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activism

Tearing The House Down pt. 2: Hands Up For Haiti

by Jose on January 12, 2010 · 1 comment

in life

A scene after the earthquake that hit Haiti on January 12th, 2010

For many of us in the United States, independence means a ton. Even for the most marginalized of groups, we scream and kick for it because of the hypocritical nature of this hollow pursuit of happiness. For most of us in this country, we enjoy freedoms that we often take for granted. From the computers we communicate with to having three meals of some variety, we all have a much better outlook on life expectancy than millions of other peoples, many of whom surround the very borders of this country.

That includes Haiti, a country that found independence from their true oppressors only 28 years after the United States did. 205 years and 12 days after that day, Haiti still can’t escape the treachery and tragedy of having the least amount of resources of any country in the Western Hemisphere to cope with an earthquake that registered at 7.0 on the Richter Scale (that’s devastating, folks). While I’m happy to see the outpouring of people reaching out to partial motherland, I’m saddened that it always takes these sorts of events to draw our attention to Haiti.

Whatever you do, and in whichever direction you choose to donate your efforts to help Haiti, make sure it’s genuine, long-lasting, and consistent. After Katrina, many of us who left it up to the government to “take care of it” have yet to truly speak up.

Now is that time.

Jose, who would build an arc in place of a house …

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Does Social Media Mean Social Justice?

by Jose on August 27, 2009 · 4 comments

in life

puzzlemirrorplanet

The World as a Puzzle

In the 1950’s, as civil rights groups of interest (i.e. dissident and radical groups) began to truly penetrate the mainstream thought of America, the FBI developed a program with a series of protocols for disruption and misinformation called COINTELPRO (an acronym for COunter INtelligence PROgram). By most reports, not only did they intend on gathering as much information about these dissident groups and individuals as possible, but they also sought to produce misinformation within the groups to create malcontent and chaos within even the most structurally sound organizations.

While J. Edgar Hoover’s dream child no longer exists under that name, I have a couple of quandaries I think about all too often. As someone who has run the gamut as far as social networks are concerned, I have to wonder how much of my information I’ve freely given to agencies whose primary function is to silence my voice. On the other end, I also wonder how much of the networking I’ve done online has helped me mobilize and proactively find like-minded individuals across the nation and the world.

On the one end, most social media users I know don’t give away information that we don’t already know through simple conversation with them or through their friends. They’ll post pictures of themselves, their friends, and the events they’ve been a part of. They’ll discuss their thoughts on a certain issue, and usually not too in-depth. They may even post their personal troubles, but again, nothing out of the ordinary in the grand scheme of things. Thus, this information becomes almost redundant for those looking to find information on anyone they’re interested in. On the other end, with the advent of these social networks, it becomes more enticing to reveal more about yourself to distinguish yourself from other profiles in the interest of “standing out” or becoming “most popular.” It’s a temptation a few of us fight, especially if we don’t have people who market for us. Promoting oneself has its positives, but how deep do we take that?

Even deeper is that social media can also be a mechanism for misinformation and eventual separation. For instance, today on Twitter, I laughed when someone wrote “Huffington Post has 18 white men as their featured bloggers,” and immediately called out the lack of diversity at Huffington Post. My questions cascaded as follows:

1) Why should Huffington Post care?

2) We have a few Black / Latino bloggers on Huffington Post and they get featured on the site every so often, so why does a day where they strictly feature whites surprise you? That’s stat quo.

3) If / when people of colors (and I do mean Asian and indigenous people as well in this conversation) have a viable alternative to Huffington Post, will we use it as a platform to converge or to outdo the next? The latter has become customary here on the Internet, if you ask me.

4) Do we somehow believe that the Digital Divide has seized to exist? That really doesn’t even come up on any social media platform I’ve seen. People are so concerned with having Barack Obama’s ears instead of giving “the people” in their communities a real voice.

In all of this, we should already see how social media in and of itself has very disparate consequences on the ideas of information. It can liberate and celebrate the ideas and voices of our generation and future generations to come and make these ideas more facile to build around. We can build whole curriculi and engage hundreds in a matter of minutes without leaving our seats. Some of the biggest campaigns of recent history came via the power of the interwebs. On the other end, if we don’t keep tabs on the sorts of information released out there, the consequences can become much more dire. Instead of a rumor about Lindsay Lohan’s plastic surgery or Chris Brown’s new chick, we’ll get a made-up report about a local activist or an nonfactual tweet about health care reform (is that happening already?).

