►
Description
This program is part of the One Book, One Region 2017 "Homegoing" by Yaa Gyasi series. Kevin Booker, Jr. leads a panel discussion exploring the complexity of ancestral identity. The panelists will shed light on how they have navigated through labels that have been imposed on them through societal pressure of Western culture. The labels have not taken away their inner strength but only deepened a sense of self.
A
Tonight
we
are
pleased
to
present
I,
do
not
know
my
ancestors,
but
I
know
who
I
am
a
panel
discussion
moderated
by
Kevin
Booker
in
early
meetings
about
homegoing.
We
talked
about
how
the
book
raises
the
questions.
Who
am
I
and
where
do
I
come
from?
They
seem
like
such
simple
questions,
but
for
many
people
the
answers
are
not
so
simple.
Kevin
had
moderated
a
panel
for
us
last
year
and
we
knew
he
was
the
right
person
to
tackle
the
subject.
Mr.
Booker
was
born
and
raised
in
Hartford
Connecticut.
A
A
He
now
teaches
college
and
high
school
level
classes,
trains,
men
and
women
who
have
been
sexually
assaulted,
facilitates
the
facilitates
leadership
in
diversity,
workshops,
lectures,
mentors
and
speaks
publicly
all
over
the
country
to
encourage
people
who
have
been
disenfranchised
to
understand
the
power
of
education,
Kevin
organized
and
gathered
the
participants
for
tonight's
panel
and
so
I'm
going
to
let
him
introduce
our
other
guests.
Please
join
me
in
welcoming
Kevin
Booker.
B
Good
evening
it
is
honor
to
be
here,
it
really
is,
and
it's
so
awesome
to
be
here.
First
of
all,
I
want
to
give
a
round
of
applause
to
Betty,
Ann
writer
and
Ann
Campbell
for
putting
this
event
together
for
one
book,
one
region,
their
enthusiasm
and
what
they
contribute
to
this
community
is
awesome.
Please
give
them
a
round
of
applause.
B
B
My
events
I
do
a
greeting
and
the
reason
why
I
greet
individuals
and
various
different
languages
is
because
it
represents
the
community,
our
community,
our
community,
which
is
in
London,
County
and
I,
would
like
to
say
good
evening:
buenos
noches,
Bonjour,
Vanja,
Buon,
Giorno
neha
me
min-jae's,
Doble,
utro,
namaste,
Sawadee
cha,
when
manga
manga,
manga,
KOMO,
yay
so
part
one
on
some
assalamualaikum
Prive
googan
talk
calamara
and,
as
they
say
in
some
neighborhoods,
what's
good
now
the
reason
why,
like
I
said
I
start
off
because
we're
gonna
have
awesome.
This
conversation
tonight
on
home
going.
B
What
is
your
home?
Where
is
your
home
where's,
your
land?
How
do
you?
How
do
you
identify
yourself
as
a
human
being
we're
gonna
touch
with
some
very
various
topics
with
this
awesome
panel,
the
panelists
tonight
and
we're
gonna
have
a
great
conversation
about
some
of
these
topics.
But
before
we
begin
the
panel
discussion,
I
have
two
awesome
poets
that
I
would
like
to
introduce
and
one
of
the
poets
he
goes
by
the
name
of
Johnny
Miller
Johnny
Miller
has
been
all
over
Connecticut
sharing
his
story
of
bullying
suicide
and
depression
at
12
years
old.
B
He
was
contemplating
suicide
to
where
today
he
speaks
about
his
experience
and
he
started
his
organization
saved
one
when
he
was
fifteen
years
old
and
he
is
only
19
years
old
today,
Johnny
Miller,
his
poems
electrified
many
of
the
youth
and
people
throughout
the
state
and
also
the
country,
and
he
did
his
first
TED
talk
when
he
was
16
years
old.
Please
give
a
round
of
applause
for
Johnny
Miller
from
save
one.
C
Hey
so
I
have
a
poem
for
you
guys
today,
it's
I
know
we're
talking
more
about
labels.
So
last
night,
I'm
just
hanging
out
and
I'm
like.
Let
me
write
something
different
yeah
I
have
tons
of
poems,
but
let
me
write
something
fresh.
Let
me
write
something
to
do
with
labels
right
so
on.
Here
we
go.
The
biggest
issue
in
society
is
labels.
C
We
all
have
been
handed
down
labels
words
that
say
who
you
are
words
that
people
come
up
with
to
define
you
there's
good
and
bad
labels,
but
sometimes
those
labels
don't
correctly
define
you,
do
not
let
a
label
create
you
yet.
Instead,
you
create
the
label.
The
issue
is
that
sometimes
we
create
the
wrong
label.
If
your
label
was
written
on
your
hand,
would
you
still
be
beautiful
from
the
labels?
On
my
left
hand,
I
say
stupid
ugly
words
to
listen
weird
to
the
words.
C
On
my
right
hand,
the
right
words
that
truly
define
me
that
say
beautiful,
smart,
loving
and
caring
that
is
Who
I
am
those
were
once
the
labels
I
believed,
but
these
are
the
true
labels
and
who
I
am
people,
may
label
us
and
oftentimes?
We
label
others
as
well,
but
instead
of
negatively,
we
need
to
build
each
other
up.
We
need
to
speak
life
over
others
at
12
years
old.
C
The
label
suicidal
was
facing
me.
The
labels,
on
my
left
hand,
were
those
that
killed
me,
those
that
made
my
life
not
worth
living.
It
took
the
friends
and
family
and
God
to
build
me
back
up
to
write
those
labels
on
my
right
hand,
where
today,
I
can
stand,
I
can
share
with
you,
where
I
have
been
where
I
am
and
where
I
would
love
to
go.
But
you
see
we
all
have
been
handed
down
labels,
but
the
question
is:
what
will
we
do
with
those
labels?
C
B
The
next
fold
I'm
going
to
bring
up
he
goes
by
the
name
of
Marco
Anthony
for
Betty
and
Marco
anthony
far
Betty
is
a
new
london-based,
poet,
word
artists.
He
has
overcome
many
obstacles
in
his
life:
racial
profiling,
bullying
and
security
and
self-doubt.
He
was
born
and
raised
in
New
Britain
Connecticut.
He
battled
and
has
been
set
free
from
a
10-year
battle
of
opiate
addiction.
He
created
a
movement
called
stop
the
lie
and
where
he
shares
his
story
through
poems
and
empowers
the
younger
generation
to
use
their
talents
for
good
and
in
a
new
London.
D
Listen
I'm
going
to
be
straight
to
the
point,
because
nowadays,
if
you
dare
to
be
different
people
going
hate,
they
go
stay
at
a
gunpoint.
They
don't
laugh
and
say
things
under
their
breath,
but
since
they
don't
value
yourself,
y'all
well,
I,
guess
it's
really
nobody
else
to
respect
I'm
living
because
there's
the
one
who
was
they
cool.
This
fool
who
end
up
coming
here
and
make
a
difference
for
me,
there's
only
one
way
to
live
and
that's
free,
timrie.
D
Free
the
rents
for
those
with
the
right
mindset.
Everything
is
the
truth,
be
like
a
secret
that
I'm
here
they
can
hug
you
to
find
it,
but
I'm
this
I'm
free,
I'm,
so
free
people
when
they
think
that
the
water
just
stops
see.
Now.
Somebody
me,
my
friends
were
supposed
to
help
me.
Stop
the
lie,
but
it
got
big
I
said
I
need
my
people
to
cry.
Yeah
not
gonna,
be
satisfied.
You
mean
gotta
get
before
25,
then
we
gotta
do
better
cause.
Here.
D
D
D
A
E
D
Your
brush
in
the
wrong
hands
and
try
picking
you
and
that's
a
message
for
us
all,
because
they
make
Mike
so
I
gotta
be
careful
how
I'm
speaking
you
dog!
