chicago activity - march 9, 2009 manley hs
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Holocaust in History by Marrus
"Holokaustos - the burnt sacrificial offering dedicated exclusively to God."
I'd never heard the term defined in quite this way. I think reading it like this gives the event a more sacred meaning. Although, I do not agree that history is not for everyone to learn about and analyze for themselves. We do have to be wary of misinterpretation but when you censor critique or hold back knowledge, it gives the impression of privilege or elitism and more importantly, it deprives the scholar of the opportunity to learn from the mistakes of the past. I must confess that Marrus' introduction loses me at certain points. The writing style is very theoretical...it also feels philosophical, but perhaps my limited knowledge of the various aspects of scholarship he references taint my ability to fully process what he's presenting. However, his writings about Butterfield's 2 phases reminds me of Cheikh Anta Diop's "two cradle theory" that references the warlike, tragic, pessimistic worldview of the people of the "northern cradle" (Europeans). It also gets me thinking about how history has been written about genocide, in general.
The fact that "precise totals" continue to be elusive is irrelevant in a sense. How can one really fathom the depths of such a horror? American schoolchildren have tried to comprehend it with paper clips or butterflies, just as Japanese schoolchildren tried to comprehend the bombing of Hiroshima with paper cranes. We set up spontaneous and permanent memorials in honor of the dead but what can we really set up that demonstrates the value of a human life? Historiography, certainly is a way to document what happened, but it is no way to memoralize a life, a soul, the spirit of a man. I think there is room for various scholarly and creative perspectives on what happened during the Holocaust. I do not trust one view. I value the perspective of a visual artist, poet or musician of a time period just as much as (or sometimes more than) a historian.
Just as there were many different kinds of people that suffered and died during that time, there can be that many different ways to present the story. We have to rely on people to read about it, to learn about it, to care and to make up their own minds about right and wrong. We can not dictate one way of scholarship over another...then, we would be no better than the very perpetrators we seek to discount.
I notice that at the time when the Jewish community needed the world the most, doors were slammed in their faces. At a time in history when people were worried about their own well-being and survival (through WWII and the Great Depression), very few were willing to take the risk of being upstanders. The "restrictionist sentiment" that Marrus speaks of has been mirrored in contemporary society, as well. Think of post-9/11 America and its more fervent anti-immigrant sentiments.
What argument does Marrus make?
* the world turned it's back on the Jews when they sought asylum due to religious discrimination and fear (xenophobia)
* This fear and discrimination existed not only in Europe, but in Palestine and wherever the Jews went
* Palestinian immigration restrictions established by the British were not necessarily to favor the Arab sentiment, as much as it was a way to maintain Arab support against another German offensive
* Many lives were saved around the world, but what was done was done too late and for too few - more could have been saved had fear and discrimination not been factors.
What do you learn or what thoughts are brought up for you?
I was very interested in the numbers of refugees or displaced persons accepted and denied around the world and found myself examining maps and charts from other sources (I'm a visual learner), like the USHMM.
I'm left wondering about...
How do you think this theme applies to the work of Facing History?
I think this section would work well juxtaposed with "Well Founded Fear" (asylum seekers film). It would work well with any immigration resources, like Enrique's Journey, as well. In a larger sense, it connects with our scope and sequence. In considering the work that has been done on the Jewish experience during the war (as refugees, displaced persons, immigrants, emigrants, etc), there is room to compare-contrast immigration policies of the past and the present.
I'd never heard the term defined in quite this way. I think reading it like this gives the event a more sacred meaning. Although, I do not agree that history is not for everyone to learn about and analyze for themselves. We do have to be wary of misinterpretation but when you censor critique or hold back knowledge, it gives the impression of privilege or elitism and more importantly, it deprives the scholar of the opportunity to learn from the mistakes of the past. I must confess that Marrus' introduction loses me at certain points. The writing style is very theoretical...it also feels philosophical, but perhaps my limited knowledge of the various aspects of scholarship he references taint my ability to fully process what he's presenting. However, his writings about Butterfield's 2 phases reminds me of Cheikh Anta Diop's "two cradle theory" that references the warlike, tragic, pessimistic worldview of the people of the "northern cradle" (Europeans). It also gets me thinking about how history has been written about genocide, in general.
The fact that "precise totals" continue to be elusive is irrelevant in a sense. How can one really fathom the depths of such a horror? American schoolchildren have tried to comprehend it with paper clips or butterflies, just as Japanese schoolchildren tried to comprehend the bombing of Hiroshima with paper cranes. We set up spontaneous and permanent memorials in honor of the dead but what can we really set up that demonstrates the value of a human life? Historiography, certainly is a way to document what happened, but it is no way to memoralize a life, a soul, the spirit of a man. I think there is room for various scholarly and creative perspectives on what happened during the Holocaust. I do not trust one view. I value the perspective of a visual artist, poet or musician of a time period just as much as (or sometimes more than) a historian.
Just as there were many different kinds of people that suffered and died during that time, there can be that many different ways to present the story. We have to rely on people to read about it, to learn about it, to care and to make up their own minds about right and wrong. We can not dictate one way of scholarship over another...then, we would be no better than the very perpetrators we seek to discount.
Responses to New PA Prompts
What do you notice? I notice that at the time when the Jewish community needed the world the most, doors were slammed in their faces. At a time in history when people were worried about their own well-being and survival (through WWII and the Great Depression), very few were willing to take the risk of being upstanders. The "restrictionist sentiment" that Marrus speaks of has been mirrored in contemporary society, as well. Think of post-9/11 America and its more fervent anti-immigrant sentiments.
What argument does Marrus make?
* the world turned it's back on the Jews when they sought asylum due to religious discrimination and fear (xenophobia)
* This fear and discrimination existed not only in Europe, but in Palestine and wherever the Jews went
* Palestinian immigration restrictions established by the British were not necessarily to favor the Arab sentiment, as much as it was a way to maintain Arab support against another German offensive
* Many lives were saved around the world, but what was done was done too late and for too few - more could have been saved had fear and discrimination not been factors.
What do you learn or what thoughts are brought up for you?
I was very interested in the numbers of refugees or displaced persons accepted and denied around the world and found myself examining maps and charts from other sources (I'm a visual learner), like the USHMM.
