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Self-introduction EDUC 893 Name: Carlos Lavin

Date: 1/31/18
Adviser: Linda Mason
Portfolio Stage: Pre Portfolio 1
Committee members: Meaghan Call cummings, Linda Mason, Grace Francis
Specialization(s): Special Ed. MCE

My wife Maria Jose (Majo) and our two children, Diego, and Sofi.

1. Where were you born and where did you grow up? Educational background?
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I was born and raised in Mexico City. I went to school there until my third year of undergraduate school. Before I moved to the U.S. I had tried
majoring in International Relations, History, and Hotel Management. I finally ended up with a business management degree. I transferred to
Loyola in New Orleans for my last 2 years of undergrad, but had to evacuate due to Katrina in 2005. I did a short stint at LSU, and returned to
Loyola for my last senior semester.
My Master’s degree is in special education, I got it at North Carolina Central University which is an HBCU. I began working as a special
education teacher and realized I wanted to have a bigger impact and want to help teachers understand dis/ability in a different light. I began my
PhD. at UNC Chapel Hill, but my advisor moved so I followed her here.

2. What language(s) did your grandparents and parents speak? Include dialect issues. What language(s) did you speak at home?

My grandparents on my mom side are Cuban, and they spoke with a Cuban accent, but they also lived in the U.S. so in their house Spanglish was
more of the norm. On my Dad’s side they spoke Spanish.

3. What languages did you speak at school? When were you first exposed to a second language? Describe your school experiences with
second/foreign languages. How would you characterize the teaching methodology?

School was in Spanish, although in elementary we had half a day in Spanish and half a day in English.
They taught us grammar in both languages. It may have been that I heard it at home from when I was born, but by the time I took the TOELF, I
only missed 8 questions.

4. What is your degree objective and specialization(s)?

Why did you decide to enter the PhD program in the College of Education (or what is your educational objective in taking this course)?
As a Latino in academia, I have found it hard to adapt to the hegemonic/dominant culture that pervades in PWI’s. This class is a way of centering
my knowledge in a place where we talk about the people n the margins and listen to their voice.

5. Have you had any previous courses in Anthropology, Women’s Studies, Ethnic Studies or Cultural Studies? What courses in your previous
education (undergraduate or graduate) have had the most impact on you and why?
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I had a class on Literacy and culture last year at UNC. It helped to bring up to the forefront several issues that are never talked about in the
mainstream academic circles. I learned about the Third Space (Gutierrez), and the Xicana Sacred Spaces, and Borderland pedagogies (Cervantez-
Soon). It was eye opening and it got me hooked. Now I want to bring CRT into disability using LatCrit and DisCrit

6. Where and what have you taught/worked in the field of education? What strengths do you bring to field of education? (i.e. 1st generation
student, math/science, special needs, Latin American studies, languages, musical abilities, artistic abilities, photography, passion for….)

I was a special education teacher assistant for 2 years, then and interpreter for a school district, then a special education teacher in a charter school k-
12 for 3 years, one year as a dual language special education teacher and 3 more as a elementary special education teacher.
I am great with behavior, and students with autism. Also with students who are identified as POC by the system

7. What do you hope to learn from this class? Any suggestions for me as the instructor that will help make this class a more successful
experience for you?

I’d like to know the origins of CRT and how it all began. I want a bigger picture, to form a complete framework of understanding.

8. What is the major professional/scholarly organization in your field of specialization?

Council of Exceptional Children (CEC)

a. Name one key academic journal from your specialization

EC, Learning Disabilities Research and Practice

b. Name one important conference from your specialization

CEC/DLD/AERA
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c. What are the NCATE/Professional standards in your area for counseling, teacher or administrative preparation in the areas of culture and
multilingualism?

Don’t really know

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Although the yearbook Although from the beginning this book explains how racialized the high school is, this quote makes

boasts an integrated and you think more of the movies that abound on TV about regular high schools and their students and

diverse social life, the their cliques. It is a nice easy introduction to a school dynamic that very quickly segregates students

pictures of student clubs by race, origin, social class and ultimately academic achievement. It reminds readers that high

begin to hint at a more schools are not an easy place to navigate. Students going to class with many others, whom like

racially separate campus. themselves are still trying to figure out how they fit in the world, try to navigate the social rules and

P 36 boundaries set forth by those before them. These social boundaries may or may not be explained.

