Reflection Post

Racism in Disney

Disney is a company famous for creating movies that kids love. While young children most likely don't notice the subtle racial nuances, older people certainly do. In many of the Disney classics, the villains are blatantly of a different race. Even in a film like Aladdin, which exclusively features an Arab population, racism is present. Aladdin is a fair round faced boy, and Jafar, the evil Sultan, has dark skin and pointy features.

The lack of diversity in Disney movies is fairly appalling. With over 25 movies to date, the Disney film studio has not really strayed away from the racial depictions. In the film Dumbo, a group of crows have heavy African American accents, and the leader of those crows is in fact named "Jim Crow." Isabel's lecture has pointed also pointed out that homosexuals have never been portrayed in the Disney movies. While the reasoning behind that is that they do not want to expose young children to homosexuality, some can still contend that such a practice is quite prejudiced. Regardless of that, however, Disney has had a history of portraying racist characters in many of their movies.

Reflection Post

"A Day Without a Mexican"

I feel that this film shows how important the Latino population is to the United States. While it presents a fictional situation, it portrays a very real theme. Racism masks the importance of immigrants, and it is sad to know that many Americans are indeed forgetful of their importance to the US economy.

The movie uses comedy to exemplify its points. The odd disappearance and the pink fog that surrounds California are unrealistic, but help to prove how hard life would be for many people if Latinos were not around. In fact, in the movie, the entire state's telecommunication was disrupted because of their disappearance. The temporary governor, who was ardently anti-Latino, had to do everything he could to bring back the people he once had prejudice for.

The movie, while comedic, presented a very important point, and truly shows how Latinos impact the US. In states like California, Latinos make up a hefty percentage of the population, and as such, are very important to many people's livelihoods and the infrastructure itself. Even for people who live in states with smaller Latino populations, they still make a difference.

Response to "A Day Without A Mexican"

I thought that the film "A Day Without a Mexican” was an interesting and powerful way to present the issue of immigration and the racism and prejudice that exists in the United States. I think one of the most important points the film makes is how integral immigrants are to the functioning of the economy, and it seems that many Americans forget this as they are blinded their prejudice.

While this film portrays a completely fictionalized situation, I think it really speaks to US citizens who think that we should rid the country of immigrants and what a disaster it would be. Sometimes humor can be a great way to enforce a point. I think that this is the case in SNL skits where we are presented with a completely unrealistic situation that contains an important message at its core.

I also think that the “supernatural” disappearance of Latinos in the film makes an important statement about how immigrants are treated in the US. Not only are immigrants often invisible when it comes to legislation, but many times are treated inhumanely. We need to remember that immigrants are human too.

Before Night Falls

I really enjoyed the film on the life of the Cuban writer/poet Reinaldo Arenas. Although I truly admire Fidel Castro and his communist way of life in Cuba, I was definitely appalled to realize some of the realiities of the treatment of homosexuals. However, aside from that aspect of the movie, I found Reinaldo Arenas' story to be horrific and in many disturbing to see how the United States and many societies internationally treat HIV/AIDS victims. Until Magic Johnson overcame an epic battle with this virus, it seems as though our society up until the 1990s was very one-sided and mistreated victims of a terrible disease. Beyond these social realities, I also liked what was read of Arenas' works, and I thought his writing was very profound too.

Response to "A Day Without A Mexican"

I thought the movie was entertaining and did an effective job of conveying the importance of Mexican immigrants to the American economy and way of life. The statistics and anecdotes really demonstrated what a loss it would be if all Mexicans suddenly disappeared. However I felt that the movie represented an extremely liberal view. Clearly Mexicans are essential to our country and there is no arguing with that, but undocumented citizens do use social resources without financially contributing through taxes. Without some sort of border patrol/documentation system there would be chaos. I don’t think we should be too restrictive of who is allowed to enter the country, but I think its naïve to claim that allowing undocumented immigrants free access is ok.

Reflection Post: Q&A Lecture

The last class touched a little bit on a topic I found very interesting, the "Latino/a Paradox". The “Latino/a Paradox” is loosely defined as the surprising health of many Latino/as despite contradictory predictions for higher mortality and disease rates.

The video below does a good job of describing the paradox conceptually:



Though we talked in class about the possibility that immigrants move back to their country when they are seriously ill, I think the fact that many studies have proven to be statistically significant is enough evidence for me to believe in the Latino Paradox.

I’m interested to see what other people think – do you believe in the ‘paradox’?

Multicultural Literature (12/5 discussion)

In response to the discussion regarding whether or not children should be exposed to multicultural literature through the media at an early age, I believe that they should be shown these things. This is a topic that kids will face at some part of their lifetime, so it's important that they learn of these issues earlier than later. I feel as though it is a travesty to paint a pretty picture in the mind of a child and tell him/ or her that life is always like that; even though, it's not. Considering that this is aimed at 4 or 5 year olds, it is important to explain it using language and examples that they would be able to understand. This should only be taught by their parent/guardian.

Hate Crimes

Ecuadorian Dies From Attack That May Be Treated As Hate Crime
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/10/nyregion/10assault.html?ref=nyregion

I thought I should share this article with the class since Professor Cotera has made a point of making us aware of the hate crimes committed against Latina/os that have occured recently. It seems that hate crimes against Latina/os have been escalating dramatically as well as media coverage on this issue. This article was especially alarming to me because this occured in my own city, which I always thought of as a diverse and accepting place. This goes to show that these crimes can happen anywhere and are truly becoming a major problem in this country.

Health Care

I think that the Tuskegee trials that were mentioned briefly in class shows how people of minorities often are not treated with respect medically. The Tuskegee trial was a syphilis trial done in the south on black men. These men were left with syphilis even when a cure (penicillin) was discovered. Instead of being treated and cured, subjects were left to unnecessarily live out the course of the disease. The experimenters used these men just because they wanted to know what happened to a person when the disease takes over someone's brain. These men could have been cured and able to go back to living normal lives, but instead they were not seen as equal people to the white men running the trial. These men were treated more like animal subjects.
I think something needs to be done to make healthcare treatment equal for people of all races and ethnicities. It is not fair that even if two people with insurance go into a hospital, the one that is not a minority might be more likely to be given better treatment. The United States is not rated very well when it comes to health care and I hope with a new health care policy of the president elect can enact some positive changes.

Multicultural Literature

I have to admit that ever since I came across an introduction to a Christian children's book which stated that the events of Noah' Arc were scientifically proven, I have been sceptical of any social messages in children's literature. I would like to think that, because youths are so impressionable, children's literature could serve as a safe ground where politics should be avoided. However, if any message is to be present in children's literature I would side with multicultural democracy over assimilationist pluralism. I do believe that it is important for children to understand inequities in power especially since stereotypes and inequility are so prevalent in what children see on TV and in movies. For this reason it is important to have some source which attempts to counteract the messages in mainstream media. I also agree with the author that introducing multiracial democracy in a "safe" way into children's literature will better-prepare them for what they will encounter in adulthood.

Latinos and HIV Radio Broadcast

On World AIDS Day I listened to the radio broadcast that Professor Stern recommended. The interviewee was a man by the name of Joe Zamora who became an activist for gay Latinos and people with HIV in the Los Angeles area after he found out he was HIV positive at age 17. However, a year ago Zamora discontinued his work in the Latino community when he began to see that people he had worked with were purposely having unprotected sex. He spoke of "sex parties" where negative and positive people go to a party and have unprotected sex. The negative individuals go to these parties with the purpose of becoming HIV positive. These people say they do it so that they can take advantage of social services provided by the government, such as social security disability, housing funding and receive free medication. With all these services provided to them, they don't have to work. I was horrified when I heard this. How can people do that to themselves? Do they really think that living with HIV will be better than the life they have now? I am in favor of the government helping those who have been infected with HIV and I think these services are extremely important yet I also believe that those who have knowingly contracted the virus should not be rewarded with these services. It is also very disheartening to hear that an activist that was so passionate about his work for 20 years gave up due to this kind of behavior. Latina/os have made so much progress and are capable of doing so much more. To sit back and abuse social services provided by the government is immoral as well as a step backward in my eyes.