- 30,000 refugees accepted in Switzerland
- 100,000 to the Iberian Peninsula
- 17,000 to Shanghai
- 60,000 to Palestine
- 85,000 to the US (1938-1939)
- 140,000 to Israel (post 1948)
- 100,000 to countries occupied by Germans
- 96,000 Jewish "displaced persons" to the US (1945-1952)
I'm left wondering about...
- Whose responsibility is it to take refugees in? Who has the right to "police" the world? Why were some countries, like Spain (the Iberian peninsula took in 100,000 Jewish refugees), more amenable than others?
- It's interesting to me that political and economic concerns superceded moral concerns.
- How does Marrus distinguish between "refugees" vs. "displaced persons" in his writing?
- In the 1920's after WWI, there were much more flexible immigration policies. I wonder though if this applied to all people - were people of color as accepted?
- Where does illegal immigration (consider "aliyah bet" into Palestine) fit in the refugee question?
How do you think this theme applies to the work of Facing History?
I think this section would work well juxtaposed with "Well Founded Fear" (asylum seekers film). It would work well with any immigration resources, like Enrique's Journey, as well. In a larger sense, it connects with our scope and sequence. In considering the work that has been done on the Jewish experience during the war (as refugees, displaced persons, immigrants, emigrants, etc), there is room to compare-contrast immigration policies of the past and the present.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Book Review: Enrique's Journey
The histories of the indigenous peoples of the Americas has been linked with those of some African nations and even, with African slaves brought to the New World through the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. The Civil Rights and liberation movements of the 1960's and 1970's included African and Hispanic Americans. The language-related issues that arise around bilingual education in Spanish-speaking communities can be compared to those issues that arise around SWE vs. Ebonics (formerly known as, Black English Vernacular or Black English) debates. These are just some of the similarities and differences that exist between the Black and Brown communities of America. Enrique's Journey opens the door for dialogue about even more parallels between cultures in addition to serving as a great source experience of emigrating from Central America.
In Enrique's Journey by Nazario, I was reminded of my initial reactions to the immigration stories of friends, students and colleagues. I was also reminded of the first time I saw "Wetback: The Undocumented Documentary" on PBS at a time when immigration was top on the list of issues in Chicago and the nation. In addition to being emotionally moved by suffering that is endured by the journeymen, I instantly thought of ways to connect these personal stories to what was happening in my classroom. Enrique's Journey is a tool for discussions of immigration, Latin American studies and women's studies.
Connections between African American history & Latin American history
1. The plight of the Central American immigrant calls to mind the journeys of runaway slaves and the Underground Railroad. The condition in which travelling immigrants have to live and the treatment they receive attest to the need for greater understanding and education on both sides of the immigration issue, but it also shows that even in the 21st century, all human beings aren't entitled to the same human rights. Even with the risk of retaliation, church volunteers, priests and other citizens throughout Mexico, Central America and the USA take a moral stance not all that different from the one taken by abolitionists.
2. What comparisons can be made to immigrant moms that leave their children/families behind and the slaves that chose to runaway leaving their families on southern plantations until they could buy their freedom or sneak them out?
3. Compare writings, films and first hand accounts of the Central American migration experience with those of African runaway slaves on the Underground Railroad OR to African Americans that took part in the Great Migration
4. What is the significance/symbolism of trains to these two peoples? In "The Promised Land" http://www.amazon.com/Promised-Land-3pc-Morgan-Freeman/dp/6304881932/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=video&qid=1220646749&sr=1-1 Black migrants from the South describe the train as a symbol of liberation (with Blues musicians even using train sounds in their creative works). In Enrique's Journey and "Wetback: The Undocumented Documentary" the train has both negative and positive connotations (from El Tren de la Muerte to El Tren Pelegrino).
5. What does America symbolize or represent to migrants and immigrants? In both cultures there are consistent references to America as "the promised land" or "land of opportunities". A closer study of this could be conducted by student groups looking at the decision making processes associated with the departure, the experiences that occur during the journey and what life is like upon arrival in the new place. This research could cover housing, jobs, culture, socialization and a variety of other topic areas.
Connections to Mexican/Central American history/ancient civilization/current events
1) "...the most dangerous leg of the journey, the Mexican state of Chiapas." (xvii)
• This statement is interesting when you consider the history of the region-indigenous Mayan rule, Spanish conquest, the Mexican Revolution (roles of Emiliano Zapata, Pancho Villa and the Adelitas), the contemporary role of the Zapatistas (EZLN, led by Subcomandante Marcos). The turmoil of the region could have an affect on the social-emotional stability and identity of the indigenous Chiapan peoples and their need to feel some sort of control over their lands.
• The history behind the Mara Salvatrucha's foundations in Chiapas makes for an interesting research into US-Latin American studies - as many of the founders were soldiers or descendants of soldiers of other Latin American conflicts in which the US was involved.
2) The map of Enrique's trip can be used in comparison with the travel map provided in the film, "Wetback: The Undocumented Documentary"
3) Compare/contrast text and film depictions of the immigration experience (the departure, the journey, the arrival) to actual first hand accounts (interviews and/or guest speakers).
Connections to Women's Studies
"What's incomprehensible...are middle class or wealthy working mothers in the US. These women...could tighten their belts, stay at home, and spend all their time with their children. Instead they devote most of their waking hours and energy to careers...why...would anyone do that?" (xi)
• Is Lourdes' perception of working moms in the US based on her role in service to these kinds of families?
• Is she suggesting that working moms aren't good moms? How does this compare to public opinion of working moms in the 1950’s-1970?
• How much of her opinion is based on her own agonies associated with leaving her children behind?
• What does this suggest about the role of mothers and wives (past vs. present)?
• How does the female immigration journey compare to/contrast with the male journey? How did Nazario's journey differ from that of an actual female immigrant?
• Do film depictions of the female immigrant experience paint an accurate picture of the ordeal? How does Lourdes' life compare to women in films like "Mi Familia" or "A Day with out a Mexican" or "Wetback: The Undocumented Documentary"?
There are a variety of other ways to connect Enrique's Journey into broader immigration studies. One could compare the Central American immigrant experience of today to the European or Chinese immigrant experiences of the 19th and 20th centuries. This could also work with readings related to sweatshops and the kinds of jobs migrant/immigrant workers are forced to take.