They are just there. And freshmen or students from other countries run into these rules face first not

understanding why they got hit so hard and how to avoid getting hit again the next time around. The

racialized maps from the immigrant students delineated the differences based on nationality. Where

all the Americans hung out in the central quad. Their description was rich with explanations and

subtle differences. The map produced by the American students was so generalized. It did so into the

categories where all students of color get bunched into. Latins, Blacks, ESLrs… Gee thanks, I am not

a Latin, and the only people who would actually understand the Latin language died over 1000 years

ago. Sometimes, depending on my mood, or stress level or what happens during my day, I stop
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caring of what people think and let them know how I really feel… But then I highlight how little they

know about other cultures and they get offended…

By adopting a new When I was born, I was white. Yup. In Mexico in fact, I am still white. With all the privileges whiteness

language, they believe bestows upon me, and some due to my education and family name. When I moved to the U.S., I

they will be bestowed with became “other”. I have had a long time to go analyze and discern how this has impacted my life.

a new nationality. Only Once I understood how I had been part of a privileged system of oppression, I realized that there

during the process of that must be a different way to do things. But when I got here I worked hard to fit in. And no matter what I

journey, they discover that did, it did not really happen. Yes, I made friends easy, with all sorts of people, but there was always

as immigrants from Third something missing. I was lacking. But it was not that I was uneducated, I probably had a better

World nations they also education than many of my friends. It was not because of lack of resources or experiences. By the

need to undergo a time I was 23, I had already traveled to Europe (Spain, France, England, Italy, Germany, Denmark,

complex baptism of Switzerland, Greece), Colombia, and Canada; already had opened my own bar, and could spell in

racialization into English better than most of my friends. There was nothing I could do to really fit in. Because I am

subordinated positions in Mexican, because I have an accent, because sometimes when several words in a row have the “ee”

the U.S. Racial Scheme. sound some of them sound silly when I say them. Simply put I was not understanding this racial

p. 39 scheme where I was not on top. Or as Olsen writes :“They won’t accept you if you are not like

them…and if you try to be both American and yourself, forget it. It won’t work it’s not allowed” p. 55.
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I don’t mind not being at the top anymore. I understand now how, and why that is. But this is one of

the reasons I use a critical lens to analyze readings, and books. This is why I want to be a qualitative

researcher and not quantitative. I am here to help others challenge the subordinated positions based

on race, gender, color, and nationality. So many are not allowed access to resources. It is time to get

rid of gatekeepers. It is time to unhinge the gates. That is what we as critical scholars are meant to

do.

The many students …who My mom and her side of the family is Cuban. This makes me half Cuban. But I was born in Mexico. I

are biracial or multiracial am both. And I am proud of both. But it has been so hard to shine a positive light into being Mexican,

cannot embrace their full that I don’t even want to start talking about my Cuban background.

humanness, but rather are I know how hard it is to deny who you are in order to fit into a box. I left Mexico partly because I was

pushed to choose one not happy to fit into the boxes prescribe for me. I was tired. I looked toward the U.S. as a place where

part of their being for their you can be anyone you want to. I believed in the American Dream. I already Spoke English so I

social identity- or find it thought I was halfway there. Boy, was I wrong. My wife’s principal defines herself as “Black-xican”.

chosen for them .p75 Like me, one of her identities overpowers the other. Unlike me, I can go and “hide” and not be

harassed for how I look. I cannot even imagine how hard it must be for her to embrace both of her

identities. Even worse, to know that because of the way you look you are automatically ruled out from

the other category unless you have a good explanation, must be tiring. I know it is tiring for me.
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Funny enough, the dish I can cook the best is Cuban black beans, and I hear that this lady makes

some killer tamales.

Juanita recalls that on the When I was a special education teacher, I got used to a certain kind of kids coming to me for

first day of her new services. I did not seek them out, or label them on just their looks. It turns out that where I lived

classes, she was asked to people of color had worse achievement records that white students. I often saw inequalities in the

check her schedule card way students were identified for special education services. But in this particular day 2 new students

in each class to make came to my school. They both were students of color, and without even thinking I expected them to

sure she belonged there. fall in my caseload in a week or two (whenever their IEP’s showed up at our school). It turns out that

P 86 both students not related, and in different grades), came from places in the U.S. where students of

color were held ti a higher standard. The younger one of these two students, was at the top of his

class. His teacher was Black, and recognized it. He was recommended for the “nurturing” group led

by the Gifted specialist. The older one was in my co taught math class, and she was sharp. But

regardless of how much I tried to tell my co-teacher that this girl knew the concepts she would always

end up with my students. Eventually I went over my co teacher and talked to the Gifted specialist

about her. She was placed in the higher math group within days. I wanted to be mad at my co-teacher

but I had also made the same mistake. I let my own bias dictate where I thought these kids should be
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in school. I saw the color of their skin and assumed they would be low achievers. I was disgusted with

myself. I became part of the dominant system and a gatekeeper.

