May 18, 2008
CCCC'S BLOG
CCCC's has created a blog that will be devoted exclusively to diversity issues. According to the blog description, every two weeks a guest writer will post/initiate a conversation devoted to a particular issue that warrants intellectual discussion and response. The first guest blogger will be Victor Villanueva, and his post is set to appear on 29 May. Let's do what we can to see that this blog not only has respondents, but productive conversations that might go beyond the blogosphere. As we all know, diversity is an issue that has yet to establish a strong foothold within our discipline, despite the occasional nods, guest editors to our journal, and public displays of acknowledgment.
Posted by dvaldesd at 03:46 PM | Comments (0)
July 26, 2007
Latinas avoid college because they are fat?
The fact that Latino/as have the highest drop rate in the states in not new, but to discover that Latinas want to avoid college because of their weight is astounding to me.
Wow. I have three daughters, and only one of them is overweight. It took me years to deprogram her into believing that there is nothing wrong with wearing a size 14-I know plenty of men that like women with meat on their bones. Here is the irony of this situation-education is a priority for me, so I made it a point to live in a one of the best school districts in the country. The only problem is (you guessed it!) that it is a predominantly white school district filled with young women who would rather starve than buy stretch jeans (and boys who only want to date skinny girls). So, while my daughter was getting the best education I could provide her with, the price was high. It wasn't until my mother suggested a trip to Puerto Rico that it occurred to me that once she saw how WE define beauty, she would realize that the problem had more to do with ethnocentricity than obesity. I am happy to report that she returned from Puerto Rico scantily clad and proud to be who she was, but what if my mom had not taken her on that trip? How would I have ended the dangerous cycle of depression that she was experiencing prior to that trip? I don't know what I would have done.
The sad part is that it is a lose-lose situation. Education vs. Self-Esteem. If we want to go to the best schools, that usually means that we are not around our own people, unless we reside on our homeland. If we want to surround ourselves with our familiars, then that means we will most likely not be going to the best schools possible. What do we do? To assume that schools will amend their curriculum to include teaching self-esteem to a particular ethnic group is a great hope, but alas unrealistic. If we can't even get new textbooks for many our Latino/a students, how do we begin to actually effect any change regarding this issue?
The fact that it has become so important to join the (ab)norm distresses me, because it means that our culture is being forever impacted by another culture's standards...is that one of the tenets of colonialization?
Posted by dvaldesd at 04:54 PM | Comments (3)
May 16, 2007
2 by 2
The latest in from Greenpeace...(quoted from Adelphia.net)
ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) — Environmental activists are building a replica of Noah's Ark on Mount Ararat — where the biblical vessel is said to have landed after the great flood — in an appeal for action on global warming, Greenpeace said Wednesday.
Turkish and German volunteer carpenters are making the wooden ship on the mountain in eastern Turkey, bordering Iran. The ark will be revealed in a ceremony on May 31, a day after Greenpeace activists climb the mountain and call on world leaders to take action to tackle climate change, Greenpeace said.
"Climate change is real, it's happening now and unless world leaders take urgent, decisive and far-reaching action, the next decades will see human misery on a scale not experienced in modern times," said Greenpeace activist Hilal Atici. "Those leaders have a mandate from the people ... to massively cut greenhouse gas emissions and to do it now."
Many countries are struggling to address global and national standards for carbon emissions. U.N. delegates are meeting this week in Germany to prepare for December negotiations on a new set of international rules for controlling emissions. The new accord would succeed the Kyoto Protocol, which ends in 2012.
Climate change will also be on the agenda when the Group of Eight major industrialized countries — the U.S., Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, Canada and Russia — meet in Germany in June.
Posted by dvaldesd at 01:43 PM | Comments (0)
March 27, 2007
Letter to the Committee
I just got an e-mail from our shared reading committee concerning the freshman book for 2008. With next year's CCCC's on my brain, and the site where it will be taking place, I couldn't help but wonder to myself when the last time was that I even heard anyone discussing Katrina. Usually, I don't pay these types of e-mails any attention mostly because I don't think my vote will make a difference. But this time I felt I had to try, so this is what I wrote:
Hi Judith.
