http://mrbarrrm302.blogspot.com
Mr. Brandon Barr at Nightingale Elementary is getting his kids talking about the Choices in Little Rock Curriculum. It's a very dynamic blog that incorporates dialogue about sections of Warriors Don't Cry, about the April visit by Dr. Terrence Roberts and other elements of the class.
* Please note that there is video available from Dr. Roberts' visits to Chicago available on youtube.com *
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
Work Related Cyberspace Happenings...
Check out my New PA Case Study Ning - "Deconstructing Our Notions of the Ghetto"
http://sonjacasestudyproject.ning.com/
*Just a reminder...The first entry was done in August so if you scroll down to the bottom (on the right side) for the older posts*
http://sonjacasestudyproject.ning.com/
*Just a reminder...The first entry was done in August so if you scroll down to the bottom (on the right side) for the older posts*
Reading "Banished" Guide & Watching "Crips & Bloods: Made in America"
Crips & Bloods: Made in America (Independent Lens, PBS)
http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/cripsandbloods/film.html
My Reflection on Banished from 8/9/09 is at the end of this critique.
Not that I was assigned to read the guide and watch the film at the same time, but I have to say that doing so gave me a different view of the film.
The film did what no other gang documentary has done before- it didn't just follow one gang member around or give the origin of how the gang was founded. "Made in America" went into the history of the economic, political and social circumstances that made the origin of these 2 street organizations inevitable...
Consistent disenfranchisement of Black men. Discrimination in the South and later, in all the urban centers where Blacks migrated to. Discrimination in the military. Restricted to poorer sectors of LA county and sub-standard schools. Employment in service or labor industries and subsequent unemployment when those factories closed down. Lack of allowance into "All-American" clubs or organizations, like the Boy Scouts. Constant police brutality and harassment. Gentrification. Rioting. Jailing of Black men, women and children of the community. The systematic destruction of Black organizations and community programs by government programs, like COINTEL-PRO. The murder & assassination of Black leaders. The systematic introduction of drugs & drug-trafficking into the Black community as a means of demobilization and the impetus for the dismantling of the community and family.
These conditions led to a need to organize and a need for power and a sense of belonging among the youth of the community. This led to the rise of the Crips and the Bloods in LA County.
These are the conditions that in some instances cause many Blacks to feel that banishment, in some form, is still happening today. Or at least, that they are suffering the effects of banishment today as many of their ancestors were forced out of their homes in the South.
It's a tangled web without an obvious solution. One commonality in both though is that there is no mass movement on the part of the government to remedy the problem although more youth have died due to gang violence than in Northern Ireland.
Banished Reflection - August 9, 2008
Remembering the name Marco Williams and having seen his previous work, I knew without having read a description of this film that it would cover yet another dark story of the African American experience. So, like I was with the Emmet Till, I was not really "gung ho" to jump right into viewing it. Viewing it in public might have been a bit much as well. So I chose to view it at home in the company of friends and family- all of whom were African American and have roots in the South, like myself. We'd just watched "A Class Divided" and another "hollywood" movie the night before so were anxious to view and discuss this piece. Fresh in our minds was "Being Black in America" - the 2-part series shown on CNN over the last couple of weeks. Naturally, with all of this context, a lot surfaced.
The first thing I began to write down were connections or instances in history that seemed to compare or contrast with what was being described....
1. I thought of the "Red Summers" that occurred in South but also in Chicago with the drowning of Eugene Williams at a south side beach (just minutes from my house!)
5. The possible inclusion of my own ancestors in the "Trail of Tears" and "Indian" removal process from the South to reservation land out west.
6. The encroachment of 1st Nations lands in British Columbia and the struggles of those peoples today
7. I was reminded of the FHA sanctions on housing and home loans ("Race: Power of an Illusion" documentary)
The second thing I found myself doing was questioning what I was seeing and hearing:
http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/cripsandbloods/film.html
My Reflection on Banished from 8/9/09 is at the end of this critique.
Not that I was assigned to read the guide and watch the film at the same time, but I have to say that doing so gave me a different view of the film.
