PinkerInk

The only thing that I would do to change the way I live is try to make more money and to always try to improve myself. I do not know what issues are important to my community simply because the different households all function individually without ever really talking to each other. Although the neighborhood physically exists there is no "community". Besides saying hello to one or two neighbors on the block, no one has conversations about what issues are important to them. Overall I am very happy with the way I live, and the only measures of change I would take is to try to continuously improve myself mentally and physcially.

If I were to change something about my community it would be to make people cre about themselves. But how in the world do you get the youth in your community to care about themselces, theirr education, where they came from, who they are and what they want to do in their lives. Drugs and money seem to be everyone's concern around here and it annoys me!!! They care so much about lookin' fly and not about where theire lives are really going. Theyre thinking in the now and not for tomorrow or years from now. There are many organizations to help adolescents but I feel like they're hidden and not as known as they should be. I feel that governemnt officials act like they care but in all honesty they don't. That's ddefinitely something I would change. The organizations that are available I feel lack that care and 'gana' to help the young people in el Barrio. I feel that those who actually have authority are quick to cuff and punish someone instead of helping them to begin with. But then again, why should they care when we can care less about ourselves.

I live in the Bronx, in a mostly Dominican and Puerto Rican area; its not exactly the best neighborhood so there is a lot I would change about it. I think the first thing I would do is make some sort of community center that hold after school programs and activities kids/teens can do after school and on weekends so they stay out of the street. The kids I see hanging out on the street corners in this area just keep getting younger and younger and I feel like they need to see what opportunities they have to make it in life rather then relying on the streets for their income. As a part of the community center I would also have G.E.D. classes, other adult education classes and certificate programs.
In my neighborhood like the Young Lords we also have a problem with having sanitation pick up out garbage. They also have a problem with keeping the streets clean. I may not go about doing what the Young lords did when they burned barricades of garbage on 110th st. Sanitation also seems to forget my block and the surrounding blocks every time it snows. We are always the last to get plowed and shoveled which has to change, immediately.
Another thing I would change is open a free health clinic in the neighborhood. A lot of the people I know don't have health insurance so having a free health clinic would be helpful. I would want the clinic to have health services for kids, adults, and elders. I would also want it to have mental health services, womans services (gyn., pregnancy, abortion), physical/speech therapy, dentist services and eye care services.
The last thing I would fix/change is the living conditions we are in. In this neighborhood there is something wrong with most of the buildings. The tenants can complain all they want yet nothing ever gets done. In the building were I live the elevator works when it decides to, windows are always broken, sometimes the water turns brown (which is beyond disgusting) and theres always something that is falling apart within the apartment (stove, sink, cabinets, windows, ceilings etc.) The super does a half ass job (excuse my bluntness) and everything falls apart again. So I would LOVE if people would get together and figure out how to fix this problem.

I live in East Harlem/ El Barrio and feel that the neighborhood has come a long way but there is still a lot to be done. One of the major issues is education. Many of the schools in this area are failing schools. The schools are zoned according to where you live. Therefore, if you live in this neighborhood your child is zoned to attend these schools. This is not fair to the students who are above average and are looking to excel. I am aware of a few schools, which have taken an initiative in changing and improving their curriculum. P.S.57 is a great example. This school was on the verge of closing down; they hired a new and innovative principle Mr. Soto who implemented many new programs and built partnerships with surrounding organizations. This failing school is now an A school. Mr. Soto was presented with the 2009 Leadership Community Award. This is only one of the success stories. The community needs more school like this one, to give the children of this neighborhood a chance. Housing is also an issue. There are may new developments going up but the asking price or rent are astronomical. People living in the community can no longer afford to pay their rent. The community needs more affordable housing. Two organizations that are dedicated to developing affordable housing are El Barrio’s Operation Fight back Inc. and Hope Community. They relay on HPD and government grants to assist with the developments. There is a need for additional funding to continue developing affordable housing.

