Why English class is silencing students of color

 Ted Talk

This Ted talk was very eye opening as I had never thought about what was discussed before. Jamilia made some great point about how schools and institutions do not value linguistics as they should since it is valued by many people and is part of their culture. Personally, Jamilia said she feels that her literature is powerful in her life but when she steps into a classroom her, "..Power is not valued and often stripped away". I had never thought about language in this way but I 10000% agree with her. Schools and institutions tend to have "standards" within their classrooms. For example, as mentioned by Jamilia, five paragraph essays. This is a very common standard in schools but Jamilia argued that many students have much more to say than just a simple essay. Thus goes the same for language. We emphasize "correct English" in our schools and institutions, but what English is the "correct English". We have many different dialects of every language so why can't students use black literacies? 

After listening to this ted talk, I started understanding more of the change needed within our institutions, classrooms, and society in general. "Standards" should not be a thing, as mentioned in the ted talk,  and instead our institutions should rethink their spaces. Students are often times taught that African American English is bad which takes away their identities. 

I also really enjoyed how Jamilia had 5 principles to back up what she argues in the ted talk...

1. Awareness- Who am I as a student/educator in the space?

2. Agency and access- Once you understand what agency can you access? Communities?

3. Actualization- Continuous opportunities on how to know and express institutional spaces?

4. Achievement- Powerful standards for students, classrooms, and institutions (diversity)- assess both students and institutions.

5. Alteration and action- Institutions must be adaptable and accommodating.

One thing that I really took away from this ted talk:

We need to be aware of ourselves in order for there to be social justice in the world. This really stuck with me since Jamilia compared it to balancing on a bike. The balance aspect can be applied to many many social justice issues that are especially affecting and the people around us today. 

I feel as though my identity is always represented and respected within the spaces I am part of. I was always taught the "correct" way to say things and never felt like my language was not represented. As far as other identities that I have, I feel as though I had many common identities with people around me and they are accepted. My pronouns are also asked frequently which makes me also feel like my identity is shared and accepted. 

Beyond the Hashtag (event)

 I had the pleasure to get to attend the virtual presentation "Beyond the Hashtag". Patrisse Cullors was the guest speaker who has always been an activist and artist, as she mentioned, in regards to race and racism. More specifically, she is one of the people behind the "Black lives Matter" hashtag. The Black lives Matter Movement literally started put as a hashtag to a network and now it grew into chapters. As Cullors explained this movement has evolved so much and continues to get stronger as many people have jumped in and have become activists. 

I really enjoyed how Cullors talked about the recent election and stated that the BLM movement was demanding a change and that change happened to be Biden. She stated that the still want change when the Biden administration is officially in the White House. Cullors stated that Biden is being held accountable from there on out and is expected to make the change BLM has been fighting for. She also mentioned how this change was nearly impossible with the Trump administration. The only power they had was the power to vote. Cullors made a comment that I absolutely adore: 

"When they don't listen, we take our power to the ballot box". 

And that is just what BLM did... BIDEN 2020!!

This quote was the number one thing that stood out for me during the presentation and I cannot love it any more. Voting is sososo important especially during this election. Cullors was asked how she meausures success of the BLM movement and she said the fact that we won the election says it all. "We voted out white supremacy" -This was so powerful!

Another quote that stood out for me was his...

"Misinformation is used to minimize social movements"

After stating this, Cullors began to explain that the misinformation by leaders (Trump) was used to try and get rid of the BLM movement altogether. 

This talk/event can be connected to the reading we had for class that was Ginwright and Cammarots's piece that was about Advocacy and Social Justice. It explained the plus's to using the social justice approach in youth development. This YDEV focuses on the social and economic forces that affect the youth. In using this approach and helping the youth in regards to the systems affecting them, we are able to be advocates and help the youth also advocate for the social justice issues they are most affected by. This talk really expressed how being an activist is the motor for change. Cullors really emphasized getting out there and speaking up for what you believe in. If we take the advice from Ginwright and Cammarots reading, our youth will be able to make the change needed just as Cullors has done and continues to do. 

Mini Lecture

 Thank you Victoria for a great mini lecture. I was able to relate to a lot of the material you mentioned. Specifically, I really liked how you said youth and adult partnerships are so powerful. I agree 100% with this and in order to do this the youth need to "lead with" instead of having an imbalance of power between the youth and adults. 

 AT OUR BEST:

This reading had some great quotes in it that I would like to share:

"Young people today are inheriting and extending these legacies of youth leadership, building upon the foundations of their predecessors as they work toward equity, inclusion, and injustice in a changing world" (pg.2). 

It is truly amazing how active young people have become in some real world problems. They have stepped it up so much in becoming leaders even when sometimes they are not given the chance. In doing this they have worked towards many injustices that people face today on a daily basis. This just goes to show that if we give the youth a voice, we can all work together to adapt and change the long overdue injustices in this world. 

"We believe that in order to be reliable, reciprocal, and responsive, youth-adult relationships must be : a) Strength based, b) committed to cultural humility, c) partnership oriented, and d) praxis oriented" (pg. 8).

I agree with this quote 100%. In order for action to take place against specific issues, adults and youth need to from strong relationships. The adults need to offer the youth the tools in order to do so along with being on the same level with the youth. What I mean by saying "being on the same level" is basically that the adults should not be overstepping and control the youth in a sense. Instead the adults and youth are to treat each other the same, neither having more authority over the other. 

PROFILES, KEY MOMENTS, AND A CONTINUUM OF YOUTH-LEAD PARTICIPATION

I have had the pleasure of learning about (Youth In Action) YIA last year and I cannot say any bad things about this program. This program really values its youth and offers a safe space for all who get involved. The vibes of YIA are everything especially after reading this article. The really value the relationships between the youth and the adults of YIA which I really enjoy. I have no doubt that this program has led many youth to great success and has allowed them to speak up for what they believe in. What a great organization that will only grow from here. 

This picture is from the walkout that the youth led in Providence in response to the new president. These students felt that they were not well represented by this administration and feared for the policies that would eventually be put into place by this administration. THIS IS POWERFUL!! Look at all of the young people who led this walkout.