So, does social media mean social justice? You tell me.

Jose, who just got 2 more projects to work on just now …

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We Fight, We Love (or Pedagogy of the Oppressed, in a Context)

by Jose on August 25, 2009 · 8 comments

in life

altoalaguerraDenise Oliver-Velez, who commented in my last blog about the Young Lords anniversary and reunion gathering, said something poignant that educators like myself should take heed to in their quest to educate underprivileged and underserved children in this country (of any color). The average age of a Young Lord in the Young Lord Party’s prime was about 17 years old, the youngest 12. While many of the people I’ve encountered who consider themselves activists came to this new consciousness around college, the people of that generation were already starting free breakfast programs, starting a liberation school, taking over hospitals, cleaning out (and subsequently burning) piles of garbage, all in the name of self-sufficiency and making sure the people of that neighborhood had their needs met. Come to think of it, most of the groups people in this country consider radical / revolutionary started with young people.

The lack of information about these historical groups in our present-day curriculi demonstrates how those who’ve written the history books care less about the empowerment of our students and more about keeping them docile and complacent. While some may dispute the merits of taking over a church or bringing AK-47s to guard your people (I’m not one of them), these young people at the time brought services to the people that our generation and beyond took for granted. They helping bring along those basic, socialist services, and they didn’t stop there. As they got older, they graduated into more far-reaching work, like the heads of unions, broadcasters, university professors, and politicians. In other words, these young people continue to be effective contributors to society as a whole.

In turn, as a teacher, I find it disingenuous that teachers really don’t believe in the potential of our youth. Those very kids who are so-called thugs and vagabonds are really intelligent, energetic young folk who need a chance at really making a difference in naming and transforming their worlds. While many of our students need that tough love, and a no-nonsense attitude, we must also prepare them to become active and responsible citizens for their own neighborhoods so they can become self-sufficient. Our test-ready notions of reading and arithmetic without any holistic child-building almost begs our future generations to become what our society calls delinquents and social lepers.

If we as teachers either work against building up students or stand to the side while it happens, we’re complicit in this. Paulo Freire, of The Pedagogy of the Oppressed fame, gives us a question to think about:

Who are better prepared than the oppressed to understand the terrible significance of an oppressive society? Who suffer the effects of oppression more than the oppressed? Who can better understand the necessity of liberation? They will not gain this liberation by chance but through the praxis of their quest for it, through their recognition of the necessity to fight for it. And this fight, because of the purpose given it by the oppressed, will actually constitute an act of love opposing the lovelessness which lies at the heart of the oppressors’ violence, lovelessness even when clothed in false generosity.

That’s really where I stand. While I think too many educators are far too touchy-feely-save-the-world-y, I also see that this as a labor of love, and an understanding that the very children I’m preparing for in a couple of weeks, that we constantly battle for, and the children who some of us literally give our hearts and minds for, NEED to be young lords of a kingdom solely under their sovereignty.

Jose, who thinks people confuse my ideals for idealism …

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I Shall Fear No Man (Y’all Don’t Hear Me Though)

by Jose on January 19, 2009 · 3 comments

in life

Backstage at the Democratic National Convention

Backstage at the Democratic National Convention

My favorite speech from the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King has been called “I’ve Been To The Mountaintop” and it ends something like this:

And then I got into Memphis. And some began to say the threats, or talk about the threats that were out. What would happen to me from some of our sick white brothers?

Well, I don’t know what will happen now. We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn’t matter with me now, because I’ve been to the mountaintop. And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land!

And so I’m happy, tonight.

I’m not worried about anything.

I’m not fearing any man!

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!!

The thoughts swirling through my head with the recent release of Notorious and the pending inauguration of Barack Hussein Obama all have a focal point of the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. Particularly, I’m always concerned with a few parts of his legend that have turned into fable, and have almost made it impossible for the younger generations to feel empowered by the Civil Rights Movement. (Some of the inspiration for this post came at the behest of CNN’s Soledad Brown’s interview with Fred Gray, Rosa Parks’ lawyer during the pivotal bus sit-in, who is still quite sharp.)

