Time to Get Meta

Some brief musings:

Lately, I've been doing a lot of thinking about my motives for doing this blog.  How do I -- a White, middle-class person who has experienced life-long privilege -- have the authority to write about books written by authors and depicting characters with different backgrounds than me?  Am I engaging in de facto segregation by writing about diverse books and labeling them as "diverse" and "multicultural"?

Q4: Othering inclusive books is a major concern. How can we avoid that in daily blogging and in inclusive features? #WeNeedDiverseBlogs

— Nicole Brinkley (@nebrinkley) October 19, 2015

Am I, as this tweet says, "othering inclusive books" by drawing attention to them?  I know that my intentions are good, but I also know that good intentions can be damaging if they perpetuate unquestioned privilege and continue to draw lines between "mainstream" and "other."

Just some questions I've been wrestling with.  What are your thoughts?

Holy Moly, A Publication

After a lot of hard work, I'm so happy to announce that my first "real" published article is out!  In spring 2014, one of my professors encouraged me to write a paper critically analyzing four graphic history books about the Battle of the Alamo, and it's one of the most fulfilling, interesting academic journeys I've ever taken.

While writing this paper, I was able to travel back to my childhood and relive wonderful memories of visiting San Antonio and learning about my home state's history.  However, I also had to confront the fact that the "official" (i.e., popular and dominant) story of the Alamo is pretty biased, inaccurate, and sometimes flat-out racist.

dramatic picture via The Young Turks

After the paper was finished, my friend and co-author, Margaret Robbins, provided some helpful input (many thanks, Margaret!), and we sent it off to Social Studies Research & Practice.  If you'd like to read the article, you can find it here.  It's an open-access online journal, so you'll be able to read the whole thing and/or download it for free.

I hope you enjoy it!

Challenging Racism with Graphic Novels

Now, more than ever, we need to talk about racism.

 

 via Race Report 

Yes, Confederate flags are coming down.  They needed to come down years and years and years ago.  But now that the flags are gone from government buildings in South Carolina, The Dukes of Hazzard has been pulled from the airwaves, and musicians are removing Confederate symbols from their shows, I bet there are more than a few people out there who are thinking, "Good job, problem solved, don't need to think about this anymore."  Once all of this "dies down" (i.e., major media networks stop covering the flag, police violence, etc.), many will be happy to forget about racism or think that our problems are solved.  Meanwhile, there are those who insist on minimizing racism, explaining it away, or flat-out denying that it exists.

Racism is still out there, pervading every aspect of our society.  Getting rid of Confederate symbols in public spaces is a step in the right direction, but one potential downside to banning them everywhere is that we might inadvertently silence dialog about why Confederate symbols are oppressive in the first place and potentially foster a belief that getting rid of hateful symbols erases racism.  No, racism is an institution, grounded in history, that goes far beyond symbols.  As educators, parents, and friends, we need to talk about it with young people and among ourselves.

via WUSF

That's where books come in.

A helpful way to understand racism and its current persistence in our society is to read histories that trace the journeys of ethnic groups through our nation's past and into the present.  Engaging with these books can show readers how, for example, slavery might be over, but the effects of slavery are still very much with us today in the forms of White privilege and systemic discrimination against Black people.  As Crowley & Smith (2015) pointed out, people need to understand racism through a "knowledge of history and an appreciation for structural inequity along racial lines" (p. 172).

The books that I'm about to recommend can be useful in high school classrooms or for adults who are interested in exploring the history of racism and discrimination in the US more thoroughly.  I believe doing so is extremely important because these issues are often glossed over or completely omitted from traditional histories and other reading materials that many of us encountered in school and that students are still reading today.  Also, I chose graphic novels because they're accessible, visual, and incredibly engaging to read -- a great break from textbooks.

First is Still I Rise: A Graphic History of African Americans (Laird & Laird, 1997/2009), an overview of Black history that I just finished.