My name is Denise Valdes-Doty. and I am a second year Ph.D student in the Writing Program. I would like to nominate the book Why New Orleans Matters, by Tom Piazza. My suggestion is based on a few things: Firstly, I feel that in the midst of our current political activities in Iraq and beyond, we have lost sight of the fact that we have a very real tragedy happening right here at home. While no longer valuable press for tabloids and the like, the residents of New Orleans are still attempting to reconstruct their lives in ways that subtly defy our authentic understanding of them. There are many changes happening at that site that include more than simple recovery. For example, the influx of Latinos (both legal and illegal) has grown exponentially since before Katrina hit. Additionally, health care has become a concern as well. These themes can be carried throughout the semester not only in our writing studios, but also across the curriculum in disciplines like geography, sociology and certainly psychology. The changes in population, health care, and emotional stress are issues that we, in academia, need to keep on the front burner. While I have not yet read this book, it is certainly on my list for summer reading. Hopefully, it will provide us with a point of entry with which to take these and any other issues concerning our fellow citizens up with rigor, ambition, and empathy.
Thanks for considering this book.
Posted by dvaldesd at 04:23 PM | Comments (0)
September 19, 2006
More Tacit Racist Practices
This is an example of how far the ugly arm of racism stretches. The most infuriating thing is that we all know what is going on; this is less about hair care and more about the destruction of cultural practices that maintain or reinforce African (american) pride. And, of course, it is also about capitalism and the perpetuation of poverty among under-represented peoples. The more we have to pay for licenses, the more obstacles there are. Hence, the harder it is for us to acquire wealth, prosperity, and FREEDOM! It seems to me that although the maneuvers are subtle, they are obvious to those of us that have been and continue to be victimized by the power of racism-and those that wield the power.
States Debate Licenses for Hair Braiders
Tuesday, September 19, 2006 2:22 PM EDT
The Associated Press
By PATRICK WALTERS
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Assatou Balde's hands flick smoothly back and forth above her client's partially uncovered head, quickly weaving strands of hair called microbraids and affixing them to the woman's natural hair.
Next to her, Nene Balde goes through a similar process while braiding the locks of another customer. The two sisters' hands twist and pull with silent, hand-over-hand movements they learned long ago and now come to them like a reflex.
But above the quiet artistry at Nene's Hair Braiding in West Philadelphia, rising over the sounds of a soap opera blaring in the background, simmers a burgeoning debate over a new state law that will require hair braiders to get special licenses.
"She got licensed to braid my hair when I paid her," Tasha Budd, 27, called out as Assatou Balde began the hours-long process of putting the tiny braids in her hair. "Why do you need a license in 2006 when they've been braiding all these years? They just want your money."
Supporters say the special licenses will keep braiders from getting unfair fines of up to $1,000 for not being licensed cosmetologists. But there is tension in the braiding community nationwide as some say the government is targeting an African art and may put immigrant braiders out of business.
At Nene's, braids like the ones Budd was getting cost between $140 to $160 for a process that can take five or six hours; cornrows come in at $50. Since the regulations haven't been finalized, the state hasn't determined exactly how much the permit and educational classes would cost.
Some also worry about the plight of immigrant braiders who came to America with very little to their name and often don't speak English, a skill they would likely need to get through certification classes.
"They came here with that craft," said Bertina Pelzer as she worked on a client's hair at Duafe Holistic Hair Care in North Philadelphia. "That is their only means of getting any sort of income."
Pennsylvania is the latest state to step into the debate over braiding. Nine others, including New York, Florida, Virginia, South Carolina and Louisiana, have special braiding licenses. Others, including Arizona, California, Kansas and Maryland, exempt braiders from cosmetology laws.
In Mississippi last year, the state removed a requirement for African-style braiders to have either a 1,500-hour cosmetology license or a 300-hour wig-specialist license. Braiders had called the licenses expensive and irrelevant. Under a new law, professional braiders have to take a self-guided test and pay a $25 fee; they also receive a brochure about sanitation.
The owner of Duafe, Syreeta Scott, believes there should be some sort of code of conduct for braiders, but has mixed feelings on the law. She recently had to let some braiders go, in part because they didn't want to get the hair-braiding license.
The law, which went into effect earlier this month, requires 300 hours of training through the state's Board of Cosmetology. If a braider can prove he or she has been practicing for at least three years, only 150 hours of training would be required.
Fines against braiding establishments have also ceased and now the Pennsylvania Department of State has 18 months to come up with specific braiding regulations, said State Rep. Rosita Youngblood, a Philadelphia Democrat who supported the legislation. Before the change, the law considered braiders to be cosmetologists and required them to have the associated 1,250 hours of training.
