No I Can't

When Barack was in Toledo a few months ago, I missed him by thismuch. To say I was bummed was an understatement. So imagine my excitement when I find out he's going to be in Detroit at the Joe.

After much plotting and planning, we left for Detroit at around 3pm and stood in line to see this man I'm so enamored with for over 3 hours. Braving body odor, lack of personal space, and inquisitive minds seeking to liberate scarfed heads, we persevered until the doors opened and we passed through metal detectors to prove we had no intention of harming the good Senator.

Joe Louis Arena is HUGE - it seats about 22,000 people. So we're on a mission to find the best seats possible. As is everyone else. So as I'm dodging slower seekers, I get ahead of my friends by a few steps. I look behind me and they finished talking to a woman wearing one of the volunteer badges and are walking toward me.
I asked them whats up and they replied they had been offered "special seating" behind the stage but were told I couldn't go because of the scarf I happen to wear on my head.
Thinking this another one of our jokes we often make, I say "No, seriously. What were you guys talking about?"
They reply with the same thing - dead serious.

I should mention that I've been lucky enough to not really experience discrimination firsthand. I don't have airport anecdotes starring the TSA, no remarks about WMDs under my hijab, no "Go back to your country"s, not even "yo daddy must be a terrorist" lines. Not serious ones at least. (I think its due to my beautiful melanin - most probably assume I'm blackamerican and not Arab, which of course throws out the terrorist possibility. But thats another discussion for another day) I know people its happened to and I've read and seen the stories and accounts - but I was out of my element here, unsure of how to react. So I stand there staring at them - ignoring the queasiness steadily growing in the pit of my stomach, then continued the quest for perfect seats.

After a few minutes of contemplating seating sections half-heartily, the queasiness becomes un-ignorable and is approaching rage status. So I turn to my friends and tell them I want to find that lady and ask her why. So we venture out of the arena and back into the swarming crowd looking for what I thought to be a needle in a haystack. What were the odds of finding a light-skinned, middle-aged brunette in this crowd? As I was about to give up, my friend points her out. Not gonna lie, I was ready to back out and pretend nothing happened. But the queasiness monster made another appearance. So I approached her and somewhat confrontationally asked (paraphrased because I don't really remember the exact wording in my then state of mind):

-"Excuse me ma'am, is there a reason you told my friends I couldn't sit behind the stage because of my scarf? Because this is not something I'm just wearing for the hell of it."
- "Oh no no no! Its policy - we're not letting anyone with anything on their heads like baseballs or scarves sit behind the stage. It has nothing to do with your religion!"

In other words, you can't sit where the TV cameras will see you. But don't worry, its not you! We're not even letting baseball cap extremists there either!

I could feel myself losing control. I just looked at her and walked away before this escalated. Something I'm continuously regretting as the incident ingrains itself in my mind.

As we're walking, I get a text from a friend at the Joe, who also happens to be a hijabi, inquiring about our seats. I quickly text her what happened and blindly follow my friends, not really wrapping my mind around what happened. We got the next best seats we could find in section 205 and waited for the night to start.

Sometime between the Mosaic kids singing and Chauncey making an appearance, my friend texts me back saying she just had the same experience. Great, now I know its not personal.

The speech was ok, definitely not as amazing as the ones heard on TV - but reality rarely lives up to expectations. The whole thing just totally ruined the experience of hearing Obama speak in person. My mind kept wandering to earlier events, as did my eyes as I strained to see if there were any hijabs or baseball caps behind the stage. (Visually impaired as I am, I didn't have much luck.) And the sound system sucked. But I found myself analyzing the small pieces that I did hear, and becoming skeptical as to how much change is being promised and how much will actually be achieved. Or does change mean for everyone else but me?

Action has been taken: we've contacted the Obama campaign and news has spread rapidly and have reporters ready to take a statement.

Part of me is hesitant, not wanting to make this a big deal. At the end of day, I still believe Obama is the better candidate who can realistically win. There are those who will vote for Nader or other independents running - which is fine, maybe even better morally. But how much change can we aspire to bring about if we facilitate the worse candidate's election into the White House?

But, a bigger part of me is disappointed, angry, and let-down. Disappointed I didn't do more, angry that it happened, and let-down that the Obama campaign continuously perpetuates this attitude towards Muslims and Arabs - as if being merely associated one is a sin. In the words of a dear friend: "Boss up." And start fixing the problems you pretend don't exist.

Dear Baba

You've always been my hero. InshaAllah lay taslam.

Power never takes a back step — only in the face of more power

For those who have been following the absurd firing of Karen Salazar from Jordan High in LA for teaching her students about Sidi Malcolm should check Mark's letter of resignation below. Mark Gonzales is an extremely talented poet who has been featured on Def Poetry Jam and even more talented and dynamic educator.

Shake the dust, fam.

Con Espiritu,
AfricanArab

Dear family:

It with great pain that I write this. The struggle for the education our youth deserve is a daily battle; one that speaks to the beauty of present, past and future, and all aspects of our individual and collective identity. At Jordan High in Watts, the struggle is not only mental, it is physical and emotional. A struggle to challenge and transform individuals and institutions that do not speak to nor help heal from the daily violence faced by all- whether caused by streets or police, deportation or incarceration. Yet when we who willingly choose this profession out of our love for people are attacked and harassed in ways that stifle and prevent our effectiveness, we must a make public stand.