I love this book because it provides tons of information left out of history textbooks, such as a closer look at the beginnings of slavery, Reconstruction, and the beginnings of the Civil Rights movement.  Still I Rise presents readers with a fantastic amount of balance, exploring the bad (violence, discrimination) with the good (the important contributions of Black inventors, politicians, artists, etc., to our society) and showing the diversity of Black opinions, experiences, individuals, and communities in our country.  Most important to me, however, is that this book shows how racism has persisted over the years and that despite progress, we must continue to fight against it.

Of course, racism isn't just a Black and White issue.  Fortunately, there are other fantastic graphic novels that demonstrate the roots of racism and can foster ruminations and discussions about race/ethnicity in history and today.

Latino USA (Stavans, 2000/2012) is an excellent option:

This book traces the history and diversity of Latin@ people in the US and shows readers the roots of racism and how it continues today.  Like Still I Rise, Latino USA presents multiple perspectives within and among Latin@ communities about historical and contemporary issues, demonstrating how Latin@s aren't a homogeneous group and encouraging critical thinking.

Granted, simply reading a book won't convince everyone of our dire need for racial justice and healing in the US -- but an engaging piece of literature can be a wonderful springboard.  Coupled with deep discussion, reading can be a transformative act.  So share books like these with your high school students, your children, your adult friends.  Read and discuss.

Do you know of any other good books that explore history and racism and want to recommend them?  Let me know!

What's Skippyjon up to These Days?

As a teacher, I never liked the Skippyjon Jones series, although I could never explain why.  Well, I knew they were extremely difficult and annoying to read aloud because they're giant tongue twisters, but it was something more than that.  Now that I'm more familiar with the study of multicultural children's literature, I can name the vague sense of discomfort every time a student asked me to read one of these books.

To quote Skippyjon Jones and the Big Bones, they're "insane-o."

For those of you who aren't familiar with the series, it centers on a Siamese kitten who wants to be a Chihuahua and goes on wild adventures with his imaginary chihuahua friends.  Together, they speak a good deal of mock Spanish by adding -o and -ito (e.g., "Jurassic-o, " "marshmallocito") to the ends of words.  Lots of fake Mexican accents ("reelly, reelly beeg"), negative portrayals Mexicans ("crazy-loco," banditos, etc.), and very inauthentic uses of the Spanish language.

Carmen Martínez-Roldán, professor of bilingual/bicultural education at Teachers College, wrote a very interesting study about these books a couple of years ago, in which she examined stereotypes and mock Spanish that permeate them.  These depictions of ethnicity and language, she argued, can negatively impact young Spanish-speaking, Mexican-heritage children's self image, while also filling other children's heads with shallow, inaccurate, and unfair perceptions of how Mexican people speak and act.  However, she also pointed out that these books can be useful tools for helping children practice critical reading skills and uncover and discuss harmful depictions of culture and language.  Here's a link to the abstract (and if you'd like to read the full article, head to a university library website and download it, or, if you don't have access to one of those, the nice people at your local public library can probably help you find a copy).

Dr. Martínez-Roldán isn't the only person critiquing the series.  Just take a look at readers' reviews on Amazon and GoodReads or this review at De Colores, and you'll see that lots of people have had negative reactions.

So the other day, I saw the newest Skippyjon book, Snow What (2014), and was immediately seized by curiosity.  

Judy Schachner, the author/illustrator, has been receiving a fair amount of criticism for years now, so I wondered whether she had moved away from the stereotypes.  Here's what I found, starting with the description of the book on her website:

Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the bravest Chihuahua of them all? Skippyjon Jones, the Siamese cat who thinks he’s a dog! While his sisters listen to Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Skippy bounces on his big-boy bed and heads off for the REAL adventure awaiting him in his closet. Once inside, he finds himself in a magical snowy forest of make-believe, where the seven Chimichangos challenge him with his most dangerous task yet: to wake up Nieve Que [sic], the frozen princess, by kissing her! Yuck! Will this hero agree to don a prince’s pantelones [sic] and save his poochitos?  With rhymes, rollicking wordplay, and mucho fairy tale fun, this fuzzy tale is sure to end happily ever after.

(Note: One of the gags in the book is that Skippyjon keeps saying "Snow What" instead of "Snow White."  "Nieve Qué" is a literal translation of "Snow What," and... yeah.)

