Reflections on Dr. Henry Louis Gates' Jr. "Mexico and Pero: The Black Grandma in the Closet"

    Black in Latin America, E03, "Mexico and Pero: The Black Grandma in the Closet"   

Building from Ch. 2 “Harvest of Empire,” Gonzales’ argument that the Spanish colonies at one time looked to the English-American colonies as influential, social movements taking place back and forth between the southern and northern hemispheres of the Americas are very surprising. By the 15^th century, the two settler cultures, England and Spain, had come west to violate, and reap resources from, a plethora of Indigenous cultures with no favorable terms of agreement or trade. What Dr. Gates’ documentary shows us is that even as each dominant settler culture grew and became derivatives of a European desire to conquer and remove Indigenous nations, histories in the South American countries are actually more complex and volatile than the English colonies in the north.

            Post-1492, where Gates’ doc ultimately begins is already at time where Indigenous populations have shrunk from unfair warfare and diseases unknown to that region of the world before. Each settler colonial culture sharing slavery as a means of production is eye-opening, however. The slave trade was much larger and somehow more brutal in South America, as Spanish forces invaded to force trading and supplant a greed that would change everything. On the one hand, again in Gonzales’ earlier argument, he states that once countries in Latin America began to liberate themselves from Spanish-colonial rule, they denounced slavery much quicker and the populations were less worried in their society about mixing of ethnicities. Dr. Gates can only point to so many countries, however, so how were/are things different among each nation? How do the countries of Cuba or, for example, Puerto Rico play/ed a role, staying under closer colonial rule, influence the region? For the most part, while Dr. Gates does point to the pseudo-scientific reasons used to justify slavery among shareholders and businesses alike, the Catholic Church seemed open to the mixing of ethnicities in South American countries. The rising up of people against the slave/caste system seems often driven by priests a passionate congregations; what role might the nuns of the church played in this? Certainly their histories are not visible above the patriarchy. Lastly, with this acceptance and mixture of people on the ground, there was some hope that the Spanish settlers would not flaunt, or commodify, phenotypes, but ultimately forces at play eventually made a social construct of ‘black’ and ‘pure’ within some South American countries.

            After viewing Dr. Gates doc, my mind goes to diaspora and the general grand scale that peoples were made to flee, spread out, shift, and generally move in the 16-18^th century. If everyone isn’t helping in the work to put the stories, narratives, and histories back together pre-1492 than continually, over and over, a very narrow vision of what happened post-1492 will prevail. Gates is showing viewers a portrayal of how cultures were melding and coming together in a particular way despite the Spanish influence and within this groups often seem to find themselves fighting over what the term “nationalism” really means; who stands for which country? As the United States colonial settler comes into play more and more, even after Latino countries gained independence from Spanish, the greed and ill-treatment was too great from the U.S., and, again, we have a sweeping up of cultures into “easily identifiable” categories. But, the histories don’t have to end here, and each person has to accept what has been done, observe the structures of how whiteness/Christian churches worked to upend the Catholic possibly. But, mainly there is work to do in putting back together what we are learning was undone by these discriminating, falsifying, and formidable forces of settler colonialism.

Opening up the discourse for reparations towards populations harmed by the white American agenda

 

As a white culture, of which I am a part of, we have to accept the fact that we intensely and purposefully pushed Indigenous populations of this nation to the Margins of society. No “discoverers” ever came through here. Instead “discoverers” made contact with indigenous peoples very much already on this continent, who had myriad of languages...stories...family and children...friends...skills...holidays. The “discoverers” said, “Hey, nice place ya got here! What do you call it?” Then tore those names to shreds and kept the pieces they wanted so they could later name streets and baseball teams. 

    Well, instead of seeing an issue with this, White culture thinks, “Hey! We’re pretty good at this!” We should go to ANOTHER country and bring THEIR people over here to this place we’ve called America!” (Some reason this has to be a word of Italian decent.) Nothing fucked up so far, right? Slavery.

   Ok, ok, ok...so, wait. “Set them free?“ “Then what happens?” “Do they just...go back?” Hm...hm...by the time our generation’s grandmothers are becoming old enough to vote, policy passed, “ Keep em the fuck away from my shit.”  (Follow? We decided people of color, a.k.a people of cultures, should not use the same stuff in public; it was called segregation.) I don’t know if that is an exact quote but damn, segregation made very specific assurances that blacks and whites could not co-mingle because of bs that said they we inferior. Segregation is not old. Remember the indigenous nations? Yeah, they’re still here, too. What do you think of the fact that they’ve tried as sovereign nations to gain acceptance into the United Nations. Nations upon nations who are united in standing up for what is right alongside other global entities. The largest body politic. Yes, everyone deserves a share. No that doesn’t mean you don’t get yours. And, no, not everybody wants more. 