Literature

Although I think it is definitely necessary to present children literature of all kinds at a young age, I think that children also need to learn certain things through experience. There are specific learning curves in education with science or math, but the dynamics of racial and social issues are much more complex than school work. At the same time, kids learn too much from misguided television networks that emphasize stereotypes, especially news channels that focus on the negative attributes of specific racial groups. I certainly don't think there are any right answers in regard to this question, but I do believe changing society as a whole can be the only way to cure such problems, and obviously we are decades away from there. In the meantime, however, I think more focus needs to be paid to addressing racial/social conflicts at an early age.

Multicultural Literature

The discussion of multicultural literature versus mainstream literature I think was very interesting. I personally think that it is important for all children to be exposed to different cultures and to understand that although people might look different or have different traditions that people are all people. This discussion reminded me when I used to work in a preschool. The books that were available for the kids to read talked about all different cultures, religions, and different types of families that may exist. I noticed a trend in the children choosing to have me read books to them that were about cultures or people that were different than they were. I was surprised by the trend but it made me happy to be able to see that children were accepting of people different than they are. Although, the children were only 4 or 5 years old they were showing values and an attitude that is important for people of all ages to have.

Saludos Amigos

I was particularly interested in the U.S. Foreign Policy, Disney & Latina America portion of Isabel's lecture because I was able to connect to the material immediately. The clips we watched in class made me a bit uncomfortable and I was surprised at the fact that this feeling was not unfamiliar to me. When I was in middle school, I would often watch Saludos Amigos with my younger brother. I remember watching the film and feeling like there was something wrong with Disney's depiction of the characters. The character that bothered me most was Goofy as an Argentinean gaucho or cowboy. He had no idea what he was doing with the equipment, was constantly hurting himself and pronounced Spanish words with the thickest American accent that even as a bilingual speaker I sometimes had no clue as to what he was saying. As a kid I couldn't figure out why this bothered me so much. It was after all supposed to be funny. However, watching the clips in class and reanalyzing the images made me realize that I was right in feeling uncomfortable because the depictions are completely inaccurate. The film is full of stereotypes and faulty information. I couldn't believe that these films were made in an attempt to create "positive" images of Latinos, for Latinos. Did Disney really think that Latina/os would not see the inaccuracies in characters like Panchito Pistoles, Jose Carioca, Goofy, etc? Even at a young age I was able to see these errors. I'm interested in learning more about how these films were received in countries like Mexico, Brazil, Peru and Argentina and what their interpretations of the films were.

HIV/AIDS Among Hispanics and Latinos Act Up Questions

HIV/AIDS

1.) How were most Hispanic men exposed to HIV? What about Hispanic women?

2.) What percentage of Hispanics have HI/AIDS?

3.) How does the Hispanic population in the U.S. compare to the AIDS population in the U.S.?

4.) What cultural values contribute to the denial of HIV/AIDS?

5.) Why might some Hispanic women be reluctant to ask their partner to use a condom?

Latinos Act Up

1.) What does ACT UP stand for and which two groups did it unite?

2.) What was ACT UP dedicated to doing?

3.) What was the common theme between the HIV/AIDS epidemic in NY and Latin America?

4.) What were the three steps that the Latino Caucus took?

5.) Why did the Latino Caucus and ACT UP shrink by 1996?

Before Night Falls

In my opinion, the small clip of the movie that we watched today during Professor Stern's lecture spoke greatly about the horrible condition of our health care systems. The scene where Reinaldo was sleeping in the hospital bed spoke to me in particular. Upon comparing Reinaldo with the man in the hospital bed next to him, there were some shocking differences. First, the white male had a clean hospital gown and a bed with blankets whereas Reinaldo was left in his own dirty clothes curling up for warmth. Secondly, the white male had some sort of breathing apparatus attached to him (a sign of medical/doctor attention & care). Reinaldo on the other hand, showed no visible signs of being treated or cared for. The only sign was the wheelchair that was offered to him upon his leaving, and even then it was brought to him by a black nurse.

I think that this just reinforces latino/a distrust in our health system. I mean, even if they manage to gather up courage to seek medical attention, that still get shortchanged on proper treatment and care which ultimately is going to prevent them from trying to come again.

Cross-Border Feminist Solidarities

Hello everyone! I'll be discussing Rosa Linda Fregoso's article on Cross Border Feminist Solidarities this Friday! I have some questions for you all:

First off, what did you guys get out of the article? I found that it was very informative, but left me asking myself many questions. It's interesting how different aspects of culture can effect each other. It seems that every part of our culture is brought about by other events or situations.

What exactly is the 10 commandments of Marianismo? What is the 9th commandment? What do
you think about this rule? Do we find that this idea is prominent in many cultures today?

Do you think that problems with domestic violence have risen due to the 9th commandment?
Do you think it has risen more from the racism male minorities face? (pg. 33)

Do you agree that talking openly about domestic violence might cause a rise in racism or
stereotype?

What year was the National Coalition against Domestic Violence founded? (1978) (pg 34)

What makes domestic violence between Chicanos different from that of the majority race?
(Not that it happens more often, but that there is less activism in stopping it because
of the female commandments)

In the story of Paulina, what forms of abuse does she experience, and from who?

Think about these questions, and I'll see you guys on Friday!

Discussion Questions: Multicultural Children's Literature as an Instrument of Power

1. Which statements in the first excerpt (see below) might the author disagree with? Why would the author disagree with such statements?

Mama explains about rioting. “It can happen when people get angry. They want to smash and destroy. They don’t care anymore what’s right and what’s wrong.”

Below us they are smashing everything. Windows, cars, and streetlights.

“They look angry. But they look happy too,” I whisper.

“After a while it’s like a game,” says Mama.

2. Define Assimilationist Pluralism and Multiracial Democracy. What are the differences between the two? Which does the author prefer and why?

3. Do you agree with the author on the “power of the Word” and it’s implementation into children’s literature?

Disney

I was particularly interested in Isabel's lecture. I mentioned this in class, but one of my childhood friends was not allowed to watch Disney movies. I never understood why this was and her parents were a bit cooky so I just thought they were being weird. Now I understand that they were a bit smarter than my young 2nd grade mind may have realized. The only Disney movie they were allowed to watch was Mulan. Mulan stands out against other classics like Beauty and the Beast, Snow White and Cinderella. First of all it stars a minority character and secondly it shines a different culture in a good light instead of as a villain type, thirdly it embraces women as strong and powerful. Although it may not legally be Disney's responsibility to think about every character they choose to put in their films and how they portray them, you would think that they would want to embrace and utilize this power. Disney is one of many companies that has a strong influence on young children and they should be happy to teach positive lessons to children.

The whole idea of race and ethnicity being portrayed in Disney films has been discussed before. An issue Isabel mentioned is that of sexuality and the lack of diversity. As Isabel said, everything is heteronormative. It is assumed that there is a mom and a dad, and assumed that no one is gay. Disney has improved over the years with its image of different races, such as in movies like Mulan or Lilo and Stitch. However, there has yet to be one that brings to the table the reality of homosexuals in our culture.