OK.  So far we see "Chimichangos," "poochitos," and a random mucho.  Also, pantalones is spelled incorrectly.  Onto the book.

While there aren't any obvious stereotypes about Mexicans in this book, there's still plenty of "rollicking wordplay" that involves slapping -o and -ito onto the ends of words: "Skippito Friskito," "smoochito," "indeed-o."  In an interesting twist, there are also a lot of correctly used Spanish words that readers can figure out and learn from context and illustrations.  For example, one of Skippyjon's chihuahua friends grumbles, "Some dog has been chewing my zapato," while holding a shoe in his mouth.  But does this linguistic choice make up for the rest of it?  Not for me.

Finally, there's this video: an interview with Judy Schachner, in which she describes Snow What and discusses her inspiration for Skippyjon.  Based on what she says, I don't think she's changed her mind about mock Spanish and stereotypes.  (Also, despite his portrayal of Zorro and other Mexican characters, Antonio Banderas is from Spain, not Mexico.)

I've heard people defend the Skippyjon books because they're fun and promote creativity and imagination.  According to some reviews I've read, others like them because they introduce children to Spanish.  But there are so many other picture books that simultaneously celebrate imagination and humor and affirm language and culture.  Why not go for those books instead?  

I think a lot of parents and kids stick to Skippyjon because he's familiar, cute, seemingly innocuous, and extremely popular.  They might not know about the more culturally sustaining literature out there in kidlit land.  What we can do is (gently) point out the problematic elements in the series and then suggest fun, Spanish-containing, culturally sustaining books.  We can ask booksellers to prominently display more bilingual and "code-switching" books (texts that are in English but contain some Spanish words) so that shoppers notice them.  And we can share book reviews and other multicultural children's literature resources to help get conversations started.  Here are a few that I've found especially helpful:

• De Colores: The Raza Experience in Books for Children

• Latin@s in Kid Lit

• Latinas 4 Latino Lit

• Colorín Colorado

Long story short: Skippyjon Jones is still up to his mock Spanish ways -- use those books for critical reading.  Buy other books to teach Spanish and learn about Mexican cultural practices.  We can do so much better.

Dismantling the Thanksgiving Myth: Helpful Links

As I've mentioned before, I was terrified of angering parents when I was a classroom teacher.  Because of this fear, I shied away talking about anything controversial with my students -- including Thanksgiving.  I've known for a long time the mythical nature of the United States' beloved Thanksgiving story, but since I didn't want to be accused of "playing the race card" or "harming children's innocence," I avoided the Pilgrim-and-Indian story altogether.

None o' this.

Instead, I focused on the basic practice of being thankful.  There are some great books out there that focus on gratitude without dragging in the Thanksgiving myth -- my personal favorite is Pat Mora's Gracias/Thanks, a wonderful reminder to be thankful for the little things in life.  Also, my students and I made "We Are Thankful for..." books.  It was a great time.

However, while there's nothing wrong with emphasizing gratitude (which, after all, should be the focus of such a holiday), I see now that simply ignoring the Thanksgiving myth won't make it go away.  Even if we educators don't actively perpetuate the story at school, kids will pick it up somewhere else from popular media that often portrays an incorrect, racist version of the Pilgrims' arrival in Plymouth.

Whoops.

So in addition to celebrating gratitude, it's important to dismantle the legend so that kids don't internalize false, harmful information about Thanksgiving.  I know it's a little late to talk about the holiday in schools, but it's never too early for teachers to start planning discussions and activities for next year, and parents still have time to address these issues with their children at home.

And if, like me, you're at a loss for strategies to begin critical discussions of the Thanksgiving myth, check out these links:

• "Good Books about Thanksgiving" at American Indians in Children's Literature

• "Deconstructing the Myths of the 'First Thanksgiving'" in popular elementary-level books

• "6 Thanksgiving Myths" at Indian Country Today

• "10 Thanksgiving Myths Dispelled" at Today I Found Out

• "Harvest Ceremony: Beyond the Thanksgiving Myth" at the National Museum of the American Indian

• Strategies for critiquing the Thanksgiving story with young children at Education World

• Thanksgiving lesson plan for middle/high school at Teaching Tolerance

• Arts-based Thanksgiving lesson plan for high school at Arts and Justice (can be adapted for younger children)

I hope you have a warm and safe holiday, and, as always, let me know your thoughts on critical literacy topics like this one!

