She is a woman from the slums of Mumbai. I worked with
her in 1992. We were discussing her experiences in
Mumbai, living with a horrific mother-in-law, raising
4 daughters and a husband who abandoned her. She was
part of the Each One Teach One literacy scheme. It was
impressive how her words brought her experiences to
life.

Cheers
Ujwala
--- Andrea Wilder <andreawilder at comcast.net> wrote:


> Ujwala--

> 

> This is very powerful.  Where did this woman live? 

> Can you tell us  

> more about the context?

> 

> Thanks.

> 

> Andrea

> 

> 

> On Jan 10, 2007, at 10:49 AM, Ujwala Samant wrote:

> 

> > Dear Bertie,

> >

> > I agree with your description of Freire. Reading

> > really changes one permanently. Someone I worked

> with

> > said, it was as if she was really seeing for the

> first

> > time and that she did not know that world was so

> full

> > of letters. Another point this woman made was that

> she

> > could no longer return to a world where she did

> not

> > read: it was a permanent learning, a permanent

> change,

> > there was no slipping back into what she called

> the

> > well she used to live in.

> >

> > Cheers

> > Ujwala

> >

> > --- Bertha Mo <bertiemo at yahoo.com> wrote:

> >

> >> Freire is a true revolutionary because he taught

> >> people to read, so they could read, think and

> >> hopefully act om their own behalf.  I feel that

> my

> >> own education was remiss (and I went to the best

> >> schools) because my professors taught around

> Freire

> >> (....teach a person to fish and they'll never be

> >> hungry) because my MPH class in community health

> >> education was comprised of almost 3/4 people of

> >> color and perhaps they didn't think we were smart

> >> enough to understand Freire or perhaps they

> didn't

> >> want us to know Freire and his revolutionary

> work.

> >> I was lucky enough to continue my education and

> also

> >> be involved with people in my professional life

> who

> >> reintroduced him to me.

> >>

> >> Participating in this listserve has helped me to

> >> reflect back on my entry into graduate school

> during

> >> a time when non-physicians and people of color

> began

> >> to enter Schools of Public Health. The warm

> support

> >> of fellow students and the mixed messages from

> our

> >> primarily white professors is something that I

> had

> >> forgotten.

> >>

> >> I'm still interested in hearing examples of GED

> >> programs which use the Freirean model either

> >> consciously or unconsciously.  I say

> unconsciously

> >> because I wanted to share a bit about the Adult

> High

> >> School of Ottawa, which closed a few years ago. 

> A

> >> dear colleague rom the Carribbean was able to

> >> receive her GED at the school and then go on to

> >> College, University and is now a registered

> social

> >> worker.  She is a change agent in our community

> >> speaking out about structural racism in Canada

> and

> >> teaching and speaking about the need for

> community/

> >> culturally competent service.  My husband who

> helped

> >> to start a new meals on wheels programs for

> >> immigrant seniors was able to continue his

> education

> >> by doing two years of classes at the Adult High

> >> School before entering college. The vice

> principal

> >> of the Adult High School encouraged student

> >> leadership and my husband gave many motivational

> >> speeches as well as coached students in public

> >> speaking.  Isn't this peer learning, which is one

> of

> >>  Freire's approaches.

> >>

> >> Bertie Mo

> >>

> >> povertyracewomen-request at nifl.gov wrote: Send

> >> PovertyRaceWomen mailing list submissions to

> >>  povertyracewomen at nifl.gov

> >>

> >> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide

> Web,

> >> visit

> >>

> >>

> >

>

http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/povertyracewomen

> >> or, via email, send a message with subject or

> body

> >> 'help' to

> >>  povertyracewomen-request at nifl.gov

> >>

> >> You can reach the person managing the list at

> >>  povertyracewomen-owner at nifl.gov

> >>

> >> When replying, please edit your Subject line so

> it

> >> is more specific

> >> than "Re: Contents of PovertyRaceWomen digest..."

> >>

> >>

> >> Today's Topics:

> >>

> >>    1. [PovertyRaceWomen 232] Re: GED programs

> with a

> >>       populareducationapproach (Ujwala Samant)

> >>    2. [PovertyRaceWomen 233] Re: GED

> >>       programswithapopulareducationapproach

> >> (andreawilder at comcast.net)

> >>    3. [PovertyRaceWomen 234] Re: GED programs

> with a

> >>       populareducationapproach (Andrea Wilder)

> >>    4. [PovertyRaceWomen 235] Re: GED

> >>       programswithapopulareducationapproach

> (Andrea

> >> Wilder)

> >>

> >>

> >>

> >

>

----------------------------------------------------------------------

> >>

> >> Message: 1

> >> Date: Tue, 9 Jan 2007 15:22:59 -0800 (PST)

> >> From: Ujwala Samant

> >> Subject: [PovertyRaceWomen 232] Re: GED programs

> >> with a

> >>  populareducationapproach

> >> To: "The Poverty, Race, Women and Literacy

> >> Discussion List"

> >>

> >>

> >> Message-ID:

> >>

> >

>

<20070109232259.60372.qmail at web55102.mail.re4.yahoo.com>

> >> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

> >>

> >> Andrea,

> >>

> >>> You asked me what marxism is, and I replied. 

> Did

> >> I

> >>> say that Freire

> >>> followed the tenets that I described as Marxist?

> >> No

> >>> I did not say that.<<

> >>

> >> You said Freire succumbed to Marxism and then

> >> proceeded to define it in terms that brought up

> >> image

> >> of what Marxism was to you. By virtue of that you

> >> implied that is what you felt Freire fell for.

> >>

> >>> There was a lot of discussion about marxism 

> after

> >>> the USSR broke up.

> >>> I remember one guy on a radio talk show saying

> >>> something like this:

> >>> "But marxism has never been tried!"  (Others

> were

> >>> calling the USSR a

> >>> marxist-leninist state.)  He was right,   So

> what

> >>> are we to do with the

> >>>   contradiction?  I  listed the elements  of

> >> marxism

> >>> as it has been

> >>> called, and as it has generally been agreed upon

> >> in

> >>> talk, newspapers,

> >>> etc.<<

> 

=== message truncated ===


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