“Cuando en puro inglés . . . trago tierra” (“When in English . . . I swallow dirt”) ~ Poetic from Trenzas-Braids

“Cuando en puro inglés . . . trago tierra” (“When in English . . . I swallow dirt”) ~ Poetic from Trenzas-Braids

ByJorge D. H. Prosperi

A major obstacle in assimilating and acclimating to a culture is learning its language.
Many Americans take German, French, Spanish or other languages in a learning environment for 2, 3,, 4, even 5 years.
Can they have a fluent conversation with a native speaker without an interpreter?
Learning a second language is an arduous challenge emotionally and psychologically, not in a classroom but when it matters – in real life situations.
It impacts mind, heart and spirit.

” ¡Qué inteligente es mi mamá!” (How Intelligent is my mother!” Spanish Poem in Trenzas-Braids

” ¡Qué inteligente es mi mamá!” (How Intelligent is my mother!” Spanish Poem in Trenzas-Braids

ByJorge D. H. Prosperi

“Pretend Reading” differs from culture to culture.
It was a traditional intervention by mothers, who did not have a formal education, but pretended to read to their child.
All it took was some crumbled papers and a mother who would not allow her past to become her child’s future.

Such a nurturer was my mother who never saw the inside of a school.
So she pretended to read to me, by way of the oral tradition, sharing stories of ancestors, elders and traditions.
Love, resiliency and perseverance were always at the core of each story ~ that continue to resonate.

Trenzas ~ “¡Yo soy!”

Trenzas ~ “¡Yo soy!”

ByJorge D. H. Prosperi

Trenzas ~ “¡Yo soy!” came to life during my youth, watching my grandmother brushing and braiding my mother’s hair and my mother passing on the loving strokes to my aunts.
Braiding was a time to ask and answer questions, for storytelling, sharing wisdom and always a time for caring and loving.
There was an intimacy about it all that always finished with besos (kisses), lingering abrazos (hugs), and with a resounding emphatic ¡Cuídate! (Be careful! Remain cautious!)
The “doñas” (elders) knew the reasons why caution needed to be ever present while “panzudos patrones” (fat cat land owners) roamed, seeking entitled desserts.

Every woman wore her trenzas with pride and dignity. There was a sameness and yet singularness as trenzas danced in the wind behind them with a story to tell.
I remember how beautiful they were… especially my mother’s trenzas… how they made me feel safe and loved as they danced behind her.

*Artistry by figurative painter Charissa Cota (Gutiérrez) of Cha Gutiérrez – “Seven Sisters of Sonora”

Fronteras ~ “Dólares cuestan dolores” ~ “América es un país sin alma” ~ Immigrants Humanizing America

Fronteras ~ “Dólares cuestan dolores” ~ “América es un país sin alma” ~ Immigrants Humanizing America

ByJorge D. H. Prosperi

Immigration is often thought of as a collective noun.
On the contrary, each immigrant is an individual and comes to America for a plethora of different reasons.
Most often to enhance the quality of their lives and in turn the lives of others.

“Scripture tells us that we shall not oppress a stranger, for we know the heart of a stranger — we were strangers once, too. My fellow Americans, we are and always will be a nation of immigrants. We were strangers once, too.”
~ President Obama, November 20, 2014

Whistleblowers ~ Coming to Terms with Earned Loyalty

Whistleblowers ~ Coming to Terms with Earned Loyalty

ByJorge D. H. Prosperi

“The choice to blow the whistle or to stay silent is a choice about the sort of person you are and the one you want to be.” ~ Carl Elliott The Atlantic 2019
What is a whistleblower?
What motivates them to stand alone against powerful institutions and individuals at personal and professional risk?
Are they traitors, malcontents or heroines and heroes to be admired and respected for their integrity and courage?
Loyalty is not a one way street.
It must be earned and based on the truth, credibility and trust.

Critical White Studies Part I ~ White Privilege

Critical White Studies Part I ~ White Privilege

ByJorge D. H. Prosperi

A controversial topic at the table of American discourse is always the construct of “Whiteness.”
A civil discussion requires a semblance of historical knowledge, context, language, critical research and thinking.
These are the tools that provide veracity, confidence and consideration of different perspectives and perceptions.
These tools also provide emotional intelligence and moral courage to stay the course, continue the conversation and even enhance it.
The discourse is not a walk in the park and can be personally exhaustive and painful.
But to fear critically examining and dissecting the tenets of -isms and phobias only speaks to the desperation of keeping such fallacies alive.
The five part series provides awareness, insights and possible solutions that remain in our hands.
The choice to engage or not has always been ours.

Five Part Series ~
Critical White Studies 1: White Privilege
Critical White Studies II: The Knapsack
Critical White Studies III: White Capital
Critical White Studies IV: Aversive Racism by the Well Intentioned
Critical White Studies V: White Loss

The Courage to Teach

The Courage to Teach

ByParker J. Palmer

“If we embrace the promise of diversity, of creative conflict, and of “losing” in order to “win,” we still face one final fear – the fear that a live encounter with otherness will challenge or even compel us to change our lives.

Otherness taken seriously, always invites transformation, calling us not only to new facts and theories and values but also to new ways of living our lives – and that is, the most daunting threat of all.” Parker J. Palmer

Critical White Studies Part II ~ The Knapsack of Privileges

Critical White Studies Part II ~ The Knapsack of Privileges

ByJorge D. H. Prosperi

“White privilege is like an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, maps, passports, codebooks, visas, clothes, tools and blank checks. Describing White privilege makes one newly accountable. As we in Women’s Studies work to reveal male privilege and ask men to give up some of their power, so one who writes abut white privilege must ask – Having described it, what will I do to lessen or end it?”
– Peggy Macintosh

Five Part Series ~
Critical White Studies I: White Privilege
Critical White Studies II: The Knapsack
Critical White Studies III: White Capital
Critical White Studies IV: Aversive Racism by the Well Intentioned
Critical White Studies V: White Loss