The stand has already begun by the students, demanding the reinstatement of a fellow colleague and phenomenal organizer

Many of you I've met through my work as a poet who utilizes the Arts as an alternative intervention to the violent self medication methods we employ to deal with this sickening system we live in. The work to enhance global perspectives while transforming our localized reality is steadily becoming interlinked. Our purpose: to struggle against all methods that dehumanize, steal, and abuse our loved ones. It is estimated that of up to 40% of youth within District 7 of LAUSD are living within the foster care system; of those, several have lived through the trauma of parental deportation, intersecting the need to articulate the right to an education with the right to be free from violence, insititutional and individual. For threat of violence looms before, during, and after school when the residue of institutional trauma lingers fresh in the mind as the blue bruises on the skin.In my two years at Jordan, I have had three students shot, four become homeless, over a dozen experience court, and several who, when kicked out of their foster care placement, lived house to house. In this city called Los Angeles, we rank #1 in Teen Birth Rates and among the highest in incarceration rates. As murders by the military increase globally, so do they locally, with a 30% increase in homocides in L.A. county in the last year.

Yet rather than creating models and establishing partnerships between the abundant amount of people working to transform our communities, I have to spend my time writing rebuttals to multiple "informal classroom observations" that say nothing of my teaching ability or pedagogy, just question the justification for a "poster hanging on a wall". Another documentation was made when I used a cell phone to request graffiti removal due to the absence of a working phone in the classroom. When seeing the principal, I called him over to show him the graffiti. The next morning I found an observation form in my box with no words but: "teacher on cell phone". The previous year, after receiving a positive review on my annual evaluation, I was informed I would be transferred to another academy within the school without my consent; stripped from my students who I worked hard to build a relationship and trust with.

Recently, a colleague of mine, Karen Salazar was fired for using L.A.U.S.D.'s approved text "The AutoBiography of Malcolm X", when administrators stated her teachings were too "Afro-centric." She was then told that the school would not renew her teaching contract for the upcoming school year. Salazar's class is a favorite among students on campus, where they regularly read and analyze books and selected readings from people of color to whom the students can relate. Students, who typically skip some of their classes, show up religiously to English Class. However, much of her success has also led to constant harassment by Jordan H.S. administration. Salazar has been "observed" by the administration over 15 times in the past year. As a Jordan student put eloquently: "The school knows that Ms. Salazar is a very passionate and good teacher, and yet they want to fire her. It is not fair because there are many other teachers who don't teach anything, and they never get fired. "

In addition, the current administration under the leadership of Stephen Strachan, has overseen and or authorized:

*strong-armed tactics that have intimidated, humiliated, and controlled teachers, students and parents. *the improper purchasing and placement of metal detectors at high school entrances with money he was not authorized to spend.

*The forced scheduling of students into classes segregated by gender WITHOUT obtaining prior parental consent, as is required. * * A school-wide uniform policy without community input, much less full community approval

*Jordan High's #1 spot for LAUSD schools in SUSPENSION DAYS - over 900 suspension days were handed to students in ONE School year alone - nearly FIVE YEARS OF INSTRUCTION). *

*A mass exodus of teachers, averaging dozens of resignations at the end of each school year in which he has been at Jordan.. *The harassment, detaining, and suspension of students organizing for a better school and community.

When students recently organized to demand the contract renewal of one of their favorite teachers (Karen Salazar), many were called into the office and threatened with suspension for passing out flyers to protest her removal. As a result of community pressure, students were allowed back to their classes. Since then, the school has stopped answering phone calls, allowing them to screen calls and only allow non-Salazar and suspension related calls to be returned. The principal has now claimed to be receiving "threats" to justify the increased presence of police in front of the school. SIX POLICE CARS were brought to the front of the school the day of the protest and remained parked there to intimidate the beautiful youth of Jordan High. Increased police presence at the school has continued since last week.

Concerned community members are now DEMANDING the following:

**** The contract renewal of teacher Karen Salazar (who teaches youth about identity, critical literacy, and explicit/ implicit/ theoretical analysis using culturally relevant texts). If not, the call for the removal of Principal Stephen Strachan. ***

Action #1******* JOIN the students and community in protest of Salazar's firing tomorrow, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 11th at 3pm at Jordan High (2265 E. 103rd St, LA, CA 90002).

The Association of Raza Educators will hand-deliver a letter to the principal calling for the written renewal of Salazar's contract to avoid further actions.

If you are unable to attend, there are following actions.

Action #2) Fellow teachers from Jordan will be holding an action in support of Salazar.

Actrion #3) Email LETTERS OF SUPPORT FOR WATTS YOUTH to Students4Salazar@gmail.com or visit myspace.com/wattsstudentunion

Action #4) Forward to ALL- we must not let the erasure of our education to be allowed silently.

Action #5: Call Jordan High School & LAUSD & tell them you want Salazar to stay, otherwise we'll ask for Strachan out. When calling make sure to identify yourself as a concerned parent, community member, student, or educator.

Jordan High: (323) 568-4100 LAUSD Local District 7: (323) 242.1300 Email Board Member Richard Vladovic: richard.vladovic@lausd.net

The YOUTH DON"T WANT SYMPATHY- THEY WANT SUPPORT!

Thank you immensely for your support while working at Jordan. My work will continue because my heart will not change; To paraphrase Salazar: "Why do I teach? I have no alternative but to struggle daily for the rights and beauty of the people I love." I will be building with youth in L.A. for years to come, just not at Jordan. The demands of the Watts Student Union, ranging from "PTSD Days" to "full administrative budget disclosure" continue. Till all walls dissolve and we are able to return home to our loved ones.

Mark Gonzales, M.Ed

Educator, Poet

Founder

Human Writes Project

humanwrites@gmail.com

humanwritesproject.org

Quite possible one of the most genius things I've ever read

I think I fell in love a little.

so so tight

Deen tight.