   So, there does have to be some grief for that, has to be, only natural. There are a lot of words about it, of course there are, and they aren’t obscure. The words on these actions are very, very easy to see. Hopefully. Many words speak about the injustices, the inaction, the forcefulness. Others attempt to separate us more and more and mask prejudice with justifications and excuses of “Oh, no I could never be racist,” “Must be somebody else, “Who enacted the policy?” “Did I say anything against it?” “Is it easier to just go along with it?” The voices speaking out can lead somewhere...a greater opening to the world around us. A greater understanding of the value in the future...alongside the acknowledgement of past and present.
    Because, the whiteness has in no way slowed. We’ve trained our sights on more cultures: Muslims, Latin Americans, Mexicans...Call the “Detention Centers” built for people “breaking the law” - Asylum seeking is a global responsibility that is not unlawful on any books - concentration camps. Small children handcuffed. No toothbrushes, no sheets, no beds, no clothes. The trump administration told the concentration camps to stop letting the children play soccer, for fuck sake. I learned this week that military bases in Oklahoma like Fort Sill will  now house the small children who are stripped from mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, and trashed. And, they are dying. And, they are trying to be erased. And, nobody wants to think about it. 

Teen book boom and American consumerism...for the good of the reader?

  (This is a preview of a small on-going project concerning Young Adolescent novels and the spike in consumerist ideals surrounding the industry.)
   
     To be a part of the 21st century is to surely take notice of the massive influx in the, now, fully bloomed Young Adult/Adolescent fiction genre of literature. Especially being an adolescent or teenager in the early 2000's, one was increasingly subjected to the likes of Harry Potter as well as Bella Swan in the Twilight series. And, how is one at this age supposed to examine this rapid push to read series books and suddenly become popular by doing so in the process?
     Have we seen a new culture emerge entirely from YA literature written and paired with movies perhaps to promote literature and reading for a group that is always staunchly categorized as "non-readers," or has it become another ploy to extricate any disposable income from a group learning responsibility and accountability? If so, if we indeed have overlooked the literature itself and instead have been inherently focused on the money making aspect, where does that leave the literature? How, in the last 15 years, has this shaped the importance of literature to a truly budding age group wrestling with maturity? When the movie is seen but the book does not get read is that leaving space for criticism and critical thinking, or is that point-of-view simply residue?
     As it becomes increasingly marketed, Young Adolescent fiction has surely changed the landscape of literature as a whole, but we see, too, it continues (maybe unknowingly) to alienate lovers of literature, thus changing focus entirely on how adolescents think about novels and think about fiction.

Research papers, identity and pressure...

    It's extremely eye-opening when assigning research papers to students and viewing the results. In an accepting and hostile-less environment the range of topics and, more specifically, the depths the students go into the topics, are unbound from outside control. This allows an educator opportunities to honestly estimate what students are concerned with alongside their ability to deliver an argument. Beyond analyzing sports' history or trivial topics like "Why do we dream?," students want to tackle subjects like parenting, effects of stress and disorders. It is telling because even as we try to communicate with and raise children rarely do we ask for their opinion on the matter of just that: parenting.
    For students around the age of adolescence there is a critical psychological shift taking place. The formation of an identity, building self-esteem, and gradually accepting the rules or guidelines society imposes are the core concerns among these shifts. As the shifts (broader understandings about the self) take place students will, no doubt, be bombarded by questions demanding that they know where there life is heading. "Where are you going to college?" "What will you major in?" "Have you thought about where you will work for the summer?" These are all questions asked without consideration. Even as the questioner asks, they are probably imposing their own experiences within the conversation. Instead of hearing the answers in context, what occurs when the answers do not configure correctly with the experiences of the questioner is frustration, hopelessness, leading to other questions, instead, like "What's wrong with you?," or even better threats: "Well, you better find out soon! You don't want to end up on the streets."
     The current society that we've built up allows almost zero time to go through (here's psychology for you) Erik Erikson's "Identity-versus-identity confusion" stage. There is more of a push to impose identities on young adolescents: Stop acting that way, that's not how it is done, this is not where you should be...which only creates the confusion part rather than allowing the teen time to disseminate amongst possible ways to live in the world. Putting it another way, approach from the context that, while they may be perceptive, teens do not have background experience to draw on in order to fully answer questions about their future. Forms of ridicule about their uncertainty take place in the absence of creating an understanding. Disgust rises over acceptance and these feelings are embedded in the psyche.

       The issues of why American schools perform much lower than other countries, or why Millennials are flocking home after completing yet another round of schooling, and seemingly blindly feeling their way around society, fall right here.
      At the ages of 12 years old and up is where ridicule is built and forged and exacerbated. This is the age that openly ridicules and begins to form trenches between the 'others.' Explain another moment in life when one is more aware of his/her place while questioning others' in the world? In adulthood, a regular return to the memories and past moments of importance occurs. Time and again these moments are assessed and categorized as moments when one 'fit in' and felt safe or as moments when one was feeling threatened, perhaps picked on. The perfectionism, everybody constantly needing to know where they are going, how long it will take to get there, maybe even parents' begrudging arguments to get a job, are all memories and thoughts that become engrained as the only way to live. A thorough effect takes place beyond adolescence and results in these same ideas being seen over and over, again, that it is all right to step on one and other, that it is all right to position oneself in a positive light and portray another negatively. It is no secret teens continually express stress as their ultimate torturer brought on by an amount of developed thought concerning bullies and cliques in the arena of school. There is pressure to judge or be judged, followed by assumptions that this teen behavior is just a 'phase.' Yet, it is not just a phase. The reactions to and actions against behavior will be held onto and make or break a more matured person when they actually need to rely on their emotions, self-esteem or feelings of worth. Likewise, later on the adult has an ability to dissect behavior allowing reasonable and fulfilling long-term goals in exchange of reactionary questions like "How did things get this way?"
       