That's.
Why
I
only
write
the
truth
there
from
untruth,
baby
I
came
to
stop
the
lies
of
the
truth
win
because
he
spake
back
the
same
puzzle
of
us
to
attract
me.
So
why
gotta
be
able
to
speak
up
good
bless?
You
hey,
maybe
I'll,
stop
and
see
my
dues
I
mean
just
imagine
my
life
I'm
like
a
blank
outline.
This
is
white.
Skin.
D
D
B
Jose
you're
gonna
have
a
lot
of
fun
tonight.
We're
gonna
enjoy
these
conversations.
So
now
it's
time
for
extraordinary
panelists,
okay,
so
first
person,
I'm
gonna
bring
up
is
dr.
Roger,
staggers
Hakeem.
She
is
the
founder
and
executive
director
of
chair
Institute,
a
nonprofit
organization
committed
to
addressing
health
and
inequities
in
Connecticut.
Additionally,
dr.
staggers
is
principal
chair,
consulting
group
where
she
provides
diversity,
training
and
technical
assistance
for
educational
and
health
care
organizations
nationally.
Dr.
B
staggers
Hakeem
has
over
15
years
experience
working
with
and
advocating
on
behalf
of
the
health
and
social
concerns
of
disenfranchised
populations.
Over
10
years
teaching
and
higher
education,
dr.
staggers
Hakeem
has
worked
with
national
organizations
around
addressing
health
inequities
and
pursuing
health
equity.
A
graduate
of
Howard
University
and
New
York
University
dr.
sagres,
holds
a
doctorate
and
medical
sociology
and
race
class
and
gender
studies
and
a
master's
of
Public
Health
and
community
health
education.
Dr.
staggers
has
written
extensively
about
health
inequities
and
the
social
Dutch
detriments
of
Health.
B
Her
most
recent
article
is
the
nation's
unprotected
children
and
the
ghost
of
Michael
Mike
Brown
was
published
in
the
Journal
of
health
and
human
behavior
in
2016,
an
edited
book
police
and
unarmed
black
male
crisis,
advancing
in
effective
prevention
strategies
and
2017
dr.
sagas
Hakim
is
currently
the
director
of
equity
and
clusion,
and
civic
engagement
at
Yale.
University
Divinity
School
give
a
round
of
applause
for
dr.
Roger
how
King
staggers
I
came.
Yes,.
B
His
work
there
encompasses
teaching
healthy
relations,
healthy
relationships,
programming,
Andrew
schools,
training,
sports
coaches
on
health,
runnings
after
school
boys
and
club
boys,
clubs
for
middle
school
students
facilitating
groups
from
men
who
have
been
abused,
facilitating
groups
for
male
victims
of
violence,
answering
the
hotline
and
doing
counseling
one-on-one
with
victims
of
all
genders,
with
a
BA
from
Earlham
College
and
peace
and
global
studies.
He
worked
on
a
number
of
different
nonprofit
fields
before
coming
to
say
futures.
B
B
Our
next
panelist
is
Christina,
no
Seto
Christina,
no
Seto,
she
says
I
am
an
Asian
American
and
I
was
born
in
Hawaii.
I
grew
up
in
New
London
attending
London
schools,
graduated
from
the
London
High
School
in
1996
I,
took
classes
at
UConn,
Three,
Rivers
and
Tunxis
community
college
to
earn,
as
so
sheÃs
degree
in
Liberal,
Arts
and
Sciences,
and
in
criminal
justice.
I
returned
to
college
and
earned
my
bachelor's
in
Justice
Studies
from
SNHU
and
2015,
which
is
southern
New.
B
Hampshire
University
I
have
worked
for
Chelsea
ground
bake
for
19
years
and
completed
Connecticut
school
of
finance
and
management
and
completed
a
Chamber
of
Commerce
leadership
and
the
tenant
the
Disney
Institute
Leadership
Program.
She
currently
works
on
a
board
of
directors
for
oh
I,
see
and
a
number
of
shoreline
roller
derby
league.
She
also
enjoys
volunteering
for
many
functions
throughout
southeastern
Connecticut.
She
has
a
son
named
Anthony
and
she
resides
in
London.
Her
hobbies
are
staying
active
reading
books
and
also
relaxing
at
home
on
the
beach
give
a
round
of
applause
for
Christine
and
Osito.
B
Our
next
panelist
is
Chris
Soto
awesome.
He
is
a
representative
and
currently
his
first
time
in
Connecticut,
General
Assembly,
representing
New
London,
and
that
capacity
he
serves
as
house.
Vice
chair
of
appropriations
committee
among
other
committees,
Chris
arrived
in
New
London
to
attend.
They
use
the
United
States
Coast,
Guard
Academy
and
graduate
with
a
bachelor's
degree
and
operations
research
following
graduation.
He
served
five
years
on
active
duty
as
a
Coast
Guard
officer
with
tours
in
Miami
and
in
New
York,
primarily
and
law
enforcement
roles.
B
He
left
the
service
to
enter
the
education
field
first,
as
the
assistant
director
of
diversity
back
at
the
Coast
Guard
Academy.
This
this
was
followed
by
his
pursuit
of
a
graduate
degree
at
Brown.
University
earn
a
master's
in
public
affairs
prior
to
joining
the
legislature.
Chris
represented
southeastern
Connecticut
on
a
former
Latino
and
Puerto
Rican
Affairs
Commission.
Now
the
Commission
on
equity
and
opportunity
outside
of
legislature
outside
of
the
legislature.
B
Chris
currently
serves
as
the
founder
and
director
of
higher
education,
a
college
completion
organization
with
offices
in
New,
London
and
Willow
mance
Willimantic,
that
guy's
Eastern
Connecticut
slow
income
and
first-generation
college-bound
students
on
a
path
to
college
degree
and
beyond
Chris
Soto
currently
serves
as
the
founder
and
director
of
higher
edge
a
college
completion
organization
with
offices
and
in
London
and
Willimantic
Chris
also
is
left
left
to
service.
It
left
to
serve
as
an
answer:
education,
Phil
first
as
an
assistant
director
back
at
the
Coast
Guard
Academy.
B
This
was
followed
by
his
pursuit,
Wow
jeez,
oh
no,
it's
like
so
when
Chris
was
recently
elected.
Most
important
Chris
was
elected
state
representative
of
Connecticut
39th
district
New
London.
In
this
capacity
he
serves
as
the
house
vice
chair
of
appropriations
committee
among
other
committees,
give
around
foster
Chris
Soto.
B
Next
person
we
have
this
principal
Lindsey,
Thompson
Lindsey
Thompson
is
currently
the
principal
of
environmental
science
magnet
school
at
Mary
hooker,
a
pre-k
through
8th
grade
magnet
school
in
Hartford
Connecticut,
miss
Thompson,
studied
mathematics,
secondary
education
at
Minnesota,
State
University
in
Mankato
before
for
her
bachelor's
degree
and
Reese
and
received
her
master's
degree
in
public
school
leadership
from
Teachers
College
at
Columbia
University
before
becoming
a
principal,
miss
Thompson
saw
her
high
school
math
at
Hartford
public
high
school
she
held
from
the
cold
state
of
Minnesota
and
loves
Tater
Tot
hot
dish.
She
comes
from.
B
B
Please
give
a
wonderful
round
of
applause
for
this
awesome
panelists
we
gotta
have
some
fun
tonight
all
right.
The
first
question
when
I
was
thinking
about
this
discussion
when
the
first
questions
that
came
to
my
mind
when
I
think
about
this
very
diverse
panel
of
all
different
backgrounds
and
I
thought
about
that
was
like.
B
I
want
a
very
diverse
panel
because
we're
discussing
some
very
serious
issues,
especially
issues
that
still
impact
our
nation
in
so
many
ways
today.