I don’t want to do that ever again.

What are your concerns I was reading a comic online the other day, about a black boy( maybe 5 or 6 years old) playing

about the safety of African with his toys. The boy had a little policeman and was saying “don’t worry, the officer will help us”. His

and African American dad was in the background listening while doing the dishes. He stopped and approached his son. He

children and youth in explained how sometimes cops don’t look past the color of your skin, and goes into detail on how he

schools, on the should behave and what to do etc. First of all, I almost cried when I read it.

playground and their How do I as a parent address something like that with my 5-year-old? Does it ever go away? Is it

representation in the only officers that you need to be wary of? Or is this just too much?

media and public I had a colleague at UNC. Brilliant, and quiet. He was also Black, and on one occasion he told me

discourse? how many times a day he has to check his body language, or slow his walk, or smile at strangers, just

to not appear threatening. It made me think about how I have to do the same. And how I do it more

since 45 won and blatant racism has been normalized. How I slouch, or quickly look away. Even more

important, it made me think of my own son. Who is not even 3. How will he have to act? Will I need to

have a conversation like the one in the comic with him? Will I have to tell him not to speak in Spanish

lest he gets yelled at, or bullied in school? It is not that I was not invested on equity before. But now
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there is a sense of urgency. I don’t want my son to be hurt by the cops just because he is not white. I

want him to know he will be safe. I want him to feel safe. BLM, and any other movements are not just

about black lives, they are about all non-white lives. If a black child cannot feel safe, no one can feel

safe. All those people who got upset over BLM got it backwards. “If BLM, then WLM!” Well, it is

because white lives matter that me must also accept that Black lives matter too. If we cannot accept

this as truth, then we risk trying to become white in order for our lives to matter, because it is clear: It

is not whether Black Lives Matter or not, right now, Only White Lives Matter.

As long as the larger Since our last class I have been grappling with the concept of color blindness. Not because I am

discourse continues to confused about the term. In fact, a couple of hours before class last Thursday I had read a wonderful

provide legitimization and article from Gloria Ladson-Billings on Critical Race Theory (1998). In this article, Ladson-Billings

to obscure the project of (1993) explains the concept of systemic racism and how color blindness helps perpetuate the myth

Americanization, that the reason many people of color are not successful, is due to their own individual circumstances.

exclusion, and Such as laziness, or anger, or lack of interest on doing what is right. My problem with this term (color-

racialization, the Madison blindness) during the class, had to do with peers not engaging critically with the text, and

High Schools of this understanding the concept of systemic oppression. Instead turning into a topic that is more

nation will continue to act comfortable, and reassuring which is their own experience is high school.
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out those patterns. This is a topic that is hard for people. It is uncomfortable. But this is what it takes to create a

Therefore it becomes counter-narrative. As scholars, we must become critical thinkers and understand how the system has

essential to both break the normalized discrimination into its core. I think that systemic racism is sometimes more hurtful than

silences in the larger blatant racism. If I know I am not welcomed in a venue, I just avoid it. However if I am told I am

framework and develop a welcomed but when I get there I am treated poorly AND THEN told that it is because I am not

critique that identifies adapting to the “norm”, then I begin to question my own self, my values, my beliefs. If the place that

where and how that welcomes me is asking me to deny who I am, is it really a welcoming place?

framework serves as an I mentioned it earlier. I am white in Mexico. But I am also Mexican, and the U.S. there is nothing,

instrument of exclusion. (really NOTHING) I can do for the system to think I am equal to a white person short of changing my

249 name and only speaking English (unlearning my accent) and losing my heritage and doing an overall

white-washing of my culture. That is the only way I will ever be equal to a white person… becoming

white.

This instrument of exclusion talked about in the book, works. Teenagers are very susceptible to

manipulation, and it is easy to create a narrative of “us” vs. “them”. In the “us” we are safe, it is

familiar, things are always good and nice. It is when the “others” show that things turn ugly. And it is

never because of how “we” behave. These “others” have weird customs and are pagans, or even

worse, Muslim. Is this a rant? Or a realization of how hard it is to wake up from the cozy “reality” we
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imagine? I don’t know how else to react. The two quotes I am writing about today are about othering

because of race, color, religion, etc., and thus, creating an unspoken social order, and the next one is

about color blindness.