Another Columbus Day Post

I am The Best Artist.

For a different type of Columbus Day critical literacy activity, take a couple of minutes to look through this infographic from Matthew Inman, creator of The Oatmeal.

Done?  OK.

I love infographics, or visual -- almost comic-like -- representations of data or information.  They're fun, easy to process, and a nice break from reading big chunks of text.  Because of their visual nature, they can be very appealing to kids.  Therefore, analyzing infographics can be an interesting, motivating way for students to engage in critical literacy.

Since Columbus Day is upon us, reading and critiquing Matthew Inman's infographic about Christopher Columbus could be a great activity for middle and/or high school students during the coming week.  Teachers and students can tease apart Inman's argument against celebrating Columbus day and discuss how they agree or disagree with his points.

For example, I definitely agree with his argument that Christopher Columbus is not a person worthy of celebration -- he brought a wave of terror to the Americas that still lingers today, and I refuse to honor him and his legacy.

Jerkface

However, I'm not in agreement with Inman's idea to switch the second Monday in October to "Bartolomé Day."  Yes, we should pay more attention to Bartolomé de las Casas and his deeds in history classes, but why should we shift our focus from one European to another?  

Why not focus on indigenous Americans and their history, current events, accomplishments, and diversity -- not just in October but year-round?  (Inman does reference Seattle's Indigenous People's Day, which is not without its own critics, in an update at the bottom of the page.  But it's an afterthought.)

Teachers, how invigorating it would be for students to explore different perspectives on Columbus Day and share their opinions about the holiday and Inman's piece?  Then they might create their own infographics (digital literacy woooo!) to share with each other, their school, and the internet community.

The kids I work with aren't quite old enough to read The Oatmeal, but I'm looking forward to having a nice dialog about Columbus Day with them this week.  But if you have attempted / want to attempt an infographic critical literacy activity like this with your kids, let me know about it!

Banned Book Week 2014 Quote Pull

Ahhh sweet, sweet debate.  In honor of acknowledging and evaluating multiple perspectives, here are some different points of view on Banned Books Week, an American Library Association campaign intended to draw attention to the challenging or banning of books deemed inappropriate/offensive.  (If you have time, go ahead and click the links so that you can read the quotes in context.)  Do you agree with Banned Books Week?  If not, what might be a better alternative?

"Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community -- librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types -- in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular." [American Library Association]

"At the same time the [American Library Association] is propagandizing about banned books, it itself is banning anything that does not promote its agenda." [Safe Libraries]

"Myth: Censorship is usually identified with conservative political or religious groups.  Reality: Examples include the Harry Potter series -- the principal reason, wizardry -- and Tango Makes Three -- the reason, supposed homosexuality of penguins. However, groups not usually identified as conservative also censor. A few years ago, the NAACP unsuccessfully sought to have the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary redefine the 'N' word and limit it to its offensive connotation. (The publisher refused to limit the definition since over time it has had many different meanings).  Concern has also been expressed regarding the depiction of Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. Some Jewish organizations have challenged its inclusion in the Language Arts curriculum in high schools." [Banned Books Week]

"If library patrons ask for a book to be moved or removed from the children’s section, it’s 'censorship.' If librarians make sure a book never gets there in the first place through a deliberately rigged collection process, it’s 'selection.' Double standards prevail, making librarians look like hypocrites.  It’s a pity that a profession that so upholds intellectual freedom can’t come up with better strategies and arguments than to whine about 'censorship' while effectively doing the very thing they complain about." [The Annoyed Librarian]

"Since there is never anything too stupid if it allows certain government officials to get before a camera or send out a press release claiming they're 'protecting children' from the horrors of the world, you end up with school boards and administrators that give in to pressure. And since no one wants to be against protecting children, that leads to the other set of government officials: those too chicken sh** to speak up and oppose something they know is wrong." [Daily Kos]

