Love, Race, and Liberation: ‘Til the White Day is Done

admin — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Edited by JLove Calderón, Marcella Runell

The subtitle of of JLove Calderón and Marcella Runell’s curriculum, Love, Race, and Liberation, comes from the poem “Dream Variations” by Langston Hughes.

To fling my arms wide
In some place of the sun,
To whirl and to dance
Till the white day is done.

Love, Race, and Liberation is a multimedia project that aims at heart-level transformation, even while it equips activists for ground-level work for racial justice. The work is sponsored by NYU’s Center for Multicultural Education and programs, Eradicating Racism (1 + 1 + 1=ONE), and World Up.

This text includes twenty lesson plans, which can be used together or individually, and eleven love letters from performers, writers, educators, and activists. The lessons, suitable for grade eight (approximately age thirteen) and above, are designed to take 90-120 minutes. Extension activities are included in many lessons, as well as supplemental resources. A couple of the lessons make use of the PBS film, Race: The Power of an Illusion (California Newsreel), and the film is recommended in the introductory notes. The topics covered include social identity, racial socialization, white privilege, immigration, cultural appropriation, and being an ally. There are lessons on newsworthy aspects of racial justice, notably housing, education, health care, and criminal justice.

Love, Race, and Liberation makes an excellent resource for a classroom teacher or community organizer. Whether a reader uses every lesson in the book, or chooses those topics most relevant for a given group of students, this guide will be very useful. From my reading of this book, I have already covered a couple of index cards with book titles, author names, and websites to explore.

The lessons on social identity had me remembering my undergraduate Sociology courses, when many of my classmates had not considered the multifaceted nature of our identities, or the ways in which our ideas of ourselves are socially constructed. As a white woman, I continually welcome lessons on being an effective ally in the struggle for racial justice, and Love, Race, and Liberation includes many practical reminders in this vein.

I found the love letters sprinkled throughout the curriculum very powerful. All of them reinforce the question that is the heart-matter of this volume: why are we in this struggle? To paraphrase Sofia Quintero: I am not in this to save anyone, but to liberate myself. Love, Race, and Liberation provides a welcome new set of tools for the job.

Written by: Lisa Rand, August 23rd 2010

We Got Issues!: A Young Woman’s Guide to a Bold, Courageous and Empowered Life

admin — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 13:01:00 +0000

Edited by Rha Goddess, JLove Calderón

Inner Ocean Press

Simone de Beauvoir remarked nearly sixty years ago that in our society woman occupies the negative while man occupies both the positive and neutral positions, and this remains true today. This compilation of interviews, essays and poems highlights the thoughts of young women throughout the country and spotlights voices that are often missing from public debates, allowing us to hear their voices on serious issues. The editors should be particularly congratulated for seeking out women of color and lesbians as contributors since they, more than straight, white women, are often overlooked by mainstream media.

The book contains sections on health, spirituality, “-isms” (discrimination), sexuality, friendship, motherhood, violence, finances, work, and citizenship. Each themed component ends with a “ritual of empowerment” for readers to connect with that aspect of their lives as well as a page of statistics.

Some pieces highlight challenges and frustration. E. Anne Zarnowiecki’s “To Whom It May Concern,” for example, details her experience being treated as a second-class citizen when her young son was injured, as hospital employees could not grasp the idea that the boy had two mothers rather than a mother and father. In “You Can Be Right, Or You Can Be Happy,” Ghana-Imani gives an amusing and on-target description of someone searching for perfection in a romantic partner and coming to realize that she’ll have to settle for less than that, which doesn’t necessarily mean she’ll be unhappy.

The interviews, one in each section, are the weakest area. While occasionally informative, as a whole they are unengaging. A notable exception is the interview with Chino Hardin, who spent time in jail as a teenager and now works for the Prison Moratorium Project, at the start of the segment on violence. Her discussion of the nature of violence and her own journey to understanding its impact on her life is illuminating and unapologetic.

The personal narratives of the book’s editors give us a glimpse of how the issues explored touch on their lives and those of other women. For instance, in the section “Who’s World Is This?”, Rha Goddess describes her disillusionment with electoral politics and her search for another way to make a difference.

More often than not, compilations are fragmented, but while the pieces in We Got Issues! represent a wide array of viewpoints, the editors have assembled them in such a way that they compliment each other. An enlightening read.

Written by: Karen Duda, January 12th 2007