The film did what no other gang documentary has done before- it didn't just follow one gang member around or give the origin of how the gang was founded. "Made in America" went into the history of the economic, political and social circumstances that made the origin of these 2 street organizations inevitable...
Consistent disenfranchisement of Black men. Discrimination in the South and later, in all the urban centers where Blacks migrated to. Discrimination in the military. Restricted to poorer sectors of LA county and sub-standard schools. Employment in service or labor industries and subsequent unemployment when those factories closed down. Lack of allowance into "All-American" clubs or organizations, like the Boy Scouts. Constant police brutality and harassment. Gentrification. Rioting. Jailing of Black men, women and children of the community. The systematic destruction of Black organizations and community programs by government programs, like COINTEL-PRO. The murder & assassination of Black leaders. The systematic introduction of drugs & drug-trafficking into the Black community as a means of demobilization and the impetus for the dismantling of the community and family.
These conditions led to a need to organize and a need for power and a sense of belonging among the youth of the community. This led to the rise of the Crips and the Bloods in LA County.
These are the conditions that in some instances cause many Blacks to feel that banishment, in some form, is still happening today. Or at least, that they are suffering the effects of banishment today as many of their ancestors were forced out of their homes in the South.
It's a tangled web without an obvious solution. One commonality in both though is that there is no mass movement on the part of the government to remedy the problem although more youth have died due to gang violence than in Northern Ireland.
Banished Reflection - August 9, 2008
Remembering the name Marco Williams and having seen his previous work, I knew without having read a description of this film that it would cover yet another dark story of the African American experience. So, like I was with the Emmet Till, I was not really "gung ho" to jump right into viewing it. Viewing it in public might have been a bit much as well. So I chose to view it at home in the company of friends and family- all of whom were African American and have roots in the South, like myself. We'd just watched "A Class Divided" and another "hollywood" movie the night before so were anxious to view and discuss this piece. Fresh in our minds was "Being Black in America" - the 2-part series shown on CNN over the last couple of weeks. Naturally, with all of this context, a lot surfaced.
The first thing I began to write down were connections or instances in history that seemed to compare or contrast with what was being described....
1. I thought of the "Red Summers" that occurred in South but also in Chicago with the drowning of Eugene Williams at a south side beach (just minutes from my house!)
- The Sumner-Rosewood, FL case
- The Tulsa, OK case
2. The various lynchings published in the Chicago Defender and other Black newspapers across the country at that time, but I was reminded of Without Sanctuary (book and exhibit)
3. It called to mind the exile of Jews from their homes into the ghettoes
4. The fact that I never heard of Japanese Internment Camps until I had to teach a Facing History humanities course (2001-2008)5. The possible inclusion of my own ancestors in the "Trail of Tears" and "Indian" removal process from the South to reservation land out west.
6. The encroachment of 1st Nations lands in British Columbia and the struggles of those peoples today
7. I was reminded of the FHA sanctions on housing and home loans ("Race: Power of an Illusion" documentary)
The second thing I found myself doing was questioning what I was seeing and hearing:
- Why were the Black descendants so forgiving?
- How is it that African American descendants used their Christian beliefs to forgive what had happened when some Whites used Christianity to preserve their town they way it was? Which is the true Christian?
- What would happen if all Whites in America practiced a Day of Prayer and openly acknowledged the role of their ancestors in slavery, lynching or banishment?
- Why is it that African Americans seem to be the only group to not be eligible for reparations?
- Has the world REALLY changed if this kind of film is even necessary? If racism and healing had taken place since Dr. King, why is it so difficult for these families to claim what's rightfully theirs?
- Why were the White citizens of these 3 counties so angry with the writers who brought the stories out? Why were they angry with the descendants for wanting compensation, a public acknowledgement or even, memorials?
- What roles should "forgiving and forgetting" play in the lives of African American descendants of banishment?
