activism

Short Notes: Y’All Gone Learn Today [Open Letter]

by Jose Vilson on April 14, 2013

Jay-Z Smoking, Possibly a Cuban

Jay-Z Smoking, Possibly a Cuban

Last week, I wrote an open letter to educators in general, but specifically education activists, vested parties, and anyone interested in the workings of this circle. While the letter was met with plenty of praise, it had a few detractors, primarily from those who misunderstood the intent of the letter.

After a close reading and re-reading, I stand by the original letter, but shortly thereafter, I wrote a shorter version of the following as a rejoinder to those who misunderstood, because the letter applies to the last few centuries of race relations in this country, not just one particular incident.

I couldn’t care less what your affiliation is, who you represent, or what you’ve done. If the premise for why my letter has no validity is that “I wasn’t there,” then who exactly are you fighting for? It can’t be just you and your friends because I’m sure even your friends would disagree.

Furthermore, calling out a public school teacher for not being at an event you deem to be the pinnacle of your movement does not make you holier than anyone. In fact, even if I contributed less than a penny to your organization, the fact that I teach on a daily basis and throw everything into what I do for kids is EXACTLY what the movement needs. Seeking some wayward purity by demanding allegiance to your event speaks volumes about the stark difference between the movement you seek to create versus the movement that actually exists.

We can march and speak all we want, but to speak against students and teachers for not joining you at your event reeks of an elitism we can’t tolerate. Hope that helps.

In love and struggle,

Jose

P.S. – The letter wasn’t about her.

P.P.S. – “You’re an idiot, baby.” – Jay-Z by way of Bob Dylan

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Coalition Matters [featuring Bayard Rustin]

by Jose Vilson on July 29, 2012

Anytime you mention Bayard Rustin’s name as a hero, you’re good in my book. The mastermind behind the 1963 March on Washington, Rustin rarely gets mentioned by the general public as a civil rights leader, and only seems to come up whenever people (again, rarely) talk about LGBT issues in activist / POC communities. The conversation only gets uglier when people dilute his image for their own political purpose, exalting him to heights I’m confident even he would dissuade.

Let me explain. As far as I can read (and I’ve read a lot), Rustin was associated with Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., and A. Phillip Randolph in various points of their ideological growths. For someone so determined on speaking truth to power, he sure made lots of friends across a broad spectra. That leads me to believe one very obvious yet unstated axiom: coalition matters. Having a set of people whose beliefs land anywhere from moderate to radical, then bringing them under one umbrella under a few tenets they can all believe, takes a serious effort on behalf of an actual revolutionary.

All this to say that we can learn from his example. If we want to rebuild public education in the progressive vision we believe, we have to stop bolstering differences and start spotlighting our similarities. For all the talk about who’s more revolutionary or progressive than the other based on different affiliations and their form of expression, I see a common thread amongst many of us, and that’s a deep concern about the direction of public education now, and the love we have for children. We want to improve learning / teaching conditions, reduce standardized testing, proffer more relevant and worldly curriculum, and redistribute funding for schools for more parity and equity. If we can settle on those four tenets, then we’ve set a solid foundation for truly transforming education in this country.

That’s also why I have no issue holding people on the “left” or “right” accountable: getting active around these ideas isn’t a matter of ego, but a matter of coalescence, of building. I’ve agreed with people some might consider rivals at any given moment in the education sphere, and call out those who stand against my core principles.

That’s speaking truth to power. That’s the essence of coalition. Speaking about and speaking against. Action paired with speaking out.

“Loving your enemy is manifest in putting your arms not around the man but around the social situation, to take power from those who misuse it–at which point they can become human too”

Word, Mr. Rustin. Word.

Jose, who is still figuring it all out himself …

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No Church In The Wild

by Jose Vilson on June 3, 2012

Last week, Kanye West and Jay-Z premiered their video for “No Church In The Wild,” their incendiary song about rebellion in the forms of ideas and laws. Watching the video, one gets remnants of the protests happening from Wall Street and Portland to Italy and China. Activists once again get a morsel of thought from The Throne, vividly depicting open anarchy versus totalitarian rule.

Just one problem: there were no women.

At least as far as the eye could see. The whole video looked like a battle amongst men, yet the lack of women jarred me for the simple fact that any of the big revolutions / riots we’ve had in this country involved women as active participants. Originally, I didn’t notice because my privilege and perspective gave me blinders. For one, Jay and Kanye are obviously two of my favorite rap artists, contradictions and all, so I’m likely to defend their actions because they’re a reflection of me and anyone else who considers themselves a fan. Secondly, I’m a man, and, despite my best efforts to do so, I don’t always recognize the privileges I have as a man in this patriarchy.

But at least I admit it and try to tackle it to the best of my abilities. That might also be because I too have a few labels of my own that put me in a disadvantage against the mainstream. Being Black / Latino and having a poor man’s mentality, I get what it’s like when the dominant don’t get why I’m angry when my very valid point gets ostracized, ignored, or “othered.” I could just as easily curse out and hurt those who benefit from this structure much the way women hip-hop fans can to Kanye and Jay.