So
the
first
question
that
I
wanted
to
ask
all
of
you
is:
how
do
you
racially
or
ethnically
identify
yourself
and
why?
Ok,
whoever
would
like
to
take
the
lead
on
now?
How
do
you
racially
and
ethnically
identify
yourself
and
why.
E
H
Why
do
I
identify
myself
as
such
and
I
would
actually
say?
African-American
and
black
and
I
would
say,
I
would
use
both
I'm
African
I
would
say
an
American
to
recognize
my
connection
to
Africa
and
I,
say
black
as
well,
because
everyone
does
not
I
think
that
people
oftentimes
lump
everyone
together
as
African
American
and
there
are
we
I
live
in
Bloomfield
Connecticut
was
a
huge
Caribbean
population
and
people
are
not
necessarily
going
to
identify
as
African
American.
H
They
would
say
that
I'm
Jamaican
I
am
Trinidadian,
etc
and
when
I
use
black
I
do
that
consciously
at
certain
times,
so
that
I
also
identify
with
other
people
who
share
African
ancestry.
So
I
might
speak
to
that
and
I
selectively
do
that
at
times,
but
I
myself
in
I'm,
African
American,
and
that's
why
I
did
that
myself?
Thank.
I
G
I
was
introduced,
I'm,
Asian,
American
and
I.
Think
that's
kind
of
how
you
were
I
was
taught
to
label
myself
when
I
was
little,
you
may
fill
out
those
forms
here,
SATs
and
there's
a
little
bubbles
which
one
do
I
choose
in
my
Asian
and
my
white,
because
I
am
half
white
and
my
Pacific
Islander.
You
know
you
don't
really
know
the
meaning
of
that,
but
now
I
just
kind
of
describe
myself
as
a
mix
of
lots
of
different
races.
Yes,
I
am
half
Filipino,
my
dad
actually
recently
in
the
past
few
years
found
out.
G
G
J
J
Identify
myself
as
white,
but
that's
really
by
default-
we're
not
really
told
to
call
ourselves
European
American
right,
so,
like
white
becomes
the
almost
like
the
normal
choice
as
a
white
kid
growing
up.
That's
what
it
feels
like
my
family's,
very
proud
to
their
Irish
heritage.
So
I
often
describe
myself
as
Irish
American,
but
I've
started,
trying
to
be
a
pain
on
the
bubble
forms
by
filling
in
like
European
American,
but.
K
Growing
up
kind
of,
unlike
Patrick
I
knew
I
was
Swedish
and
Norwegian
my
grandparents
we're
coming
from,
but
it
wasn't
something
that
was
maybe
talked
about
a
lot
or
celebrated
and
it
wasn't
really
until
I
moved
out
to
Connecticut
and
had
a
it
was
100%,
Swedish
and
loved
being
Swedish.
That
I
learned
a
lot
about
I
Sweden,
even
though
my
grandmother
was
100%
Swedish.
L
I
I
self
identify
as
Latino
and
kind
of
like
Patrick
I.
However
I'm
feeling
at
the
time
when
I'm
when
I
have
bubbles
in
front
of
me,
you
know
I,
usually
self-identify
in
terms
of
race,
black
white
and
Indian,
because
that's
what
our
ancestors
are
and
also
did
a
kind
of
a
lineage
test
and
kind
of
saw.
Some
of
that
reflected
in
that,
and
so
so
I
was
like.
Okay,
good
I'm,
actually
pretty
accurate
here,
but
but
yeah
for
the
most
part,
I
identify
as
Latino
and
I.
L
Think
that's
in
the
context
of
being
an
American,
because
you
know
as
Latinos
we
tend
to
get
proud
of
our
ethnic
background.
So
my
parents
are
Puerto,
Rican
and
Cuban,
but
I
I
kind
of
superseded
that
with
Latino,
because
in
some
ways
the
lens
that
people
look
at.
You
is
just
as
a
Latino
male.
It
doesn't
really
matter
and
I
can
get
into
that
later.
But
thank.
B
You
very
much
in
the
past
12
years,
social
media
has
put
a
spotlight
on
a
justices
that
have
been
occurring
around
our
nation.
How
does
it
make
you
feel
to
hear
when
you
hear
the
rhetoric
go
back
to
your
country?
Go
back
to
where
you
came
from?
Is
there
a
way
we
can
stop
this
netiquette
negative
rhetoric
that
we're
hearing
throughout
the
country
I
mean.
G
G
Recently
had
a
friend
who
said,
like
you
know,
let's
cook
out
time,
summer
time
and
said:
oh,
we
don't
go
sauce
black
people
don't
go
to
pick
picnics.
We
go
to
cook
out
some
like.
What's
the
difference
and-
and
you
know
started
to
explain
to
me
the
meaning
of
picnic
versus
a
cookout
which
had
to
do
the
picnic
had
to
do
with
hangings
and
things
like
that
many
many
years
ago
and
I'm
like
okay.
G
The
correction,
but
you
know
to
me
it's
all
the
same
word
or
you
know
you
get
the
same
comment
as
I
can't
be
in
the
room
with
more
than
X
amount
of
white
people.
Those
like
but
I,
don't
understand
those
things.
So
when
these
types
of
comments
come
out,
I
just
feel
bad
and
sorry
for
those
people
to
say
that
so.
L
L
What
is
that
Ellis
Island
any
other
one's
deportation
enforcement
did
Mexico
come
into
anybody's
mind?
There
was
a
few
right
and
I
do
this
exercise
with
the
class
I
used
to
teach
and
the
reason
why
I
asked
that
question
is
because,
based
on
the
question
right,
the
media
is,
is
filling
our
mind
with
images
and
subconsciously,
we're
even
thinking
about
things
and.
L
It
just
matters
that
you're
basically
from
this
country
that
we
have
Illustrated
as
the
face
of
immigration
and
so
I
just
kind
of
put
that
out
there
I
don't
know
if
that
answers
the
question,
but
I
think
that
that
social
media
and
the
media
in
general
are
are
helping
frame,
unfortunately,
both
good
and
bad.
How
we
see
immigration
in
our
country.
I
J
Me
I
mean
I,
guess:
I
I've
only
heard
other
white
people
say
this
right
and
where
I
go
is
that
it
just?
It
shows
a
complete
unawareness
of
our
own
history.
You
know
my
my
mom's
side
of
the
family
is
Irish
and
they
and
they
came
here
as
refugees
and
asylum-seekers.
But
my
dad
sides
been
here
since
the
1630s
and
like
we
know
what
our
family
did.
We've.
J
It's
documented,
like
our
participation
in
massacres
like
here
my
direct
ancestor,
Nicholas
Olmstead
was
one
of
general
Mason's
soldiers
and
and
lit
fire
to
people's
homes
like
in
Mystic,
just
destroyed
the
Pequot
tribe
and
so
like
when
you
know
like
how
we
got
this
country
and
you
truly
like
process
that
I,
don't
think
you
can
say
that
out
loud
again,
like
you
can't
say:
hey
like
yeah.
This
is
this.
J
K
Understanding,
maybe
more
of
where
it's
coming
from
from
that
person
like
what
is
that?
What
does
that
even
mean
to
go
back
to
your
country
or
where
does
that?
What
does
that
even
mean
to
go
back
to
where
you're
from
because
most
of
us,
where
we're
from
maybe
the
place
that
we're
currently
are
residing?
So
what
does
that
even
mean
and
I
think
usually
when
it
said
it's
not
set
in
a
space
where
people
want
to
talk
about?
You
know
the
background
of
that
or
actually
have
a
dialogue.
It's
more.
It's
meant
out
of
hate.