Responsibility for poor Ladson-Billings (1998) writes:

“However, this embeddedness or “fixed-ness” has required new
educational outcomes for language and constructions of race so that denotations are submerged and hidden in
ways that are offensive though without identification. Thus, we develop notions of
lack of full participation “conceptual whiteness” and “conceptual blackness”v(King, 1995) that both do and do
not map neatly on to bio-genetic or cultural allegiances. Conceptual categories like
and involvement, and “school achievement,” “middle classness,” “ maleness,” “ beauty,” “ intelligence,” and
“science” become normative categories of whiteness, while categories like “ gangs,”
even for weakening the “welfare recipients,” “basketball players,” and “ the underclass” become the marginalized
and de-legitimated categories of blackness. p 9.”
school and the community
Color blindness is the greatest myths of all, maybe even bigger than Santa. I mean. It places us
is often placed squarely
in a “post racial world” where the Civil Rights movement won. There are no differences! Yahoo!
on the students (and their
WRONG.
parents, their cultures,
The only thing it does is blame the victims of oppression for their own failure. “Oh, it is not
and their advocates). The
because I am a racist, it is just that you are hard to understand in English.”
educational outcomes of
“Racist? No! I have really good (insert minority here) friends!, but when you all get together and start
the school are viewed as
talking with each other in Spanish, it makes the rest of the staff uncomfortable.
products of choices
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students and/or their “It is nor because the schools are racist, their culture does not value education as we do, in fact

families make. 248 they don’t even want to come to school”.

Until we can see that the dominant discourse is one of exclusion and discrimination against

minorities, and that this discourse has permeated every aspect of our daily lives, it will be very hard to

move forward with an understanding of how to eliminate racism in the U.S.

“This book has too many words, you sure you can read it?”

The worse part of color blindness are the micro-aggressions. These wear you down and make it

hard to keep on moving forward. But I am done for today. “I mean it is mid-afternoon, and you know

how us “Hispanics love our siestas…” (with thick sarcasm in my typing voice).

Call-Cummings, M., & Martinez, S. (2017). ‘It wasn’t racism; it was more misunderstanding.’ White teachers,

Latino/a students, and racial battle fatigue. Race Ethnicity and Education, 20(4), 561–574.

https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2016.1150830

Madison, D. S. (2011). Critical ethnography: Method, ethics, and performance. Sage.

Solórzano, D. G., & Yosso, T. J. (2002). Critical race methodology: Counter-storytelling as an analytical

framework for education research. Qualitative Inquiry, 8(1), 23

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Angela Valenzuela These past two weeks we have read an amazing book by an activist, and a scholar. Subtractive

Subtractive Schooling schooling is about the resilience of some in the face of adversity and the perception of the school

administration on this resilience. For the school, there is nothing wrong with what they do, it is the

students who are not ready to learn, who are lazy, who are ignorant of the English Language, who are

gangbangers, who are just not cut out for school. Their position of power makes them feel safe and

they are not about to change that for some students who barely even show up.

The problem with this take on it is that is completely erases and eraces the students’ situations,

characteristics and reasons for not doing so well. Immigrants are seen as ignorant and can never get

ahead because of the tracking system used at the school. There is barely any guidance for any of the

students there, and counting on a fourth of the students to drop by the 3 rd week as a measure to

assign classes is completely repulsive.

But as a critical thinker, my job is not only to feel appalled but also to understand where all of these

issues emanate from. The short answer is discrimination. The next quotes are just a few that I pulled

off from the book. I had so many to choose from. These reflect how the system is against the students

from the get go, they reflect what white privilege is, and how those in the dominant culture suffering
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from the hubris of the zero point (Gomez-Castro, 2002) simply dismiss any claim that they have

anything to do in the matter. When in reality, systemic racism is really a thing. And white people

benefit from it even when they do not see it.

Anglo members of the This is a reality. It is a terrible reality, and it needs to change. One of the things I was reading about in

general public are order to present on Angela Valenzuela’s book, was the point of a Critical Ethnography (CE). In a CE,

perfectly capable of the researcher NEEDS to be aware of their own bias and power when telling the story of others. I am

deciding what kind of going to to a bit further, when reading for my ways of knowing class, I came in contact with the

educational programming concept of Participatory inquiry. Here the researcher AND the researched become equal partners and

is best for non-Anglo the investigation is agreed upon by both parties. Now that is an awesome concept.

language minority Dual language schooling in this country still benefits white people. Not because they want to, but

children- “other’s people because while their children learn Spanish at school, they are able to continue learning English at

children” (Delpitt 1995)- home, and how to read and write, whereas in many cases Latinos in these programs lack some

and are better able to resources and do not have the same ability to learn their language at home. Therefore if they do not

make such decisions than get it right at school, they end up with neither language taught well.

are bilingual education And I am not even going to begin talking about having a culturally diverse curriculum.