Scenario

    I see that I am educator in the 21st century. This is an age where if information isn't shared through the Web or on a Website it probably is going to be useless to half the population. My students have been brought up in a time where computers and laptops are ubiquitous which means many will be able to navigate them with ease, or at least have had a chance to use one in their lifetime. I can't say the same for myself, but with my own education and training I have learned where to find some of the most incredible and useful tools that I feel will have a huge impact on my students' learning and creative abilities. Maybe some students dislike writing an essay or have the inability to fully express themselves in a written essay. I will not fight an upstream battle in this case, I can have them record a well-planned and balanced argument or informational essay using their computer and thus have them make a Podcast that iterates the same information that would have been otherwise untapped in a written assignment. I can assign students the task of making a video that gives them the opportunity to be creative and express their individuality. They can present these to their peers on their computers, as well as edit and share however they may choose. Likewise, no longer are we confined to our classroom, our city or even our country. Maybe my students would like to share information with students across the globe in China or Europe and consequently learn about a new culture in a way that is new, invigorating and not done by reading words in a textbook but rather done by listening to children their own age who live it everyday. Some days illnesses or extracurricular activities keep students out of class, rather then leave them to catch up to the rest of the class I can stream my lessons via the Web and this gives any other students the opportunity to go back and be reminded of what I covered in class. I'd do this will tools like Voicethread and by making my own Podcasts. It's an incredible age where if I needed to I could teach to a class that is not even in the same state as I am. Whatever the case may be, in the years ahead I know I will have a Mac. I will use the Internet and all its tools to teach students in a way that I know they will better appreciate because they already spend hours a day on the Internet as it is. I want to create a fully functional and efficient Website (Half of which I've already done, but I'm working to better it) so that students get up-to-date information, news and grades. I won't allow for cellphone use continuously throughout a class period but I will allow for students to use them as references because many students have apps that let them look up words in the dictionary, for example. I will let them research and never say that the information stops when my lesson stops but that my lessons are merely a jumping off point to get them started on the journey. Information surrounds us now and I think we must open them up to it. One stipulation is that they have a computer, the Internet and the desire to follow my lead in the exciting process of integrating technology into our classroom.

My "Wow" Moment

    Much of this course has opened my eyes to tools on the Internet and the resources that the Internet offers that I probably wouldn't have known existed otherwise. Honestly, in all the time I had been using the Internet almost each piece of information taught in this course was new or I had just barely been acquainted with it. This indeed is a "wow" moment. I'm thankful to now know so much more about the tools and resources the Web offers. More specifically, when we began to use the Google tools I was taken back. Never did I realize Google offered these tools and never would I have thought to use them. They are incredibly useful and amazingly simple to use! They allow for multiple users to collaborate on a document in real time, meaning you see who is editing and what they are editing at the same time you may be typing something on the page. This does not all have to be done at the same time more importantly. You are given access to these tools and documents on your own time! There is Google Spreadsheets, Google Documents, Google Forms and Google Presentations, just to name a few. You can create tests right on the Internet that anyone can access and submit their answers to or just put up some links you'd like to share with your friends. All of it is incredibly user friendly, or for those who are struggling tutorials for using these applications are offered as well. I hope this link stays live because Mrs. Cindi Danner-Kuhn as comprised the most useful and relevant tutorials all on one page...Google Tools Tutorials.

Podcast favorites

    Each week for our DED 318 course we were also required to listen to a Podcast and reflect on its usefulness to us as educators. One very influential person who does incredibly relevant Podcasts is Wesley Fryer, out of Edmond, Oklahoma. His Podcast Moving at the Speed of Creativity gives listeners current news about technology within the field of education. He shares hundreds of useful and relevant tools that can allow teachers to enhance their lessons thus increasing their students' engagement. In his latest Podcast he discusses the ever-present iPad. This piece of technology is rapidly becoming the go to piece of hardware for classes because of the millions of applications it allows users to download for nearly any subject. Also, with a size that is just under 2 pounds in weight, it combines the endless possibilities of a Macbook with the convenience of something that can be taken everywhere with being too cumbersome, or heavy.
    In another Podcast he describes  Dr. Carl Owens' presentation, "Cool Tools for the Classroom," at the 2011 Mississippi Educational Computing Association annual conference in Jackson on February 8th. Carl is a Professor and the Director of Technology at the College of Education, Tennessee Technological University. These types of Podcasts Fryer presents are just as important as those that explain new technologies. One of Fryer's greatest attributes is he is global in his thinking and gives praise and recognition to those teachers he thinks are doing great things in their classrooms with technology. He is upbeat and enthusiastic with his Podcasts and I think everyone should listen.