Discussion questions on "STERILIZED in the Name of Public Heath"

1. What was the criteria used to sanction sterilizations?

2. What contributed to the longevity of the sterilization laws in California?

3. What was some of the reasoning used to justify compulsory sterilization?

4. What were the modifications to California's sterilization program that resulted from the amendment in 1952 and the bill in 1953, and what were their effects on sterilization rates?

5. What was the punitive model and what were the rationalizations used to employ it?

6. What were the arguments and ruling in the Madrigal v Quilligan case, and what were the consequences?

HIV and Labeling of Sexuality in Mexico

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/07/world/americas/07mexico.html?_r=1&scp=4&sq=hiv%20mexico&st=cse

The link above is to a NY times article I read about a year ago that I believe pertains to this class, especially the lectures on Latino sexuality and the current lectures on Latino health. The article, titled Vulnerable to H.I.V., Resistant to Labels, discusses how labeling of sexuality in Mexico affects HIV testing and treatment. As we discussed in class and in lecture, the label "gay" is only applied to the "receiver" in a gay relationship. The man who "inserts" does not consider himself gay under the guise of machismo.

The NY Times article continues to discuss the problems that this form of labeling creates in Mexico. Because many men who have sex with other men do not consider themselves gay, they also do not believe that they are at risk for HIV. To address this problem, many believe that the health care system should change it's discourse from describing "gay men" as more susceptible to HIV to describing "men who have sex with men" as being more susceptible to HIV. This issue is very important in Mexico as recent statistics show that around 15% of the population of men who have sex with men have HIV. This problem also exists among Mexican-Americans in the U.S.

Isabel's Lecture

I thought Isabel's lecture was really interesting today. I've never looked at the Disney Corporation and the Disney movies in that perspective. As a kid (and even now) you think of Disney as being a wholesome company, however upon really looking at the movies, one can see that they too, fall prey to the common stereotypes of other cultures. Even the quote by Michael Eisner stating that their only objective is to make money, is disturbing. It shows that even if that the company somehow absent-mindedly made these stereotypes in their movies, that will do nothing to improve them, because they don't have a child's interest at heart.

I also found it interesting that when the one student tried to find the book from lecture, that none of the bookstores sold it. What does this say in terms of censorship? Who really controls what books we are allowed to read? Also, does this say that gay and lesbian relations haven't been integrated or accepted by society yet?

Good Job Isabel.

Response to Nov 17 Lecture

I enjoyed Professor Gutierrez's in-class activity on Monday. I feel like methods of participation aren't often discussed. Young people, especially students, are continually encouraged to join organizations, and stand up for what they believe in; however, there are many ways in which they can put forth their beliefs into society, and the "best" options are not always presented to them.

The questions the professor asked us sparked strong sentiment from my part. When she asked which method did we consider the best way to integrate our values (education, donating to organizations, protesting, or electing an official who shared the same values), the class had many different responses. I truly believe education is the best method: none of the other options would even exist without education. Even when those who answered differently were explaining their point of view, all of them at one point or another mentioned education. I feel as though it is useless to donate to an organization if you don't know anything about what you are donating to. Sure, the organizations may be better qualified to help the cause and have more impact - but only if they are educated on the topic. Protests are initiated through strong sentiments of the people - and how is one to feel strongly on a topic if they are not properly educated in it? Politics are the same; without education, voters would not know which officials share their values, and therefore might not vote for the candidate with the same beliefs.

Of all the above options, education is the one which spreads the easiest and fastest. It affects billions of people, and allows everyone - from the rich to the poor, one side of the world to another - to participate in a movement. This world strives on education, and without it, we would be nowhere.

Otherness

"When people focus on others' needs and deficiencies, it can de-emphasize their assets and strengths, weaken their ability to help themselves, and empower the professionals who serve them" (pg. 299-300 of Young People as Competent Citizens) .

This quote really stood out to me. While I think careers in public and community service are very noble, they can often contribute to the problems they are trying to solve. When outsiders enter a community to try and provide what the community "lacks," a dependency relationship is created, rather than the strengthening of the community from within to solve whatever the problem was. While I do think providing services is important for short term progress, they are just a band-aids to the change that must take place within a community. For example, a tutoring program that brings well educated students into inner cities to tutor helps the students succeed in school, but it does not address the issue of failing inner city schools.

Maybe I'm being too critical, but I don't think that community service, without community and political activism, can result in real change.

Discussion Questions for 11/21

Discussion Questions for "Latino leadership development: beginning on campus":

1. What is the National Council of La Raza (NCLR)? What does this organization do?
2. How does Josh Gardner define leadership?
3. "Leadership is more a role than a position." Do you agree with this? Why?
4. What three elements or components exist in leadership development at the community level? Define these.
5. Why can't the Latino community look to its own churches or colleges?
   
6. What objectives do Latino student organizations generally have?
7. Have you seen or been active in a Latino student organization on campus? If so, what have been your experiences?

Discussion Questions for "Young people as competent citizens":

1. Do you agree that youth are generally viewed negatively? Why or why not? How do you view youth?
2. What does the organization Lifting New Voices do?
3. What are the three results of youth participation? Explain.
4. What obstacles are faced in youth participation?
5. What are some of the issues addressed by the youth organizations in this case study? Is there a group that interested you? Explain.
   

Lecture Reflectin Post on Social Change

I really enjoyed today's lecture and felt that I could really relate to the topic. As a tutor for elementary school kids in Southwest Detroit, I get to see firsthand the difficulties these students face in terms of getting an education and not falling behind as well as receiving adequate funding for their school. As hard as these teachers try, the schools lack the funding the really offer these kids the help they need. My three tutees are in 5th grade, but their classroom had both 4th and 5th graders in it because the school cannot afford two separate classrooms for the grades. Though these girls are in 5th grade, they are still unable to read, write, or comprehend things that the average 3rd grader is able to. They receive no extra attention in their class even with their poor marks because the school does not have the resources to provide them. Two of them have already told me that they plan to drop out when in high school to work in factories with their parents. I feel like this sentiment reflects the negative attitudes and experiences they have with the educational system. During today's activity I chose education of issues as the most important and the most effective, because I feel like if people were more aware of issues like educational funding there would be more support for fixing the system for all students.

Fishbowl!

Hi everyone!
I wanted to thank you, again for participating in Friday’s fishbowl discussion. As promised, I will sum up some of the points I made at the end of class. Please use this space to provide additional feedback, reflections, and observations on your experience with this activity.

In answering the question, What type of space did we create/participate in on Friday’s discussion section?, I proposed the following observations based on Elizabeth Moje’s article, “Powerful Spaces: Tracing the Out-of-School Literacy Spaces of Latina/o Youth:”

A space influenced by institutions: we are at the University of Michigan, which implies a relationship between UM and education/learning

A space influenced by time/temporality: our discussion section length (50 mins); but also, how did your observations/comments in class differ from what you may have thought at the beginning of the semester? Or, how have you changed based on your experience in this class?

A space influenced by things material/physical: your level of comfort varied (depending on whether you were in the inner circle or outer circle); differences between being an “observer” vs. being the “observed.”

A space influenced by identities: how was our space complicated by identity? Which identities did you prioritize? What assumptions were you making about other people’s identities? Which identities were less obvious or not really addressed?

A space influenced by power: your relationship to each other and to me (GSI vs. student); what other power dynamics did you observe? How do these power dynamics affect your participation in class?

Also keep in mind that these categories often overlap.