In Enrique's Journey by Nazario, I was reminded of my initial reactions to the immigration stories of friends, students and colleagues. I was also reminded of the first time I saw "Wetback: The Undocumented Documentary" on PBS at a time when immigration was top on the list of issues in Chicago and the nation. In addition to being emotionally moved by suffering that is endured by the journeymen, I instantly thought of ways to connect these personal stories to what was happening in my classroom. Enrique's Journey is a tool for discussions of immigration, Latin American studies and women's studies.
Connections between African American history & Latin American history
1. The plight of the Central American immigrant calls to mind the journeys of runaway slaves and the Underground Railroad. The condition in which travelling immigrants have to live and the treatment they receive attest to the need for greater understanding and education on both sides of the immigration issue, but it also shows that even in the 21st century, all human beings aren't entitled to the same human rights. Even with the risk of retaliation, church volunteers, priests and other citizens throughout Mexico, Central America and the USA take a moral stance not all that different from the one taken by abolitionists.
2. What comparisons can be made to immigrant moms that leave their children/families behind and the slaves that chose to runaway leaving their families on southern plantations until they could buy their freedom or sneak them out?
3. Compare writings, films and first hand accounts of the Central American migration experience with those of African runaway slaves on the Underground Railroad OR to African Americans that took part in the Great Migration
4. What is the significance/symbolism of trains to these two peoples? In "The Promised Land" http://www.amazon.com/Promised-Land-3pc-Morgan-Freeman/dp/6304881932/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=video&qid=1220646749&sr=1-1 Black migrants from the South describe the train as a symbol of liberation (with Blues musicians even using train sounds in their creative works). In Enrique's Journey and "Wetback: The Undocumented Documentary" the train has both negative and positive connotations (from El Tren de la Muerte to El Tren Pelegrino).
5. What does America symbolize or represent to migrants and immigrants? In both cultures there are consistent references to America as "the promised land" or "land of opportunities". A closer study of this could be conducted by student groups looking at the decision making processes associated with the departure, the experiences that occur during the journey and what life is like upon arrival in the new place. This research could cover housing, jobs, culture, socialization and a variety of other topic areas.
Connections to Mexican/Central American history/ancient civilization/current events
1) "...the most dangerous leg of the journey, the Mexican state of Chiapas." (xvii)
• This statement is interesting when you consider the history of the region-indigenous Mayan rule, Spanish conquest, the Mexican Revolution (roles of Emiliano Zapata, Pancho Villa and the Adelitas), the contemporary role of the Zapatistas (EZLN, led by Subcomandante Marcos). The turmoil of the region could have an affect on the social-emotional stability and identity of the indigenous Chiapan peoples and their need to feel some sort of control over their lands.
• The history behind the Mara Salvatrucha's foundations in Chiapas makes for an interesting research into US-Latin American studies - as many of the founders were soldiers or descendants of soldiers of other Latin American conflicts in which the US was involved.
2) The map of Enrique's trip can be used in comparison with the travel map provided in the film, "Wetback: The Undocumented Documentary"
3) Compare/contrast text and film depictions of the immigration experience (the departure, the journey, the arrival) to actual first hand accounts (interviews and/or guest speakers).
Connections to Women's Studies
"What's incomprehensible...are middle class or wealthy working mothers in the US. These women...could tighten their belts, stay at home, and spend all their time with their children. Instead they devote most of their waking hours and energy to careers...why...would anyone do that?" (xi)
• Is Lourdes' perception of working moms in the US based on her role in service to these kinds of families?
• Is she suggesting that working moms aren't good moms? How does this compare to public opinion of working moms in the 1950’s-1970?
• How much of her opinion is based on her own agonies associated with leaving her children behind?
• What does this suggest about the role of mothers and wives (past vs. present)?
• How does the female immigration journey compare to/contrast with the male journey? How did Nazario's journey differ from that of an actual female immigrant?
• Do film depictions of the female immigrant experience paint an accurate picture of the ordeal? How does Lourdes' life compare to women in films like "Mi Familia" or "A Day with out a Mexican" or "Wetback: The Undocumented Documentary"?
There are a variety of other ways to connect Enrique's Journey into broader immigration studies. One could compare the Central American immigrant experience of today to the European or Chinese immigrant experiences of the 19th and 20th centuries. This could also work with readings related to sweatshops and the kinds of jobs migrant/immigrant workers are forced to take.
Facilitation Sample
Immigration Workshop: Becoming American Session
10:45-11 WHAT IF MY PEOPLE HAD NEVER COME TO THIS COUNTRY?
Who are my people? Which group do I identify with the most? How would my life be different if my ancestors had stayed in our homeland? How would America be different?
Take a moment to reflect on these questions in writing. Then, turn to a partner and share your reflections before the large group reconvenes.
11-11:30 LAUNDRYMEN & MOVIES
(DVD 2, Part 6 of Becoming American series, (53:40-1:06:10)
After reading the passage below, we are going to examine the life of Chinese American actress,
Anna May Wong.
The Chinese Exclusion Act that Congress passed in 1882 was renewed in 1892 with a
New restriction—every Chinese in the nation had to carry a certificate of identity issued by
the US government. In 1902, the law was renewed again and in 1904, made permanent.
The stories told in Program 2 explore the impact of those laws on families kept apart,
on lives distorted by countless restrictions. Segment 6 looks at Chinese American life during the 1920s. Historian Henry Yu describes what those years were like for Chinese Americans. He focuses on a single year, 1923:
If you live on the West Coast of the United States and you happen to have come from somewhere in Asia, you live a restricted existence. As an “Asiatic,” a “Mongolian,” an “Oriental,” you are “ineligible for citizenship,” unable to become a naturalized American, and if you are in
California, you are forbidden by law from owning land. If you happen to have been born in the
United States, you are legally a citizen, but you face widespread discrimination in work, housing,
and the law. If you are Chinese, chances are you are male, since exclusionary laws have kept
Chinese women out of the country since 1882, and thus fewer than one out of eight people with
Chinese ancestry are female. You would find it difficult to live outside of a Chinatown—almost
no one except other Chinese would rent or sell to you. . . .