These are a handful of things everyone can take to the younger generation in case even we forget what’s truly possible:

1) Rosa Parks was neither lazy nor stubborn. She was a protester who knew what she was doing when she sat on that bus, and she knew who had her back.

2) The movement may have had male figureheads, but the movement wouldn’t have even been possible without the women in the movement, and everyone who’s anyone knows it.

3) From some reports, MLK Jr. was actually reluctant to even get into the movement, but eventually felt it was the best thing to do.

4) Most of the movers and shakers of the movement were really young. Some of the Black Panthers were late teens or college students. The same can be said for the Brown Berets, Young Lords, Yellow Fist, etc. MLK Jr. was still a preacher at 25, but he was assassinated at 39. Malcolm X was also assassinated at 39. Rosa Parks was 35 during the infamous bus incident.

5) Despite videos and tales to the contrary, the people who marched, protested, and made noise were relatively few. Thus, it only takes a few to shake millions.

6) Unlike many rappers who have professed their suicidal thoughts to the masses, MLK Jr. didn’t say the aforementioned “Mountaintop” speech because he was somehow depressed or disillusioned with the world around him. He, like other Civil Rights leaders, actually feared for their lives because they were HELPING ADVANCE EQUALITY FOR ALL!

Now some of these facts might come off as a little morbid, but the residuals of these ideas have almost made many of our young brethren ostentatious when unnecessary but timid when it comes to civil action. Rather than actually feeling some inspiration about these awesome figures in this country’s history, many of them cower and shun those times in favor of more individualistic goals and a lavish lifestyle.

Thus, tomorrow’s inauguration is truly symbolic not simply because Barack Obama’s a Black man in the White House or because it comes at the heels of MLK Jr. Day, but also because this president’s whole campaign was about igniting the younger generation, and relying on their expertise. Maybe percentagewise, it may not have been much of a difference, but the people who took to the blogs and the streets is impressive, and maybe then, too, we’ll have a new generation who finds value in giving life and limb for a cause that benefits the greater.

Jose, who doesn’t believe in this post-racial business, you need more people …

p.s. – Dick Cheney hurting his back moving out of the office? Wow. Not that coincidental.

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The World Is Not Enough (World AIDS Day 2008)

by Jose on December 1, 2008 · 5 comments

in life

World AIDS Day 2008

World AIDS Day 2008

AIDS is not a disease in isolation.

My first consciousness of AIDS didn’t come from Magic Johnson’s infamous press conference, per se. Around my way, the acquired immunodeficiency virus was a deadly version of the kooties. Kids would run around tagging each other with “the big, bad AIDS,” and some even alleged that the most unpopular girl in the class had AIDS and all sorts of infections just for the sake of ostracizing her. In other words, we hadn’t been taught the severity of the virus nor would we take AIDS / HIV seriously until someone who everyone identified as “cool,” “heterosexual,” and “worth our time” (kids can be so trifling) contracted it and came out on national television.

Thus, the televised conference of Magic coming out with HIV shook many of us who had previously pegged this wicked disease as strictly for gay men (again, completely uninformed). This coincided with my membership into the Milliken Boys (and some Girls) Club, where they taught some of the older members about sex, a series of workshops I found fun and useful at the same time. However, looking around, these ladies and gentlemen also tended to be the more intelligent people in the house, and while I think we needed to know, there was a much larger population downstairs who needed the information that much more.

Magic Johnson on Time Magazine, February 12th, 1996

Magic Johnson on Time Magazine, February 12th, 1996

Because they weren’t exposed.

Because I saw personally how their lives had been affected by the typical ailments of the hood: early pregnancy, drug addiction, homicide and suicide, and increasing drop-out rates.

And the higher I went in education, the more exposed I was to the dangers of the AIDS virus. In high school, a man came to visit us and show us the 32 or so pills he had to take daily just to stay alive. In college, my Latino organization ran workshops and went to workshops discussing sex, and asked the health center to provide us with as many facts as possible.

AIDS, for those that never made it to that workshop in Milliken, was just another “problem” to deal with rather than a serious pandemic, and the more some social forces began to advocate for prevention and destigmatization over the last 2 decades (public service announcements, musicians, philanthropists), the more other social forces began to just peg it on specific communities (gay men, down-low men, Black women, prostitutes, the whole continent of Africa). Even Magic went from blaming others for his unfortunate and irresponsible sexual behavior to “not having HIV anymore,” or letting people think so, which in turn lends itself to a lack of responsibility on the part of anyone watching.