"Self-righteous, dissembling librarians are seeking once again to foment 'book-banning' hysteria through their annual dishonest Banned Books Week campaign (Sept. 21-27) sponsored by the self-righteous, dissembling, and politically partisan American Library Association (ALA).  The ALA pursues its hysteria-fomenting goal chiefly by ridiculing parents who, for example, don’t want their six-year-olds seeing books about children or anthropomorphized animals being raised by parents in homoerotic relationships. (Scorn and woe to those parents who hold the now-censored belief that homoeroticism -- even homoeroticism presented in whitewashed, water-colored images -- doesn’t belong in the picture books section of public libraries.)" [Laurie Higgins, Illinois Family Institute]

"[Higgins’] point here is that libraries -- even children’s sections -- aren’t, can’t, and really shouldn’t be ideologically neutral grounds. This is what Higgins would have you believe is her modest, 'common sense' goal; but again, the absence of LGBTQ-affirming books would be, in itself, an ideological choice at this point. No, libraries cannot be neutral, but we should strive to be sure that they are as capacious as possible. I’d argue that there are enough shelves stuffed with the kind of pages Higgins likes already -- we could probably stand to have a few more dedicated to queer-friendly spines going forward." [J. Bryan Lowder, Slate]

Via SFCLibrary

Paz Para Vieques: Civic Action Comics

Greetings from Puerto Rico!

For the past week, I've been here in Vieques doing some house-sitting (thanks again for the hookup, Heather!), beach-bumming, hammock-laying, and mofongo-eating.  The natural beauty here is incredible, and I've fallen in love with the flamboyán trees, semi-wild horses, and chirping frogs at night.

Also, this baby iguana says "hey."

However, Vieques is a complicated place with a rocky past and a problematic present.  (Don't get me wrong -- it's a beautiful island full of wonderful people, but its particular struggles are worth noting.)  Basically, back in the 1940s, the US government decided it would be a great idea to use Vieques for target practice.  The Navy, or la Marina in Spanish, purchased a large amount of land on the island and used this space to test bombs and various other weapons, resulting in the contamination of the environment and loss of livelihood for many of the local residents.

Por ejemplo...

In 1999 a Naval employee, David Sanes, was killed when a bomb missed its target during a military exercise, and the world became very aware of Vieques' situation.  Protesters in Puerto Rico, the US, and Latin America demanded that the military withdraw from the island, and by 2003 the Navy was gone.

"Get the Navy out of Vieques"

Protesters in front of the White House

When I first got here, I began to feel down and guilty about the US government's imperialist belief that they can barge into people's homes and make a mess of things.  (To be fair, the US isn't alone in this behavior -- many big, powerful governments do the same.)  But as I've learned more and more about the way that the people of Vieques stood up for themselves, I'm filled with hope.

Then the other day when I visited the old fort, I found another sign of hope and strength in the form of (surprise!) children's literature.  In the museum gift shop, I found three comic books about Vieques and immediately snatched them up.  

When I got home and read through them, I discovered that they were published by el Grupo de Apoyo Técnico y Profesional para el Desarrollo Sustenable de Vieques (GATP, or the Group for Technical and Professional Support for the Sustainable Development of Vieques), an organization of professionals and university professors dedicated to progress and positive development on the island.

Created in 2002, during the height of the protests on Vieques, these books were written by local students and deal with subjects like:

• The military's presence on the island
• Urban planning
• Ecological conservation
• Local social issues (poverty, unemployment, alcoholism, domestic violence, teenage pregnancy)
• Health
• Democratic citizenship and leadership

If you'd like to take a look at all of the books (five total), they're available online here.

How cool is that?!  These books can serve as an excellent model for students who might want to use literature as a strategy to take action against inequity.  Teachers, take note -- writing, illustrating, and disseminating civic action comics is a great way for young people to address problems at school and in the wider world, like bullying, racism, or any other type of injustice.

When I came to Vieques, I never expected to find any products of critical literacy, and encountering these comics made my day and my entire vacation.  They're symbols of resilience that I'll cherish forever.

Next up: El Yunque National Forest and then San Juan.  I'll keep you posted on what I find there!