K
It's
meant,
it's
meant
to
hurt
someone,
and
so
you
know
I
think
it
goes
back
to
where
are
these
messages
being
taught
or
heard,
and
whether
it's
on
social
media
or
for
families
or
the
neighbor
next
door
that
it's
all
part
of
our
own
responsibilities,
to
call
these
things
out
as
ignorance
and
and
want
to
educate
ourselves.
So
we
hear
things
like
this.
We
hear
these
this
aggressive
tone
or
this
aggressive
language
to
ostracize
many
people
that
we
then
can
speak
about
it.
B
You
know
Patrick
just
to
reiterate
what
you
just
you
know
you
just
mentioned
so
eloquently.
You
said
you
know
you
only
hear
from
white
people
that
type
of
hostile
language
you
know
go
back
to
your
own
country.
You
know,
because
you
mentioned
that
your
family
was
Tara
mystic
that
1630.
So
when
you
think
about
that
concept
of
how
you
mentioned
how
a
person
of
European
descent
can
trace
their
lineage,
so
do
people
of
European
descent
have
a
stronger
connection
to
their
ancestral
lineage
than
black,
then
you're
in
your
black
or
brown
colleagues.
B
E
B
E
H
Oh
and
when
will
I
choose
specifically
an
in
certain
context,
and
part
of
that,
though,
is
recognizing
the
connection
to
other
aspects
of
culture.
I
recall
gears
back
on
when
I
was
at
Howard,
we
were
having
a
conversation
with
a
number
of
students.
The
department
was
quite
diverse
in
terms
of
people
coming
from
different
regions
in
Caribbean,
continental
African
in
folks
from
African
American.
H
We
were
just
sharing
about
diet
and
we
were
talking
about
different
types
of
grains
and
then
also
have
different
types
of
music,
because
we've
been
recognizing
the
connection,
so
I
think
that
as
people,
even
though
people
don't
necessarily
have
or
don't
have
the
ability
to
connect
to
certain
regions
or
land
or
time
period,
people
can
still
be
very
much
tied
to
and
connect
it
to
their
ancestry.
I.
K
Think
going
back
to
the
question
growing
up,
I
didn't
have
much
of
a
connection.
I
knew
my
grandmother
was
Swedish
and
I
knew
my
other
grandmother
was
no
region,
but
there
wasn't.
For
my
family,
there
wasn't
a
strong
connection.
We
knew
our
family
tree
who
the
people
were,
but
not
necessarily
a
strong
connection
to
the
ethnic
heritage
of
it
and
I
feel
at
a
loss.
K
Sometimes,
when
I
have
these
discussions,
even
with
my
students
at
school
and
they
can
share
long
lists
of
where
their
family
originated
from
how
they
made
it
to
Connecticut
and
Hartford
in
particular
or
in
other
towns
in
Connecticut
and
I,
don't
necessarily
know
those
answers
and
I.
Think
partly
you
know,
I
didn't
ask
those
questions.
Maybe
when
I
was
younger
of
my
grandparents
before
they
passed
but
I,
don't
always
feel
a
strong
connection.
K
There
I
feel
like
there's
a
loss
of
not
really
knowing
so
I,
don't
think
necessarily
because
I'm
of
European
descent
do
I,
have
a
stronger
connection.
I
think
that
that's
more
of
an
individual
piece
but
I
also
think
it
is
challenging
when
you
have
families
that
were
broken
up
and
stolen
and
pushed
into
countries
and
ripped
apart
from
their
families
very
purposely
to
end
to
end
family,
lineage
and
strength
of
family
and
strengthen
ethnicity
and
belonging,
and
so
that
could
be
true
but
I.
Think
I,
don't
think
it's
necessarily
true.
Just
about
European
Americans,
either.
G
I'm
speaking
for
my
father
right
now,
so
he
didn't
really
know
a
lot
about
his
mother's
family.
We
just
knew
that
my
grandmother
on
her
side
was
from
England
and
my
grandfather
was
probably
Italian,
because
last
name
Franco
so
and
for
some
reason
my
grandmother
was
very
tight-lipped
about
certain
things.
She
never
opened
up
to
my
father
about
that
side
of
the
family.
G
He
always
wondered
about
his
father's
side
of
the
family
again
that
were
kind
of
quiet,
but
there
were
always
little
questions
as
to
his
true
ethnicity,
because
he
had
a
little
bit
different
hair
and
he
had
heard
some
rumors
and
he
was
growing
up.
So
when
he
did
his
ancestral
dig
online,
he
was
able
to
fill
in
some
of
those
questions
about
his
father
side.
I'm
wondering
you
know
where
his
father
came
from
his
true
lineage
on
that
side
and
finding
the
african-american
side
of
his
father's
side.
So
the
European
side,
he
wasn't
too
successful.
G
J
From
for
me,
that
guy
definitely
grew
up
in
a
family
where
we
knew
our
heritage,
but
it
was
important
at
my
mom's
side
as
well
are
very
proud
of
Irish
activism,
but
I
also
an
highlight:
look,
it's
it's
a
privilege
to
be
able
to
do
that
and
a
lot
of
people
can't,
but
we
only
passed
on
like
what
we
were
proud
of.
You
know
we
didn't.
We
didn't
inherit
the
stories
of
like
here's,
the
horrible
thing,
your
great-great-grandfather.
I
J
And
so
it's
it's
takes
work
now
to
find
that
stuff.
You
know
this
story
of
Nikolas
homestead,
we
didn't
know
until
genealogy
in
the
1990s,
and
so
so
it's
more
complex
than
just
like.
Are
you
proud
of
your
legacy?
It's
like
we.
We
need
to
do
research
to
really
know
it
now,
because
they
were
I,
think
maybe
ashamed
or
maybe
unconsciously
ashamed,
but
they
didn't
pass
it
on.
H
G
H
So,
in
terms
of
people
saying,
go
back
to
your
country
when
people
pick
and
choose
the
stories
that
are
shared,
and
that
becomes
the
history
that
we
know,
then
people
don't
have
the
foundation
and
I'm
not
saying
that
people
are
innocent.
I'm,
saying
that
they're
ignorant
right,
but
I'm
also
saying
that
this
is
what
we
continue
to
see:
perpetuating
people
not
having
the
information
in
the
education
and
in
happening
and
it
being
institutionalized
in
systemic.
In
some
ways.
That's
not
actually
being
powered
to
know
the
stories
and
knowing
our
history
and.
B
You
know
just
just
to
ass
another.
You
know
just
elaborate
on
that,
a
little
bit
more
doctor
staggers
from
some
of
my
white
colleagues
that
are
on
the
panel
when,
when
you
mentioned
the
fact
that
you
know
some
of
the
some
stories
are
for
my
marginalized
groups.
You
know
some
of
those
stories
are
not
mentioned
in
history.
How
does
that
for
some,
my
white
colleagues
that
are
on
the
panel?
How
does
that
make
you
feel
and
I?
B
L
I'll
jump
in
quickly,
so
in
the
General
Assembly
this
year
we
were
taking
up
legislation
on
casinos
and
this
idea
of
building
a
third
casino
because
of
the
threat
of
the
MGM
casino
in
Massachusetts.
So
you're
thinking
like
what
does
this
have
to
do
with
this
question,
what
we
saw
was
a
real
ignorant
around
the
tribes
history
in
the
state
of
Connecticut
and
I
was
floored
by
the
comments
that
I
heard
people
vilifying
the
tribes.
L
L
No,
but
so
this
is
something
that
I
would
argue,
is
probably
something
that
should
be
in
American
history
classes,
right,
especially
in
the
state
of
Connecticut,
and
wherever
else
were
teaching
history
and
and
those
tribes
that
are
native
to
those
lands,
so
I
think
it
is
troubling,
and
that
was
the
example
that
I
saw
most
recently.
That
makes
me
think
about
this
question.