I look forward to reading your responses!
-Isabel

Reaction to Professor Moje's Lecture

I found Professor Mojes lecture, “Reading the Adolescent Reader” to be a very important testament to the dangers of stereotyping. I think that the stereotype evident in Professor Moje’s lecture is that adolescent Latinos living in urban areas are uneducated and illiterate. Stereotypes like these simplify the out-group’s condition and tend to homogenize, when in fact they are a heterogeneous group with complex conditions. I think the danger of stereotypes in this situation is the perpetuation of ineffective teaching methods. If teachers engage with this stereotype, they simplify the experience of their students assuming that because they can’t read or understand their selected texts, they can’t read or understand any text, when in fact, Moje’s research disproves this.

I think that generalizations in the education system are not only limited to situations like these, but manifest themselves in many forms and can greatly affect the success or failure of the student. In this way, I believe that stereotyping students is a self-fulfilling prophecy. If a teacher expects a child to under-perform, it is very possible that they won’t challenge the student, while if they assume the student has great potential they will engage the student in more demanding tasks. I think this is the problem facing schools in many impoverished urban areas. Perhaps if teachers were more sensitive to the students’ interests, they could develop a more effective way to engage students rather than discouraging them.

Discussion Section 11/14 - "Powerful Spaces" Part 2

1)At the mall, how did people react to the author's group of 1 white woman and 4 “dark skinned people?” pg15

2)How do public spaces, like the mall, alter the Mexican youth's actions and and behavior? Pg16.

3)What attracts the youth to spend much of their time in certain public places, like Virnot? pg17

4)What is the term used by the author that expresses the versatile nature of the Mexican youth's identities? Pg20

5)How do the young people use the internet as space to interact with fellow chicanos and learn more about their culture? Pg 21

6)What was the primary conclusion according to the author on page 22, describing the seamlessness of ethnic identity?

7)Ultimately, what does the author feel should be done by educators and schools to help the youth be more mobile when they grow older? pg23

Discussion Questions 11/14 - "Latinos and Child Well-Being..."

Latinos and Child Well-Being: Implications from Child Welfare
Robert M. Ortega

What are some factors that lead to such an urgent need to evaluate the welfare of Latino children? p1

What is ironic about there being so little data on Latino children? (Do they represent a large or small proportion of the child population in the US?) Why do you think this is? p5

Why is the use of the term “Latinos” in these welfare studies so problematic? (What does it imply?)
Why is it an even bigger problem to place Latinos in the “other” category? p4-5 How does this lack of data affect the improvement of child welfare services? p12

Ortega states the two supposed primary referral sources of Latinos to child protective services – what are they? p6

One of the factors that define the Latino culture is the strong sense of family. What are some of the cultural values or themes tied to Latino families?

What are a few of the issues, named in the article, that pose challenges to traditional Latino families in society? Which of these significant risk factors are considered a serious threat to the health and well being of Latino children? p7,11

Lastly, what are the 4 A’s that Ortega says should define our system of care? (He mentioned them in lecture as well.) p13

Identity and Space

I found the "Powerful Spaces" article and how it relates identity to the space in which it is expressed very interesting. In the article, Professor Moje describes how several of the Latino/a youth identify themselves depending on the space (geographic, cultural, social, etc) that they are in.

I remember realizing at an early age that my own identity varied depending on the social context and space that I occupied. For my 5th grade birthday party, I invited friends from school, my neighborhood, and from church. I realized that my relationships with my friends in each of those groups were different, and that my identity within the group depended on the space in which the groups of friends were formed.

I think people have multiple layers to their identities (like Shrek- an onion lol) and that having slightly different personalities depending on the social context is actually a good thing- it helps people adapt to different situations and be successful in each.

Discussion questions:11/14. 1st part of "Powerful Spaces" questions

Questions:

1. How do people move within and across physical spaces?

2. 2. What are the four categories of identity that were mentioned in the article (excluding the one proposed by Moje)?

3. 3. Define the term, “spatial and temporal identity.”

4. 4. What were some of the spaces that were looked at during the study?

5. 5. As mentioned in the article, what is space?

6. 6. Describe the participants in the study?

7. 7. How are people recognized in different spaces?

8. 8. Where were some the interviews that took place outside of school, held?

Reflection post

As Latinos integrate into mainstream United States society, they must often give up a piece of their own culture. Whether this piece is language or their vision of sexuality, Latinos in the United States are frequently fighting between their past and their present. In terms of language, Latinos are often required to learn English and stop speaking Spanish. However, over the years, the two have greatly influenced each other and have even formed a new appearance as Spanglish. While there are many different attitudes towards Spanglish, the effect on society is apparent. On the other hand, the effect of Latino’s views on sexuality is often invisible. Latinos view sexuality, especially homosexuals, in a different manner than Americans. However, most Americans would disagree with their definitions and categorization. Therefore, Latinos must adhere to the norms of American culture. Whether it is in regards to language or views on sexuality, Latinos must assimilate and forgive a part of their home culture.
I found the readings and lectures on Spanish linguistics very interesting. Latinos living in the United States has made an important influence on American culture in my life. They helped make Spanish the top foreign language to learn in schools, which is why I began taking Spanish in the fifth grade. I now love the language and am majoring in it at this university. Spanglish is also an important influence in my life and in the lives of American people. Spanish has influenced many words in our everyday speech, such as “no problemo.” I hope that I have not offended anyone in using this either, and I am now more conscious of mock Spanish. Spanish linguistics is a young academia and it is important to continue research in this field.
I find the Latino idea of sexuality very interesting and different than the one I am accustomed to. I, like the guest lecturer, disagree with the categories that the United States places on sex, gender, and sexuality. More importantly, I disagree with the stigmas placed on each category in that normative sexual expression is tolerated while non-normative sexualities are not. I feel that all choices should be tolerated. I therefore think the United States needs to progress.

Bilingual Education

In Zentella's article "'Jose, can you see?'" she says that "Monolingual English-speaking teachers who fear erosion of their job security have helped place bilingual education at the center of heated national debates" (54). This part of the article really surprised me. It makes sense that monolingual teachers, especially in the south, would form a block against bilingual education, fearing that teachers would be required to be bilingual. I just never thought about it I guess.

Teachers form strong voting blocks when it comes to education boards and changes in education. In order for bilingual education to be embraced, these teachers need to be assured that they will not become unemployed as a result. Perhaps there could be a rule that teachers that have already begun teaching are not held to the same bilingual standards of newly hired teachers. That doesn't exactly seem fair... but I'm not sure how else the problem could be solved.

This part of the article reminded me of the movie we watched on Prop 187 and the white teacher with huge glasses that didn't speak Spanish, who was told that she didn't belong at the school. In a way I felt sorry for her because I don't think she saw how biased she was and how that could effect the students. At the same time, I don't think that all monolingual, English-speaking teachers are inherently biased as she was and in fact can be good teachers that are sensitive to latin@ and immigration issues. Also, just because a teacher is bilingual, doesn't guarantee that they don't hold personal biases either against Latino or Anglo students. I think finding a good teacher for multiracial and multiethnic classrooms goes beyond what can be put on a resume.

Discussion Questions for Friday 11/7/08

Movie Reflection

I thought the movie tried to be informative, but I felt like it had a very liberal bias to it and didn't necessarily look at the situation objectively. I disagreed that the children should have had all their healthcare and education taken from them. They are just kids and have no say in where they live. However, I thought that their wasn't really much of a rational conservative viewpoint. The teacher and the librarian who were for the proposition came off very negatively and I wish that they would have had someone with knowledge speak for that view. The people at the rallies who were for the proposition were stereotyped as hicks, and I am sure that not all the people who supported it were like that. There is a certain validity in saying that the government's resources should be allocated to those who pay taxes. I do think that the proposition was too extreme, but that some of the ideolgies behind it were not as radical as depicted.