As a child I was privileged to the sacrifices my mother made and still makes to ensure my sisters and I wouldn’t be a statistic; more importantly, that we would get the “best” education. Thus, where Larchmont, NY comes into play, this town is documented as one of the richest areas in Westchester. This one-square mile town is indeed wealthy with resources, as well as racism and ignorance to the being of people of color. As a Bronx native I hated this area for the mere fact being black was a spectacle. If you weren’t a nanny, than what were you doing here was the aura. Moreover, the confusion of being black and educated created an interracial division; this troubled mindset was present in ages on Middle School students. The few Latinos that existed were always and forever Mexican, regardless of the fact if they spoke garifuna or proudly pronounced their connection to Ecuador. Being the economic power of this community was so strong; one would think that the educational experience would be better rounded. As a high school student, the closest lesson on Black history consisted of a15 pages on slavery, 2-2page readings that always pinned Malcolm X against martin Luther King, Jr. If I was lucky, I would be exposed to 2 poems from Langston Hugh or Countee Cullen, from a book as thick as Webster’s dictionary that was supposed to be about great American poets. I almost forgot, the annual Martin Luther King Day assembly which always landed on a day where class period were only 35 minutes. I wondered how the administration expected any student to learn Black History in 2 hours. By the way, Latinos were still Mexican and were never in any textbook.
I vividly remember in a Social Studies class I had taken that a student, during our brief recognition of Black History month, said to me, “You people should be happy because if it weren’t for slavery black people wouldn’t be here. You wouldn’t be free.” As I reached to crack his skull, a friend of mine intercepted my hand movements. No one came to my rescue. Not even the teacher, who was African-American, addressed his ignorant comment.
So, my change to this community would be to implement a division of studies that focused on the history of people of color. With regard to Black and Latino studies, the learning of their history will begin with a deep analysis of the diverse tribes in Africa; it is my hope that upon examining the slave trade that a discovery of the tribal origins of slaves will surface, if at all possible. Moreover, a comparative study of their mental and physical condition, upon their disbursement throughout the Americas and Caribbean, to their current state. A vast analysis of the reasoning and strategy regarding the revolution for freedom across gender and race will be heavily explored. Through open discussion, visits of historical/cultural sites and interactive projects, my goal is to create a culture of awareness. In creating an arena for awareness, I hope the prejudice mindsets of the students will be altered, and that the Black and Latino students will gain a sense of identity and pride in being of color. My desire is not to create an atmosphere of guilt and self-pity, but to actually enrich the live of each student with the full history of people. Being that the parents of this community are adamant about making sure their children have the best education, I am certain the implementation of a division focused on people of color with only enhance the educational experience of every student. In due time a Freire revolution can surface and spread fast.

Well, I would change where I live. I agree with Packer; where I live isn't a community, it's just a neighborhood. Everybody goes about their own business and apart from the occasional hi and bye, I don't really speak with anyone who lives in the building or the neighborhood. I go home to sleep and hide from bad weather. I'm almost never there. If I'm not at Baruch, I will be at work or my internship. The packed schedule I have gives me little time to be home and worry about the many stresses of life.

Therefore, I would move and continue to try and better my life. My life, career and the family I hope to have in the future are the three things which are extremely important to me. Since they are the important things to me right now, my entire focus is on improving myself and my chances in the future.

To sum it all up, by going to Baruch and always striving to better myself is how I plan to change my life and the way I live.

I cannot say that I pay much attention to what should be changed within my own community. Sanitation is not a problem, there is not a lot of violence, I feel safe (enough). People know me, and I know them; although I suppose living in my neighborhood for all my life has been somewhat beneficial in this way. Some people have mentioned education but since I did not go to any school around my neighborhood, public elementary/junior school or high school, I am not exactly sure how it is run, so cannot comment on that either. My building is in good condition and they do remodeling pretty often. If something is not working, we are able to get it fixed if not the same day, then the next. This is not to say that my neighborhood is perfect nor is my community but the problems are not vast enough that I seek to make a drastic change. The point I am trying to make is that I do not pay much attention to the wrongs in my community. Instead, I suppose I focus on a better life, like Russo, for me and my family. I think when an issue is obvious and hinders one's life, thoughts about a change and/or a revolution begin to brew. Mine just so happen to be less about the community at large and more about individuality. (I believe this might be where liberation becomes very individualized).

In the video, Miguel "Mickey" Melendez states that "when the government fails and people organize themselves and confront government...that's in the spirit of the Young Lords." Thoughts about one's living space, dialogue about one's community, and the realization of oppression and inequality is the beginning of wanting to change one's circumstances, as the Young Lords did. They felt as though the government failed them and as a result, they organized themselves. In their 13pt program, they outlined everything unjust about their world. They saw oppression and inequality based on social dynamics and they aimed to bring about change. I was certainly inspired by the readings and I praise them for their ambitions and accomplishments. They did what they thought was necessary and were able to spread awareness. For that, in my opinion, they accomplished quite a lot.

I was extremely motivated by the discussion in class. I have always found Health, Education and a safe and clean living space to be the most important necessities for everyone. The Young Lords may have been to some aggressive in obtaining their needs for their people but they got their points across and helped their community as much as they could by fighting for what they deserved as human beings. They helped to spread awareness to all Puerto Ricans, that they have a say in what takes place in their community, but you must fight for it non stop until you obtain it. The video posted on this Journal, interviews a woman named Angie Ardorno who states that she feels sorry for the kids of this era because they just run with what they are given and don't realize that they have a say and power in their words and actions to change their community. I agree with her fully. I see so many kids just following behind what they are handed and not being intellectuals within their community to change the wrongs that surround them.
This discussion and topic in class has not only inspired to me to be more aware of how I treat my community in which I live in, but also to make attempts to change things. If I see trash on the floor I now place it in the trash. Instead of posting what I'm doing on facebook, I post information about political groups and issues that should be brought to life. So others can see what I see and be more aware as well.