Review: Jack Jackson's The Alamo

Why did I JUST find out about Jack Jackson?!  He was a comic artist from Texas who created multiple graphic histories about various periods in Texas history.  Sadly, he passed away in 2006, but he left behind a treasure trove of work that can be enjoyed by older students -- high school, college -- and adults.

(via Sam Jackson & The Austin Chronicle)

As you might know, I'm very interested in how authors and illustrators present stories from Texas history in children's and young adult books.  In general, I've found that histories for young people tend to:

1) Glorify the Anglo (white) involvement in historical events,

2) Ignore, disdain, or even demonize other ethnic and cultural groups taking part in Texas history (Mexican, Tejano, Indian, Asian, African-American/Texan),

3) Present legend as historical fact.

History is more complicated than that, and I'd like to see more books that present multiple perspectives and actual factual information.  That's why I was so excited to discover Jackson's work at Million Year Picnic in Boston two weeks ago, and I bought two books -- Los Tejanos and The Alamo: An Epic Told From Both Sides.

So far, I've only finished The Alamo, and while I definitely enjoyed and appreciated this work, some aspects of Jackson's storytelling bothered me.  But I'll start my review with the the high points.

First, Jackson really does present the story of the Alamo from both sides. Not only does he achieve this goal, he also includes multiple perspectives within the two sides of the battle.  On the Texas side, we hear from Anglo combatants, Tejano combatants (like Juan Seguin), and civilians.  Meanwhile, we also hear from various players on the Mexican side -- General Santa Anna, officers, and regular soldiers (both mestizo and indigenous).

Both sides presented in one panel.

Another feature of the book that I liked was Jackson's treatment of controversial events.  When it comes to this battle, we have to accept that we will never know the absolute truth about what happened: too many eyewitness accounts conflict with each other, and we lack written records about certain occurrences.  In The Alamo, Jackson typically presents disputed facts with a brief note explaining differing opinions about what happened, thereby acknowledging that historiography is a tricky game.

However, this practice is not consistent, and I was dismayed to see that Jackson did not provide explanatory notes for two of the most controversial tales of the battle -- Travis' line in the sand and Davy Crockett's death.  He does address those legends in the epilogue of the book, but why not in the text itself?  I don't understand why he would take the time to confront other disputed stories and not tackle the two of the most famous legends.

He did, however, point out the Crockett legend in his 2007 

publication New Texas History Movies, so that's good.

Also, I wasn't pleased with the way Jackson depicts women in his illustrations.  Simply put, almost every single woman we see is... busty.  Extremely so.  I showed the book to my boyfriend, and he responded, "Whoa, nice," followed by, "That is ridiculous, though."  There you have it.  Yes, comics have a history of emphasizing female characters' assets, but that's no excuse. 

Overall, I'm grateful for this book, and I definitely recommend it.  However, it's a prime example of why we need to be critical readers, even with books we love.  No piece of literature is perfect, so we always need to be vigilant and confront problematic elements that we come across. 

So I encourage you to take a look at Jackson's Texas history books -- there are lots of them.  I'm going to start Los Tejanos today and then move onto Comanche Moon (which will hopefully provide a more balanced presentation of Native American perspectives).  Happy reading!

Related Posts:

How Should We Remember the Alamo?

Lies My (Texas History) Teacher Told Me

Cultural Studies Classes in Texas

Getting Critical with Advertising

Recently, a McDonald's commercial about their coffee started popping up at the beginning of videos on a YouTube channel I'm subscribed to.  At first, I ignored the content of the ad as I impatiently waited for it to finish and the real videos to begin, but eventually, I started paying attention.  What I saw definitely bothered me.

The description of the video says that the ad is "shedding light on the process" of coffee growing and harvesting that leads to each individual cup of McDonald's coffee.  While I didn't really learn much about the process from watching, the ad definitely shed light on something.  Take a look:

Now watch it again with this question in mind: Whose faces do I see in this commercial?

The truth is, we don't see anyone's faces until we're shown the (probably rich) dude tasting the coffee at the end.  But all of the (probably not so rich) workers who grow, harvest, and prepare the coffee beans remain faceless.

We need to ask ourselves why that is.  Does McDonald's want us to think that the people who make our coffee aren't important?  On a broader note, does this commercial reflect our desire -- as affluent, privileged people -- to ignore people living in poverty?