teachers or the
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communities the children

come from. XV-XVI

She untangles how it is All of these topics revolve around the same issue. How can we as educators make sure students from

that students experience different backgrounds actually learn in school?

school as uncaring, while My area of research is the intersectionality of Latinos in the US and special education. Although I

many teachers claim they have some insight into Latino culture, specifically Mexican culture, it does not make me an expert in

care about the students. any topic relating to this group of students. All I ca do is gather as much literature as there is out in

She distinguishes the world and learn to put things into perspective and use them when they make sense.

between two very different Hopefully, one day, as teachers in college we have to be aware of these situations. One reason is

conceptions of what it that being Mexican does not automatically give you the right to talk about the 120+ million Mexicans

means to care about in Mexico or the ones in the US with any authority.

young people: one When you care about your students it shows. It shows because you remember their names. It shows

conception affirms and because you are interested in what they ae soing and you are willing to help out if things are not

embraces their culture going great for them. It shows because students are not idiots and they can tell when you are being

and community, and the honest or not. I worked with a kindergartener who overheard his teacher say “I don’t want him in my

other attempts to divorce class”. As a student hearing those words, why would you ever want to show up for this teacher? Why

bother?
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young people from their

culture and community.

They oppose a schooling Again, the disconnect between getting students to learn and caring about them, between teaching

process that disrespects them things that will be helpful and are meaningful or just read from a curriculum. I am sure that I

them; they oppose not would have attended a school like this I would be disenfranchised as well.

education, but schooling. Like I mentioned earlier students know when teachers care, and they know when they mean

5 something,

Unlike Mexican American This is one of the most powerful quotes I got from the book. It is important because it brings to the

youth, immigrants have forefront the idea that Mexicans actually come from a place where they see people like them be

had the experience of successful. Mexican Americans can only relate by reliving their parents stories, or by visiting families

knowing high status and friends. But as generations get further away from their roots, they have no way to access this and

professionals (e.g., they begin to buy the white stream mentality. This idea that Mexicans are lazy, that they are dirty, that

doctors, lawyers, and they do not need to be here. They forget who they are with the hope they someone they will be

engineers) who are included in this greatness of America people talk about all the time.

Mexican. Thus However, Angela Valenzuela scratches the surface of another topic, that of the indigenous people in

Mexicanidad as a national Mexico. Just like minorities in the US, indigenous people in Mexico have suffered greatly by the
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rather than ethnic minority hands of the dominant culture. There is a strong feeling of resistance to indigenous backgrounds. Just

identity, contributes to the like Mexican Americans want to ignore their Mexican identity, so do Mexicans try to do with their

self-fulfilling expectations indigenous identity.

evident in both positive So yes, there is this idea of Mexicans that are successful, but not everyone looks the same. The

school orientations and issues are a bit more complicated than that.

high academic

performance

Every day is American- This comment is like the BLM. Or like all the other minorities who have a day or a month, I thought it

flag day. This is our day. was funny Mexican America students were the ones who said this, but I am also glad. It did show that

“Hey we are Mexican and they understand what is happening in school.

American and proud of it! Students know that who they are matters but not within those walls. None of the students in the book

It’s just that nobody lets struck me as someone who did not care. They did strike me as critical thinkers who saw how little

us be both-which is what they could do and stopped trying. I did see the potential of so many go down the drain.

we are.

Rather than a strength to In this twisted world we live in, where for white people who are bilingual doors are opened, we close

build on, their fluency in doors on those who actually can speak and understand two cultures. I feel that I have played my
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Spanish is construed as a cards well. I chose a field where male teachers do not abound, and then I am focusing on a

“barrier” that needs to be population that needs representation in the teaching ranks and tremendous amount of resources but

overcome. do not get it. I am bilingual, and bicultural, I can relate to some experiences of immigrants that just got

here. What I can’t do is explain to white teachers that Spanish is a valuable tool for these students,

and that once these students speak English well, they will be better prepared than any monolingual

student. I think the barrier is not so much that the students need to forget their Spanish. The barrier is

the teachers not wanting to understand how Spanish is an asset.

What becomes hard is to continue conversations that are purposeful and meaningful with teachers

and colleagues. This is not just the job of the “woke” teachers. All teachers must do it. They need to

call out those who are not being critical, and push back on peers who are trying to be colorblind. I will

begin that tonight during my presentation. I hope it gets somewhere with some of my peers. If this is

not the place for these conversations to take place, then, where?

Learning Capitalist After reading Made in America, and Subtractive Schooling, I was not ready to ready another

Culture Deep in the heart ethnography focused on the lives Latino students in the south. Especially since it was from 20 years

of Tejas by Douglas E. ago. I was also a bit disappointed on how Foley wrote his story. It did not lack quality, and it was well

Foley. documented. But it is hard to read an ethnography about a culture from an outsider’s perspective.