Being considered an Oriental, you find your prospects for prosperity and your choice of
employment and housing curtailed by a long history of anti-Asian agitation by labor groups and
nativist organizations. . . . The US Congress is just about to pass a series of new immigration
laws that will virtually cut off all immigration from Asia. . . . If you are of Asian ancestry in the
United States in 1923, you are seen as “alien”— very few people see you as “American.” Even
among those who tolerate you and your existence, there is an overwhelming sense that you are an
unknown, a mystery, perhaps even inscrutable.19
By the 1920s, change was coming. Bill Moyers explains, “Some men were able to bring their wives to America. And their children—raised in America—would want very different lives.” A few of those children were willing to defy tradition. Among them was a laundryman’s daughter who decided to become a movie star. Her name was Anna May Wong and she refused to be “shoved to the sidelines of American life.” Although she faced discrimination, Karen Leong says that “it’s a mistake to see Anna May Wong’s career as a tragedy or her life as a tragedy.”
Now that we’ve viewed Anna May Wong’s story, consider these discussion questions:
1. How might her childhood experiences have influenced her decisions to be an actress in an industry that consistently assigned stereotypic roles to people of color?
2. How would you assess her career? Was she a tragic or heroic figure?
3. Why do you think Wong would describe herself as Chinese rather than as an American?
11:30 – 12 A PICTURE’S WORTH A 1000 WORDS
What can images tell us about membership & acceptance?
In your small groups, you are going to review the images of student work samples provided. Then, you will discuss the following questions:
- What values or points of views are embedded in this image?
- What creative techniques are used to attract your attention?
- What does it reveal to you about the Chinese American experience?
- How might different people view this image differently (e.g., a Chinese immigrant vs. a native born citizen OR a Chinese immigrant vs. a Chinese American)?
One Book, One Chicago Worshop Session
Chicago is a city with almost 3 million residents – a little over 26% are Hispanic/Latino
and just under 37% African American/Black. Life for youth of color in Chicago’s barrios and hoods are distinct. In The House on Mango Street, Cisneros provides a poetic account from the perspective of a Mexican American girl. Our America: Life & Death on the South Side of Chicago provides insight into the daily lives of two African American males. Examining both texts can give an idea of as to the power of storytelling as a vehicle for survival and freedom of expression.
Step 1 Read passages from The House on Mango Street & from Our America
Step 2 In small groups, document your answers to discussion questions
Chapter from Mango Street Chapter from Our America
The house on Mango Street chapter 1 “the beginning”
There was an old woman she had so many children she didn't know what to do
14-Falling through the cracks (add pg 89 to front of it, Scene of the Crime, 10)
Born Bad 6- Lloyd
Gil's Furniture Bought & Sold
7-Ghetto Getaway
Louie His Cousin & His Other Cousin
2- The Hood
A Smart Cookie
23-Lloyd (interview with Sophia)
House on Mango St Says Goodbye Sometimes 25-Our America
Discussion Questions
1. Create/fill-in an identity chart for Esperanza and your particular narrator from Our America (Lealan or Lloyd) – 2 blank identity charts will be provided.
2. What is being said about the way prejudices shape our perceptions of "us" and "them"?
3. How is language used to divide and include? What does the language you speak (or the way you speak) suggest about your connection or disconnection to your community?
4. What does this reading reveal about the narrator's connection to her family, her home and her neighborhood?
5. How does the book impact and/or influence the cultures they represent (in Chicago and in America)?
6. What can we learn about life in Chicago from these experiences/accounts? Do you see your story in the House on Mango Street or in Our America?
7. Sandra Cisneros writes "I'm going to tell you a story about a girl who didn't want to belong." LeAlan Jones writes, "We live in two different Americas. In the ghetto the laws are totally different& our lives are totally different. I've never felt American..." What can we learn about identity and belonging from these two different perspectives (books)?
10:45-11 WHAT IF MY PEOPLE HAD NEVER COME TO THIS COUNTRY?
Who are my people? Which group do I identify with the most? How would my life be different if my ancestors had stayed in our homeland? How would America be different?
Take a moment to reflect on these questions in writing. Then, turn to a partner and share your reflections before the large group reconvenes.
11-11:30 LAUNDRYMEN & MOVIES
(DVD 2, Part 6 of Becoming American series, (53:40-1:06:10)
After reading the passage below, we are going to examine the life of Chinese American actress,
Anna May Wong.
The Chinese Exclusion Act that Congress passed in 1882 was renewed in 1892 with a
New restriction—every Chinese in the nation had to carry a certificate of identity issued by
the US government. In 1902, the law was renewed again and in 1904, made permanent.
The stories told in Program 2 explore the impact of those laws on families kept apart,
on lives distorted by countless restrictions. Segment 6 looks at Chinese American life during the 1920s. Historian Henry Yu describes what those years were like for Chinese Americans. He focuses on a single year, 1923:
If you live on the West Coast of the United States and you happen to have come from somewhere in Asia, you live a restricted existence. As an “Asiatic,” a “Mongolian,” an “Oriental,” you are “ineligible for citizenship,” unable to become a naturalized American, and if you are in
California, you are forbidden by law from owning land. If you happen to have been born in the
United States, you are legally a citizen, but you face widespread discrimination in work, housing,
and the law. If you are Chinese, chances are you are male, since exclusionary laws have kept
Chinese women out of the country since 1882, and thus fewer than one out of eight people with
Chinese ancestry are female. You would find it difficult to live outside of a Chinatown—almost
no one except other Chinese would rent or sell to you. . . .
Being considered an Oriental, you find your prospects for prosperity and your choice of
employment and housing curtailed by a long history of anti-Asian agitation by labor groups and
nativist organizations. . . . The US Congress is just about to pass a series of new immigration
laws that will virtually cut off all immigration from Asia. . . . If you are of Asian ancestry in the
United States in 1923, you are seen as “alien”— very few people see you as “American.” Even
among those who tolerate you and your existence, there is an overwhelming sense that you are an
unknown, a mystery, perhaps even inscrutable.19
By the 1920s, change was coming. Bill Moyers explains, “Some men were able to bring their wives to America. And their children—raised in America—would want very different lives.” A few of those children were willing to defy tradition. Among them was a laundryman’s daughter who decided to become a movie star. Her name was Anna May Wong and she refused to be “shoved to the sidelines of American life.” Although she faced discrimination, Karen Leong says that “it’s a mistake to see Anna May Wong’s career as a tragedy or her life as a tragedy.”