Lastly, I guess, I consider the condition of myself and African Americans today. As we look back over our own family histories (mine include stories of alleged racial violence and segregation, but no banishment) and the general history of minorities in America, I couldn't help but think that in many ways all people of color suffer from some form of banishment. Lower class citizens, too, are banished. Women, have suffered banishment, as well. Can one compare all these cases, though? Is it fair to say they are the same when African Americans are still so clearly behind their white counterparts in education levels and net worth? There is and always has been the concept of the "other" or this racial dichotonomy in America that keeps Whites on one side and everyone else on the other side. Without all that we've overcome, that's still one mountain we have yet to move.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Welcome Facing History Colleagues!
Hello,
Thanks for visiting my blog. It's a peek inside the world of a Chicago Program Associate. Have your questions and comments ready for me on Thursday, May 21...or feel free to ask me before that if you choose to take a lunch break during that time.
Just a few tips on navigating the blog...
Thanks for visiting my blog. It's a peek inside the world of a Chicago Program Associate. Have your questions and comments ready for me on Thursday, May 21...or feel free to ask me before that if you choose to take a lunch break during that time.
Just a few tips on navigating the blog...
- The entries are from the most recent to the oldest.
- You can access older posts by scrolling down towards the bottom and selecting a month/year from the bottom right side of the screen
- You can post comments/questions to any post at any time.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
New PA Reflective Paper - May 7, 2009
Follow up
I find that this takes the majority of my work time- email correspondence, faxes, phone calls, mailings, school visits, planning, reporting in ACT for notes. In general, the CILR teachers have been much better about maintaining active correspondence. The NPDEP teachers and TLT teachers are also good. It takes more effort to maintain regular feedback with R&M, HHB, HL participants and those that attend workshops.
PD Facilitation
CILR: While recruitment for these 2 seminars and the orientation was grueling, I can honestly say that the most productive relationships I have with teachers are the ones that I met during these seminars. The October Choices Orientation workshop was a great success in that the participants were authentically engaged and excited about the upcoming CILR seminars (Dec & Jan). Chuck & I worked really well together in creating a nurturing and productive workshop environment. I observed the December seminar and met with my teachers at the close of the seminar, but I feel that my facilitation in January 2009 helped me to gain a greater appreciation of the choices materials and of the various different facilitation styles (Phredd, Denise, Dunreith, Steve). I think the participants were engaged and excited. The schools that went to see Terrence Roberts and/or that hosted TJR at their schools, I believe, are more motivated to become more invested in Facing History.
HHB 3-day: There was some recruitment required for this seminar, but it wasn’t as difficult as the CLR or the level of recruitment needed for the summer seminars. The thing I found most rewarding about this experience was listening to Professor Rebecca Whitman (Ontario) and Ava Schieber. It was valuable for me to hear a scholar and a survivor offer a different, fresh perspective on the history that I’d been doing so much intensive reading about. I have to say, too, though that I was not comfortable with my Sunflower session, but I think that my Jesus Colon and Holocaust Propaganda sessions went well.
HL 3-day: Ava Schieber was again the highlight of this seminar, but Jeff Kelly Lowenstein’s presentation on Hilberg’s stages and his own family Holocaust research was fascinating. I can’t help but wonder though if participants were overwhelmed at certain points by the amount of content we were providing them – since many of them were lit or English teachers with limited historical knowledge of the Holocaust. Here, too, I think my memory & legacy session and my use of “paper clips” was tedious, but my Bear and Friedrich sessions were good. Another plus was that no recruitment was required for this seminar.
Immigration Workshop: I think the participants appreciated the various perspectives we offered on the immigration issue. I focused on the resource, Becoming American and on the work FH did with the online student museum projects. There were sessions on asylum, what it means to be an American, and migrant workers, as well. This was a popular topic and therefore, little to no recruiting was necessary. Following this seminar, SLT members were treated to a workshop with Rick Nahmias on his migrant project.
HHB 5-day & R&M (5day & hybrid): These seminars are upcoming (June & July, respectively), but our focus now is on massive recruitment and on planning sessions.
One Book, One Chicago – House on Mango Street: This after-school workshop was extremely popular and required no recruiting because of the popularity of the book and due to the fact that this was a partnership with the Chicago Public Library. Chuck and I facilitated 2 sessions using various selections from the book and comparing/contrasting views of Chicago with those provided in Our America: Life & Death on the South Side of Chicago. The opening Big Paper featuring various Chicago pictures and quotes (1800-present) was also a big hit with participants.