Additional Key Terms for Unit Two

Hey everyone,
Below are the Key Terms and definitions all of you came up with in discussion section. Feel free to add others! And please remember that you will have to be more specific when defining any of these terms on the Unit Two exam--always relate the terms to the larger class objectives (i.e. the Latina/o experience)
-Isabel
p.s. You can also check out the terms and definitions from my other sections by clicking *Section A* and *Section B*

From Lecture:
[]-Globalization: increasing international economic ties and interconnectedness between foreign countries*
*note from your GSI: Is this how the readings/lectures define it? Can anyone provide other definitions?

From Discussion:
[]- Immigration and Nationality Act: Applying quotas to all countries and limited the total immigrant number*
*note from your GSI: When did this occur? Is this all it did?

[]- Basic Pilot Program: internet-based program that ensures immigrant workers are naturalized as legal

[]- Exit Revolution:

[]- Flexible Labor Pools: Populations of people that are easily mobilized to find work, not a part of labor unions therefore, businesses more free to deal with them as they wish

[]- Immigration Act of 1924

[]- Open Door Policy

[]- Gentleman's Agreement

[]-Passenger Act of 1819: Designed to attract immigrants from all countries*
*note from your GSI: How? Why?

Reflection Post 10/28

I really enjoyed yesterday's movie about Proposal 187 in Los Angeles. I had never heard of Proposal 187 before and I thought that the movie did a good job explaining the ideals behind the proposal and how many people in L.A. felt about it. It was smart of the filmmaker to focus on one particular elementary school in L.A. so that viewers could feel more connected to the "characters" in the movie, particularly the little girl (Maya?) who the film focused on. I agree with the post below me that the film did indeed present some biased viewpoints. But I do think it was important to show both sides of the issue. The moment in the film that stuck out the most to me was the elementary school librarian who spoke to the kids in an incredibly demeaning and edgy tone as he told them that he "does not litter" on the streets of L.A. and that many people of "illegal" status do. This ridiculous accustaion proved the filmmaker's point that many problems in the United States are blamed on illegal immigrants, when "legal Americans" are at fault as well.

I do have to say, though, that I believe there needs to be a better system to make undocumented immigrants a legal part of the United States. It truly is unfair to "legal" kids in elementary schools to learn in overcrowded classrooms without the proper equiptment and supplies if many seats are being given to those of "alien" status. But, as the movie rightly explained, this is by no means the fault of the children in elementary schools. It is their parents who are unregistered citizens of the United States, and the blame should not be placed on school-age children for the overcrowding in school systems. There needs to be a different way to encourage immigrants who move to the United States to register as full American citizens so that they and their children can get the rights that all established American citizens.

Overall, I think the movie did an excellent job presenting the issues brought about by Prop 187 in L.A. in 1994. I think it presented a wide array of viewpoints from the extremely liberal to the extremely conservative, and even included a Latina women who voted in favor of Prop 187. These ranging opinions were helpful in understanding the consequences of Prop 187.

Reflection on Movie

I thought the movie shown in class today presented very biased viewpoints. For one, the teacher who claimed ‘they come to our country, they should learn English,’ really didn’t do herself any favors. It’s no surprise that she ended up resigning considering she seemed to have no appreciation for the Latino culture and their motives for coming to America. However, I also thought the narrator presented an extremely biased liberal view. I agree prop 187 went too far, but there is truth in the fact that undocumented citizens essentially funnel tax dollars away from American citizens. Many of the people interviewed tried to make it into a racial issue, when there is more to it. I think a proper solution would be to make it easier for immigrants to become naturalized citizens. Then they could stay in school and receive other social benefits, without anyone feeling as though they are mooching off taxpayers.

Discussion Questions for 10/24

Lecture

1 How would you define discrimination?

2 What are some problems with current definitions of discrimination?

3 Give an example of a chronic discriminatory stressor and an acute discriminatory stressor.

4 What are some factors that effect latino/a’s different discriminatory experiences?

5 Name some personal effects of discrimination.

6 In Kristine Molina’s study, which nationality reported being the most discriminated against?

7 What problem results from the fact that most studies on discrimination have been qualitative?

8 Roughly what percent of all Latina/os have been called names or insulted?

9 What are some causes of intra-group discrimination?

Reading: Izote Vos

10 What are some common themes between the stories?

11 Did you find anything in these stories that might be fuel for prejudice and discrimination? Anything that contradicts common stereotypes?

Discussion Section Questions for 10/24/08

Reading: "Becoming Somebody": Central American Immigrants in U.S. Inner-City Schools

1. Research suggests that students of Central and South American origin tend to do better or worse in U.S. schools than their Mexican American and mainland Puerto Rican peers? (3rd paragraph on page 285 of course pack)

2. Do Latinas/os of Central and South American origin drop out of school more or less than Mexican American students? (3rd paragraph on page 285 of course pack)

3. Participants from the study were from what Central American countries? (bottom of page 286 in course pack)

4. What are two "special problems" facing Central American immigrants? (2nd paragraph of page 287 in course pack)

5. According the the Central American informants, what is the single most significant avenue for status mobility? (top of page 289 in the course pack)

6. How do Central American immigrants motivate themselves? (bottom of page 289 in the course pack)

7. Who typically goes to the U.S. without their family? How do they feel about the family they left behind? (page 290 of course pack)

8. How do Central American youth immigrants feel about the sacrifices their families have made for them? (page 290 of course pack)

9. Why do Central American immigrants want to "become somebody"? (page 291 in course pack)

10. What can interfere with academic tasks? (page 292 of course pack)

11. The motive for achieving is not rooted in an individualistic wish for self-betterment, or in a wish for becoming independent. What is the motive for achieving rooted in? (top of page 294 in course pack)

12. What makes Central American immigrants different from other immigrants from other Latin American countries? (bottom of page 296 in course pack)

-Channing Franko

Reflection Post: Professor Pedraza's lecture

I found Professor Pedraza’s lecture very interesting, as I have never learned much about Cuban migration.  It was very interesting how the demographics of the Cubans changed as the waves progressed.  For example, the race became darker as time went on.  The meaning of exile was also very different among the refugees.  In the beginning, the white upper class was simply waiting to return, while the poor today are escaping from starvation and political prison.  The policies the United States has implemented are also quite interesting.  Most especially is the Wet Foot Dry Foot policy, especially since it is taken so literally.  Refugees are found running down the seven-mile stretch of beach in the United States to dry their feet while being chased by the United States police.  This image is particularly disturbing.  Professor Pedraza did an excellent job of explaining Cuban migration, especially since she has first hand experience herself.  The first slide of her lecture shows a picture of her as a little girl with her family.  She explained the feelings of being separated and joining a new country’s culture.  This was extremely moving and made me even more engrossed in the topic.

Discussion Questions 10/17 on Cuba

Back ground: Who was the initial Cuban Revolution against and when? Who was the proclaimed leader of the rebels?

1. How many waves of exodus were there? When did they occur? What were characteristics of each?

2. How did they push/pull factor affect each wave? How did the Cuban society/government and the U.S. society/government affect those who left Cuba?

3. Throughout the waves, what was the relationship like between Cuba and the United States? How did the different waves of exodus affect the two governments?

4. Over time, Cubans who left went from being refugees to being ______.

5. What were the basic outlines to President Johnson's policy on immigration?

6. What were the Vuelos de la Libertad? Who did they involve? When?

7. In what exodus did the immigratin go from a politcal act to an economic one?

8. In what decade did Fidel Castro officially become President of Cuba?

9. What was operation Peter Pan? During which exodus and in what year did it occur?

10. What was the Bay of Pigs? How did America help imprisoned exiles (who were imprisoned as a result of what happened at Bay of Pigs) after the Cuban Missile Crisis?