The impact of Magic Johnson getting the virus transformed the worldwide perception of AIDS, but for dudes or girls in the hood, it didn’t make many of them any more eager to ask the pertinent questions about their sexual health history or wait before making that next big step. By no means am I a sexual conservative, but after all I’ve seen, I really have a profound understanding of the “hard lesson;” if the person doesn’t experience it, then there’s no real connection for them.

We cannot waver in our interest for a cure for AIDS can waver in a time when we desperately need to find cures. At some point, cures can drive down the costs of medicines purchased, sold, and distributed for a costly disease. Information is the #1 deterrent against AIDS. Conspiracy theories aside (because you know how much I love those), I also think the national governments play a role in the research and education of children all across the world. It’s not just a “Black” issue or a “Latino” issue; it’s a world issue.

When it comes to this disease, the world simply acknowledging its existence is not enough. It’s not enough to wear the ribbon and wear red. It’s not enough for us to write blogs and tweets, and watch TV specials on HIV / AIDS. We need a wave of concentration on it, before we have any more “learning the hard way” how dangerous the disease is. We already have 33 million of those.

For more information, please refer to the World AIDS Day 2008 site.

Jose, who wonders what was your personal experience with AIDS /HIV …

p.s. – Thanks to Yobachi for getting us organized around this salient issue.

Bloggers Unite

Bloggers Unite World AIDS Day

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Pre-Blog Action Day: What Can I Do?

by Jose on October 13, 2008 · 4 comments

in life

In a revelatory moment in the film The Express, an older Will Davis Jr. and Ernie Davis attend a local NAACP meeting, discussing plans to rally in the South. Just then, Ernie Davis discusses his fears about his political involvement, citing how Will has no understanding of the complex relationship between him and his school, and how Ernie might lose his scholarship and possibly his good standing with the team. Then, in the heat of the moment, Will Davis says, “It’s about more than running a football.”

Profound, and yet, a necessary reminder to those of us “in good standing” with our own jobs. All indications around us show that we have less privacy these days, and that can make us extremely guarded to the point where we don’t want to reaffirm our innermost and passionate beliefs. We could lose our jobs, our livelihood, and any chance of making any real changes. How effective are you if you’re in jail or you don’t have any financial backing?

Then, we also have these conflicts with our ancestors who we aspire to, maybe even without an understanding of the era they came from. The spirit of so many justifiably angry men and women from the past call our names in chorus, hoping we’ll get off our rear ends and rebel-rouse for the myriad of problems afflicting us and the human race. People all across generations, cultures, sexes (and genders), and classes have involved themselves in the struggle for true world peace and harmony. They risked everything from their digits to their lives in the hopes that people like you and me could have privileges they never had.

So do we speak up or sit down?

Prime example: Barack Obama. In my heart of hearts, I believe he does have socialist inclinations, and that’s a good thing, especially since many of our best programs are geared towards the betterment of Americans as a whole (social security, veterans benefits, and public housing come to mind immediately), but I also see that, as a Presidential nominee, he needs to cater to the majority of Americans, and any inkling of “anti-American” rhetoric will be reflected in his chances for the presidency, already a daunting task for a Black man with a Middle Eastern middle name. While I don’t agree with all of his plans, I understand why he approaches his campaigning the way he does. (It’s also why Rev. Wright, for all his credits, was wrong for getting at Barack.)

But the times are different now, too. Would Muhammad Ali have become so radical if he was getting paid millions, getting endorsement deals left and right, and have a publicist for his moves? Would Jim Brown have been as popular if he exposed his views the way he did back in his day and would ESPN actually interview him for more than 45 seconds? Notice that Kobe Bryant and LeBron James have taken great political stances lately, but when asked for comment about their respective causes, they end with a broad statement about how they’re basketball players and not politicians (in the hopes that they won’t cross that line).