At Kinky Creation in the East Oak Lane section of Philadelphia, owner Jena Rogers said she understands the concerns of braiders who object to the licensing requirements.
"People look at braiding as a craft. It's like a God-given talent, so why pay taxes for something that's a craft or a gift?" Rogers said. "People like being underground."
Nevertheless, the licensing is a step forward for the profession, she said, one that will help ensure that braiders know more about sanitation and the various related medical conditions such as alopecia, a scalp problem caused by braiding too tight.
It also means the fines will stop. From 2000 through 2005, more than 30 citations were issued to braiders in the Philadelphia area for unlicensed activity, according to the Hairbraider's Association of Philadelphia and Vicinity.
"There's no real health and safety issue here," said Valerie Bayham, staff attorney with the Institute for Justice, a Washington-area group that has challenged state braiding laws across the country.
The regulation will put road blocks in front of people trying to earn a living, she said: "This is not chump change. It's a lot of money and a lot of time."
She pointed to states such as Florida and South Carolina have shorter programs geared toward health and safety. Kansas and Mississippi issue a one-page flier that needs to be posted in salons.
Pelzer counts herself among those torn over Pennsylvania's new law.
It's not a bad thing for customers to know their braider has been trained in their craft, she said. She also does believe braiders should be paying taxes and know about sanitary rules.
But can a school effectively teach part of a culture that is passed down through generations, learned on front stoops and sidewalks?
"With this, they're trying to take it away," Pelzer said as she starts locks on Charity Bell's hair. "Some of this stuff you can't be taught. When it's cultural, it's within, raised up in you."
Some see the change as a perfect example of government stomping on ethnic tradition.
"I think it's like stepping into our culture," Bell chimed in.
Supporters, however, point out that there can be serious problems if people are not properly trained how to braid. Braiding too tight can cause hair to fall out.
Amadou Balde, the owner of Nene's Hair Braiding and the father of Assatou and Nene, said he thinks the state's original cosmetology license requirement was unfair. But now that the license is specifically for braiders, people should do their best to comply, he said.
"Go learn some English and try to pass the test," said Balde, who moved to the U.S. from Senegal in 1987. "We are not in Africa anymore, we are here."
Posted by dvaldesd at 06:07 PM | Comments (0)
August 09, 2006
Justified Homicide- No Surprise
So, after the murder of this so-called militant in Puerto Rico, the investigation conducted by our government has unsurprisingly cleared the agents that shot Filiberto Ojeda Rios. I find it interesting how this report has changed-the first report stated that the shooting of Rios was unprovoked, and in addition to this sanctioned murder, the CIA refused to allow medics to enter this mans house to administer treatment for his gunshot wound. Some bullshit I just can't swallow. En serio.
FBI Cleared in Deadly Puerto Rico Raid
Wednesday, August 9, 2006 7:08 PM EDT
The Associated Press
By MANUEL ERNESTO RIVERASAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — FBI agents were justified in shooting to death a Puerto Rican militant in a September 2005 raid, federal investigators said Wednesday in a report that was dismissed by pro-independence activists as a cover-up.
Filiberto Ojeda Rios shot at agents as they came to arrest him at his rural home in western Puerto Rico, justifying their return fire, the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General concluded in a 237-page report. Ojeda shot three agents during the raid and one of them was seriously wounded.
"He clearly posed an imminent threat to the agents," said the report, which also found authorities were justified in waiting 18 hours to enter the home after Ojeda was shot, out of concern that he or other unknown gunmen still posed a threat.
But investigators concluded that the FBI should have anticipated a shootout and attempted to force Ojeda, who had been a fugitive for 15 years, to surrender.
Ojeda, 72, was the leader of a militant group that claimed responsibility for bombings and attacks in the 1970s and 1980s aimed at gaining independence for Puerto Rico from the United States. In one of the attacks, gunmen opened fire in 1979 on a bus carrying U.S. sailors, killing two and wounding 10.
Hector Pesquera, co-president of an independence group, said the investigators' report was "totally contradictory" because it supported the use of deadly force but also concluded the FBI should have tried harder to apprehend Ojeda — known simply as "Filiberto" to many Puerto Ricans.
"This confirms our initial claims that they never had any intention of capturing Filiberto, that they came to kill him, not arrest him," Pesquera said. "When they weren't sure that they killed him outright, they waited until he bled to death."
Juan Dalmau Ramirez, secretary-general of the Puerto Rican Independence Party, also dismissed the report.