Like I mentioned before, maybe two ethnographies on the same topic were enough. I probably got a
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bit burnt out. I would have liked to read from another perspective. Maybe one that includes the

experiences of children from an Asian country. The book “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall

Down” by Anne Fadiman(Fadiman, 2012) comes to mind. It is not about schools per se, but it is

about assimilating and being assimilated into the U.S.

The whole calling Spanish Johanna asked me though blackboard about the term students are using to describe each other. This

speaking people Spanish action deserves time on the journal for three reasons, (a) because it shows Johanna is engaging with

is not correct. One of the her students, (b) because she has asked me about what I think she should do, and (c) because doing

things I've noticed is that something may not be the best idea. I will first talk about Johanna’s engaging with her students. It is

my kids are doing that. clear that he has a connection with them and that she wants to do the right thing for them. It is also

Many of them ask me, clear that she feels the responsibility on instructing them about what the “term” her students are using

"Are you Spanish?" And a actually means. I think that this interaction shows that she cares about how her students are viewed

lot of them are speaking and how they are included in school. I also agree that the term “Spanish” is not the right term to use.

of themselves as the But after this, it gets complicated. Like I mentioned, there were three reasons, we already established

same way because they she cares. Asking me for advice can be seen as a compliment, or as irrelevant. I do feel honored that

might have a Honduran she would ask me, but I don’t know the kids or their situation. If it was me I’d ask them to talk to their

mother and a Mexican parents. And figure it out individually. But this is where being a teacher is hard. The system wants all

dad. Is this something I students to fit into nice boxes, and teachers work for the system. But teachers also want to do right by
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should be correcting,, their students, so they get caught in the middle. Finally, the third point means that Johanna is now in

both with the kids and a position of gatekeeping and cultural policing/validating for these students. As the on with the power,

grown-ups, or is this by telling her students that what they are identifying with is wrong, she is negating them and their

something new because ideas of who they are. It is a classic example of western thought permeating the education system of

of the bi-nationality (or those oppressed, using racialized discourse to talk about the interactions of students of color and

however to describe it) of their identity (Smith, 2012).

many kids now? It is now an opportunity for her to try and have a courageous conversation about race with her

Johanna Personal students. Maybe ask them why they use the term “Spanish”, and if there is another term that may be

Communication 2018 better? Maybe even make a lesson on the difference between Chicano, Latino, Mexicano, Hispanic,

and Spanish could be a great way to go about it.

I think I am going to talk to Johanna about a project she may want to do with her students.

Incorporating their view and helping them see who they are in order to build some social capital. Who

knows maybe it can become a project for the group?

NPR news on immigration Last night on my drive home I was listening to NPR. I tend to not go to other news sources because I

laws in California… have learned that there is an enormous amount of bias on what is reported, how it is reported, and

We hold these truths to be who benefits from such reporting. Growing up in Mexico made me critical of news outlets in general.
self-evident, that all men are
created equal, that they are In the past the Mexican president has had almost unanimous power over matters concerning
endowed by their Creator
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with certain unalienable communication and news reporting. Even if it has started to change, the reality is that when the
Rights, that among these
are Life, Liberty, and the dominant party (PRI) is in power, they do what they want and silence who they want. However this is
pursuit of Happiness—That
to secure these rights, not the topic for today. I was listening about how California has 2 laws that specifically mention not
Governments are instituted
among Men, deriving their helping ICE officials by providing information on undocumented people. It sounds strange that a state
just powers from the consent
of the governed,—That does not want to collaborate with the federal government. However, the response from the Attorney
whenever any Form of
Government becomes General was what really scared me. It twisted the news and made the California constitution the “bad
destructive of these ends, it
is the Right of the People to guy”. Jeff Sessions went to say that California is not acting as they should since their constitution is
alter or to abolish it, and to
institute new Government, competing or superseding the U.S. constitution. And that he will bring down on California the full force
laying its foundation on such
principles and organizing its of the U.S. constitution for not stepping in line. All of a sudden this racist son of a bitch decides that
powers in such form, as to
them shall seem most likely he is right about deporting immigrants left and right and vouches to fight against one of the largest
to effect their Safety and
Happiness. (US, 1776) and better funded states in the Union for it. I went back to look at the opening lines in the Declaration

of Independence (US 1776). All men have the right to Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness…

Aside from the fact that this was written for white men by white men, it is also a symbol of pride in the

U.S. I am sad to know that even though all deserve a chance to freedom and happiness it is not

something that needs to happen here in the U.S. clearly the message being sent out by people like

Sessions is “get happy somewhere else”…

This war on immigrants scares me.