People who work on coffee farms do, in fact, have faces.

If you're a teacher or parent, watching and analyzing this ad with your kids can be a great critical literacy exercise.  As I've mentioned before, critical literacy is more than just reading.  We can turn our critical eyes on anything we consume visually and mentally: television, movies, books, posters, paintings, graffiti, etc.

Companies are constantly barraging us with advertising in our society, and kids need to become critical consumers so they don't fall for every marketing ploy they encounter.  Therefore, it's incredibly important for us to teach our children how to question what they see and hear in the media.

So have you seen this commercial?  How could you work critical analysis of advertising into your lesson plans?  How could you take action to address the problematic elements of commercials?  Let me know what you think!

Related Posts:

Critical Literacy Isn't Just about Books

Farmworker Awareness

Farmworker Awareness Books

It's Farmworker Awareness Week, a time when we can learn more about the ways we get our food and reflect on the injustices that migrant farmworkers face in the United States.  Of course, we should be thinking about these issues all year long, but this week a good time to start.  The people who help grow and harvest our crops have very difficult jobs, but they are practically invisible to most of us.  That invisibility needs to change.

Harvesting in NC

I went to college in North Carolina, and my parents moved there in 2007, so it's become my second home state.  It also has one of the highest migrant farmworker populations in the US.  On their website, the North Carolina Farmworkers Project / Proyecto de Trabajadores Agrícolas de Carolina del Norte provides lots of information about the inequities that farmworkers endure, such as:

• Extremely low pay for extremely hard work
• Lack of wage protection and employment benefits
• Substandard and overcrowded housing
• High rates of illness due to pesticide exposure, heat stress, skin disease, and other work-related problems
• Limited access to health care

Tobacco workers marching in Winston-Salem, NC

So what can we do?  One idea is seeking out a farmworker advocacy group near you and donating or volunteering.  Also, we can help children learn about these issues through literature.

Here are some picture books that address the inequities that migrant workers have faced in the past and still face today:

La Mariposa (Francisco Jiménez & Simón Silva, 2000)

Tomás and the Library Lady (Pat Mora & Raúl Colón, 2000)

Calling the Doves / El Canto de las Palomas (Juan Felipe Herrera & Elly Simmons, 2001)

Gathering the Sun (Alma Flor Ada & Simón Silva, 2001)

César: ¡Sí, Se Puede! Yes, We Can! (Carmen T. Bernier-Grand & David Díaz, 2004)

That’s Not Fair! / ¡No Es Justo!: Emma Tenayuca’s Struggle for Justice / La Lucha de Emma Tenayuca por la Justicia (Carmen Tafolla, Sharyll Teneyuca, & Terry Ybáñez, 2008)

Side by Side / Lado a Lado: The Story of Dolores Huerta and César Chávez / La Historia de Dolores Huerta y César Chávez (Monica Brown & Joe Cepeda, 2010)

More resources from Colorín Colorado

As always, when we read these books with kids, we must remember to look at them with a critical eye and help young readers do so as well.  Reading about and discussing farmworkers' lives is a great first step to joining the struggle for migrant workers' rights.

How Should We Remember the Alamo?

It's rodeo season, y'all.  Also, March 2nd was Texas Independence Day, and March 6th marked the anniversary of the fall of the Alamo, so Texas has been on my mind a lot lately.  A few weeks ago, I was talking with some friends who grew up in Mexico about important figures in Mexican history, and one of them mentioned General Santa Anna (or for them, President Santa Anna), the leader who fought the Texans as they rebelled for independence.  Our conversation got me thinking about the Alamo and the Texas Revolution.

When I was growing up, this was the story I knew:

Anglo (white Americans of European descent) settlers from the United States moved to Texas (then part of Mexico) for the cheap land.  They were saintly and loved freedom.  Meanwhile, General Santa Anna, who had recently seized control of the Mexican government, was the devil.

