Teach The Children The Truth! Ethnic Studies and Raza Studies In The TK-12 Classroom

I'm ba-aack! Welcome to Episode 18 of Teach The Children The Truth! Ethnic Studies and Raza Studies In the TK-12 Classroom!

After a long bout with Covid followed by the honor of organizing the James Logan High School Raza/Latinx Graduation, I have returned to my podcast to share the history and legacy of Chicano/Raza Graduations in the United States. I hope you find this information valuable and that you consider how you might incorporate these ideas and apply them to your own BIPOC/LGBTQ+ communities to uplift our youth.

I wish all graduates, especially those who are the first in their family to graduate, the best life has to offer!

¡Sí se puede!

In Lak'Ech.

Hello and welcome to Teach The Children The Truth!

Today's episode is dedicated to some of the hardest-working teachers on the planet, the teachers of the Oakland Education Association! On the eve of yet another teacher strike for fair and competitive wages, fully funded special education programs, no more school closures, full investment in Black and Brown schools, and the schools Oakland's children deserve, I want my colleagues in Oakland to know that they have the support of teachers across the Bay, the state, and the nation.

Please listen to a special song I have dedicated at the end of the episode: "Which Side Are You On?" It is a song from the labor movement written by Florence Reece in 1931. The wife of a union organizer, Reece's song was later popularized by Pete Seeger. My colleague Joey Notaro and I adapted the song for the 2019 Oakland teacher strike, and I have once again made a couple of changes to it for this most recent strike.

I wish my colleagues in Oakland the best and want them to know I am with them in spirit!

In Lak'Ech

Hello and welcome to Teach The Children The Truth!

This week, I focus on what the first year of teaching can be like, especially those first few days before and after you meet your students. As educators, whether you are in Ethnic Studies or another content area, we all go through those rough first years, and I wanted to share some of my memories as a first-year teacher. I spent the afternoon on Tuesday with some pre-service teachers at U.C. Berkeley and was invited to share my experiences and offer advice. I'm hoping some of those teachers will join us for the podcast this week to hear more about my story.

In Lak'Ech

Hello, and welcome to another Wednesday episode of Teach The Children The Truth! Ethnic Studies and Raza Studies in the TK-12 Classroom!

This week, I discuss the identifier terms "Hispanic" and "Latino" and how I have chosen to identify myself as an Indigenous Chicana. I share my experience as an activist and an educator and provide some context for listeners to begin their own analysis of their identity with consideration for how they may decide to identify. I hope you find this content stimulating and feel encouraged to begin your journey of self-discovery.

In Lak'Ech.

Marisa

Welcome to another episode of Teach The Children The Truth! This week, I am sharing with you the history of Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farmworker's Union, alongside César Chávez, Larry Itliong, and Phillip Veracruz. It is such an honor to be able to share with you some of the history and personal stories that connect me to this inspiring labor leader and feminist activist.

In Lak'Ech

Below, you will find various links to resources you can use in your research of both Dolores Huerta and César Chávez.

Dolores Huerta Foundation

National Women's History Museum Biography of Dolores Huerta

Dolores Huerta: The Civil Rights Icon Who Showed Farm Workers "Sí Se Puede" NPR Interview

Cesar Chavez National Monument: Dolores Huerta Bio National Park Service

César Chávez, Dolores Huerta, and the United Farm Workers Bill of Rights Institute

Dolores: PBS website

United Farm Workers Website

A Proclamation on César Chávez Day 2023 The White House

César Chávez Foundation

An American Hero: The Biography of César E. Chávez California Department of Education

César Chávez: The Life Behind A Legacy Of Farm Labor Rights NPR

César E. Chávez National Monument Website

This week, I am honored to bring to you an episode honoring the life and legacy of the great labor leader, Cesar E. Chavez. I had hoped to bring this episode to you last week in honor of what would have been Cesar's 96th birthday on March 31st, which was this past Friday.

I am sharing a lengthier episode this week since I was sick last week and could not record. I've collected all of my personal memories and much of the knowledge I bring to my students in the classroom to provide a foundation of who Cesar was and what his work meant to labor and union organizing. I hope you find this information helpful and that it inspires you to seek the answers to your own questions about this amazing human being.