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I am glad my wife has her U.S. passport now. I am happy my kids are American, but I am also

relieved that I know we can go somewhere else if this hateful rhetoric continues to build, and more

fuel is thrown into the fire of hatred coming from the current administration.

“Half of the children in my International travelers…instead of illegal immigrants. I think this is a powerful shift in thinking.
classroom are international
travelers, and yet this However, I can’t expect all teachers to find this book, read it and relate to the teacher doing the
experience is not recognized
or valued because they are project. What I can hope, is that teacher preparation programs realize the importance of shifting the
Mexican children going to
Mexico. Anglo children may idea of cultural competence (fiesta, siesta and tacos), to a broader more encompassing approach.
spend a summer in France
Funds of knowledge is a way to validate students experiences. I think that is crucial in today’s
and we make a big deal
about it, by asking them to education system. Especially since teachers still do not look at all like the students they are trying to
speak to the class about
their summer activities! teach. I know this week I did not use the journal to write about academic insights. This week the
Carlos spends summers in
Magdalena, Mexico, yet he’s journal was used as therapy. As an avenue for venting and keeping my sanity. I think I still made
probably rarely been asked
to share his experiences great connections to the class material. In fact, I contacted Johanna to see if she wanted to do some
with anyone”(González,
Moll, & Amanti, 2005 sort of identity lesson with her students. That idea came from writing in the journal.
p.87)
Writing is proving to be a great idea to keep me on track and motivated. It also helps me clear my

head and stay focused on the materials I need to review.

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Fadiman, A. (2012). The spirit catches you and you fall down: a Hmong child, her American doctors,

and the collision of two cultures. Retrieved from

https://www.overdrive.com/search?q=DF7ABA8B-8F90-4B14-B904-38FB08E41D04

González, N., Moll, L. C., & Amanti, C. (Eds.). (2005). Funds of knowledge: theorizing practice in

households, communities, and classrooms. Mahwah, N.J: L. Erlbaum Associates.

Smith, L. T. (2012). Decolonizing methodologies: research and indigenous peoples (Second edition).

London: Zed Books.

Indigenous Research Growing up in Mexico has helped me understand the concept of indigenous people in a different

way as it is understood here. A big part of it is that the story of indigenous people in Mexico is not

relegated to reservations or such. Indigenous people in Mexico live either in small rural communities

all over the country or mixed in with non-indigenous populations in the cities. One thing I certain

though they are not a group of people who receive the amount of respect they should. The histories of

these peoples resembles in so many ways what Tuhiwai Smith (1999) and Wilson (2008) describe in

their books. As I have so endearingly mentioned to Daniel while reading Tuhiway Smith’s book, it is

another example of how they got “shat on” by the west. After reading these two books on indigenous
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research a couple of concerns have come up. Some of these concerns echo what Tuhiwai Smith and

Wilson say in their books.

I am talking about the power relations in a research dynamic. I am talking about who chooses

which finding are important or worth publication. I am concerned about the well-being of the

participants if their voice is not included in the planning of the research project.

A big reason for that is because I grew up seeing it first-hand. I also remember the day

indigenous people pushed back and took over a small town in southern Mexico. I find this last bit

ironic since the West refers to the rest of the world as the “global south” and here are the poorest

indigenous people in Mexico at the southernmost part of the country, fighting for a chance to have

their voices heard. These power relations are a part of research as the west sees it. As described by

Tuhiwai Smith, they saw plants, animals, indigenous people, and rocks as part of nature that had to

be dissected in order to be understood. The west removed any vestige of humanity from the

indigenous groups in New Zealand and then proceeded to take their land (since they are not human,

they do not understand the concept of property right?).

Wilson mentions in his book how indigenous peoples all over the world have sort of the same

ideology. He certainly makes the point for those living in the U.S>and Canada and those in Australia
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and New Zealand. Again, because of where I grew up I can see that these similaritiesapply to other

groups as well.

Now, regardless of the similarities I can draw from the books I read and the Peoples in Mexico,

there is a very important distinction I need to make. Not because something is similar, you are

allowed to make assumptions about it. And not because I have experience with one group of people,

does it make me an expert on all groups of people. This is another think that Tuhiwai Smith mentions

in her book. The west has the ability to co-opt anything they see and transform it into a white washed

version of the original. It is the way in which they assimilate new knowledge and new ideas.

Especially those ideas that go against its hegemony when they started.