Now that we’ve viewed Anna May Wong’s story, consider these discussion questions:
1. How might her childhood experiences have influenced her decisions to be an actress in an industry that consistently assigned stereotypic roles to people of color?
2. How would you assess her career? Was she a tragic or heroic figure?
3. Why do you think Wong would describe herself as Chinese rather than as an American?
11:30 – 12 A PICTURE’S WORTH A 1000 WORDS
What can images tell us about membership & acceptance?
In your small groups, you are going to review the images of student work samples provided. Then, you will discuss the following questions:
- What values or points of views are embedded in this image?
- What creative techniques are used to attract your attention?
- What does it reveal to you about the Chinese American experience?
- How might different people view this image differently (e.g., a Chinese immigrant vs. a native born citizen OR a Chinese immigrant vs. a Chinese American)?
One Book, One Chicago Worshop Session
Chicago is a city with almost 3 million residents – a little over 26% are Hispanic/Latino
and just under 37% African American/Black. Life for youth of color in Chicago’s barrios and hoods are distinct. In The House on Mango Street, Cisneros provides a poetic account from the perspective of a Mexican American girl. Our America: Life & Death on the South Side of Chicago provides insight into the daily lives of two African American males. Examining both texts can give an idea of as to the power of storytelling as a vehicle for survival and freedom of expression.
Step 1 Read passages from The House on Mango Street & from Our America
Step 2 In small groups, document your answers to discussion questions
Chapter from Mango Street Chapter from Our America
The house on Mango Street chapter 1 “the beginning”
There was an old woman she had so many children she didn't know what to do
14-Falling through the cracks (add pg 89 to front of it, Scene of the Crime, 10)
Born Bad 6- Lloyd
Gil's Furniture Bought & Sold
7-Ghetto Getaway
Louie His Cousin & His Other Cousin
2- The Hood
A Smart Cookie
23-Lloyd (interview with Sophia)
House on Mango St Says Goodbye Sometimes 25-Our America
Discussion Questions
1. Create/fill-in an identity chart for Esperanza and your particular narrator from Our America (Lealan or Lloyd) – 2 blank identity charts will be provided.
2. What is being said about the way prejudices shape our perceptions of "us" and "them"?
3. How is language used to divide and include? What does the language you speak (or the way you speak) suggest about your connection or disconnection to your community?
4. What does this reading reveal about the narrator's connection to her family, her home and her neighborhood?
5. How does the book impact and/or influence the cultures they represent (in Chicago and in America)?
6. What can we learn about life in Chicago from these experiences/accounts? Do you see your story in the House on Mango Street or in Our America?
7. Sandra Cisneros writes "I'm going to tell you a story about a girl who didn't want to belong." LeAlan Jones writes, "We live in two different Americas. In the ghetto the laws are totally different& our lives are totally different. I've never felt American..." What can we learn about identity and belonging from these two different perspectives (books)?
follow up case study
I’ve chosen two examples of follow-up from this school year. Being a Chicago PA means that follow-up is not only done in the traditional sense (with teachers after seminars or workshops), but I also have to follow-up with the Teacher Leadership Team teachers and the two teachers participating in our Polk Dialogue. The three teachers in the following represent the latter – Meg Arbeiter is on the TLT and Dave Stieber & Lia Baubin are participants in the Polk Dialogue.
Meg and I met when I joined the TLT a number of years ago and I have always been impressed by her dedication to her students. I was honored that she asked to have me as her PA when she found out I was joining the staff. Our conversations in the first half of the school year were productive; however, we have been unable to re-connect since the winter. This was in no way due to a communication issue between us, but due to transitions being made at ACT Charter. As a result of the foundation laid this year, more teachers have been trained and impressed with what FH has to offer. Even though some of the staff will be transitioning, I am confident that many of them will carry FH with them to their new schools (I met 1 former ACT teacher today…now a principal…who is ready to get FH going at her school)!
Although the Polk Dialogue will not be completed until late April, I feel my work with thse teachers has been successful in the sense that their students have had the opportunity to not only learn more about Chicago history, but they have gone in depth in their learning about their own communities. Vocalo.org has stepped in to teach them interviewing techniques so that the students’ community interviews can be uploaded to the site and merged into 1 audio program (the April 16 showcase will serve as a listening party). In addition, this is an excellent opportunity to encourage dialogue across neighborhoods, which doesn’t really happen between these two communities. I have built a great rapport with these teachers and have a great deal of respect for them.
School: ACT Charter School, Chicago
Contact: Meg Arbeiter, Humanities Dept.
Background
Meg Arbeiter has been a Facing History teacher since 2002 and has served on the Chicago Teacher Leadership Team since 2004. She received the Margot Stern Strom Award for travel to South Africa and work between her students and South African contacts in 2007. Since 2002, Ms. Arbeiter has attended several FH trainings, brought students to community events, has hosted speakers at her school, recommended students to the SLT and has worked with students and FH to plan the student portion of annual benefit dinners.
Communication History
Email: Meg and I began discussing and settling on a date for a departmental meeting via email starting the week of August 25, 2008 up to the date of the actual site visit – October 24, 2008. As a way of preparing for her initial scope and sequence meeting with her department, I offered (emailed/faxed) her suggestions based on my work as teacher and co-facilitator of the humanities department at the Young Women’s Leadership Charter School of Chicago. In September and October, Meg began sending me the social studies standards and their alignment along with access to their curriculum maps, minus 7th & 8th grades.
Conference Call: On October 18, we set the meeting agenda and discussed ACT Charter’s humanities scope and sequence, in light of the YWLCS documents and what ACT Charter’s humanities teachers came up with to start. I emailed her FH Initial Connections sheets for 9-12th grades.
FH Initial Connections assessment tool: I created a tool to better assess what the teachers were currently doing related to FH and where new connections could be made using their curriculum maps and syllabi. This was done for each grade level of humanities (Ms. Arbeiter’s is below).