J
The
question
is,
how
does
it
feel
to
kind
of
see
that
yeah,
absolutely
I
I
feel
like
I
was
lucky
to
have
parents
who
who
passed
on
and
it's
our
responsibility
to
try
to
to
keep
digging
to
tell
the
whole
story,
but
even
that's
a
process
and
so
yeah.
It
feels
hard.
You
do
have
to
look
at
what
you
there's
a
phrase
internalized
oppression
right,
but
we
don't
talk
about
the
internalized
oppressor.
J
We
usually
pointed
it
like
who's
receiving
the
oppression
not
like.
How
do
we
pass
on
like
what
it
means
to
dominate
for
centuries?
What
does
it
mean
to
create
this
system?
We
live
in
now,
and
so
you
know,
that's
the
that's
ongoing
right.
That's
just
work!
You
have
to
do
every
day,
so
there's
self
analysis
you
try
and
then
you
try
to
watch
a
comedy.
K
Well,
I
think
as
an
educator
and
a
principal,
so
just
even
thinking
about
so
how
social
studies
our
history
is
taught
in
most
schools,
so
I'm,
an
elementary
middle
school
and
our
students
get
social
studies
or
history
curriculum
through
their
their
reading
curriculum.
But
it's
it's
very
in
brief
and
who
decides
what
they
learn
and
the
state
of
Connecticut
if
anyone's
an
educator
in
the
room.
K
The
standards
for
social
studies
are
history.
Education
have
have
been
accepted
by
some
and
not
by
others
and
have
been
rewritten
and
in
Hartford
alone,
there's
been
a
social
studies
curriculum
that
has
been
started
over
and
over
and
over
again
for
the
last
15
years
to
be
written,
Minister
V,
that's
a
very
rich
of
history.
Didn't
don't
really
need
to
go
even
outside
of
Hartford
to
write
the
book
necessarily
and
I?
Take
it
as
a
huge.
K
K
And
so
they
themselves
have
also
learned
history
through
the
eyes
of
a
conqueror
Victoire
through
their
social
studies
curriculum.
And
so
they
may
not
know
to
question
things,
and
so
for
myself
until
I
started
traveling
through
the
end
of
high
school
and
through
college,
and
now
I
didn't
really
seek
to
understand.
Because
I
didn't
know
what
I
didn't
know.
K
So
the
trips
that
I
go
on
to
make
sure
that
I'm
sharing
with
my
staff
last
summer,
went
to
the
Black
Hills
and
got
to
meet
a
local
Lakota
Indian,
a
Native
American,
who
shared
the
story
of
his
people,
which
is
very
different
than
the
story
that
we
read
in
the
textbook
and
so
encouraging
other
teachers
to
pursue
understanding.
But
they
just
don't
know
what
they
don't
know,
but
I
don't
think
that's
an
ignorance
that
we
can
be
ok
with.
K
So
if
you
have,
if
you
have
the
information,
you
need
to
share
that
with
other
people,
about
taking
the
responsibility
to
educate
your
children,
to
educate
your
friends,
children
and
other
adults
that
you're
around,
so
that
they
start
to
become
curious
about
the
stories
that
are
not
shared
and
not
told
and
I.
Think
for
myself
as
I
start
learning
the
real
history.
K
It's
frustrating
to
me
I
think
because
I
I've
accepted
stories
that
are
very
untrue
and,
and
so
there's
a
you
know,
there
sometimes
I
think
there
is
a
an
embarrassment.
Maybe
for
believing
the
story,
that's
not
true
or
believing
the
story.
That's
why
we
told
that
untrue
and
so
I
think,
as
as
a
white
American
I
need
to
get
over
that
and
there
some
and
except
that
I've
I've,
heard
and
learned
the
wrong
stories
or
I've
heard
one
side
and
I
need
to
to
learn
the
other
ones
and
I
also
need
to
help.
K
Others
who
look
like
me,
who
learned
like
I,
did
to
get
over
that
embarrassment
as
well,
and
just
kind
of
accept
that
we
haven't
learned
the
true
truths
to
stories
and
that
that's
okay
and
we
need
to
pursue
the
real
understanding.
Because
the
thing
is,
is
we
talk
a
lot
about
the
next
generation
of
leaders,
but
who
are
they
learning
from
they're
learning
from
us
as
adults?
K
And
so
we
know
the
people
we
work
with
and
interact
on
a
daily
basis,
and
so
it's
it's
up
to
us
to
speak
different
stories
to
our
kids,
to
encourage
them
to
be
curious,
because
they're
going
to
learn
from
us,
they're
not
gonna,
learn
anything
different
unless
we're
teaching
them
something
different
as
well.
So
thank.
B
G
Well,
being
half
Filipino,
my
mom
did
pass
down
a
couple
traditions
and
going
to
the
Philippines
I
learned
some
more
so
in
the
book
they
talk
about
a
woman
coming
to
womanhood
or
young
woman
to
come
into
womanhood.
So
when
that
happened
to
me,
my
mom
went
to
the
refrigerator
and
took
an
egg
out
of
the
carton
and
started
rubbing
the
egg
around
my
face
and
I'm
looking.
G
And
she's
trying
to
explain
to
me
well
number
one:
you
don't
have
chickens
so
I
can't
grab
a
you
know
a
freshly
laid
egg,
but
I
want
to
make
your
face
as
shiny
as
this
egg,
for
you
know,
fertility
new
beginnings.
You
know
things
like
that,
so
that
was
my
first
step
into
traditions
on
my
mother's
side
was
having
an
egg
rub
against
my
face.
G
G
My
grandmother
aunts,
uncles,
thousands
of
cousins
until
2014,
so
it
was
interesting
to
see
what
other
traditions
are
were.
So
one
was
a
sign
of
respect
where,
because
I'm
older
than
a
lot
of
my
cousins,
they
would
call
me
auntie
Kristina,
even
though
I
might
be
the
same
age
or
just
a
little
older
I
was
auntie
Kristina,
my
father
was
uncle
Wayne
or
even
those
younger
than
me
would
take
my
hand.
I'll
demonstrate
with
Chris
here
and
I'm
hold
it.
G
E
H
You
know
there
is
the
tradition
that
that
may
be
passed
down,
whether
we
know
it
or
not.
Oh
good
or
bad
speaking
about
the
things
that
we've
learned,
you
know
how
we
have
to
do
the
corrective
learning,
but
also
creating
tradition
and
understanding
and
being
intentional
about
creating
that
tradition
and
I.
Think
that
that
that's
important
I
think
for
all
of
us,
recognizing
that
our
existence
is
not
just
about
us
right.
But
it's
it's
about
our
legacy.
B
G
I
B
Just
to
elaborate
with
the
way
Sonny
felt
in
the
book
have
you
have
any
of
you
ever
felt
that
way
and
your
own
dealings
in
your
own
life.
You
know
what
you
felt
like
you
know
like
when
you
look
at
the
Charlottesville
situation
that
just
occurred
a
few
weeks
ago
and
you're
like
oh,
my
God,
he's
white
supremists
and
then
then
they're
totally
against
us.
Wow
I,
just
don't
know
how
to
deal
with
this
situation.
You're
filling
all
the
tension
you
know
and
you're
like
is
this.
B
We
haven't,
we
haven't
really
moved
along
in
our
society.
We
haven't
really
progressed.
Have
you
ever
felt
like
you're,
isolated
and
and
just
like
your
calls
and
your
movement,
and
maybe
the
certain
people
who
look
like
this?
Well,
you
see
on
television
I
actually
totally
against
you,
and
maybe
at
that
moment,
you're
filling
that
type
of
tension.
L
L
I
J
E
J
H
It's
easy
I
think
for
us
to
assume
that
when
there
is
integration
that
people
are
equal
right,
because
so
much
of
a
language
around
desegregation
was
actually
making
things
equal
and
so
there's
the
assumption
that
if
we
see
representation,
which
is
what
desegregation
was
supposed
to,
integration
was
supposed
to
do
so
representation
supposedly
right.
