against the abstract -isms in our society, who is a supporter of Black Lives Matter to fight against systemic racism and a defender of civil rights.  I am a teacher who favors culturally responsive teaching and rejects the ENGLISH Only policy because every child brings funds of knowledge into the classroom.  I am a teacher who is full of energy and hope amidst the high demands of the district. I am a teacher who refuses to set low expectations for her students. I am a teacher who is proud to educate inner-city students. If I do not struggle to promote student growth, then I will no longer educate."