For any immigrant. I'm Indian, my husband, French and
our child could pass for anything from Cuban,
Moroccan, Italian.... those were horrible times. Blank
phone calls, my 8 year old shoved up against a wall
and asked in school if he was Arab... being frisked
upon a return to the US after a conference in London,
and I was chastised for being anti war.

We're being moved back to the US and I am hoping that
times are different now and that we will have a better
time of it.

Regards
Ujwala

--- Katherine <kgotthardt at comcast.net> wrote:


> "And where were they during and after September

> 11th???"

> 

> In hiding, most likely.  It wasn't a popular time to

> be speaking up for 

> Middle Eastern immigrants or education, was it?

> 

> Katherine Mercurio Gotthardt

> www.luxuriouschoices.net

> ----- Original Message ----- 

> From: "Ujwala Samant" <lalumineuse at yahoo.com>

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

> List" 

> <povertyracewomen at nifl.gov>

> Sent: Tuesday, April 29, 2008 12:11 PM

> Subject: [PovertyRaceWomen 2140] Re: Mastery

> 

> 

> > And where were they during and after September

> 11th???

> >

> > --- Evelyn Brown <EBrown at parkland.edu> wrote:

> >

> >> Well said! Where are those people who are willing

> to

> >> do this "Speaking Out"?

> >>

> >> Evelyn Brown

> >> Academic Development Specialist

> >> Parkland College

> >> 2400 West Bradley

> >> Champaign, IL 61821

> >> 217.351.2587

> >> ebrown at parkland.edu

> >>

> >> >>> "Katherine" <kgotthardt at comcast.net>

> 4/29/2008

> >> 9:30 AM >>>

> >> "don't try to meddle with dearly held customs."

> >> Come on Andrea.  Don't mess

> >> with customs?  It's a custom in some cultures to

> be

> >> racist, sexist,

> >> oppressive and hateful.  Should I leave that

> alone

> >> when it affects the

> >> community I live in?  (Note, I am talking about

> >> changing the culture in the

> >> United States from a destructive one to a

> productive

> >> one, not taking on

> >> international customs.)

> >>

> >> It is considered RADICAL to do this even if you

> >> follow the proper channels.

> >> Consider the freedom of speech to which we are

> >> entitled.  Consider the ways

> >> oppressive powers here in this country try to

> stifle

> >> freedom of speech when

> >> it steps on political toes.  Is it not "radical"

> to

> >> fight this, especially

> >> in this apathetic day and age?

> >>

> >> In this culture, choosing to defy the rest and

> wear

> >> "nappy hair" can be

> >> considered rebellious. Refusing to sit in the

> back

> >> of the bus was considered

> >> a radical statement at the time.  What I am

> saying

> >> is that there are rules

> >> and there are rules.  Sometimes, it takes very

> >> little rule and norm breaking

> >> to make a statement and change the culture for

> the

> >> better.

> >>

> >> Don't misunderstand me here.  Violence used as a

> >> mechanism for change is

> >> never acceptable except as self defense against

> >> certain physical attack.

> >> But recall our most famous "radicals" were people

> >> who just decided, "enough

> >> is enough" and did something positive about it.

> >>

> >> "At some point, silence is betrayal."  MLK broke

> the

> >> rules for the better.

> >> I suggest more of us do as well.

> >>

> >> Katherine Mercurio Gotthardt

> >> www.luxuriouschoices.net

> >> ----- Original Message ----- 

> >> From: "Andrea Wilder" <andreawilder at comcast.net>

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

> Discussion

> >> List"

> >> <povertyracewomen at nifl.gov>

> >> Sent: Tuesday, April 29, 2008 9:56 AM

> >> Subject: [PovertyRaceWomen 2126] Re: Mastery

> >>

> >>

> >> > Katherine,

> >> >

> >> > Well, yes, that is one possible interpretation

> of

> >> what I am saying. I

> >> > am not   You must learn the native tongue.  I

> am

> >> not suggesting that

> >> > you support female genital mutilation, 

> however,

> >> only show a deecnt

> >> > respect for the local ways people follow to

> >> survive.

> >> >

> >> > An example:  richard CAsh, An American-trained

> >> public health doctor,

> >> > was not able to make inroads in the use of ORT

> >> (Oral Rehydration

> >> > Therapy) with communities in Bangladesh until

> >> ethnographers had studied

> >> > the problem, and he himself had worked with

> local

> >> people, had lived

> >> > with local people, eaten their food,

> essentially

> >> adapted to their ways.

> >> >  He and his colleagues are now considered

> experts

> >> in this field.  ORT

> >> > is a method of stopping life-threatening

> diarrhea

> >> through

> >> > administration of a mixture of salt and sugars

> >> dissolved in water.

> >> >

> >> > In my work on leadership succession, which I am

> >> drawing on here, and

> >> > which seems very applicable (the replacement of

> an

> >> authority figure)  I

> >> > found that the most successful people

> (authority

> >> figures) had 1)  the

> >> > skills the group needed, 2) had mastered the

> >> group's rules, and 3)  had

> >> > then been able to educate / change the group. 

> The

> >> most interesting

> >> > study I looked at was of kindergarten children,

> >> and  this study and all

> >> > other successful group studies I looked at,

> >> followed this pattern.

> >> >

> >> > People who work outside the rules are often

> >> "invisible" to members of

> >> > the group, as they don't old generally accepted

> >> positions in the group.

> >> >  So I guess I am saying, "Listen,  and adapt!" 

>  I

> >> do mean that

> >> > literally--observe and learn, ask questions,

> show

> >> respect, don't try to

> >> > meddle with dearly held customs.  Example: 

> check

> >> local customs before

> >> > going into the bazaar in an American dress and

> >> uncovered arms and legs!

> >> >

> >> > However,  adaptation can be unhappy.  In the

> >> American situation, look

> >> > at nappy hair, or rather its lack by

> >> African-American women and men who

> >> > have their hair "pressed" to flatten it,, to

> look

> >> more acceptable and

> >> > white.   This a sad adaptation, but seemingly

> >> necessary in an era when

> >> > nappy hair was looked down on and is an example

> in

> >> my view of

> >> > identification with the oppressor..

> >> >

> >> > Andrea

> >> >

> >> > .On Apr 28, 2008, at 9:30 PM, Katherine wrote:

> >> >

> >> >> Andrea, are you suggesting we can't do good in

> >> the world unless we

> >> >> follow

> >> >> the rules?

> >> >>

> >> >> "Well behaved women rarely make history."

> >> >>

> >> >> Katherine Mercurio Gotthardt

> >> >> www.luxuriouschoices.net

> 

=== message truncated ===



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