Last week, I visited a teacher's class and conferred with third grader Jorge (pseudonym) as he brainstormed words to use for an ABC poem. He wrote a list of letters down the side of his paper and already had the letter A completed: All the way down in Honduras is where I’m from. He asked me to help him with the other letters when I sat down to confer.
“I’m writing about Honduras. I’ve got the A, but I need to think of other words for the other letters.” “Tell me about Honduras,” I replied. “I’ve never been there.” “The food is amazing. We have these things called baledas and they are tortillas and they are filled with these smooshed beans and they are filled with cheese and sour cream. Oh gosh, they are so delicious.” “Well, there you go, you have your B word. Somehow you can think of a way to write about baledas in your poem. What’s next?” “I know, I’m going to look up Honduras on my Chromebook and get some ideas out of there.” Jorge opens his Chromebook looks up information about Honduras. He sees several C words like Central America and Caribbean Sea. He decides he’s going to write about the flag when it comes to his F word. But when he contemplates D he turns to me, gives a serious look, and talks. “D can be for dangerous. Honduras is a dangerous place. They don’t have rules over there like they do here. Over there, you can ride in the back of a truck. It’s legal. But we have to wear masks over our heads and bend down. You can get shot. My sister has a friend from school who was shot in the head and died.” Jorge continues. “My mom says we’re never going back. She brought us here because she wanted us to have a better life. She snuck us across the border. She was pregnant with my brother when she came but she didn’t have good nutrition. She just ate ham. That’s why my brother has some problems.” I ask, “Do you ever go back?” “Every summer,” Jorge replies. “My dad makes enough money to fly me and my brother back in the summer and we spend the whole summer with him. My mom doesn’t go. She says she never wants to go back to that place.” Jorge writes for bit, then talks again. “I like Honduras better than America. The baledas are so much better over there. They are huge! But I don’t like the toilets. Every time you go to the bathroom, you have to go fill up a bucket of water and throw it into the toilet. I don’t like that. But, here in America, I don’t like the kids in my neighborhood. They keep calling me Mexican. I AM NOT MEXICAN! I am a Honduran! I hate when they call me a Mexican.” I wonder. What happens now that there’s a travel ban in our country and a President who seems to disdain all sorts of brown people. Will his mother risk sending him over the border again? Will Jorge ever see his country again? Will Jorge ever see his father again? I worry. Brown children, from various Latin American countries, are growing up in a country where their own President disdains them. And his behavior somehow normalizes discrimination. Jorge experiences it now in his neighborhood. This is Jorge’s America—and it’s different from Donald Trump’s America.
21 Comments
It's hard to be in the "grey" world of reality when so many are clamoring for a black and white fantasy. I wish more of our population could meet the real people for whom blanket policy is being written (and I wish that those real people had the better life most of us here in the United States enjoy). Thank you for sharing this story.
Reply
3/22/2017 05:51:01 pm
Thank you for being brave and sharing this story. You've given Jorge a much larger audience and that is so important. I believe in the power of stories.
Reply
Heidi
3/22/2017 06:01:37 pm
It is so sad that disdain from a President is having far reaching effects. People are suffering for it. I imagine that there will also be financial repercussions in terms of declining tourism. I'm from Canada and a friend, who is also a teacher, just came back from a Spring Break family vacation in Washington state. She was shocked by the racism she encountered as previously this wasn't an issue. (Her husband is Caucasian and was treated respectfully)
Reply
3/22/2017 06:12:32 pm
Brian, I was reminded some years back when working in the states that when we write about important issues, we must write as close to the topic as possible. It makes the messages that much more powerful. You have written so close to this issue and as a result your words have immense strength in highlighting issues of discrimination and racism. Through this small boy's story you have given voice to matters that deserve to be brought into the light. Powerful words, presented in a most effective way. More power to you for holding this important issue up to the light.
Reply
Carol McBroom
3/22/2017 06:49:02 pm
These are beautiful that depict the ugliness our country now presents to the world. I had my political vent earlier in the week, but you did a much better job with yours. I love when writers use dialogue. I teach my students the power of dialogue but forget to use it myself. Thanks for sharing and speaking up for these precious young hearts.
Reply
Sonja Schulz
3/22/2017 08:16:37 pm
Truth. It worries me, too.
Reply
Diane Anderson (newtreemom)
3/22/2017 09:56:57 pm
Thank you, for all the "Jorge's" for writing this.
Reply
8/9/2022 11:31:58 am
Sağolasın bizi bilgilendirdiğin için. https://www.alanyagroup.com/
Reply
8/20/2022 09:18:00 pm
NestaCloud VDS Sunucu kampanyalarından hemen yararlanın. Tüm hosting ve sunucu hizmetlerinde sezon indirimi başladı. %50 indirim ile sizde dilediğiniz sunucuyu ilk ay indirimi ile kullanabilirsiniz. Artık sunucu sahibi olmak çok kolay.
Reply
8/21/2022 01:47:55 pm
Mp3Video.org'u tercih etmelisiniz çünkü Youtube Mp3 ve Youtube Video İndir alanında lider teknoloji sağlayıcılarındandır. Hızlı altyapısı güvenilir sistemi. reklamsız ara yüzü ile kalite odaklı bir hizmet sunmaktadır. pişman olmama garantili bir servistir.
Reply
8/22/2022 05:25:12 am
DonghuaTR İle Türkçe Animeler Ve Donghualar yani Türk Anime seçeneklerielinizin hemen altında! İstediğiniz içeriği En yüksek kalitede izleyebilirsiniz. Hızlı ve çalışkan ekibimiz her gün yeni bölümleri ışık hızında siz değerli kullanıcılarımıza sunar.
Reply
9/3/2022 03:07:13 pm
Hacklink satın almak isteyenler için muhteşem bir site hacklink.gen.tr güçlü hacklink panel satışı ile sizde sıralamalarda yükseleceksiniz. Hemen sizde hacklink satın alın
Reply
9/25/2022 04:27:55 pm
En güncel urfa haber için sitemizi ziyaret et! Site adresi https://haberurfadan.com/
Reply
10/5/2022 02:21:54 pm
instagram takipçi satın almak ve arttırmak çok uygun hale geldi. Adresimiz dahilindeki bu fırsat ile istediğiniz sonuca ulaşabilirsiniz. Adresimiz bu alanda aktiftir.
Reply
10/6/2022 07:37:15 pm
istanbul kepenk tamiri sitesidir! Kepenk tamiri hizmetleri için ziyaret et! https://kepenktamiriistanbul.net/
Reply
10/19/2022 11:35:58 am
Find the latest verified SHEIN coupon codes promo codes & deals for October 2023. Get the best sitewide discounts free shipping gift cards and more.
Reply
10/22/2022 04:23:33 pm
How do I redeem my DHgate coupon? · Just click on the coupon you want to use and copy the code that will appear. · Head on over to the DHgate website and select Use DHgate ® Coupon Code: Off50* & Save + Verified + Free + #1 Coupon Site
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
About the Author
Brian Kissel is an Associate Professor of education at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. His focus is writing instruction. He lives in North Carolina with his wife, Hattie and three kiddos: Charlie, Ben, and Harriet.
Archives
March 2018
Tags
|