I try to listen to various podcasts, read blogs, and watch YouTube channels and vlogs in order to supplement, and sometimes to correct or exceed, the reading I do in my doctoral studies as much as possible. The best work, I think, includes collaborations led by immigrant and immigration-focused creators and activists, like Chat It … Continue reading Being less silent: exceeding the safe confines of U.S. academic rightness
Flipping It Horizontal
By Baxito - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0 In 2018, I wrote a piece in Left Voice about the ecological nature of CUNY education: “I believe that CUNY is an educational ecology with relations flowing in many directions, meaning that what affects us as adjunct professors affects our students, which in turn affects their engagement … Continue reading Flipping It Horizontal
Cashing in on citizenship privilege
Sunday, May 6th was Mother's Day. One of the movements that has drawn my attention and respect is the movement to bail out poor Black mothers from jail, where they stay for weeks, months or longer simply because they cannot make pay the cash bail set for them. This year was the third year that … Continue reading Cashing in on citizenship privilege
Hip hop(-as-)pedagogy
I recently saw a posting for a workshop on hip hop pedagogy at my university, which I unfortunately won't be able to attend. I'm not familiar with hip hop pedagogy—which is why I'm disappointed I can't make it—but I like the idea of connecting hip hop as an expressive political force with education and social … Continue reading Hip hop(-as-)pedagogy
Doing more than just “getting by” in 2019
It's the end of January and the beginning of the semester. This is a month late in writing, but I feel like the vibe of it still rings true as classes start up and hopes for learning and growth gain root for students and teachers. These days, I'm thinking about the way in which people … Continue reading Doing more than just “getting by” in 2019
Not all immigrants are “nice”: critiquing the good immigrant trope in immigrant rights activism
2019 has begun with pain, exhaustion, and uncertainty for many people in the United States, and hope has been hard-won and tenuous. I volunteer with New Sanctuary Coalition, whose executive director, Ravi Ragbir, was forced to attend an ICE check-in this morning, one of many techniques that the government has been using to intimidate immigrant … Continue reading Not all immigrants are “nice”: critiquing the good immigrant trope in immigrant rights activism
Learning to be silent and stand by: accompaniment training to support our immigrant friends
The word friends was included without quotes in the title of this post because the unadorned word properly reflects the core values of community, solidarity, advocacy, and recognition of humanity expressed at an accompaniment training held at New Sanctuary Coalition, an interfaith/nonfaith group fighting for immigrant rights, in midtown Manhattan this past Monday. Accompaniment as defined … Continue reading Learning to be silent and stand by: accompaniment training to support our immigrant friends
Crying us a river: the New York Times’ lament of the poor education of detained migrant children
The expression "cry someone a river" according to Wiktionary has two definitions: (idiomatic, often sarcastic) To weep profusely or excessively in the presence of another person. (idiomatic, usually sarcastic, by extension) To try to obtain the sympathy of another person by complaining or sniveling. I'll focus on the first definition. The New York Times published an … Continue reading Crying us a river: the New York Times’ lament of the poor education of detained migrant children
The threat of blindness: the problems with merging education and labor
Something that has gotten little attention in the news lately is the fact that under discussion is the merging of the U.S. Department of Labor and the Department of Education at the federal level, a conversation that was apparently inspired by businesswoman and First Daughter Ivanka Trump. The fact that this momentous change is under … Continue reading The threat of blindness: the problems with merging education and labor
“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”: Mr. Rogers, the separation of immigrant families, and the complicated notion of “love”
Last night I watched Won't You Be My Neighbor?, a biopic about the life and work of Fred Rogers, a Presbyterian minister and TV personality known to people of my generation as the host of PBS show Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. Rogers donned his iconic cardigan sweaters and talked to the audience through the camera in every … Continue reading “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”: Mr. Rogers, the separation of immigrant families, and the complicated notion of “love”