11. What occured during the periodo especial? What did Castro emphasize?

12. How did the Cuban exiles change from exodus to exodus, how can they be compared?

13. What are some psychological effects on refugees who have migrated and resettled?

14. Which Cubans faced especially hard racism? Why?

15. What are balseros? What was Attorney General Janet Reno's plan of action in terms of balseros under President Clinton's orders?

History of Mexicans in Michigan

Discussion Questions 10/17

"Michigan" (Latinos in America State by State)

1. What were some of the primary industries in which Mexicans worked, and please list a few key contributions that Mexicans had in these industries?

2. How were Mexicans viewed as citizens in the state of Michigan?

3. What profound impact/transformation did Mexicans have on the sugar industry?

4. What increasingly essential/significant role did sugar play in society?

5. For what reasons did Diego Rivera and Frieda Khalo support and then oppose repatriation?

6. Who were Texicans?  Braceros?

7. What issues promoted and opposed Mexican immigration to Michigan?

8. How did the "American Dream" change for Mexicans throughout the 20th century?

9. Was FDR's "New Deal" beneficial for Mexicans?

10.  How did the Women's Liberation Movement also catalyze change in work opportunities for Mexican women?

Reflection Post: Latino/as in Michigan

I found Professor Garskof's lecture on Latino's in Michigan to be very interesting. Until today, I was not aware of the profound effects that the sugar cane and beet farmers had on Michigan's employment and economy. I thought this specific statistic was particularly illustrative in describing America's hunger for a cheap source of calories:

1830 -- The average American consumed 12 Lbs per year
1900 -- The average American consumed 75 Lbs per year
1920 -- The average American consumed 100 Lbs per year

I also enjoyed Professor Garskof's points about the influx of migrant labor as a cornerstone and foundation of the United States economy. Interstate and international migration has been extremely vital to our nation and I will take these points into consideration as our group creates our final project website.

Ultimately, I was very impressed by today's lecture and I am now enthusiastic about researching Professor Garskof's main points. In fact, I have recently come across The Political Economy of Mexican Farm Labor Program, 1942-1946 by Joon Kim. This reading is very relevant, as Kim highlights many of the domestic workforce issues which are related to our current discussions.

Discussion Questions for 10/9

"Immigration" Questions

1. How is migration like an investment decision?
2. Who are "coyotes'?
3. What are the 4 historical lessons pertaining to American immigration?
4. What are the top 4 occupations for foreign born workers?
5. What are the 4 states that account for 57% of all foreign born workers in the U.S.? Why do you think this is?
6. Describe the representation of the foreign born on the educational spectrum.
7. What are some contributions that highly skilled migrants provide for the U.S.?
8. How much did the U.S. spend on border control in the year 2007?
9. Do you think this is an accurate amount when considering that there was an estimated 11-12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. in 2006?
10. What is the key stone for immigration policy reform?
11. Why is this difficult to achieve?
12. What is the government doing to fight this?

"Rethinking the last 200 years of Immigration Policy" Questions

1. What were police powers?
2. What was the exit revolution and how was it achieved?
3. What would the British government do with their convicts during the 18th century?
4. What did the U.S. do in response to this?
5. What did this act entail?
6. What new technology during the 1860s made immigration easier? What was its downfall?
7. Why was there a huge wave of Japanese immigrants in the U.S. in the late 1800s?
8. How did this backfire?
9. After WWI, how did the U.S. change their stance on immigration?
10. How was this new stance carried out?
11. How did it apply to Mexico?
12. What was the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965?

"The Founding Immigrants" Question

1. What are your opinions on this article? What emotions did it provoke?
   

El plan Espiritual de Aztlan

1.) what are the four aspects of the Aztlan's plan that constitutes as full liberation?
2.) what are the organizational goals of Aztlan's plan and what were the main points of each?
3.) What was the ultimate goal of Aztlan's plan?
4.) who was La Raza?
5.) what was the date of the Chicano walkout?

Young Lord's Article

1.) Who were the Young Lords?
2.) The young Lords had a 13 point program and platform, what were the 13 points?
3.) Describe some of their actions?
4.) Why did the re-locate to Puerto Rico?
5.) What was the consequence of this?

Joaquin Article

1.) Who was Joaquin?
2.) Evalute the quote "Crown was gone, but the parasites still remained, and ruled, and teach, with guns and flame, and mystic power.
3.) What was the overall message was throughout this poem

Reflection Post- WEST SIDE STORY- America

I love this movie. There is beautiful artistry in the way that it was written and conceived by Jerome Robbins and brought to life onstage by Leonard Bernstein and ArthurLaurents. The show is an adaptation of Shakespeare's Romero and Juliet brought to NYC in the 1950's. The original Broadway production opened on Broadway on September 26, 1957 and featured Larry Kert as Tony, Carol Lawrence as Maria and the arguably most celebrated Lain theatre actress Chita Rivera as Anita. After three trasfers to other Broadway theatres and over 700 performances, the show closed on June 27, 1959. The movie version was released worldwide in 1961 featuring Natalie Wood as Maria, Richard Beymer as Tony and Rita Moreno (who won an Oscar for her performance). The world centers on two rival gangs: The Sharks(Puerto Ricans) and The Jets (the Caucasians). "America" (changed from the original Broadway staging) focused on the struggles, hardships, dreams and gender stereotypes of Puerto Ricans by Caucassians.
In my opinion "America" is stereotypical, but at the same time rooted in truth about the harsdhips that Puerto ricans were facing all over the united States. This was the time when the commercial airplane was introduced to the world and it made it much easier to travel to the United States from Puerto Rico. More than 50,000 people a year were coming to the US from Puerto Rico. People were coming to get away from the harships and the terrible economy that faced Puerto Rico in the 50's in search of better wages and other means of bettering themselves. I think "America" is a stereotype because of the way that many of the actors in the movie portrayed their characters, not the lyrics or the music. The music while it is flamenco and from Spain has a had a deep influence in the Puerto rican bomba y plena, salsa and merengue. The lyrics are very poignant in the way that is shows the dichotomy of how Puerto Ricans in America felt about the economy, the jobs they held and the roles of men and women. I think Arthur Laurents' lyrics embody the two types of ideologies that Puerto rican were faced with everyday. Tha nationalist and the assimilationist ideals, the same issues that still is a huge issue in Puerto Rico and Puerto rican communites in the US til this day..

Reflection post, Young Lords

I really enjoyed the readings and lectures on the Young Lords Party.  Their similarities with the civil right's movement were amazing to discover, and their purpose in accomplishing equality through protest was also very enlightening.  I am very interested in the Civi right's movement, and it's very intriguing to learn about other profound groups like the Young Lords.  As a group representing the poor man, whether Puerto Rican or African-American, this party and other groups like the Black Panthers, SNCC, SCLC, etc. all inspire me as they produced and effected change through direct social confrontations and strict demands for their constitutional rights.  It's discouraging today to see similar social disparities and inequalities, but it seems as though the youth movement is less active than in prior decades.  All of the information we've learned on the Young Lords is novel to me, and I find it upsetting to go through years of school and important knowledge like this has been so neglected.  I also thought the video was great, especially the acquisition of the church to feed the hungry! 