The Polk Dialogue
This initiative brought together two July 2008 Race & Membership participants around the study of Chicago neighborhood history, the Great Migration and using multimedia resources to tell community stories. Students at both schools read 2 texts – The Promised Land and Color Me Dark. They heard a lecture/presentation by Dr. Dominic Pacyga at Manley HS (available on youtube) and posted comments about the books, Dr. Pacyga and their communities on the Polk Dialogue Discussion Forum (facing.org/polk2009). Leading up to culminating projects, students received training in collecting community stories from volunteers at vocalo.org (an extension of Chicago Public Radio, WBEZ). They learned how to conduct interviews, how to use audio equipment and how to upload to vocalo’s site. Some of their stories will be used as part of Vocalo’s radio programming in the fall. Although the culminating event and Chicago tour had to be cancelled, I feel that this was a success because it brought together youth from different communities that within Chicago would be considered rival gang areas.
Teacher Leadership Team 2008-2009
It was initially kind of awkward to go from being a member of the TLT to being the facilitator of the team, but I think having been a member gave me insight into ways to make the team more productive. This led to the formation of the Middle School Focus Group and the HS Focus Group. These were a great success as our meeting times were much more productive. Also important was that we received work samples and feedback from teachers that supports the work we are already doing. These groups also provided leadership opportunities within the team. We had 2 teachers lead the Armenian Genocide workshop and several volunteered to help with choices teachers.
Assisting with SLT & May Benefit Dinner
Since Judd’s resignation, Denise has done an outstanding job facilitating the SLT, coordinating the Program staff to help out and with keeping the kids motivated to host our first SLT Symposium (next week, May 12). She has encouraged Jonathan L. (a Cleveland FH alumni & current Univ of Chicago freshman) to come in and help out as well. I have stepped up to assist Denise with special events, like the Rick Nahmias workshop in March and the Symposium. I’ve also been observing/working with Judy to get 2 of the SLT students ready to speak at our benefit.
Program Tech Team
I was very excited to be asked to join this team because of my love of technology and the fact that my last graduate degree was in using instructional technology. I was fearful of getting rusty on my tech skills, but Deb, John, KC and others have offered a variety of ideas and resources to keep me fresh. It has been a challenge, however, in trying to keep up with PTT readings in lieu of all the other work I have to do.
Moving from the classroom to an office has been a difficult transition for me in that I was very used to constant day-to-day interaction with not only youth, but all members of a school community. There is a definite disconnect or fear of disconnect that comes with working in an office space or moving into what is seen by teachers as a more administrative role. They aren’t always as comfortable sharing with you until they know you were a teacher, as well. Working with teachers, principals and administrators doesn’t offer the same level of instant gratification that comes in classroom instruction.
This is one reason why facilitation of PD and meeting with the TLT & SLT are the most rewarding parts of the job. I am definitely more comfortable and more confident in my ability to do a good job here, but there is a small part of myself that is looking for that thing that will become my passion. Working in an international organization is also a challenge because it's difficult to feel part of a large team when you don't see or know the people you are supposed to be connected to. A lot of the opportunities to grow and connect were lost this year due to the economic crunch.
I find that this takes the majority of my work time- email correspondence, faxes, phone calls, mailings, school visits, planning, reporting in ACT for notes. In general, the CILR teachers have been much better about maintaining active correspondence. The NPDEP teachers and TLT teachers are also good. It takes more effort to maintain regular feedback with R&M, HHB, HL participants and those that attend workshops.
PD Facilitation
CILR: While recruitment for these 2 seminars and the orientation was grueling, I can honestly say that the most productive relationships I have with teachers are the ones that I met during these seminars. The October Choices Orientation workshop was a great success in that the participants were authentically engaged and excited about the upcoming CILR seminars (Dec & Jan). Chuck & I worked really well together in creating a nurturing and productive workshop environment. I observed the December seminar and met with my teachers at the close of the seminar, but I feel that my facilitation in January 2009 helped me to gain a greater appreciation of the choices materials and of the various different facilitation styles (Phredd, Denise, Dunreith, Steve). I think the participants were engaged and excited. The schools that went to see Terrence Roberts and/or that hosted TJR at their schools, I believe, are more motivated to become more invested in Facing History.