Last week we talked about Gloria Ladson-Billings and Cultural Responsive Pedagogy. I have

just read an article by her and some other big names on Cultural Sustaining Pedagogies. As it turns

out Ladson Billings (2017) had to change the name of her concept because the west had already

made it into a meaningless checklist that anyone could use. The danger that we run into is creating

misconceptions of other people before even getting to understand them. And in trying to be

supportive we can end up dismissing part of who these people are:

I think what I have to say speaks to your question but also pulls in on both what Joe has said and Django

has said. And it’s perhaps the most difficult thing that I have to try to teach my own students: the notions of
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“equivalence” and ”analogous.” We get into these really strange arguments when we try to make these differences

equivalent. You know, if you want to have an argument, start talking to black people about equivalence around

sexuality. They go nuts. Right? Because the last thing people want to hear is, ”It’s just like . . .” So I say to

students, ”No, it’s not equivalent. It’s analogous. And we can lay these oppressions out and talk about the

analogies, but you cannot lose the specificity of people’s struggles. “You know, I can talk about slavery all I want

to, but there’s a specificity in Indian removal and genocide that I just can’t make be the same thing. There’s an

analogy, but there’s not equivalence. And I think it’s difficult for us to get our heads around the difference

between the two, but I think it’s very important.

Indigenous people in New Zealand have gone through a lot of issues. There is no way I

can begin to understand them. Even if I know what happened in Mexico with the indigenous

population there, first of all, I cannot relate, and second I cannot draw any equivalences from

those histories because they belong to different peoples and as such, have a very different

context and background. What does not have different context, is the way in which the west

went about colonizing other peoples’ land.

Project There was a very important development that happened to me this semester. I have developed

a critical friendship. Not critical in the sense of “I’d be lost without it”, but as in critical theory. Through

this friendship I have been able to explore topics I did not consider before when thinking about

education and systemic oppression. This comes at a great time because my friends from UNC have
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begun to create a couple of concepts but since we are all in different parts of the country it is hard to

keep the momentum going. Daniel embraced the concepts and realized that because of them he

was going to push back on the way the his class is taught. Through our Xarlas in our Refugio, Daniel

came up with the idea of basing his globalization class on the book by Gomez Peña, Chagoya and

Rice (2000) Codex Espangliesis: From Columbus to the Border Patrol. I cannot wait to see the

result!

Xarlas and Pedagogía of Pedagogy of Refugios is what Lavin, Mock and Ender (in press.) have termed critical spaces

Refugio (refugios) in primarily white institutions (PWI) of higher learning. These refugios are places where

participants or compañeros can take a break from dealing with everyday racism and their racial battle

fatigue (Call-Cummings & Martinez, 2017), and challenge the hegemonic and whitestream notions

that knowledge acquisition and construction in higher education is better done individually, and in

competition with one’s peers. In order to do so, compañeros take part in xarlas (pronounced charlas).

Intentional conversations with the purpose of co-constructing new ideas and knowledge.

Here is the catch to this project, and the reason I bring it up after the indigenous research books.

There are already out there some concepts such as refugios. Xicana sacred spaces (XSS, Soto et al.,

2009), is a great example. In fact we chose to spell Xarlas with an ‘x’ in order to give credit to what we
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learned from XSS. However, none of my compañerxs or I identify as Chicanx. We have been othered

though, and that is where our realities meet. In refugios we do not have to validate who we are to

each other. And it is ok to not belong to the same group.

The reason why XSS would not work is because as a Mexican male, brought up in Mexico City

in a middle-upper class household the power dynamics of me embracing XSScan diminish its power

for other participants who identify better with what it means to be Chicanx. We purposedly stayed

away from XSS, its merits should not be co-opted by middle people who are neither in the

whitestream, nor completely in the margins. Regardless, when it comes to navigating through my

program in a PWI, I do feel as in the margins. This is why Refugios came to be. Once Daniel creates

his curriculum for next semester. Pedagogy of Refugios and Xarlas will have its first product. It will be

a product with the intention of resistance.

Call-Cummings, M., & Martinez, S. (2017). ‘It wasn’t racism; it was more misunderstanding.’ White

teachers, Latino/a students, and racial battle fatigue. Race Ethnicity and Education, 20, 561–

574. https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2016.1150830

Smith, L. T. (2012). Decolonizing methodologies: research and indigenous peoples (Second edition).

London: Zed Books.

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Soto, L., Cervantes-Soon, C., Villareal, E. & Campos, E. (2009). The Xicana Sacred Space: A

Communal Circle of Compromiso for Educational Researchers. Harvard Educational

Review, 79, 755-775.

Wilson, S. (2008). Research is ceremony: Indigenous research methods. Canada: Fernwood.