And that’s just on the surface of a very divisive issue. What can we do? What will we do? Where do you stand on your personal activism?

jose, who continues to blog about his passions …

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I Am A Community Organizer: The Genesis

by Jose on September 8, 2008 · 3 comments

in life

This morning, on my doorknob, I got a flyer from some group detailing the negative aspects of Daniel Squadron, a young man who’s running for New York State Senate, representing Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn. The whole Lower East Side has been abuzz with community activism and political stationing, not so much about the presidential candidate (almost all of the hood reps for Barack), but this rather intriguing and upcoming election for State Senate. As far as community organization, the LES is loyal (sometimes to a fault) to certain candidates who use proletariat politics to get us in the voting booths on behalf of them.

Now, without getting into too much of those politics, because frankly, I’m not as informed as I should be, I find it interesting that the battle of whose serving for whom is heavily dependent on people’s utter prejudices rather than looking at the issues and actually going with what their actions. For example, Nydia Velasquez, the US Congresswoman who represents Lower Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn, is probably one of my favorite politicians because her record speaks for itself. She’s been doing it for what feels like forever (15 years to be exact), and has done it well. You never hear about any scandals from her, and she’s the head official of the US House Committee on Small Business, so her interest obviously lie in her community even if she’s in Washington. She usually makes her presence felt in our hoods and while other people’s name may flounder in popularity, hers stay steady.

And that’s really all I need from a politician. I’m not asking them to change the world, but I do ask them to keep their community’s interest at heart. It’s easy to walk into those Romanesque edifices and kowtow to the special interests and political games in those hollow chambers, but it really takes someone who understands what a “public servant” does and do that to the best of their abilities. I’m not saying Ms. Velasquez is Queen of perfection, but her recent vote as the most progressive politician in New York, a progressive bastion, should let you know why our hood likes her so much.

Now, when I look at Squadron, I see the face of the new Lower East Side / Brooklyn: young, bearded, White, and unfamiliar. He looks like the guys who peruse the night scene on 1st Street or Ludlow, and that makes me itch. From what I understand, he barely lived and worked here in NYC, mainly as an aide for Senator Chuck Schumer. While the photo ops are nice, I’m not sure he’s actually in tune with the community as he should be. Then, I look at Martin Connor, and I see … an older White gentleman. He’s been around a while, but I ask myself if he helped or hurt our neighborhood, so different from he first took office. Furthermore, I feel like I only hear of Marty Connor’s name during elections.

And it’s with that thinking that the role of community organizer becomes ever more important. Activist groups such as PHROLES address issues pertaining to public house in my hood. Social workers, parents, and teachers in this city are going to the important meetings and rallies to keep our interests (which is specifically our children’s interests) in the ears of politicians who only want to read off a sheet rather than come from the gut. Even subgroups such as 100 Black Men in Law Enforcement often takes stances that contradict their employer’s positions for their community’s benefit. That’s powerful.

With the understanding of the complex politics of New York City with its varying degrees of liberal and progressive ideas, it’s hard to jump into community organization when there are so many options. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. I just hope that whatever path I choose will

a) be in line with most of my ideals
b) will serve the people and not the “masters”
c) keep the people who I represent informed and active

Because if I can’t meet either of those requirements, I can’t honestly say I serve those people. Maybe that’s something our public servants should take heed of.

jose, who has 2 dangerous posts coming up this week …

p.s. – Please support the blogs around the web contributing to the Blogging Day of Justice today, starting with Electronic Village.

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It’s A Must That I Bust Any Mic You Hand To Me

by Jose on July 29, 2008 · 7 comments

in life

I’d like to tell my children, whoever they may be, that I was an activist someday. And by children, I mean the ones I borrow for 10 months a year, but I mean the ones I hope to have in the future, too.

I don’t mean that I’ll be rebel-rousing in my school per se. It’s bad enough I know some of my administrators are reading every word I write carefully. I wouldn’t want them to think I’m trying to start a revolution in our building ::ahem::. In school, as a matter of fact, I tend to maintain a very professional attitude, doing my best to be completely respectful of the students and faculty I encounter on a daily basis. When people ask me for my opinion, I usually give them a blanketed statement that comes straight out some manual on best teaching practices. If not, I give my best opinion, but make it so it’s constructive and non-judgmental.

But when the door closes, I want to give my kids the reality that they may face out there. I want to tell them how the war’s a hoax, how billion-dollar corporations have the gall to help raise gas prices while simultaneously lower wages and cut jobs every quarter, how our president and vice president have no shame whatsoever about their corruption of the US Constitution, how this country’s foundation came at fractionating people who weren’t rich white males, how the world will not look too kindly on children from their neighborhoods, and how they should never forget the struggles where they came from.