"This report is a cover-up," he said. "If they had followed correct procedures, Filiberto Ojeda would be alive."
New York Congressman Jose Serrano, a native of Puerto Rico, said the report confirmed his belief that the FBI should have avoided the confrontation. "I believe that if the FBI had followed procedures, the three FBI agents might not have been shot and Ojeda Rios might not have died," he said.
Ojeda was convicted for his role in the 1983 robbery of $7 million from a Wells Fargo bank depot in West Hartford, Conn. He fled while on bond but was convicted in absentia and sentenced to 55 years in prison.
In the intervening years, he became something of a folk hero among some Puerto Ricans. He would occasionally grant interviews to reporters on the island and his recorded speeches were played at pro-independence rallies. His death sparked large protests throughout the island.
The report contradicted claims by Ojeda's widow, Elma Beatriz Rosado, that the FBI agents opened fire first during the raid, but said she may have been confused by the agent's use of a non-lethal "flash-bang" outside the house.
The inspector general also said it found no evidence to confirm media reports that the FBI had information to safely arrest the fugitive away from his home.
In a statement, the FBI said it welcomed the inspector general's report and would review its recommendations, which primarily dealt with preparations for this type of raid.
"Although careful planning and preparation are part of every arrest scenario undertaken by the FBI, shooting incidents are sometimes an unfortunate result given the nature of the FBI's mission," it said.
Posted by dvaldesd at 10:05 PM | Comments (0)
May 16, 2006
A Bush Grows in Borderland
So we're back to patrolling the borders. Great. But as stated in this wonderful entry the problem lies more with what is allowed in the name of convenience than righteousness. I want to see employers of illegal immigrants put in jail. I want to see those that exploit these illegales be made responsible for utilizing poverty and powerlessness to further their own causes. Bush's doublespeak doesn’t fool me or anyone else that understands that the only thing he cares about is maintaining a "working business" relationship with Mexico so that he can further his own capitalistic goals. We all know that if the relationship between Mexico and the U.S. becomes hostile, then Bush will be forced to steal what he wants (aka going to war), and aren’t we already overextended in that capacity? Exactly. Of course, I'm not holding my breath. Latinos have been the pawn of rich whites for a long time. But I have to admit that I still hope for the day when I can exhale, and politicians like Bush get exactly what they deserve-in every way.
Posted by dvaldesd at 09:53 AM | Comments (0)
April 17, 2006
Women's Work
This is the project I am attempting for one of my classes. Suprisingly, I was able to find quite a bit of work on Latina women, specifically those that worked in the factories in the early 19th century, which is near to my heart as that was my grandmother's fate. Despite being the rare (female) high school graduate in her family, once she came to Nueva York, her training as a stenographer and book keeper was stilted because "her English just wasn't good enough". Ah...yet another reason why I think that I was destined to be a rhetorician. Exactly how much language does it take to do book keeping? But I digress... What follows is the work I am now actually thinking of pursuing with more scholarly vigor. Who said dissertation? I'm just expressing an interest is all.
When we think of societal contributions made by women, segregated images of family, motherhood, and domesticity are recalled with nostalgic warmth. Feminism conjures up another exclusionary image; White women working towards temperance and suffrage, and the overall liberation of their sisters. Seldom are these versions of womanhood expanded to include women of color, or the various contributions (fiscally, culturally, and politically) that they have made by assuming what were (and in some instances still are) considered by some to be less feminine, or less traditional roles. To that end, this paper will explore the ways in which Puerto Rican women entered the workforce during the late 19th and early 20th centuries respectively, why they were compelled to enter this male dominated arena in the first place, and how said involvement ultimately led to feminist awakenings and the Latina suffrage movement. By charting the migration pattern of Puerto Ricans and the political promises made to native islanders which initiated (what is known as) the great migration for Puerto Ricans, this paper will shed light on the pivotal roles that Boricua women played in maintaining the family structure while gaining independence through work, suffrage movements, and the fight for unionization for female factory employees. Incorporating the work done on Luisa Capetillo, it is my intention to argue that despite the patriarchal underpinnings of Latino culture, these women demonstrated agency in a way that was unique to the current historical understandings of feminism as it occurred in the early 19th and 20th centuries.
Wish me luck!
Posted by dvaldesd at 01:59 PM | Comments (0)
April 02, 2006
Truer words were never spoken
Questions about why the problem of immigration is an construction of American capitlaism? Check this out...
