REVARTE

Juventud

Struck

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by Alison Calderón-López

The lightning struck me far more than it struck you.

Do I cross your mind? 

Or do I take over it like you do to mine?

Do you believe 100% that you’ll see me when You turn a corner? 

Everytime I walk anywhere I believe with One-hundred percent certainty that you’ll be There, standing right in front of me.

That’s my problem. 

I believe. 

A blessing & a curse. 

You’re in everything,

E v e r y t h i n g. 

You are my everything. 

Am I in everything? 

Am I your everything too? 

I am starstruck.

Love struck. 

I believe that you were never struck at all. 

Now I know with one-hundred percent certainty that only I Have been struck by lightning.

Alison Calderón-López

Alison is 13 years old and a student at the Centro de Cultura Arte Trabajo y Educacion.

Selected Works by Alison Calderón-López:
The Numbers Change
Me, the Writer
I Saw A Star

    Finding your Voice

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    Por Pam Margolis

    If you’ve ever had the pleasure of observing or interacting with children of any age, you’ll know they are driven by a moral code. This moral code may change from moment to moment and is often egocentric and situation specific. When boundaries are crossed you will hear the inevitable outburst “that’s not fair!” Sadly, children learn too young that the world is neither fair, equitable, nor free.

    Children also know that helping others benefits both sides and that participation is an activity that can be rewarding. Yet while kids enjoy participatory events, they know the difference between voluntary and involuntary participation. Forcing kids to participate is not always a negative experience, however. Certainly, forcing your little one into the car seat when you ride in the car is different than forcing them to wear a tight, itchy, and uncomfortable outfit. Children’s lives are full of forced participation accompanied by silent threats, open harassment, and bribery. They are, perhaps rightly so, provided few opportunities to self-govern; they might choose eating sweets instead of vegetables, skip baths, and unintentionally play too rough with the cat. Experts have written extensively about children and participation. Kids know when their participation is manipulative and/or when participation is a collective decision.

    Given all that children know, why don’t we give them more opportunity to choose the particulars of their participation? After all, participation is supposedly a necessary part of democracy. Why not provide children with more opportunities to practice democracy? I don’t always get it right but my goal in developing the Finding Your Voice class was to engage kids in true deliberative and participatory activities. Great thought and research have gone into my methodology: it is infused by Freire, Black Feminism, critical race theory, and LatCrit. I value the expertise, experiences, and opinions the kids at CCATE bring to class. By providing opportunities to share their knowledge of their lived experiences we are creating a tiny equitable democracy.

    Finding Your Voice provides opportunities for the kids to tell their stories in various formats: drawing, poetry, in Spanish or English, as a storyboard, a ‘zine, acrostic poem, or even as a protest sign. During Finding Your Voice, we don’t correct their spelling and grammar, however, we will help them if they ask. These kids are critiqued and disempowered enough during the day; they don’t need more of that. I believe critique slows the creative process and is another barrier to success, another way for the students to internalize negative feelings. The class is at its best when students are talking, singing, moving from table to table sharing ideas, resources, and enjoying the creative process. In class, the kids may see Caitlin and me as maestras, but I see us as facilitators of democracy. In the hour they are with us, the world is free, equitable, and fair. We are building the world we want to see.

    Pam Margolis

    Pam Margolis is a doctoral student at West Chester University studying curriculum and instruction. She is passionate about equity in education for children from marginalized groups:  African American, Latinx, disabilities and LGBTQ. She is an expert in the curation, development, and expansion of curriculum and library resources representing children from marginalized communities. Pam has an Executive Master of Public Service from the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service, a Master’s in Library and Information Science from Drexel University, a BS in English Writing and  post baccalaureate in Teacher education, as well as K-6 Elementary Education certification and K-12 Library Media Specialist. Committed to the marriage of civic engagement and education, Pam serves her community as Perkiomen Township Supervisor.

      UNKNOWN por Jovana Peregrina

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      by Jovana Peregrina (Para español vaya abajo)

      A mother who didn’t graduate elementary school, a father who only finished high school, and grandparents who didn’t attend school. All of the sacrifices made so I can get an opportunity to accomplish what they couldn’t. My parents left their homeland to come to a country unknown to them. They arrived with no idea how to speak the language, how the currency worked, or how things were managed. They came with a goal, that my younger siblings and I can have opportunities. 

      It’s only three words, “I don’t know.”  As simple as it appears, it’s more complex than that because it’s a mix of emotions. All the uncertainty I feel in my heart and soul is more than one can imagine. Being first generation is stressful because everyone is waiting for me to accomplish something greater. It’s this feeling of not wanting to make the wrong choice; I don’t want to regret the choices I make for my future. Everyone around me is so sure what they want and I sit here constantly thinking about what I’m going to do. People tell me what I should be, but what about what I want? Why do people want to dictate my life? There is no manual on how to apply to school or know what college fits you or what you need to look for in a college. There isn’t a manual to help me navigate all of the unknown. I now have to write a college essay that expresses who I am, while still finding out who I am. What is my purpose?  I’m still searching for who I can be and my goal is for my future. 