The problem with that is: I’ll be labeled a radical.

Oooh. Just the thought that I might impart the documented but often hidden truth to students who often have a distorted vision of the country agitates some to the point that they’ll label me as such. Would I prefer to be downgraded to some title like “liberal” or “anti-war” knowing my past and present thoughts and behavior? My affinity for Rage Against the Machine and Immortal Technique? My protests against NYC budget cuts, against calls to repeal affirmative action, for true immigration reform, and against racist and sexist policies by others on my former campus? My affiliations with activist groups I’ve been a part of, have joined, or will be a part of eventually? My blogroll? Some of the search results that lead people to my interviews and writings? My poetry? Never that.

And I have a hard time looking at people who grew up with similar upbringing to mine and consider themselves moderates. At the risk of sounding belligerent, take a damn side. We can’t sit idly by while so many of us fall down like dominoes in an intricate display of callous tumble design. As much as I like building bridges in the blogosphere and connecting with people who may not necessarily agree with me, I also don’t see any way for me to compromise myself and my ideals, especially with everything I know.

Then I look at my kids, and wonder how much their educational system really values social studies and being informed of current events and history. I wonder how much all these distractions have pulled them away from trying to actually understanding the intricacies of why their cousin’s in jail, why they have a hard time seeing themselves anywhere besides rap videos and the wrong end of a murder story, or why both of their parents have to work at all hours of the day and people still call them lazy.

If trying to find real and ethical answers and solutions to these questions makes me radical, I’ll take that proudly.

jose, who gets the microphone fiend in him every so often …

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The More You Know, The Less You Feel

by Jose on April 24, 2008 · 10 comments

in life

I once heard of a young man who thought so critically, and was so intelligent, he had to wear headphones just to tranquilize him. As if the thoughts he had in his head wouldn’t even let him socialize normally with others. I can only imagine how loud he had to put his headphones just to drown out those thoughts about the world. Confucius once said that the more you know, the more you realize you know nothing, but I add, that the more you think you know, the more inclined you are to ignore the human aspects of the things you know. It’s more than the “ignorance is bliss” conjecture; it’s the inability to go out and enjoy the one life we’re given (or for some of you, the life that you’re given presently).

Sometimes, we’re so encumbered with being the deepest thinker, the best polemicist, or the most potent orator that we forget to feel something for another. Many would recall how I rode on a high horse for the majority of my college career, in part because of the influences around me and their high expectations for every and anything, but also it was a personal crusade to change the way people thought. While it was well-intentioned, it was also taxing to my intimate life, and often while I thought I was giving the proper motivation to some, I was really demoralizing them. Sometimes I would avoid dealing with some issues in favor of this greater goal for some common good.

I think of my ex-roommate Howard, whose now doing really well for himself in the greater Boston area. We seemed like polar opposites. He was neat, I was a little messy. He was mostly Republican, and I was liberal, but bordering on anarchism. He focused on his school work hard, and I focused on my extra-curricular activities. He lived in the Syracuse area for the majority of his life, and I was from NYC. He owned most of Master P’s CD collection, and I couldn’t stand Master P except for “Make Em Say Uhhhh!” Oh yeah, and he’s White and I’m a Black –Latino.

While I was out there protesting, calling people on their crap, reading up on every and anything related to the Ma’at and the Maa’fa (i.e. the African Slave Trade / Holocaust), organizing events, petitioning to become the education chair (and de facto president) of La LUCHA, and speaking out against White privilege in clandestine meetings, I was also having deep conversations with Howard about love (and lack thereof), sports, and even politics. As these conversations became more frequent during our senior year, I saw how much of my misdirected anger at people who also have their own battles really hurt my arguments for unity and peace. For every time I got angry because I barely made it financially at SU, I also had to check myself, because his family had to work just as hard without the benefits of financial aid. With some of the knuckleheads we had on campus, he might have had an argument for wondering why he didn’t get their financial aid since they were wasting it.

We’re there in our living room, maybe playing NBA Street, or wondering what our then girlfriends thought of us, but we’re there learning lessons about people we may not have known as much about. At times, we went through some struggles getting adjusted to each other’s lifestyles, but that’s what growing looks like. I taught him a little about how to stay on beat, and he gave me my first glass of Blue Moon, my favorite beer on Earth. We weren’t Jack and Cola, or Crockett and Tubbs, but out of the few roommates I have had, he’s probably my favorite.