Immigration 101
By Molly Ivins, AlterNet
Posted on March 30, 2006, Printed on March 31, 2006
http://www.alternet.org/story/34256/
In 1983, I was a judge at the Terlingua Chili Cookoff, and my memory of the events may not be perfect -- for example, for years I've been claiming Jimmy Carter was president at the time, but that's the kind of detail one often loses track of in Terlingua.
Anyway, it was '83 or some year right around there when we held The Fence climbing contest. See, people talked about building The Fence back then, too. The Fence along the Mexican border. To keep Them out.
At the time, the proposal was quite specific -- a 17-foot cyclone fence with bob wire at the top. So a test fence was built at Terlingua, and the First-Ever Terlingua Memorial Over, Under or Through Mexican Fence Climbing Contest took place. Prize: a case of Lone Star beer. Winning time: 30 seconds.
I tell this story to make the one single point about the border and immigration we know to be true: The Fence will not work. No fence will work. The Great darn Wall of China will not work. Do not build a fence. It will not work. They will come anyway. Over, under or through.
Some of you think a fence will work because Israel has one. Israel is a very small country. Anyone who says a fence can fix this problem is a demagogue and an ass.
Numero Two-o, should you actually want to stop Mexicans and OTMs (other than Mexicans) from coming to the United States, here is how to do it: Find an illegal worker at a large corporation. This is not difficult -- brooms and mops are big tip-offs. Then put the CEO of that corporation in prison for two or more years for violating the law against hiring illegal workers.
Got it? You can also imprison the corporate official who actually hired the illegal and, just to make sure, put some Betty Sue Billups -- housewife, preferably one with blonde hair in a flip -- in the joint for a two-year stretch for hiring a Mexican gardener. Thus Americans are reminded that the law says it is illegal to hire illegal workers and that anyone who hires one is responsible for verifying whether or not his or her papers are in order. If you get fooled and one slips by you, too bad, you go to jail anyway. When there are no jobs for illegal workers, they do not come. Got it?
Of course, this has been proposed before, because there is nothing new in the immigration debate. As the current issue of Texas Monthly reminds us, the old bracero program dating from World War II was actually amended in 1952 to pass the "Texas proviso," shielding employers of illegal workers from criminal penalties. They got the exemption because Texas growers flat refused to pay the required bracero wage of 30 cents an hour. Instead of punishing Texas growers for breaking the law, Congress rewarded them.
In 1986, the Reagan administration took a shot at immigration reform and reinstated penalties on employers. They weren't enforced worth a darn, of course. In 2004, only three American companies were threatened with fines for hiring illegal workers. Doesn't work if you don't enforce it.
This brings us to the great Republican divide on the issue. Conservatives, in general, are anti-immigrant for the same reasons they have always been anti-immigrant -- a proud tradition in our nation of immigrants going back to the days of the Founders, when Ben Franklin thought we were going to be overrun by Germans. But Business likes illegal workers. The Chamber of Commerce lobbies for them. They're lobbying now for a new bracero program. What a bonanza for Bidness.
Old-fashioned anti-immigrant prejudice always brings out some old-fashioned racists. This time around, they have started claiming that Mexicans can't assimilate. A sillier idea I've never heard. Why don't they come to Texas and meet up with Lars Gonzales, Erin Rodriguez and Bubba at the bowling alley. They can drink some Lone Star, listen to some conjunto and chill.
Racists seem obsessed by the idea that illegal workers -- the hardest-working, poorest people in America -- are somehow getting away with something, sneaking goodies that should be for Americans. You can always avoid this problem by having no social services. This is the refreshing Texas model, and it works a treat.
Aren't y'all grateful that we're down here doing exactly nothing for the people of our state, legal or illegal? Think what a terrible message it would send if you swapped Texas with Vermont, and they all got health care. In Texas, we never worry about illegals taking advantage of social benefits provided by our taxpayers. Incredibly clever, no?
One nice thing about the benefit of long experience with la frontera is that we in Texas don't have to run around getting all hysterical about immigrants. The border is porous. When you want cheap labor, you open it up; when you don't, you shut it down. It works to our benefit -- it always has.
Molly Ivins writes about politics, Texas and other bizarre happenings.
© 2006 Independent Media Institute. All rights reserved.
View this story online at: http://www.alternet.org/story/34256/
Posted by dvaldesd at 12:21 PM | Comments (0)