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Cultural Identity and Sense of Belonging

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Cultural Identity and Sense of Belonging

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This theme is present overall in four of the five books [Carmela Full of Wishes, Sit-In, The Proudest Blue, and Let the Children March]. These books are tools to promote children's sense of belonging and identity within a culture because they portray children of varying cultures [such as Chicanx / Latinx, African American, Muslim] and how they are a part of it.

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This theme is present in three of the presented books, although in different ways. Sit-In, The Proudest Blue, and Let the Children March, portray children that are empowered by their actions and the actions of those around them. Despite oppression being prevalent, they do not allow their youth to stop them from making a difference.

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Written by Gloria Anzaldúa, "How to Tame a Wild Tongue" delves into her experience as a Chicana. Throughout the piece, she explains how her language (which does not conform to simply Spanish nor English), is seen as a wild tongue, despite it simply being a part of her identity. This course reading relates to the theme of Cultural Identity and Sense of Belonging as well as to Oppression & Resilience. With her language, Gloria says that Chicanos are able to keep the language alive. She says "el silencio nos sepulta," empowering the reader to stand up for who they are and what they believe in--which these two themes do as well.

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Family Separation: Different Immigration Status

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Family Separation: Different Immigration Status

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This theme is present in two of the books, Del Norte al Sur and Carmela full of Wishes. In both books, there is a parent who is not able to be with the child because of their immigration status. With one mom and one dad sin papeles, both children in the stories wish to be reunited with their parent. Although one is able to see their parent and the other is not, this can be used as a tool to show both experiences.

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Written by Mariana Souto-Manning, "The Importance of Windows and Mirrors," from No More Culturally Irrelevant Teaching, describes the importance of students being exposed to books that not only mirror their own experiences (which are often marginalized if they are children of color), but also windows into other's lives. This course reading relates to all three of the themes in these books because
they all provide a look into self-identity [mirrored in all of the books], they foster intergroup understanding [again, mirrored in all of the books], some of the books raise awareness of prejudice, injustice, and struggle as well as serve tools to motivate students to act by highlighting these struggles [most prevalent in The Proudest Blue, Let the Children March, and Sit-In, and Del Norte al Sur]. All of these domains hold objectives that serve as positive mirrors and windows.

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Souto-Manning M NO MORE CULTURALLY IRRELEVANT TEACHING Excerpt 2018

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Themes: Cultural Identity and Sense of Belonging & Family Separation: Different Immigration Status

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Written by: Matt de la Peña, Illustrated by: Christian Robinson   

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Written by: Matt de la Peña, Illustrated by: Christian Robinson   

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Themes: Family Separation: Different Immigration Status

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Written by: René Colato Laínez, Illustrated by: Joe Cepeda

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Written by: René Colato Laínez, Illustrated by: Joe Cepeda

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Themes: Cultural Identity and Sense of Belonging & Oppression & Resilience

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Written by: Andrea Davis Pinkney, Illustrated by: Brian Pinkney

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Written by: Andrea Davis Pinkney, Illustrated by: Brian Pinkney

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Themes: Cultural Identity and Sense of Belonging & Oppression & Resilience

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Written by: Ibtihaj Muhammad and S.K. Ali, Illustrated by: Hatem Aly

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Written by: Ibtihaj Muhammad and S.K. Ali, Illustrated by: Hatem Aly

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Themes: Cultural Identity and Sense of Belonging & Oppression & Resilience

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Written by: Monica Clark-Robinson, Illustrated by: Frank Morrison

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Written by: Monica Clark-Robinson, Illustrated by: Frank Morrison

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A girl talks about her participation in the Birmingham Children’s March of 1963, starting with a family trip to church to hear Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  When he urges the congregation to march, many of the adults are afraid of losing jobs, so young people offer to go.  On May 2, she and other children and teens begin their protest, only to be met with dogs, fire hoses, and arrest.  On the third day, she is sent to jail.  When their story is broadcast around the world, changes begin to happen, and within two months, the girl is playing on a playground she’s never been allowed to use before.

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I chose Let the Children March because I found that it connects to both Gloria Anzaldúa's, "How to Tame a Wild Tongue" and Mariana Souto-Manning's, "The Importance of Windows and Mirrors".  In "How to Tame a Wild Tongue", Gloria Anzaldúa talks about the different things that make up her identity, not simply her language, but also the food, smells, images, and emotions that come with the experiences of her culture. Let the Children March portrays the emotions and images that came with the experience of being a Birmingham child that marched against segregation during the time. It portrays the strength of not maintaining silencio, as she said in her piece, would bring death; instead, the children were able to experience a new life--one that did not segregate them into the margins. In "The Importance of Windows and Mirrors", Dr. Souto-Manning describes the importance of providing curriculum that can serve as mirrors and windows in which children can learn to understand that one culture is not more worthy than the other--instead, that there are things greater than themselves. Let the Children March shows the oppression and resilience that children had during the time--fighting for their rights when the older members of their family could not. There is a sense of cultural identity and sense of belonging because although they were pushed aside as a culture, they stood up against that oppression together and defeated it. Consequently, I will bring Let the Children March into my classroom because I believe that it empowers children to know that despite their youth, their voices and actions matter.