TEACHER:
Ms. Arbeiter
SCHOOL :
ACT CHARTER SCHOOL, CHICAGO
COURSE/GRADE LEVEL:
12th Humanities
SCOPE & SEQUENCE & FH VOCABULARY CONNECTIONS
Identity/Individual & Society
Membership/We & They
Choosing to participate
FH TEXT/RESOURCE GUIDE CONNECTIONS
“FH Approach to Literature” handout
Poems of Survivors (various genocides- check website) & from Race & Membership, chapter 1
“Hangman” poem
FH A/V RESOURCE CONNECTIONS
“Ascent of Man” video/dvd
“The Lunch Date” video
“Eye of the Storm” dvd
“Blood Money: Switzerland’s Nazi Gold”
“Hangman” video
“The Killing Screens: Media & the Culture of Violence” video
OTHER IDEAS/CONNECTIONS
Have you considered the Kenneth Branagh version of hamlet (starring Mel Gibson)?
Music ideas (to aid in variety among groups): “All about the Benjamins”, “Bling Bling”, “Ghetto Life” (all rap songs)
Center for Media Literacy www.medialit.org/ - try “Techniques of Persuasion” & their glossary of advertising/media terms
Site Visit: The entire staff was present at the session, which was truncated due to a last minute mtg called by the principal. We looked at the scope and sequence documents, I spoke about what was done at each grade level at YWLCS and how we infused Facing History. There was some Q & A and then, I met with the 11th grade humanities teachers individually to offer some ideas.
Follow Up: 7th and 8th grade FH Initial connections sheets were emailed; as well as, requests to Naomi regarding resource availability for 8th and 11th grade courses. Their newest staff member was sent information regarding our upcoming PD in the spring. A second follow-up is in the works.
School: Manley HS & Team Englewood HS, Chicago
Contact: Lia Baubin & Dave Stieber
Project: Polk Dialogue (polk grant, Race & Membership)
Background
Lia Baubin, Manley HS
Teaches 10th grade US History
Held a preliminary meeting with students and is looking to select 10 for participation in the Dialogue, which will be a service learning project that will build off their Great Migration/20th century studies in Lia’s US History course
Will have 12 participating students reading The Promised Land & Color Me Dark
Dave Stieber, Team Englewood HS
Teaches 9th grade Reading and 9th grade African American History
Will create an after-school club that will build off the Englewood/Chicago History research done in Sept-Oct in his African Am History courses; as well as, correlating to their Great Migration/20th Century studies in that course in the spring
Will have 12 participating students reading The Promised Land & Color Me Dark
Communication History
Email: Since August 2008, communications around the Polk Dialogue have transpired. The initial contact was to clarity interest level of applicants (a series of questions were emailed out and finalists selected from that communiqué). Once the 2 schools were selected, ideas were thrown around for the direction of the project in September and a meeting was scheduled for October 6, 2008. Following that meeting, teachers emailed book titles (student readings around migration) for purchase, curricular samples and essential questions. Mid-October, Ganae left the project. Reports were emailed and also faxed to participants.
Meetings & Conference Call:
October 6, 2008 – planning mtg
December 2008
February 17, 2008 – check-in conference call 2
February 24, 2009 – meeting with vocalo.org
March 22, 2009 – check in conference call 2
April 3 – vocalo check-in
April 13-15 – mtg/check-in for Culminating Showcase
Polk Dialogue Event Calendar:
Event Location Dates Transportation Needs Resources Needed at Site
Kick-Off Event featuring Dr. Dominic Pacyga Manley HS March 9
4-6pm 1 bus (for TEHS) LCD, DVD player, Mic (if available)
Vocalo Trainings Manley
Team Englewood March 16 (MHS)
March 20 (TEHS) 2 buses ---
Online Book Chat Polk Discussion Forum March 23 --- Computer lab with internet access
Culminating Showcase Team Englewood April 16
4-6pm 2 buses (for TEHS & MHS) LCD, DVD, Mic (if available)
Chicago Boat Tour downtown April 24, 2009?? 2 buses --
Meg and I met when I joined the TLT a number of years ago and I have always been impressed by her dedication to her students. I was honored that she asked to have me as her PA when she found out I was joining the staff. Our conversations in the first half of the school year were productive; however, we have been unable to re-connect since the winter. This was in no way due to a communication issue between us, but due to transitions being made at ACT Charter. As a result of the foundation laid this year, more teachers have been trained and impressed with what FH has to offer. Even though some of the staff will be transitioning, I am confident that many of them will carry FH with them to their new schools (I met 1 former ACT teacher today…now a principal…who is ready to get FH going at her school)!
Although the Polk Dialogue will not be completed until late April, I feel my work with thse teachers has been successful in the sense that their students have had the opportunity to not only learn more about Chicago history, but they have gone in depth in their learning about their own communities. Vocalo.org has stepped in to teach them interviewing techniques so that the students’ community interviews can be uploaded to the site and merged into 1 audio program (the April 16 showcase will serve as a listening party). In addition, this is an excellent opportunity to encourage dialogue across neighborhoods, which doesn’t really happen between these two communities. I have built a great rapport with these teachers and have a great deal of respect for them.
School: ACT Charter School, Chicago
Contact: Meg Arbeiter, Humanities Dept.
Background
Meg Arbeiter has been a Facing History teacher since 2002 and has served on the Chicago Teacher Leadership Team since 2004. She received the Margot Stern Strom Award for travel to South Africa and work between her students and South African contacts in 2007. Since 2002, Ms. Arbeiter has attended several FH trainings, brought students to community events, has hosted speakers at her school, recommended students to the SLT and has worked with students and FH to plan the student portion of annual benefit dinners.
Communication History
Email: Meg and I began discussing and settling on a date for a departmental meeting via email starting the week of August 25, 2008 up to the date of the actual site visit – October 24, 2008. As a way of preparing for her initial scope and sequence meeting with her department, I offered (emailed/faxed) her suggestions based on my work as teacher and co-facilitator of the humanities department at the Young Women’s Leadership Charter School of Chicago. In September and October, Meg began sending me the social studies standards and their alignment along with access to their curriculum maps, minus 7th & 8th grades.
Conference Call: On October 18, we set the meeting agenda and discussed ACT Charter’s humanities scope and sequence, in light of the YWLCS documents and what ACT Charter’s humanities teachers came up with to start. I emailed her FH Initial Connections sheets for 9-12th grades.