Pictured: The most evil dude ever

Santa Anna was super mean and oppressed the Anglo settlers -- known as Texians -- so they rebelled against him.  In February of 1836, the general and his troops surrounded a fort called the Alamo, held by 189 noble Texian fighters and volunteers from the United States (including Davy Crockett), and demanded that they surrender.  If the Texians kept fighting, Santa Anna warned, he would take no prisoners.

William Barret Travis, the commander of the Alamo brigade, refused to capitulate and told his men that if they stayed with him, they would all surely perish in the battle.  With his sword, he drew a line in the sand and declared that any man who crossed the line would join him in fighting to the death.  All but one man (Moses Rose, who was a terrible coward) crossed the line and met their fate.

The line in the sand

Hey look -- they bronzed it.

As a kid, I read this story in books and saw it in movies.  I hero-worshiped the Texian freedom fighters, especially after I saw an IMAX film in San Antonio called Alamo: The Price of Freedom.  

Seriously, I had the movie poster (not this one) on my wall for years.

But guess what: The story isn't accurate.

Like any series of historical events, the Texas Revolution was complicated and messy, and no one who played a role was either purely good or purely evil.  For example, here are some facts that were left out of the story I was told:

• Mexico abolished slavery in 1820.  Lots of Texian settlers, including many in the Alamo, weren't cool with that plan, since it threatened their "freedom" to own slaves, and it was a factor in the Revolution.
• The Texians weren't saintly.  For example, William Barret Travis immigrated to Texas to avoid arrest (for debt) and abandoned his wife and child in Alabama.  Jim Bowie, another Alamo fighter, was a violent slave smuggler.
• A lot of American settlers in Texas were (gasp!) "illegal immigrants."
• It wasn't just Anglo Texians vs. Mexicans.  There were also Tejanos (Texans of Mexican descent) on both sides of the conflict, as well as slaves, free black people, and people of mixed ethnic heritage.  It was a complex society.
• The "line in the sand" story is a legend.  Didn't happen.  (And there was no Moses Rose).

As I got older, I started realizing how sanitized the tales of the Alamo and the Texas Revolution were, and I felt so disillusioned and betrayed.  I was angry that books and movies depicted such an incomplete, biased version of history.

So since Texas has been on my mind so much lately, I decided to take a look at children's book about the Alamo: What Was the Alamo? by Pam Pollack and Meg Belviso (2013).

My goal in reviewing this book was to see if it presents a more accurate picture of the famous battle than the books I grew up with.  Some of the questions I asked myself while reading included:

• Do the authors depict Texians as perfect heroes or as human beings with both strengths and weaknesses?
• Are legends presented as facts?
• Whose perspectives are considered in the text?  Do we see things from the Anglo Texian point of view, or do the authors include the perspectives of other people involved in the conflict?

Many elements of this book were a pleasant surprise.  First, in vignette biographies of Texian leaders, the authors admit these men's flaws, which can help young readers understand that historical figures were real people, not gods.  Furthermore, the line in the sand story is acknowledged as a legend.

However, I was disappointed that the book is entirely from the Texian point of view.  Pollack and Belviso explore the Anglo settlers' reasons for wanting independence from Mexico, but what did other people think?  In addition to the Texians' story, I want to hear about ordinary Mexican soldiers, Tejanos, people of African descent (free and enslaved), women, and children.  What did they think?  What did they do? 

I believe that including multiple perspectives about historical events can make nonfiction texts more truthful and valuable.  Actually, I just purchased a book for ages 10+ called Remember the Alamo: Texians, Tejanos, and Mexicans Tell Their Stories by Paul Robert Walker (2007).  It sounds like this book will incorporate various points of view, and I'm looking forward to investigating it thoroughly.

I'll wrap up this post by assuring you that I don't want to drag Texas or the people who fought for Texan independence through the mud.  Nor am I trying to argue that Santa Anna was a nice guy -- he wasn't.  I just don't want other children to be disillusioned like I was when they find out that their heroes weren't actually perfect.  History is more complicated than that and shouldn't be reduced to propaganda.  Ideally, authors of nonfiction texts can present a more balanced view of the past by acknowledging no historical figures were entirely good or entirely bad.  We need to include multiple perspectives in our understanding of history so that, ideally, we get a fuller picture.  Let's just be as real as possible.