      All I can imagine is what my mom suffers everyday. She left everything known to her to live in an unknown country. She left her family behind knowing she can never see them. She headed into the unknown without a thought. No more kisses from mom, no more hugs from dad. All you can do is see them from afar. She watches all her family pass away one by one and is not able to grieve. The unknown is what scares me because I’m used to knowing what comes next. Not knowing this part of life, this next chapter of life, is what scares me the most. I’m growing up and leaving the nest. I understand we all grow u but I want to hold on to my parents a little longer before I walk into the unknown. I want them to know that I’ll be okay without them and they don’t need to worry. 

      As I keep walking into the unknown I see all these memories as a kid and just laugh. The memories of being a kid and having no thought of the world yet. The further I go into the unknown, the further away my parents get. Right now I sit in the kitchen writing this, watching my mom dance with no care and smiling.  My dad laughs knowing he found the person that will always make him smile. These moments are the ones that I want that last an eternity because I know after the unknown there is light and peace. Now it’s my turn to find my journey through the unknown. 

      Español

      Una madre que no se graduó de la escuela primaria, un padre que solo terminó la escuela secundaria y abuelos que no asistieron a la escuela. Todos los sacrificios hechos para que yo pueda tener la oportunidad de lograr lo que ellos no pudieron. Mis padres dejaron su tierra natal para venir a un país desconocido para ellos. Llegaron sin tener idea de cómo hablar el idioma, cómo funcionaba la moneda o cómo se manejaban las cosas. Vinieron con un objetivo, que mis hermanos menores y yo podamos tener oportunidades.

      Son solo tres palabras, “No lo sé”. Tan simple como parece, es más complejo que eso porque es una mezcla de emociones. Toda la incertidumbre que siento en mi corazón y alma es más de lo que uno puede imaginar. Ser la primera generación es estresante porque todos esperan que yo logre algo más grande. Es este sentimiento de no querer tomar la decisión equivocada; No quiero arrepentirme de las decisiones que tomo para mi futuro. Todos los que me rodean están muy seguros de lo que quieren y me siento aquí pensando constantemente en lo que voy a hacer. La gente me dice lo que debo ser, pero ¿qué pasa con lo que quiero? ¿Por qué la gente quiere dictar mi vida? No hay un manual sobre cómo aplicar a la escuela o saber qué universidad se adapta a ti o qué necesitas buscar en una universidad. No hay un manual que me ayude a navegar todo lo desconocido. Ahora tengo que escribir un ensayo universitario que exprese quién soy, sin dejar de descubrir quién soy. ¿Cuál es mi propósito? Todavía estoy buscando quién puedo ser y mi objetivo es mi futuro.

      Todo lo que puedo imaginar es lo que mi mamá sufre todos los días. Dejó todo lo que conocía para vivir en un país desconocido. Dejó atrás a su familia sabiendo que nunca podrá verlos. Se dirigió a lo desconocido sin pensarlo. No más besos de mamá, no más abrazos de papá. Todo lo que puedes hacer es verlos desde lejos. Ella ve morir a toda su familia uno por uno y no puede llorar. Lo desconocido es lo que me asusta porque estoy acostumbrado a saber lo que viene después. No saber esta parte de la vida, este próximo capítulo de la vida, es lo que más me asusta. Estoy creciendo y dejando el nido. Entiendo que todos crecemos, pero quiero aferrarme a mis padres un poco más antes de caminar hacia lo desconocido. Quiero que sepan que estaré bien sin ellos y que no necesitan preocuparse.

      Mientras sigo caminando hacia lo desconocido, veo todos estos recuerdos de niño y solo me río. Los recuerdos de ser un niño y no haber pensado en el mundo todavía. Cuanto más me adentro en lo desconocido, más se alejan mis padres. Ahora mismo me siento en la cocina escribiendo esto, mirando a mi mamá bailar sin cuidado y sonriendo. Mi papá se ríe sabiendo que encontró a la persona que siempre lo hará sonreír. Estos momentos son los que quiero que duren una eternidad porque sé que después de lo desconocido hay luz y paz. Ahora es mi turno de encontrar mi viaje a través de lo desconocido.

      Jovana Peregrina

      I’m Jovana Peregrina but you can call me Jovy. I’m a senior at Upper Merion Area High School and a student at CCATE.