HHB 3-day: There was some recruitment required for this seminar, but it wasn’t as difficult as the CLR or the level of recruitment needed for the summer seminars. The thing I found most rewarding about this experience was listening to Professor Rebecca Whitman (Ontario) and Ava Schieber. It was valuable for me to hear a scholar and a survivor offer a different, fresh perspective on the history that I’d been doing so much intensive reading about. I have to say, too, though that I was not comfortable with my Sunflower session, but I think that my Jesus Colon and Holocaust Propaganda sessions went well.
HL 3-day: Ava Schieber was again the highlight of this seminar, but Jeff Kelly Lowenstein’s presentation on Hilberg’s stages and his own family Holocaust research was fascinating. I can’t help but wonder though if participants were overwhelmed at certain points by the amount of content we were providing them – since many of them were lit or English teachers with limited historical knowledge of the Holocaust. Here, too, I think my memory & legacy session and my use of “paper clips” was tedious, but my Bear and Friedrich sessions were good. Another plus was that no recruitment was required for this seminar.
Immigration Workshop: I think the participants appreciated the various perspectives we offered on the immigration issue. I focused on the resource, Becoming American and on the work FH did with the online student museum projects. There were sessions on asylum, what it means to be an American, and migrant workers, as well. This was a popular topic and therefore, little to no recruiting was necessary. Following this seminar, SLT members were treated to a workshop with Rick Nahmias on his migrant project.
HHB 5-day & R&M (5day & hybrid): These seminars are upcoming (June & July, respectively), but our focus now is on massive recruitment and on planning sessions.
One Book, One Chicago – House on Mango Street: This after-school workshop was extremely popular and required no recruiting because of the popularity of the book and due to the fact that this was a partnership with the Chicago Public Library. Chuck and I facilitated 2 sessions using various selections from the book and comparing/contrasting views of Chicago with those provided in Our America: Life & Death on the South Side of Chicago. The opening Big Paper featuring various Chicago pictures and quotes (1800-present) was also a big hit with participants.
The Polk Dialogue
This initiative brought together two July 2008 Race & Membership participants around the study of Chicago neighborhood history, the Great Migration and using multimedia resources to tell community stories. Students at both schools read 2 texts – The Promised Land and Color Me Dark. They heard a lecture/presentation by Dr. Dominic Pacyga at Manley HS (available on youtube) and posted comments about the books, Dr. Pacyga and their communities on the Polk Dialogue Discussion Forum (facing.org/polk2009). Leading up to culminating projects, students received training in collecting community stories from volunteers at vocalo.org (an extension of Chicago Public Radio, WBEZ). They learned how to conduct interviews, how to use audio equipment and how to upload to vocalo’s site. Some of their stories will be used as part of Vocalo’s radio programming in the fall. Although the culminating event and Chicago tour had to be cancelled, I feel that this was a success because it brought together youth from different communities that within Chicago would be considered rival gang areas.
Teacher Leadership Team 2008-2009
It was initially kind of awkward to go from being a member of the TLT to being the facilitator of the team, but I think having been a member gave me insight into ways to make the team more productive. This led to the formation of the Middle School Focus Group and the HS Focus Group. These were a great success as our meeting times were much more productive. Also important was that we received work samples and feedback from teachers that supports the work we are already doing. These groups also provided leadership opportunities within the team. We had 2 teachers lead the Armenian Genocide workshop and several volunteered to help with choices teachers.
Assisting with SLT & May Benefit Dinner
Since Judd’s resignation, Denise has done an outstanding job facilitating the SLT, coordinating the Program staff to help out and with keeping the kids motivated to host our first SLT Symposium (next week, May 12). She has encouraged Jonathan L. (a Cleveland FH alumni & current Univ of Chicago freshman) to come in and help out as well. I have stepped up to assist Denise with special events, like the Rick Nahmias workshop in March and the Symposium. I’ve also been observing/working with Judy to get 2 of the SLT students ready to speak at our benefit.