Discussion Questions for 10/3

Hey guys,

Here are more questions for discussion on Friday:

"Chicanas Speak Out"

1.  What are Chicana women fighting for? 

2.  What is triple oppression?

3.  Did women always face inequality?

4.  What did the women due to get their voice heard?

5.  According to the article, what must the Chicano men do?

"Notes from a Chicana coed"

1.  From whom are the Chicanas facing discrimination?

2.  What do the Chicanos want from their women?

3.  Do males have to follow this same standard?

4.  How do Chicanos feel about the women's liberation?

5.  According to the poem, what do Chicanas do anyway?

El Plan De Aztlan

After reading this article I felt a little surprised because I never knew this happened. It made me think...what if an american was in their shoes and another country was trying to assimilate everyone into the "ideal" or Western/American culture even if they were completely against that form of culture. Gringo's they call the people that took their territory and use it for economic purposes even when it isn't theirs. I just feel bad for what they had to go through and the worst thing about it is they couldn't stop it by themselves. After enough of the big business owners making money off their land and the workers getting paid next to nothing, it was time for a protest/uprising. A group of Chicano's got together and eventually formed a strong nationalist power and were willing to do whatever they could to liberate themselves. The only way Chicano's would feel completely liberated as by economic, cultural, social and politcal independence. If i were to switch places with them at that time...I probably would have done the same thing.

Reflection Post: Immigration Reform

Reflection Post: Illegal Immigration & Immigration Reform

There is no doubt that immigration has become a highly contentious issue over the last four years, but lately immigration has taken a back seat to the economy, health care reform, and the war in Iraq as a talking point on the presidential campaign trail. However, the issue of immigration is not going away any time soon. No matter what your political views happen to be, I believe our class can benefit from listening to both Bill Richardson and John McCain’s views on immigration:





In the first video, Governor Richardson outlines his multi-faceted approach to dealing with immigration by:

1. securing the border
2. punishing those that hire workers illegally
3. proposing Native Mexican job creation and joint border projects
4. raising illegal immigration quotas
5. passing an illegalization plan
a. earned legalization program

On the other hand, John McCain’s biggest proposal includes enforcing pre-existing laws and seems to make a harder-line approach towards illegal immigrants who have broken United States law. I'd be remiss to not mention that there seems to be some discrepancy between John McCain’s approach to immigration reform now compared with his past statements because of his need to appease his conservative base.

In all fairness to John McCain, we have seen political candidates ‘slide’ their views in order to win primaries and subsequent presidential elections throughout the history of the United States. Nevertheless, Barack Obama highlights a particularly alarming case of a shifting ideology:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRCjN3wZ48Y

What are your thoughts on immigration reform?

We Call Them Greasers

We Call Them Greasers portrays the invasion of a Native American community by white men. It is written in the perspective of the white man and therefore shows how truly prejudiced the invaders were. The diction of the poem, including words such as betters, cowards, and troublemakers, shows how the white men saw themselves as far superior. Even though Native Americans had unique, developed languages, the Anglos seemed to believe that anyone who could not speak English was illiterate, thus enforcing the idea that Anglo Americans saw their culture as the most advanced. From this view stemmed the Manifest Destiny concept.
Even more startling than the Anglos views of the natives was their blatant disrespect towards the communities. It was tragic to me to consider that rapes similar to the brutal act portrayed in the last stanzas occurred often during the times of the invasions. And despite the Anglos' portrayal of the natives as animals, I could not help but consider the narrator as the most brutal animal and the Native Americans as civil, peaceful human beings. We Call Them Greasers portrays perfectly the hopeless situation of the Native American communities during this era.

Reflection Post on We Call Them Greasers

When I was reading the poem, I was dismayed and angry at how brutal these men could be towards other human beings. Then again, they didn't feel like the Mexicans were even considered humans, as there is lots of animal imagery associated with them. I can't say that I was shocked by this behavior, as this does seem to fit the attitude of many white people at the time. The White Man's Burden is a prime example of how many white people felt towards people of other skin color. I was disgusted in the pleasure these people took out of others' pain, and how they were so proud of being able to trick these natives with such ease. They had no remorse whatsoever and the only reason the man who was raping the woman even stopped was because of the look of disgust on his friend's face. He was unconcerned with the woman he was harming, but of the opinion of his friend who deemed Mexicans unworthy of interaction with white men.

Young Lords Party

I found that the Young Lords Party was an inspirational group, which fought for the rights of Puerto Ricans in the US and for the independence of Puerto Rico. What was most inspirational to me was the unity. Just like many other groups that had a goal in mind, this specific group stayed focused and would fight for their beliefs at all costs. I think that the types of campaigns that they took part in were incredibly interesting and effective. One specific example that was discussed in class was the garbage pick-up in Spanish Harlem. By using the trash as roadblocks, they were forced to increase the pick-up to create a cleaner living space. These sorts of campaigns did become a bit more violent when the trashcans were set on fire, but I believe that they had the well being of the community at heart.
In this day there are still specific groups that are fighting for the rights of their people, but not in the same ways that were done in the past. I think that in some ways we live in a “selfish” environment, one in which society takes for granted all that was done in the past to give them this independence. I wish that more people would realize the struggles of the past and the best way to ensure this is through education.

We Call Them Greasers

I was glad to see Gloria Anzaldua's poem We Call Them Greasers as one of our reading assignments. Poetry has an effect on people that articles can't always get across. Written facts or statistics in articles sometimes go over my head, but pieces like Anzaldua's really put things into perspective.
This piece had such awesome imagery, which got my imagination going. Since it was written from the white man's point of view, I was sort of forced to put myself in his shoes, which was not something I really wanted to explore, but it gave the piece a greater impact. It made me realize just how horrible these men were, and how their thoughts were just as awful as their actions. Having to actually picture the rape was very creepy and very distressing. It made me feel as though these men weren't really human, which is interesting because the white man in the poem is trying to dehumanize the Latinos that he saw. I think that it was a very bold choice to write this poem, and Anzaldua's creativity helped paint a gruesome picture that really got the point across. I think that having poetry like this mixed in with all of the other readings throughout the semester will really help me to understand the Latina/o experience.

Response to "13 Point Program"

Reading The Young Lords Party 13 Point Program and Platform really made the their case come alive for me. I felt like this piece was much more genuine and personal than the other reading and movie we saw on the subject since it reveals the unaffected words of the organization. What stuck out to me the most was their stance on racism and how it differed drastically from that of LULAC. The Young Lords Party 13 Point Program took a much more inclusive approach, while LULAC seemed to embrace white supremacy as they tried to distinguish themselves from other minority groups like African Americans. The line “All the colored and oppressed peoples of the world are one nation under oppression,” from the “13 Point Program” drives this point home. I think that in this way the Young Lords Party were more respectable in their fight for equality and liberation.

One aspect I found interesting about the “13 Point Program” was the way they choose to spell “American”—“amerikkkan.” I wasn’t sure exactly why they did this, but I concluded that it might be their response to the American named “Porto Rico.” Perhaps this was their way of insulting the US and denouncing them as an oppressor.

Have we lost the American Dream?

The readings on LULAC (the one about racism and politics of assimilation in particular) made me wonder if American culture has lost what was once the American Dream. The members of LULAC, and I would argue most Americans during the postwar years, strongly believed in self advancement. It seemed to me that they had immense faith in US institutions, believing that the system was fair and just. Even in the face of blatant racism, LULAC believed that as long as someone tried and tried their best, they would succeed in society. The values of hard work and self motivation were very apparent in LULAC's ideology.

While I reading, a nostalgic feeling came over me. LULAC's ideology and values relflect a time period in US history when those values were embraced by the entire country. How did we go from being so individualistic that families refused welfare during the Great Depression to thinking that the government owes us something? How did we go from having blind faith in American institutions to condemning the system as corrupt? (I'm not arguing that either extreme is better- just that there seems to have been a shift).