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From North to South is a story of a young boy that misses his mother. Originally from Mexico, Jose's mother was deported to Tijuana for not having the proper documents to remain in the United States. In this short children's book, Jose and his father travel to Mexico to visit his mother. Although his mother is not able to return to the US until she has the proper documents, they manage to have a pleasant visit to Mexico and pray for her return to the states. This heartbreaking story reflects the real-life situation of families being separated because of immigration issues. The book is written in both Spanish and English.

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I choose From North to South / Del Norte al Sur because I feel that it is able to provide the 'mirrors and windows that Mariana Souto-Manning talks about in her piece, "The Importance of Windows and Mirrors". The story describes a situation in which José's family is separate--his mother does not have the legal documentation that allows her to be in the country. I believe that this is a struggle that some students may have (or have had to) endure--especially throughout our Central Valley. And so, I will definitely have From North to South / Del Norte al Sur in my classroom because I believe that my students will be able to see themselves or someone they know, identified in it. I think From North to South / Del Norte al Sur can be a great tool to begin to talk about the fact that families can be very different, and also to open up a conversation about what immigration (and consequently, limitations that can lead to separation) can look like when reflected in our everyday lives.

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Faizah is excited about her first day of school.  She has a new backpack and light-up shoes. But most exciting of all is that her older sister Asiya is starting sixth grade and wearing hijab for the first time.  Her scarf is blue, just like the sky and ocean. When the girls get to school, they go their separate ways, but Asiya is on Faizah’s mind throughout the day. She draws a picture of two girls in hijab having a picnic.  Later, she sees her sister on the playground at recess and hears a boy say, “I’m going to pull that tablecloth off your head.” Asiyah runs off with her friends, and Faizah remembers their mother’s advice, “Don’t carry around the hurtful words that others say.  Drop them. They are not yours to keep. They belong only to those who said them.” At the end of the day, the two sisters walk home hand in hand.

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I chose The Proudest Blue because it presents an opportunity for children to reflect on their cultural identity and sense of belonging, as well as provides an example of everyday oppression and the resilience that a child can have against it.  I believe that it reflects topics that were addressed in both Gloria Anzaldúa's, "How to Tame a Wild Tongue" and Mariana Souto-Manning's, "The Importance of Windows and Mirrors". Faizah serves as a facilitator of the reader's emotions in her sister's decision to stand up to oppression by wearing her hijab--this helps the reader to see The Proudest Blue through both a mirror and window lens because they are able to not only see their experiences, but also put themselves in their shoes (when comparing their own experiences and differences).  The sisters' ability to stand up for what they believe greatly reflects the message to unapologetically be themselves, without 'taming' parts of who they are. Inevitably, The Proudest Blue will definitely be a part of my future classroom library.

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Carmela excitedly scooters home on her birthday, past men working in fields. The wish she made came true! She's finally big enough to go with her big brother to the Laundromat. Outside the Laundromat, she picks a fuzzy dandelion, and, as their clothes spin, she thinks of other things she might wish for: A candy machine. Her mom getting to stay in the fancy hotel where she works as a housekeeper. Or, even more poignant, "her dad getting his papers fixed so he could finally be home." Carmela's brother is not happy having his sister tag along, and spats with her. But on the way home, when she trips on her scooter and crushes her dandelion, her brother leads her to a spot overlooking the sea where hundreds of dandelion spores float in the breeze and she can make her wish.

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I chose Carmela Full of Wishes because it portrays how content and hopeful Carmela is in her cultural identity and sense of belonging. It also addresses the love and bond between her brother and her, despite the family separation of her father and the rest of the family due to his different immigration status.  I believe that it directly intersects with
Gloria Anzaldúa's, "How to Tame a Wild Tongue" because Carmela does not allow any sort of negativity (like manure or her brother's negative attitude in the beginning) to get in the way of her happy day--of this new identity, where she is getting one step closer to being old enough. Carmela full of Wishes also easily allows the reader to see themselves in Carmela's experiences (both alone and with her sibling), as well as exposes the reader to new experiences (such as having a parent on the other side of the border or going to the laundry mat!), which directly connects to Mariana Souto-Manning's, "The Importance of Windows and Mirrors".

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Courageously defying the WHITES ONLY edict of the era, four young black men took a stand against the injustice of segregation in America by sitting down at the lunch counter of a Woolworth's department store. Countless others of all races soon joined the cause following Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s powerful words of peaceful protest. By sitting down together, they stood up for civil rights and created the perfect recipe for integration not only at the Woolworth's counter, but on the buses and in communities throughout the South.

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I chose Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down because I believe that it truly provides a window into the lives of the struggles that many people had, all while grandly empowering young people to stand up and resist the oppression that may want to limit them. Also, Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down provides a wonderful stance on cultural identity and sense of belonging throughout because the young people in the story were able to come together as a community and find a sense of belonging despite the horrible, segregated time in which they lived. I believe that Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down directly intersects with both Gloria Anzaldúa's, "How to Tame a Wild Tongue" and Mariana Souto-Manning's, "The Importance of Windows and Mirrors" because it provides both a mirror and a window for children to realize that these young people were 'quietos yet wild', by quietly (but firmly) standing against the oppression they were experiencing.