Program Tech Team
I was very excited to be asked to join this team because of my love of technology and the fact that my last graduate degree was in using instructional technology. I was fearful of getting rusty on my tech skills, but Deb, John, KC and others have offered a variety of ideas and resources to keep me fresh. It has been a challenge, however, in trying to keep up with PTT readings in lieu of all the other work I have to do.
Overall Reflection of the Year
Moving from the classroom to an office has been a difficult transition for me in that I was very used to constant day-to-day interaction with not only youth, but all members of a school community. There is a definite disconnect or fear of disconnect that comes with working in an office space or moving into what is seen by teachers as a more administrative role. They aren’t always as comfortable sharing with you until they know you were a teacher, as well. Working with teachers, principals and administrators doesn’t offer the same level of instant gratification that comes in classroom instruction.
This is one reason why facilitation of PD and meeting with the TLT & SLT are the most rewarding parts of the job. I am definitely more comfortable and more confident in my ability to do a good job here, but there is a small part of myself that is looking for that thing that will become my passion. Working in an international organization is also a challenge because it's difficult to feel part of a large team when you don't see or know the people you are supposed to be connected to. A lot of the opportunities to grow and connect were lost this year due to the economic crunch.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Journal 3
May 1, 2009
Since January 30, I have facilitated sessions for the following seminars & workshops:
I was the lead on the following projects:
Since January 30, I have facilitated sessions for the following seminars & workshops:
- HHB 3-day (Feb): this was a great learning experience for me because as a teacher, I had not done any FH holocaust trainings since 2002 or 2003. This was an opportunity for me to learn more about the topic. As a result of the great feedback, schools quickly booked Holocaust speakers. I was privileged to drive Ava K. Schieber to one of those schools and am continually in awe of her loving spirit and the way in which she turned adversity into advantage (see the poem I wrote for her in an earlier entry).
- Immigration Workshop (March): this was a great workshop and one that I often requested when I was a Facing History teacher because it was a regular part of my curriculum. I think the participants enjoyed what we presented and appreciated that our presentations went beyond the discussion of Mexican immigration.
- SLT Saturday meeting (Feb, March): I have been privileged to work with Denise on getting the SLT students ready for the Symposium (may 12). Two of the students are also speaking at our benefit dinner (may 8).
- One Book, One Chicago: House on Mango Street Educator Workshop (March): OBOC is a Chicago Public Library-City of Chicago initiative to encourage citywide reading. This year, FH created the questions for their study guide, facilitated a workshop for librarians and for teachers across the Chicagoland area.
- HL 3-day (April): I had the privilege of again hearing some great speakers, like Ava K. S. and Jeff K.L. I think it was valuable for me to get the teacher feedback on how they plan ot implement in their own classrooms. The memorials they created were also quite beautiful.
I was the lead on the following projects:
- One Book, One Chicago Workshop: I think having Chuck assisting me in this project was a great help as it came at a time when the deadlines for other workshops or activities were creating anxiety for me. All in all, though, the participants got a lot out of the sessions Chuck and I presented and appreciated that we went beyond the typical readings usually done with Cisneros' popular book.
- Teacher Leadership Team: On March 19 we had our last breakout sessions for our TLT focus groups. Middle School teachers gave their final analyses of the Choices curricula and submitted lots of sample rubrics and lessons. HS teachers submitted final critiques of the HHB ERG.
- Polk Dialogue (extension of Race & Membership Seminar 2008): While the last 2 (April) events had to be cancelled due to scheduling conflicts and dwindling participation, we succeeded in bringing together two schools from two different neighborhoods to read books about the Great Migration, to learn about multimedia options for presenting their research (vocalo.org), to dialogue online about their research (facinghistory.org/polk2009) and to hear from a Chicago historian, Dr. Dominic Pacyga (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtF6hxdYxr0 the link is part 5 of 5 clips).
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