I think the Vietnam War and, more recently, the Iraq War have contributed to a lot of American's lack of faith in American institutions. As a result, Americans no longer have blind faith in the status quo like the members of LULAC did. We question issues like poverty and and racism and how our institutions reinforce it. What happened to individualism? I think the post New Deal era and the creation of government programs like social security and medicare had a lot to do with the shift from individualism. The creation of these programs made it acceptable to receive aid from the government as a social right. I also think that having less faith in the justice of US institutions may contribute to the feeling that the government owes its citizens (perhaps for the institutionalized injustice they suffer?). Also, if "the system" is inherently unjust, then the individual cannot be held entirely accountable for their failures.

Does being less individualistic and having less faith in US institutions mean that we've lost the American Dream? Or has the dream just changed and what to?

Reaction to the Puerto Rican Obituary

This poem definitely hit home. During the summer, I worked in a tomato factory in Romulus, MI for minimum wage. The majority of my co-workers were undocumented immigrants from Latin American countries. We worked side-by-side, 14-hour days, standing, speaking only Spanish or broken English. The first section of the poem describes what we did perfectly. We worked hard, always on time, never talked back to supervisors, who yelled at us, "RAPIDO!!!" We were paid minimum wage, but I'm sure some of the undocumented workers were getting less than that; after all, how could they do anything about it? It's really a shame that this poem was written in the 70s, and yet still describes the lives of many Latinas/os in the United States. This, to me, substantiates the fact that the US has a long way to go in order for every person to receive the benefits of equality. 

Discussion Questions for 10/3

Hey all,

Here are the discussion questions for Monday's reading "Establishing an Identity in the 60s"

1.  Following WWII, what was the stance of the Mexican-American organizations?

2.  How was Latinismo sustained in the United States?

3.  What was the main contradiction for Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans living in the United States?

4.  What was the Young Lords party?  What was their goal?

5.  What were some of the things the Young Lords party did in their community?

6.  What was the party's stance on women?

7.  How did the other Puerto Ricans feel about the Young Lords?

8.  What are some differences between the Puerto Ricans struggle and that of the Mexican-Americans?

9.  What two realities did the Chicano movement address?

10.  Who was Cesar Chavez and what did he do?

11.  What was the goal of the Alianza Federal de Mercedes?

12.  What was the Chicano Power Movement?

13.  What was La Raza Unida?

14.  As the decade progressed, how did things change?

15.  What was the women's role in the fight?

  

Reflection on Lecture 9-29

The other day in lecture, Professor Cotera was talking about all the different movements and organizations ( Young Lords, Black Panthers, etc) and it made me realize the drastic differences between generations. Back then, people joined together and fought for a cause. They proudly united in their culture and ancestry displaying it to the rest of society whereas today there is a good portion of people out there who know nothing about their ancestry or the culture/traditions that they come from. People today are too busy looking out for themselves and themselves only. Everyone is too power and money hungry and they fail to realize most of the opportunities that we have today wouldn't exist without the struggles back then. Those people were willing to sacrifice their lives in order to bring about change and we can't even give up one day of work in order to volunteer or support an organization. I have deep respect for all those who made sacrifices in order to make our country what it is today.

Puerto Rican Obituary

Pedro Pietri did an incredible job in writing this poem; the emotions he evoked from me were both of empathy and of anger. He set the scene by describing these five Puerto Rican workers - how they were hard workers, always on time, and never complained or disrupted the environment - even when they were provoked. He continued to build up the tone by detailing their dreams (of winning lottery tickets, effective anti-poverty programs, trips to their homeland) all the while giving the reader the sense that all these dreams were just that; that no matter how hard they worked, how much they hoped for, these dreams were unattainable.

A line that particularly struck emotion in me was on the third page, first stanza: "The first spics on the block / Proud to belong to a community / of gringos who want them lynched..." The extremely harsh tone in these few lines are seen through the referral of the Puerto Ricans as "spics" (a very condescending term for Latinos) and also by explaining the Puerto Ricans' excitement of being among the whites and away from others of their race, not even caring that they would not only be unwelcome, but likely to be harassed and maybe killed off. The tone in which Pietri wrote this stanza almost made it seem as though he thought these Puerto Ricans were pathetic for wanting to live among people who wished for their death.

My favorite lines in the whole poem were the last two, "Aqui to be called negrito / means to be called LOVE". Where I come from, the word "negrito" is not used in any way as an insult, but instead as an affectionate term for someone of dark skin, and it gave me pleasure to be able to say that when those around me and I use the term, it is out of love, rather than disgust as it was used back when the poem was written.

All in all, I interpreted the poem's message to be a warning to show the dangers of conforming, as well as those of internal battles within a group. A unified group is the most effective and invincible, but once members start to give in to racism and question themselves, they begin to compete against each other (as Juan, Miguel, Milagros, Olga and Manuel did) and this has the potential to break apart the group. We saw this same thing happen to the Young Lords after they had switched political goals several times and finally lost membership, instead of staying on one united front with one united political ideal in mind.

Reflection on video

I thought the video showed in lecture today did a very effective job of conveying the attitude of the oppressed urban youth involved in the Young Lords. Watching the video made me feel almost worthless about my live. While these individuals dropped everything to rally around a worthwhile cause, today, it seems like we have all lost the fighting spirit. Surely it can’t be because there are no public troubles anymore. There are still people living in poverty, with no shelter, no healthcare, and a maintaining only fraction of the things we take for granted every day. Yet it seems to me like we just don’t care anymore, at least not nearly to the same extent. I assume our lake of outspoken spirit is merely a token of our distance from most of these problems. I would like to hope that if we lived directly under remotely similar conditions we would go to just as powerful means to fight the injustices.

"Puerto Rican Obituary" reflection

This poem shows what it is like living in America as a Puerto Rican.  Piedro Pietri, the author, mainly focuses on the working aspect of life.  Puerto Ricans have an excellent work ethic, as they never show up late or take days off.  They work hard and never complain.  However, this attitude is never rewarded.  They are paid poorly and can barely pay their bills.  They are employed in working class jobs as factory workers, messenger boys, janitors, assistants, and the like.  Although all in the United States are trying to achieve the American Dream, it is simply not possible for Puerto Ricans.  The system has set them up to fail.  The American Dream is just that to the Puerto Ricans: a dream.  

Not only are the Puerto Ricans unable to attain material wealth, but also are unable to gain respect from their fellow Americans.  Pietri infers the Puerto Ricans are inferior to rodents, as even "mice live like millionaires."  They are constantly discriminated against and battle racism in every community.  Although they pledge allegiance to the United States and salute to the flag, they do not feel the same sense of appreciation.  Americans refuse to care about their culture, such as the Spanish pronunciation of their last names.  Even at their funerals, Pietri believes, their flowers will be stolen.  This image shows the utter lack of respect and feeling for Puerto Ricans in the United States.  All this hatred from the outside turns the Puerto Rican people against each other as well.  The want and longing for material wealth causes them to become jealous and steal from each other.  Puerto Ricans are completely losing their ties to each other and their culture back on the island.

This culture, as Pietri exclaims, is a beautiful one.  He believes that if American Puerto Ricans did not buy into assimilating and Americanization, they would realize the richness and splendor of their own ways of life.  Puerto Rico itself is a great place and should not be seen as inferior to the United States.  Pietri even goes as far as to say that death is better for Puerto Ricans than living in America, as they face constant harassment and discrimination while living.  In this magical place after death, the Puerto Ricans are happy and uniting.  They are appreciating their culture, language, and country.  These last couple of verses are in stark contrast to the rest of the poem.  Here, Pietri is highlighting Puerto Rico and insulting America.

After reading this poem, I felt saddened at the treatment my fellow Americans extended to Puerto Ricans.  The racism against people of other races, ethnicities, religious, skin color, and whatever other differences is atrocious in this country.  I think its time for a great change and hopefully such actions will not repeat themselves as history has shown they will.  

Stephanie Dowdle