“Oluwafolabomi ‘Bomi’ Olujimi has undergone a journey full of transformation and discoveries about herself. Through spoken word, she highlights the key aspects of her identity and encourages listeners to pay attention to theirs. Oluwafolabomi’Bomi’ is a senior at Syracuse’s College of Visual and Performing Arts, in the Communication and Rhetorical Studies Program.” This talk was…
“In this powerful talk, Shola makes a bold statement about why she will not be defined by the colour of her skin, gender or religion. Watch this talk to see how she engages the audience to join her revolution. Dr. Shola Mos- Shogbamimu is a renowned lawyer, Founder of Women in Leadership Publication; Political and…
“Ezequiel discusses the experiences of his classmates and himself in the book, We Are America, that they wrote in a class with Jessica Lander at Lowell High School. Ezequiel Nunez is a senior, a Student-Athlete and a Master Sergeant at the AFJROTC (MA-771) program at Lowell High School. Mr. Nunez is an advocate and an…
Pero Like continues the discussion over what best to call ourselves: Latino or Latinx. “We need to just have a conversation to bring people closer together.” Check out more awesome videos at Pero Like! https://bzfd.it/2y6R5Vy
“Youth Speaks partnered with Manifest Creative, a team of Bay Area filmmakers, photographers, and writers, to co-create a series of visual stories that take the viewer into the daily lives of four young poets. Whereas much of the media documenting youth spoken word focuses on polished stage performance, this multimedia installation gives a more nuanced…
“The term elles (pronounced /ˈeʝes/) is a gender-neutral twist on the Spanish words ellas and ellos, which are the feminine and masculine ways to say “them.” The Spanish language is heavily gendered, and many Latinx cultures are built on firm religious values and strict gender roles. Elles explores the intersection of culture and identity within…
Velina Hasu Houston is Distinguished Professor and Resident Playwright at the University of Southern California (USC) School of Dramatic Arts. On her website, there is a Zen saying, Ichigo Ichie, roughly translated as “Each encounter in life happens only once.” It is a saying that Ms. Houston carries into her everyday life and her writing. “For…
“This week’s spoken word poem is about being multiracial/ Afro-Latino. It’s a poetry reading- a spoken word about life, and not feeling accepted into the races/cultures you are a part of.” Watch more at https://www.youtube.com/user/1MsDriDri1/featured
I was at a Journalism Conference this past week and there were many Latino/a/x journalists, teachers, and students there. More than once, I would begin a conversation with someone in English and they would immediately respond in Spanish. I would have to stop them and tell them that I did not speak Spanish and could…
De-Americanization comes at a great cost to us all. I was born and raised in Northern California. My father’s family and my mother’s family, both from Mexico, emigrated to the U.S. during the Bracero guest worker program. I am the eldest of four children and the first person in my family to have graduated from…