Thank you for spending time with me today.

In Lak'Ech.

Marisa

Welcome to Episode 012! In this episode, we will learn about the significance of Danza Azteca, a beautiful and ceremonial dance offering of the Mexica people of Mexico and the United States, Anahuac. In addition to the many Ethnic Studies-related offerings at our school, the inclusion of Danza creates a unique opportunity for our young people to connect to their Indigenous heritage and the living practice of Danza as an offering to the Ancestors.

Students at James Logan High School in Union City have formed a student organization on campus to bring a long-time Danza community to their school as a space to practice and hopefully increase its impact on and with the young people at Logan. Danza Ollín Anahuac, an established group, used to utilize the Logan campus until the pandemic shuttered the school and forced them to practice in Kennedy Park next door. This episode will chronicle their return to the Logan campus, with interviews with the students who made it happen and the Elders that are teaching them the traditional ways of our Ancestors.

Also, please join us this coming Friday, March 24th, for a special celebration of Logan's Ethnic Studies Department's 20th Anniversary "Take Back The Mic" talent show and commemoration event. Twenty years ago this year, James Logan High School became the first public high school in the nation to create an entire Ethnic Studies Department. Our department offers courses in Comparative Ethnic Studies, Women's Studies, Asian American Studies, Filipino Studies, Raza Studies, Black Studies, and LGBTQ+ Studies, and we are in the process of creating a Southeast Asian Studies course for the future. We have a unique program at Logan that established its first Ethnic Studies Social Justice Academy three years ago at the onset of a global pandemic. Please join us for spoken word, dance, music, and an open mic at James Logan High School's Performing Arts Center at 1800 H. Street, Union City. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and ESSJ is asking for a donation.

Welcome to Episode 011 of Teach The Children The Truth! Ethnic Studies and Raza Studies In the TK-12 Classroom.

Today, we are looking back on the student walkouts in East Los Angeles, a time of great upheaval and even more significant change in my birthplace of East L.A. 1968 was a watershed year for communities of color all across the United States, and here on the West Coast, and across the Southwestern states, the change would arrive in a storm of student activism that would birth a new movement, the Chicano Movement. On the 55th Anniversary of the student walkouts, we will look at the history, timeline, student demands, and outcomes (both then and now) of this pivotal moment in Chicano American history. 

Below is a list of links and resources to include in your curriculum and help you develop activities that might help students see commonalities with their community struggles. 

Please email me your ideas or questions at [email protected] so we can develop a list of resources.

Library of Congress Research Guides

East L.A. 1968: "Walkout!" The day high school students helped ignite the Chicano power movement (Los Angeles Times, March 1, 2018)

Zinn Education Project: Walkout! (Film Resource Guide)

Sal Castro and the 1968 East L.A. Walkouts (YouTube Video)

Chicano! PBS Documentary Taking Back The Schools (YouTube/PBS Video)

Walkout! film on HBO

Precious Knowledge film can be found on Kanopy for free (connect through your local or university library) and on Vimeo for a $4.00 rental fee

Precious Knowledge film resources and clips on Dos Vatos

Today's episode will focus on the impacts of Imposter Syndrome and ways in which we can begin to address it before our youth reach college. Many students at the high school level are already beginning to doubt their capacity to succeed in college, and this will only feed into their lack of self-worth. I share a little background on what Imposter Syndrome is and how to tackle it at all levels of education, including some of my own personal experiences with "The Beast."

Also, please check out Professor Magdalena L. Barrera's new book alongside co-author Genevieve Negrón-Gonzales, titled "The Latinx Guide To Graduate School" for empowering ideas for Raza on the path to higher ed. 

In this episode, I bring together a roundtable panel of Ethnic Studies students from James Logan High School in Union City, CA. three 9th graders and two 12th graders share with you the impact that Ethnic Studies and our Ethnic Studies and Social Justice Academy have made on their lives as students of color growing up in a very diverse part of the nation. Please find ways to support Ethnic Studies students in your area!