What
we
considered
to
be
diversity,
that
people
are
actually
equal
and
that's
not
correct.
H
The
other
part
of
that,
though,
and
I'm
kind
of
jumping
around
a
little
bit.
There
is,
if
we
don't
always
speak
to
the
value
and
I
think
because
of
this.
So
we
don't
always
value
pluralism.
You
know
in
terms
of
recognizing
people
and
ethnicities
and
recognizing
the
value
of
what
people
actually
bring
and
I
think
that
there
is
something
to
be
lost
and
that
I'm
not
suggesting
that
you
know
what.
H
So
we
should
uphold
segregation,
not
at
all
what
I'm,
what
I
am
suggesting,
that
is
that
we
lose
sight
of
valuing
people
and
the
richness
that
different
people
bring
in
and
jumping
to
another
step,
though
in
terms
of
how
this
I
would
actually
speak
to
some
people
and
probably
of
folks
who
are
probably
considered
the
minority
when
they
when
they
speak
about
with
around
conversations
of
segregation.
This
is
just
a
point,
and
this
is
not
necessarily
where
I
am
coming
into
this,
but
historically
you
know,
groups
that
have
been
able
to
flourish.
H
They
actually
start
in
what
they
we
call
Enclave
societies
right.
So
people
actually
go
to
a
particular
group,
so
people
are
coming
into
speaking
about
immigrants
we're
coming
into
a
country.
They
may
actually
go
into
a
group
okay.
So
even
if
we're
talking
about,
we
see
a
lot
of
these
small
towns.
So
if
we
talk
about
say,
Haitian
communities,
so
this
is
probably
not
the
best
example.
But
if
we
look
at
certain
communities
across
the
country,
we
look
at
communities
in
Florida
communities
in
Cuba
in
Florida,
for
example,
or
even
China
towns
around
the
country.
H
People
actually
go
to
communities
right
where
people
are
receiving
them
to
help
build
up
for
African
American
people
of
color
it
with
with
desegregation
some
that
part
was
lost
in
terms
of
building
businesses
and
in
that
particular
capital
and
community.
So
there
are,
when
people
speak
about
that,
the
loss
for
African
Americans,
that's
what
people
may
be
speaking
to
in
terms
of
the
economic
capital
building
businesses
and
when
that
and
part
of
it,
though
too
wasn't
just
partially
desegregation.
We
can
also.
H
We
can
also
speak
to
other
very
specific
tactics
and
strategies
that
were
actually
used
to
destroy
that
wealth
in
that
economy.
So
there
are
a
group
of
people
who
speak
to
that
and
who
mourn
the
loss
of
building
that
Capitol,
particularly
for
African
Americans,
when
we
speak
about
segregation
and
desegregation
and
how
communities
weren't
able
to
build
up
that
way,
but
that's
very
separate,
and
that
that's
a
different
conversation
than
saying
that
you
know
what
again,
everyone
should
not
be
represented.
H
Okay,
because
the
other
piece
so-
and
we
again
go
back
to
this
notion
that
desegregation
means
that
we're
all
valued
it
doesn't
mean
that
way.
We
have
to
be
very
conscious
to
make
sure
that
that
we,
that
we
appreciate
who's
in
the
room
and
that
we
value
what
people
are
bringing
so
we
have
to
still
do
that.
Work.
B
In
the
book
home
going
by
yagi
see
the
character,
Mesa
insisted,
James
I
will
be
my
own
nation.
Have
you
ever
felt
like
you
have
to
be
your
own
nation
because
of
discrimination,
prejudice
and
justices
that
you
see
around
or
have
faced?
Maybe
as
a
person
of
color
or
a
person
of
European
descent,
have
you
ever
felt
isolated
or
felt
like
in
your
own
personal
life?
Well,
you
had
to
be
your
own
nation.
There
was
no
one
else
who
will
speak
out
and
have
deliver
your
voice.
Have
your
own
voice
so
has
that?
E
L
This
is
the
reality
that
we
live
in
in
in
our
society,
and
you
know
it's
better
to
get
the
training
early
on
I,
see
it
as
training
right
and
so
that
way
you
can
navigate
those
waters
because
we
can
become
very
resistant.
We
can
become
very
comfortable
in
our
environments
that
we're
used
to
and
where
we
feel
comfortable.
But
when
we're
uncomfortable,
that's
when
we
grow
so
I
try
to
work
with
young
people
and
that's
what
I
do
in
my
day
job
you
know.
L
For
instance,
we
work
with
young
people
getting
them
to
college,
and
some
of
them
will
go
off
to
predominantly
white
institutions
right,
like
let's
say,
Bates
College
or
something
like
that,
and
we
have
to
prepare
them.
You
know
through
through
multiple
conversations
to
say,
you're
going
to
be
the
only
one
in
your
classroom
right
and
that's
okay
right,
because
that's
gonna
be
training
for
you,
they're
going
to
be
resources
for
you
to
help
you
through
that
on
your
campus.
I
B
You
very
much
for
sharing.
In
the
past
nine
months,
we've
seen
a
lot
of
changes
have
taken
place
and
our
nation,
and
whether
you
well
I,
don't,
but
does
it
it
doesn't
matter
what
political
party
you're
on
or
what
side
you're
on,
but
we
have
seen
a
lot
of
drastic
changes
that
I
have
occurred
in
the
past
couple
of
months.
There
have
been
a
lot
of
changes
that
truly
affect
a
lot
of
our
immigrant
population
and
many
people
who
do
not
have
a
voice.
B
B
You
know
it's
just
it's.
You
know
we
have
never
seen
it
to
this
level
on
so
many
levels,
I
mean
every
every
couple
of
weeks.
Three
weeks,
there's
something
being
changed
within
the
government.
Some
policy
is
being
changed.
So
what
what
solutions
would
you
have
for
them?
And
how
are
you
dealing
with
that
and
combating
some
of
these
issues
as
well,
because
these
people
call
this
nation
their
home?
B
K
I
think
you
need
to
educate
yourself
because
there's
a
lot
of
held
beliefs
about
how
things
operate,
that
may
just
be
there
they're,
just
beliefs
and
how
things
are
run
and
every
one
of
our
workplaces
there's
ways
things
are
done,
and
then
there's
policies
and
sometimes
those
things
conflict
with
each
other.
But
the
policies
at
the
end
of
the
day
are
what
usually
are
bringing
people
to
court
or
able
to
to
help
protect
or
to
do
the
opposite.
So.
K
But
then
you
also
take
action
with
legislators
and
other
lawmakers
within
your
community
to
tell
them
what
you
truly
believe
needs
to
happen
and
that
you
get
to
know
people
that
this
is
this
is
affecting
so,
whether
it's
you,
your
family
or
other
neighbors,
that
you
get
to
know
what
the
real
issues
are
and
the
best
ways
to
be
able
to
protect
or
how
it
is
that
they
need
support.
And
you
need
to
know
that
from
them
and
not
just
assume
things
as
well.
You.
J
Know
for
me
not
being
somebody
who
is
experiencing
any
of
the
laws
that
he's
passing
right
now
or
detracting.
The
question
is
like:
how
do
you
be
an
ally
for
people
who
are
impacted
and
the
government
authority
is
not
moral
authority?
Alright
and
I
I
do
I
advocate
breaking
laws
that
are
unjust
if
there's
somewhere,
that
we
can
go
to
the
local
I
NS
office
and
like
register
ourselves
and
say
yep
I'm,
an
undocumented
immigrant,
even
though
I
was
born
in
Norwich
Connecticut,
like
anything
that
gum
up
the
works.