I couldn’t have arrived at that point if I stuck with my often divisive extremism. I still protested, and held my ground on many issues related to racism, economic stratification, sexism, etc., but I also grew, considering the other person’s experiences and valuing their own humanity. I don’t believe in compromising one’s self for the sake of pleasing others. But there is something to be said for the man (or woman) who can mature and delve deeper into the human experience before he / she says something they don’t understand.

When we think about Human Rights in this or any country, the first step in becoming an advocate for social change is to look at oneself. Understand more thoroughly where you’re coming from and how the experiences you’ve had have molded you into the person you are. Once that’s settled, then other people’s arguments become easier to analyze. You won’t necessarily agree, but it’s much more imperative to listen and understand than to walk around with a pair of headphones, guarding you from your own fear and thus your humanity …

Jose, who along with Wayne, acknowledges Human Rights Day today …

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Day Of Solidarity for Darfur: What You Can Do

by Jose on April 13, 2008 · 10 comments

in life

I’ll discuss more of that tomorrow, but today, I have a special purpose. Days like these remind me why I often think about issues globally, but also try to balance it out with what we can do on an individual, local, and national level. Joining the Afrospear has often given me the opportunity to lend my voice to some of the most socially active bloggers walking this Earth, from Wayne Bennett, who heavily promotes and connects some of these sites, to Eddie Griffin, an advocate for those in the prison industrial complex, as well as other popular blogs like Field Negro, What About Our Daughters, Jack and Jill Politics, and Dallas South Blog. The diversity of activism in this community often makes for strong conversations about the state of the world today.

Then there’s me. Not that I’m here to compare myself to any of these fine bloggers, but when ModernMusings approached me to pledge for a day in Darfur, at first I felt reluctant, strictly because I didn’t feel that I knew enough about Darfur to contribute my voice. After doing a little research, however, I found myself in a wonderful position to talk about the struggles in Darfur, understanding the interconnectedness of the situation there, and many of the situations I’ve heard from where we live.

While Wayne of Electronic Village has already contributed much of his time and efforts to inform others of the struggles in Darfur, Sudan, I personally want to take the time answer the question: What as an individual can I do to contribute? Besides signing petitions, becoming informed, and voting for government officials who address those situations, it starts becoming more difficult and daunting to think of ourselves as change-makers. But if you start thinking of your own voice as an agent for change, then there’s nothing that’s impossible.

With that said, here’s my list of things I pledge to do not only for Darfur, but the communities where we often neglect to take care of:

1. Continue my work with Penny Harvest:

It’s been rewarding to see the effort and time my kids have put into contributing to the Penny Harvest. The 8th grade for instance actually took the time to research an organization, set up a trip, and had a class discussion to see where they would donate their portion of the money to. That’s powerful, and if we can continue that tradition into the new few years, we’ll start to see change, and hopefully make the students see why activism is important.

2. Contribute more time to GOLES (Good Old Lower East Side) organization:

I love my neighborhood. I often think about how the gentrification in my neighborhood will most definitely push my friends, family, neighbors, and acquaintances out of this neighborhood, one that those very people built and made the place to be.

3. Infuse more socially activist themes into my lessons:

With the state testing over, I now have more room to take my time and discuss social issues with my students. I’ve done it a couple of times, but some success, but I need to use my position more effectively to inform my students of things happening outside of their neighborhood. (For instance, check these lessons about Darfur.)

4. Learn more about the human rights violations happening here as well as abroad.

The recent report on human rights violations by the US makes me realize that, as potent as the protests against the Olympics have been, we should also protest with such vigor against the injustices happening here.

5. Become more informed about history.

As I’m starting to become more informed, I’m starting to see that the lessons we can learn from history often repeat themselves, and so once we find what the solutions were before, then maybe we can solve some of the problems we’re facing in this day.

And so, activism isn’t just wearing a bandana and holding your fist up in the air; it’s about promoting ideas of progress and change for the better.

But don’t take it from me. Do it for yourself. What can you do? A whole lot …

jose, all mathed out from my trip to Utah …

p.s. – Here’s everyone else contributing to today.

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