But to what end? You can’t change people’s hearts and minds by going after their person.

That’s how I feel when people who should know better act extra rude to others. In the 21st century, as with any, I envision activists speaking truth to power by drawing the line between personal attacks and making valid points. What we often miss about the great orators of the last century or so isn’t their taglines or their emotions, but the valid reasons behind what they believe. Points sting more, which is probably why they’re called points to begin with. If what you say has no substance, then it won’t hold up, and if it won’t hold up, then it won’t get active.

And if it doesn’t get active, then … what really makes people an activist?

Now, during some of these conversations, I was told that now is not the time for pleasantries. I agree, but there’s a sharp difference between “hey, how are you?” and “you’re a sellout.” That’s never going to get anyone who you want listening to listen, and also, it makes you open to sharp criticism in your own right. Plus, just speaking up won’t do anything. We need pointed action, and a coalition of people who, despite their differences, have a belief in making fundamental changes to what’s happening in this country. The language around it can’t just sound like you’re talking to the person that already knows, but also to the one that wants to find out.

I know that once I put this out there, the conversations may get heated once more, but that’s just it. I don’t need to be the hero. Speaking truth to power often means telling your own allies about the piece of lumber in their eyes. I’m still working on my own pick.

Jose, who was definitely talking about last week’s #SOSChat …

p.s. – I’m not referring to the entirety of the participants. Just those that made things far too personal. -shrugs-

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Where My Bread Is Buttered

by Jose Vilson on September 25, 2011

This weekend, I spent time in Syracuse University, my alma mater and the site of Coming Back Together X, a special reunion where the African-American and Latino alumni of Syracuse U can meet with students and faculty on campus every three years in the spirit of camaraderie, growth, and opportunity. This tradition has happened for the last three decades and change, illuminating an illustrious history of people that includes Dave Bing, Jim Brown, Angela Robinson, and Debra Mercado, just to name a few. When I get there, I’m among the few people representing the Millenials (’00 and up), but through the extensive research I did as an undergrad, I was able to contribute and provide context for histories about the campus that let me fit in with the elder statesman there.

As I reminisced on my days as Education Chair of La LUCHA (the premiere Latino organization on campus), I thought about how some of the things we did for the organization that made it as effective as it was. I had my set of issues, but I believe the positive outweighed the negative. If there’s one thing I missed in this list, it’s that our organization collaborated with almost everyone. Despite my personal feelings at the time about Greek-based organizations or parties as a whole, I knew that I had to find common bonds between everyone who walked through the door.

La LUCHA’s main purpose in my era was service to the people, no matter what the cost. We almost felt bad for trying to raise funds or make people pay at the door, so just breaking even was good enough for us. We collaborated with administrative offices, sororities, fraternities, the LGBT group, groups of all colors, and community members. We brought customers to new Latin restaurants and made our presence felt where otherwise we wouldn’t have been welcome. We secretly asked where our constituency was, but we publicly acted like they were already there. By the time we brought Edward James Olmos to campus with the Office of Multicultural Affairs, we had a full executive board brimming with ideas, hopes, optimism, and leadership in their own right.

We didn’t see the empty seats as a diss, but as an opportunity.

As a young student at Syracuse U, I didn’t see all this because, mentally, I rejected some of the notions promoted by my fellow students about their organizations. Every so often, I betrayed my own ideals by snickering when I heard things I didn’t like. The organization’s mission was much bigger than my ego, though. It had less to do with my own point of view about what Latinos should do, and more about what we can do. As a student, Coming Back Together 7 enlightened me on the power of knowing one’s history and the context in which our greatest student organizations worked. Time and again, they would look at us and ask questions that sparked a shift in how we brought people under our umbrella.

Now, I look at the students leading the organizations I was part of. Where once I might have seen a deficit in our socio-political action, I now see a profit in culture and rhythm. No matter what your inclination, finding common ground with others opens doors unseen with the inexperienced eye.

Mr. Vilson, who has big things poppin’ …

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Voices of Concerned Educators: Call Me Ms. Mala, Radical Mujer Tutor of Color [Maegan Ortiz]

March 26, 2010 Jose

I struggle with calling myself an educator. Despite the fact that I work daily with the children of Muslim Indian immigrants, ranging from age 4 to 13, on grammar, the quadratic equation, and reconstruction of the United States after the Civil war, being called Ms. Maegan feels uncomfortable. Despite the fact that I have helped [...]

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

January 12, 2010 Jose

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 [...]

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Does Social Media Mean Social Justice?

August 27, 2009 Jose

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 [...]

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

August 25, 2009 Jose

Denise 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 [...]

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

January 19, 2009 Jose

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 [...]

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The World Is Not Enough (World AIDS Day 2008)

December 1, 2008 Jose

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 [...]

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