J
If
we
see
the
government
hurting
people
like
it's
our
job,
to
stop
the
government
from
hurting
people
and-
and
so
you
know,
I
don't
have
the
exact
list
right
now.
If
ways
to
do
that,
but
but
you
know
not
be
intimidated
by
it
because
well,
that's
what
a
bully
wants
this
a
bully
wants
to
intimidate
you
into
not
doing
anything,
and
we
can't
let
ourselves
be
intimidated
into
inaction
and
sorry
responsibility.
That's.
G
As
far
as
labels
go
when
I
first
started
at
my
job,
so
many
years
ago,
like
I
said
my
earlier,
my
maiden
name
is
mcLaughlin.
What
did
you
think
that
to
look
at
me?
Probably
not
so
shortly
after
I
started,
one
woman
came
back
from
maternity
leave
and
she
was
introduced
to
me,
and
someone
said
oh
there's,
Christina
McLaughlin
and
she
told
me
that
she
was
looking
for
a
redheaded
fair-skinned
person
when
I
had
gone
to
Three
Rivers
long
time
ago.
G
E
G
E
G
E
G
But
I
use
it
to
sometimes
be
an
icebreaker
or
to
talk
to
people.
You
know
it
is
sad
that
there
are
still
labels
out
there
when
my
son
was
young
younger,
my
son
is
fairer
than
I
am,
but
you
know
I
found
that
it
was
more
beneficial
for
him
to
use
the
label
of
Asian
American
to
have
access
to
other
programs
that
I
couldn't
get
because
I
made
too
much
money
or
was
a
single
parent
for
a
long
time.
G
So
on
those
same
forms,
we
feel
that
when
I
was
little
I
labeled
him
as
Asian
American
to
help
him
get
the
services
he
needed,
even
though
he
would
look
at
me
was
like,
but
mommy
I,
don't
look,
you
know,
I,
don't
have
your
eyes
I,
don't
have
your
skin
color
I'm
like
I,
understand
that
you
know
you're
just
a
part
of
me,
but
right
now
we're
going
to
use
this
to
help.
Well,
you
know
we
need
to
accomplish
I
mean.
H
The
label
piece,
you
know,
I'll,
be
brief
and
I
think
identity.
I
guess
part
of
that
would
be
labeling,
but
we
have
to
recognize
the
two
we're
talking
about
these
labels
that
there
has
been
this
value.
That's
been
attached
to
the
labels
and
that's
the
part
that
needs
to
be
deconstructed
again,
for
people
to
be
able
to
identify
and
to
talk
about.
You
know
where
they're
from
and
to
feel
close
to
who,
what
what
culture
makes
them.
That's
rich,
it's
wonderful
people
should
be.
We
should
be
celebrating
that
and
we
should
be
celebrating
those
differences.
H
I
I
would
say
all
the
time
right
and
that's
what
makes
us
beautiful
as
human
beings
right.
The
challenge,
though
too,
is
when
we
don't
deconstruct
the
value
and
when
we
don't
understand
that
those
values
were
intentional,
and
we
have
that
that's
part
again
of
that.
The
history
pieces
as
well
in
terms
of
you
know
just
out
of
convenience,
black-and-white
right
and
then
and
then
labeling
some.
H
You
know
these
categories
that
people
were
stuck
in
historically
and
then,
even
when
the
labels
came
about
and
why
it
was
essential
to
be
able
to
put
people
in
these
boxes
and
how
that's
again
becomes
something
that
in
our
society
we
just
know
and
how
we
recognize
people
there's
certain
descriptions
that
we
kind
of
then
label
people
as
such
and
that's
the
problem,
the
values
attached
to
that.
You
know
not
not
not,
that
the
physical
differences
that
we
see
that
make
us
each
you
know
unique
and
beautiful
and
which
should
be
celebrated.
G
K
I'll
give
an
example
of
something
that
happened
last
week,
so
we're
putting
together
class
sizes
classes
and
we're
moving
some
students
around
cuz.
You
know
parents
have
recommendations
of
who
would
be
the
best
teacher
for
their
kids
and
things
like
that,
and
so
one
of
the
teachers
told
me
we
made
a
couple
moves
and
his
classroom
had
like
14
boys
and
six
girls,
and
he
was
a
little
concerned
about
the
you
know:
the
balance
I'm
like
okay,
you
know,
but
the
teachers
from
the
year
before
had
created
a
list.
K
So
we
had
to
move
some
things
around.
We
were
trying
to
maybe
balance
a
little
bit
better,
so
I
removed
a
student
by
the
name
of
John
from
his
class,
and
then
we
added
two
girls
I
think
we
maybe
moved
out.
Another
student,
but
I
can't
remember
on
the
two
girls
names
were
know
Ellie
and
Andy
Elias,
and
his
text
message
back
to
me
was:
please
just
move
it
back.
John's
name
is
easier
to
spell
and
I'm
like.
E
K
K
It
was
funny,
but
it's
not
really
funny,
because
both
of
these
young,
ladies,
have
probably
had
their
names,
misspelled
and
misspoke
many
times
and
I
always
find
it
incredibly
important
to
understand
how
to
say
a
student's
name
and
how
to
spell
it,
because
that's
who
they
are
it's
for
their
identity
and
so
I
think
as
a
principal
educator
person
in
general.
You
need
to
be
one
you
have
to
educate
yourself.
K
So
you
do
know
blind
blindness
in
your
own
life
I
think
two
things
that
are
racists
are
biased,
but
then
be
willing
to
have
the
conversation
and
to
figure
out
how
to
say
it.
So
to
talk
with
him
it
for
me
just
to
tell
him
mr.
so-and-so,
that's
racist
may
go
some
places
for
some
people
and
may
not
for
others.
K
So
you
could
stand
up
in
a
classroom
and
say
that's
racist
or
that's
really
a
biased
opinion
about
something
in
a
way.
That's
disrespectful-
and
someone
may
not
hear
you
well,
but
you
can
also
have
a
conversation
with
the
teacher
on
the
side
or
if
it's
appropriate,
you
can
have
the
conversation
right
there
in
the
classroom
and
bring
something
up,
but
I
think
it's
important
to
figure
out
how
people
can
hear
you.
If
you
want
the
conversation
to
go
in
a
way,
that's
going
to
change
our
mindset.
K
Sometimes
we
can
do
that.
Sometimes
we
can't
it
depends
on
I
guess
the
situation
I.
Think,
overall,
like
how
do
you
educate
your
educators?
They
need
people
need
to
experience
things
so,
like
I
shared
the
the
example
of
going
to
the
Black
Hills
in
South
Dakota
and
speaking
with
a
gentleman
from
from
different
community
than
I,
who
had
a
different
story
that
I
had
known
about
what
happened
to
his
people.
That
impacted
me
tremendously
to
think
different
to
dig
in
deeper
and
stories
and
and
those
experiences
change
us.
K
So
we
all
have
different
experiences
on
things
that
make
you
think
differently,
and
so,
as
a
principal
I
tried
to
create
that,
for
my
teachers,
I
think
as
students,
you
can
ask
them
questions
that
make
them
think
differently
about
it
or
tell
them
about
your
own
experiences,
but
that
I
guess
that
would
be
my
advice
in
that
way.
Yeah
I.
J
Mean
from
my
perspective,
particular
when
you're
looking
at
white
teachers
right
teaching
them
to
actually
examine
what
it
means
to
be
white
in
this
country.
You
know
when
we
teach
race,
we
teach
other
people's
race
right
like,
but
white
people
have
a
race
too,
but
we
don't
we're
not
encouraged
to
stuff
examine
it
to
see
the
way
that
it's
going
to
integrate
it
into
the
way
we
interact
with
people.
The
way
that
it
has
been
built
into
power,
structures
of
schools
all
right,
the
same
Nutella
tres,
but
I
also
see
this
in
gender.