        Strategies for the Protection of Refugees, Asylum Seekers, and the Stateless

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        Editor’s Note:

        In 2017, the high school students of CCATE had the opportunity to meet diplomats from the Organization of American States (OAS), and the then director of the Department of Latin American and Latinx Studies at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), Dr. Tulia Falleti. The result of these meetings was the invitation to four CCATE high school students to participate in the Model Organization of American States (Model OAS) at UPenn, every year with college students and high school students from throughout Philadelphia.

        That first generation marked a watershed moment for the CCATE program as it meant that four high school students (Dulce González, Pamela Gómez, Diego Ledesma, and Alex Nepumoceno) would be the first CCATE students to take a class at the university level at one of the best universities in the world, UPenn, the nation’s first Ivy League university founded by Benjamin Franklin.

        From 2018 to 2022, about twenty CCATE students have participated in Model OAS as an opportunity to think about attending university, have a real college experience, and deepen their roots of origin and learn about the social, cultural, political, scientific, and technological thoughts of Latin America. CCATE students attend the class financed by the now Center for Latin American and Latinx Studies.

        Through the years, the CCATE youth program seeks to open doors and opportunities for students, knowing that we are planting seeds of knowledge. On this occasion we share the testimony and experience of Sara Sandoval Rico who was one of the representatives of the CCATE cohort at Model OAS at UPenn during the fall semester of 2022. 

          After years of being the global leader in the resettlement of refugees, the United States, under the Trump administration, reduced the maximum number of refugee spots in an effort to protect American jobs during the pandemic.  These efforts were part of Donald Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) rhetoric–  through which he seeked to prevent anyone who was not a U.S. citizen from entering U.S. territory under any circumstance. During his time in office, the number of refugees went down to only 15,000 refugee spots, which was a record low.  Trump also created a travel ban that affected the Muslim minority the most.  On the other hand, our current administration has found it difficult to do a complete change of the policies put in place by the previous administration.  Not only has President Biden committed to resettle 125,000 refugees and 70,000 Afghans, but he also repealed former President Trump’s travel ban. However, he has received backlash from activists who don’t believe the measures he has  taken are enough. 

          Despite the fact that the United States has announced its plans to welcome up to 100,000 Ukrainians through the full range of legal pathways, including the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, they are only allowing entry to people with a valid visa or authorization. The ultimate goal of this is to temporarily resettle migrants within the United States. Resettlement organizations have condemned the action, pointing out that the administration should be supporting the refugee admissions procedure rather than depending on humanitarian parole. The policy director at the International Refugee Assistance Project, Sunil Varghese stated, “The administration cannot continue to lurch from one crisis to another without increasing overall capacity for permanent protection in the United States. Today’s announcement suggests that if the Biden administration wants to make refugee protection a priority, it can find a way to get there.” However, these resettlement organizations still say that the U.S. has certain obligations to all asylum seekers, not just those in Ukraine. 

          Many activists have requested the return of undocumented immigrants wrongfully deported under Trump, stopping detention of asylum-seekers, expanding the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, and granting temporary protected status to protect more undocumented immigrants. They also expressed concern due to the fact that although Biden has promised to reverse Trump’s most restrictive immigration policies, he didn’t include immigration as one of his top priorities which really makes us question if he takes the issue seriously. The director of immigration and cross border policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, Theresa Cardinal Brown commented, “Activists are going to be active. That’s their job. Their job is to try to push as hard as they can, … But reality for the party and governance is they have to balance those demands with what they can actually get done.”

          I Saw A Star

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          por Alison Calderón-López

          It was a star.

          Only I didn’t know that because I can’t see stars.

          “No mas los intelligentes pueden ver las estrellas. Los puedes ver?”

          No I can’t see them. 

          I am dumb. I cant see stars yet. Just like how I couldn’t see through all those convincing lies you’ve told me. It was truly amazing to see how it all played out. I don’t know you, but you’ve really outdone yourself with the performance you put out. The time and energy I have wasted is the one thing I’ll never be able to get back. Not to mention my sanity. The most incredible thing I have observed is that I’ve written so many things about you, but yet I still find myself writing more. You haven’t thought about me once. I know that. It irks me to believe that you don’t care. You never did. Although I want to hate you, I can’t. But I don’t like you either. I guess you could say it’s in between and you can say that because that’s what it is. “In between”. All this goes to prove that I am dumb. I am coming to a conclusion. I was tricked. You made me realize that I am not in fact dumb. Because If I were stupid, I wouldn’t be sitting here writing about this. If I were dumb, I would be texting, probably be begging for an answer on why you did this to me. If I were dumb, I would have gone to see you again. But the one thing that made me realize that I wasn’t stupid was when that night I looked up into the sky, and I didn’t see any satellites or planes. I remember now, I saw a star.

          Alison Calderón-López

          Alison is 13 years old and a student at the Centro de Cultura Arte Trabajo y Educacion.

          Selected Works by Alison Calderón-López:
          The Numbers Change
          Me, the Writer
          Struck

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