FH Initial Connections assessment tool: I created a tool to better assess what the teachers were currently doing related to FH and where new connections could be made using their curriculum maps and syllabi. This was done for each grade level of humanities (Ms. Arbeiter’s is below).
TEACHER:
Ms. Arbeiter
SCHOOL :
ACT CHARTER SCHOOL, CHICAGO
COURSE/GRADE LEVEL:
12th Humanities
SCOPE & SEQUENCE & FH VOCABULARY CONNECTIONS
Identity/Individual & Society
Membership/We & They
Choosing to participate
FH TEXT/RESOURCE GUIDE CONNECTIONS
“FH Approach to Literature” handout
Poems of Survivors (various genocides- check website) & from Race & Membership, chapter 1
“Hangman” poem
FH A/V RESOURCE CONNECTIONS
“Ascent of Man” video/dvd
“The Lunch Date” video
“Eye of the Storm” dvd
“Blood Money: Switzerland’s Nazi Gold”
“Hangman” video
“The Killing Screens: Media & the Culture of Violence” video
OTHER IDEAS/CONNECTIONS
Have you considered the Kenneth Branagh version of hamlet (starring Mel Gibson)?
Music ideas (to aid in variety among groups): “All about the Benjamins”, “Bling Bling”, “Ghetto Life” (all rap songs)
Center for Media Literacy www.medialit.org/ - try “Techniques of Persuasion” & their glossary of advertising/media terms
Site Visit: The entire staff was present at the session, which was truncated due to a last minute mtg called by the principal. We looked at the scope and sequence documents, I spoke about what was done at each grade level at YWLCS and how we infused Facing History. There was some Q & A and then, I met with the 11th grade humanities teachers individually to offer some ideas.
Follow Up: 7th and 8th grade FH Initial connections sheets were emailed; as well as, requests to Naomi regarding resource availability for 8th and 11th grade courses. Their newest staff member was sent information regarding our upcoming PD in the spring. A second follow-up is in the works.
School: Manley HS & Team Englewood HS, Chicago
Contact: Lia Baubin & Dave Stieber
Project: Polk Dialogue (polk grant, Race & Membership)
Background
Lia Baubin, Manley HS
Teaches 10th grade US History
Held a preliminary meeting with students and is looking to select 10 for participation in the Dialogue, which will be a service learning project that will build off their Great Migration/20th century studies in Lia’s US History course
Will have 12 participating students reading The Promised Land & Color Me Dark
Dave Stieber, Team Englewood HS
Teaches 9th grade Reading and 9th grade African American History
Will create an after-school club that will build off the Englewood/Chicago History research done in Sept-Oct in his African Am History courses; as well as, correlating to their Great Migration/20th Century studies in that course in the spring
Will have 12 participating students reading The Promised Land & Color Me Dark
Communication History
Email: Since August 2008, communications around the Polk Dialogue have transpired. The initial contact was to clarity interest level of applicants (a series of questions were emailed out and finalists selected from that communiqué). Once the 2 schools were selected, ideas were thrown around for the direction of the project in September and a meeting was scheduled for October 6, 2008. Following that meeting, teachers emailed book titles (student readings around migration) for purchase, curricular samples and essential questions. Mid-October, Ganae left the project. Reports were emailed and also faxed to participants.
Meetings & Conference Call:
October 6, 2008 – planning mtg
December 2008
February 17, 2008 – check-in conference call 2
February 24, 2009 – meeting with vocalo.org
March 22, 2009 – check in conference call 2
April 3 – vocalo check-in
April 13-15 – mtg/check-in for Culminating Showcase
Polk Dialogue Event Calendar:
Event Location Dates Transportation Needs Resources Needed at Site
Kick-Off Event featuring Dr. Dominic Pacyga Manley HS March 9
4-6pm 1 bus (for TEHS) LCD, DVD player, Mic (if available)
Vocalo Trainings Manley
Team Englewood March 16 (MHS)
March 20 (TEHS) 2 buses ---
Online Book Chat Polk Discussion Forum March 23 --- Computer lab with internet access
Culminating Showcase Team Englewood April 16
4-6pm 2 buses (for TEHS & MHS) LCD, DVD, Mic (if available)
Chicago Boat Tour downtown April 24, 2009?? 2 buses --
Monday, March 16, 2009
Friday, March 6, 2009
Eyes on the Prize Call
March 6, 2009
Essential Questions (posed by J.C.)
1. What is "the prize" and who is it for?
2. How did segregation manifest itself in daily life?
3. How did segregation influence all Americans?
Other questions
- What is "the prize" being sought in the readings?
- What other resources connect to these readings & this resource?
Essential Questions (posed by J.C.)
1. What is "the prize" and who is it for?
2. How did segregation manifest itself in daily life?
3. How did segregation influence all Americans?
Other questions
- What is "the prize" being sought in the readings?
- What other resources connect to these readings & this resource?
Reflecting on Eyes on the Prize readings (week of 3/6/09)
Eyes on the Prize New PA Call
My Pre-Call Notes
1) What seems familiar? What does it remind you of?
Text-to-Text/Text-to-Multimedia Connections
• White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack
• Without Sanctuary (book & exhibit)
• 4 Little Girls (film)
• The writings of Black authors, artists & writers who left America
• Miseducation of the Negro
• Various sociological studies of the “slave mentality”, the nature of master-slave relations, the rule of a few over many & their effects on contemporary race relations
• Willie Lynch Letter
Text-to-World Connections
• “Think globally, act locally”
• “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
• “Thou shalt not kill”
• UDHR – human rights vs. civil rights
• Police dept relations in the Black community
• 1960’s discriminatory practices leading into the present
• Black-Jewish relations in America
• How does racism affect the perpetrator?
o Uncle Tom’s Cabin
o Other Black history oriented readings
Text-to-Self Connections
• Murder of my cousin by B’ham police (1990’s)
• History of racial violence against family & neighbors in AL
• My own emotional reaction to my visit to 16th street Baptist Church
• My visit to UGRR sites in US & Canada, specifically my emotional reactions to standing on Detroit side & Windsor side
2) What was surprising?
• That the perspectives of White civil rights workers or leaders were included in the guide
• That Morgan would leave the South
3) What do I want to know more about?