J
J
But
so
you
know
that
that
time
to
do
self-reflection,
it's
hard
when
you're
at
a
strapped
school,
which
barely
has
time
to
put
math
books
in
their
math
teacher's
hands
before
class
starts.
I,
don't
have
a
good
solution
for
like
what
system
could
be
better,
but
I
know
it
needs
to
be
integrated.
All
the
time
you
know
it's
a
futures,
we
work,
we
have
prevention
programs
and
so
we're
actually
in
sixth
grade
and
our
sixth
grade
lessons.
J
We
do
have
a
we
teach
for
two
weeks
in
a
row
about
prejudice
and
it's
a
challenge
every
year
to
figure
out.
How
do
we
do
this?
In
the
different
schools?
We
can
go
to
school,
its
majority
kids
of
color
and
then
the
very
next
day.
You
have
to
teach
the
same
lesson
in
a
school
that
is
90
95
percent
kids,
who
are
white
and
like,
and
it
just
can't
be
the
same
lesson
and
it
you
have
to
there's
different
things
to
learn
in
each
of
those
classrooms.
J
I
can't
teach
as
a
white
teacher
I
can't
teach
a
90
95
%
kid
of
color
classroom.
What
discrimination
is
you
know
in
the
same
way
because
you're,
your
Tillet
you're
teaching
people,
but
they
they're
all
like
what
they've
already
experienced
right,
but
we're
trying
to
teach
the
white
students
about
hey.
This
is
actually
what
white
people
do,
or
this
is
what
is
in
our
society
and
and
it
does,
it
takes
a
lot
of
that
self-reflection
work,
but
you
know
it
takes
reading
real
history
as
well
as
and
that
that
emotional
work.
H
To
ask
what
to
push
I
want
to
see
this
carefully
initially
I
want
to
say
push
back
by
asking
questions
as
well
as
to
particularly
when
you
know
that
information
has
been
excluded
and
asking
the
question.
Why
I
think
about
this?
My
mother
was
a
history,
teacher
and
I.
Remember
I
think
it's
probably
ninth
grade
Western
Civ
and
in
the
book.
Ironically,
there
wasn't
much
of
Africa
wasn't
in
the
Western
civilization
book,
but
the
first
chapter
included
a
section
on
Egypt
and
that
is
kind
of
interesting
anyway,
as
I
speak
about
it.
H
However,
that
section
was
omitted,
so
the
Western
Civ
teacher,
even
though
this
this
particular
textbook
included
a
chapter
on
Egypt.
He
didn't
speak
about
it
and
I
remember
having
a
conversation
with
my
mother,
because
that
was
the
only
time
I
in
this
book
for
the
most
part
that
non-white
people
were
actually
discussed,
and
my
mother,
a
history
teacher
same
city,
said:
you
know
what
ask
him
ask
him
why
that
particular
chapter
that
particular
section
is
being
excluded.
I
did
his
response.
H
Tell
me
much
but
I
think
that's
still
important
and
I
and
I
say
that
now,
particularly
this
point
in
time
is
mr.
Booker
started
with
the
fact
that
you
know
over
the
last
several
years,
there's
been
a
lot
of
attention
around
certain
and
justices,
and
to
this
will
speak
to
the
fact
that
students
are
powerful
right.
B
E
B
K
E
L
E
G
Know
that's
a
society
we
live
in
today.
You
want
to
know
more,
you
want
more
knowledge.
You
want
to
be
able
to
pass
that
on
to
your
own
children,
your
friends,
your
own
life
stories
pass
it
on.
You
know
I'm
kind
of
trying
to
tell
my
son
lots
of
things
he's
my
only
child
so
take
all
this
information.
E
G
Your
parents
have
some
tell
you
stories,
listen
to
them
like
I
said
before
my
mom
has
passed
away,
but
there
are
some
times
she
was
a
type
of
person.
That
would
tell
you
the
same
story
20
times,
and
you
like
mom,
already
heard
that
story,
but
you
know
thinking
back
she's
no
longer
here.
I
want
to
hear
those
stories
again.
So
that
way,
you
understand
what
she
was
trying
to
say
what
message
she
was
trying
to
convey
that
way.
You
can
also
do
the
same
thing
going
forward.
You
know
pay
it
forward
for
others.
E
E
J
H
There's
a
statement
that
I
actually
heard
it
at
raining,
and
it's
that
my
humanity
is
connected
to
your
humanity
and
I
think
that's
so
important
that
whom
we're
talking
about
issues
of
injustice
in
power
and
privilege
that
it
may
folks
may
think
that,
okay,
if
someone's
being
oppressed,
okay,
it's
I
can
turn
my
head
to
it.
But
you
really
can't
because
the
demise
of
another
person,
he
essentially
could
be
your
demise,
okay
and
it
actually
kills.
All
of
us.
H
So
I
think
that
that's
important
there
to
to
recognize
as
we're
as
we're
speaking
about
what's
happening
in
this
country
of
speaking
up
something
in
the
world
and
these
issues
of
power
and
injustice,
okay,
and
how
it's
really
crushing
us
and
killing
us.
Essentially,
we
have
to
recognize
that
work
were
connected
and
that
our
humanity
is
connected
to
the
humanity
of
enough.
B
99.5%
of
our
DNA
is
the
same,
only
0.5%
as
it.
What
separates
us
and
that's
that's
the
physical
makeup,
the
physiology.
That's
what
separates
us
99.5%.
We
are
all
the
same.
Only
0.5%
I,
remember
my
freshman
year
of
college
I.
Remember
the
first
night
when
I,
when
I
got
to
college
and
I
went
to
Eastern
Connecticut
State
University
only
about
50
minutes
away
from
here
and,
as
you
know,
in
Connecticut
you
have
160
towns
and
nine
towns
are
where
all
the
minorities
are
concentrated.
I
B
B
B
F
B
B
Paul
had
the
courage
to
talk
to
me
because
he
grew
up
in
a
community
where
he
was
in
his
own
little
bubble,
but
he
said
I'm
not
gonna
stay
in
my
little
bubble
and
I.
Remember
when
I
10
years
ago,
when
I
was
teaching
middle
school
and
when
I
was
teaching
middle
school.
One
of
my
7th
graders
came
up
to
me
and
he
said
mr.
B
F
B
Poem
goes
like
this.
It
says
excuses,
excuses,
excuses,
excuses
are
the
tools
of
the
incompetent
which
create
monuments
of
nothingness
and
those
who
specialized
in
the
use
of
these
tools,
seldom
amount
to
anything
excuses,
excuses,
excuses,
excuses
are
the
tools
of
the
incompetent
which
create
monuments
of
what
nothingness
and
those
who
specialized
in
the
use
of
these
tools
seldom
amount
to
anything.
What
I
learned
from
that
twelve-year-old
that
day
10
years
ago,
is.
E
B
I
cannot
continue
to
make
excuses,
and
so
what
I
need
to
learn
about
other
people
where
I
need
to
learn
about
their
home
their
place
and
how
we
are
interconnected.
I
learned
that
from
a
12
year
old
never
ever
allow
myself
to
make
excuses
and
one
of
my
mentors
who's
86
years
old,
and
we
hang
out
every
week
and
he
said
to
me
Sunday.
He
said
I.
F
B
Always
learning
something
new,
so
remember,
Nelson,
former
President,
Nelson
Mandela,
said
education
is
the
most
powerful
weapon
we
can
use
to
change
the
world.
Let's
continue
to
educate
ourselves.
Let's
continue
to
have
these
courageous
conversations,
let's
continue
to
step
outside
of
this
beautiful
library,
so
that
we
can
impact
our
communities.
That's
why
I
chose
this
extraordinary
panel
here.
I
appreciate
all
of
you,
I
love,
all
you
for
being
here.