• The families mentioned in both reading. What became of them & their communities?
4) How would I use these documents in a session?
Together, in a C.R. session: split group in half with each reading one, watch the Eyes clip and then coming back to discuss some essential questions (like the ones Jennifer posed). This could also be used with CILR unit.
What is the prize & who is it for?
How did segregation manifest itself in daily life?
How did segregation influence all Americans?
In a non-civil rights session: they could be used as split group reading related to various topics (like the ones listed below). They can be used with the Eyes sections – “Keys to the Kingdom” & “Back to the Movement”
Police-community relations
Race relations in America, in general
Black-Jewish relations
Responses to racism, violence & discrimination
Scope & Sequence connections
Indiv & society: How does your identity determine your active, proactive and/or inactive participation in society?
We & They: How does your membership or acceptance in a society affect your ability to exercise your civil and/or human rights in that society?
Historical case study: How do these fit in our larger understanding of the Civil Rights Movement? How has the CRM influenced other movements or groups in America, like the Black Arts Movement, Chicano movement, Black Power Movement, Feminist Movement?
Memory/legacy/justice: How does the legacy of violence & the CRM affect Birmingham today? How does the legacy of the CRM affect race relations? How can/do you connect to the CRM?
CTP: How do each of these men choose to participate? Are they upstanders, resisters, rescuers and/or all of the above? How would/could/do you respond to racism, violence and discrimination?
My Pre-Call Notes
1) What seems familiar? What does it remind you of?
Text-to-Text/Text-to-Multimedia Connections
• White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack
• Without Sanctuary (book & exhibit)
• 4 Little Girls (film)
• The writings of Black authors, artists & writers who left America
• Miseducation of the Negro
• Various sociological studies of the “slave mentality”, the nature of master-slave relations, the rule of a few over many & their effects on contemporary race relations
• Willie Lynch Letter
Text-to-World Connections
• “Think globally, act locally”
• “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
• “Thou shalt not kill”
• UDHR – human rights vs. civil rights
• Police dept relations in the Black community
• 1960’s discriminatory practices leading into the present
• Black-Jewish relations in America
• How does racism affect the perpetrator?
o Uncle Tom’s Cabin
o Other Black history oriented readings
Text-to-Self Connections
• Murder of my cousin by B’ham police (1990’s)
• History of racial violence against family & neighbors in AL
• My own emotional reaction to my visit to 16th street Baptist Church
• My visit to UGRR sites in US & Canada, specifically my emotional reactions to standing on Detroit side & Windsor side
2) What was surprising?
• That the perspectives of White civil rights workers or leaders were included in the guide
• That Morgan would leave the South
3) What do I want to know more about?
• The families mentioned in both reading. What became of them & their communities?
4) How would I use these documents in a session?
Together, in a C.R. session: split group in half with each reading one, watch the Eyes clip and then coming back to discuss some essential questions (like the ones Jennifer posed). This could also be used with CILR unit.
What is the prize & who is it for?
How did segregation manifest itself in daily life?
How did segregation influence all Americans?
In a non-civil rights session: they could be used as split group reading related to various topics (like the ones listed below). They can be used with the Eyes sections – “Keys to the Kingdom” & “Back to the Movement”
Police-community relations
Race relations in America, in general
Black-Jewish relations
Responses to racism, violence & discrimination
Scope & Sequence connections
Indiv & society: How does your identity determine your active, proactive and/or inactive participation in society?
We & They: How does your membership or acceptance in a society affect your ability to exercise your civil and/or human rights in that society?
Historical case study: How do these fit in our larger understanding of the Civil Rights Movement? How has the CRM influenced other movements or groups in America, like the Black Arts Movement, Chicano movement, Black Power Movement, Feminist Movement?
Memory/legacy/justice: How does the legacy of violence & the CRM affect Birmingham today? How does the legacy of the CRM affect race relations? How can/do you connect to the CRM?
CTP: How do each of these men choose to participate? Are they upstanders, resisters, rescuers and/or all of the above? How would/could/do you respond to racism, violence and discrimination?
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Feb. 27 thoughts
It's been hectic. I feel like all my projects, tasks and school visits are coming down on me all at once. It's stressful to have so much on your plate at one time and to still have time to deal with personal/social/financial catastrophes in one's personal life - being overwhelmed means my work spills over into personal time.
I think overall though as far as my time here since August I am most comfortable with my work in the New PA cohort and with the my school visits. I have a good rapport with the teachers I've met with and hope for great things coming out of their classes. The hardest part or least rewarding part is recruiting for seminars and workshops. I've never been good at sales...I'm too nonchalant.
I am excited/anxious to see how the Polk Dialogue turns out. Students from 2 different high schools are reading 2 texts related to the Great Migration, conducting neighborhood interviews/projects to be merged for an audio montage by vocalo.org, a local public radio station for marginalized communities and getting together twice to hear a Chgo historian and to showcase their projects related to their studies. As a culmination the students will go on a Chicago Boat Tour. This dialogue is important because it brings together youth from 2 different schools/communities that wouldn't otherwise connect due to Chicago's historically segregated nature. It's also an opportunity to foster dialogue among Chicago area teachers and to provide the students with interpersonal and multimedia skills that they may or may not have had the opportunity to be exposed to before.
I think overall though as far as my time here since August I am most comfortable with my work in the New PA cohort and with the my school visits. I have a good rapport with the teachers I've met with and hope for great things coming out of their classes. The hardest part or least rewarding part is recruiting for seminars and workshops. I've never been good at sales...I'm too nonchalant.
I am excited/anxious to see how the Polk Dialogue turns out. Students from 2 different high schools are reading 2 texts related to the Great Migration, conducting neighborhood interviews/projects to be merged for an audio montage by vocalo.org, a local public radio station for marginalized communities and getting together twice to hear a Chgo historian and to showcase their projects related to their studies. As a culmination the students will go on a Chicago Boat Tour. This dialogue is important because it brings together youth from 2 different schools/communities that wouldn't otherwise connect due to Chicago's historically segregated nature. It's also an opportunity to foster dialogue among Chicago area teachers and to provide the students with interpersonal and multimedia skills that they may or may not have had the opportunity to be exposed to before.
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