Critical Mixed Race Studies (CMRS) is the transracial, transdisciplinary, and transnational critical analysis of the institutionalization of social, cultural, and political orders based on dominant conceptions of race. CMRS emphasizes the mutability of race and the porosity of racial boundaries in order to critique processes of racialization and social stratification based on race. CMRS addresses local and global systemic injustices rooted in systems of racialization.

My panel was about identity formation in high school. Although my specific topic was not exclusive to high school students, I spoke about my research on multiethnic South Koreans and their access to equitable education, it was fitting nonetheless because many audience members wanted to know about how multiethnic Koreans viewed themselves in comparison to how Koreans viewed their identity.

I enjoyed reconnecting and meeting new scholars, graduate students and higher education professionals.

For more information about the conference, please click here.

Ralina Joseph, a communications professor, is teaching a class titled, “Beyond Binaries” in which she explores the blurring of intersections of race, class and gender. This particular day of class focused on multiracial identity in media. I was honored to speak to her students ranging in majors of communications, American ethnic studies, and gender, women and sexuality studies.

During the presentation, I highlighted various aspects of my own multiracial identity development through childhood anecdotes, my time at MAVIN Foundation that produced MAVIN Magazine and my current projects, such as the film.

Dr.Joseph has recently published a book titled, “Transcending Blackness”, where she investigates pop culture representations of multiracial African Americans from 1998-2008. 

Dr. Joseph and I will be at the Critical Mixed Race Studies Conference at DePaul University in Chicago from November 1-4. The conference is free! If you are in the Chicago area, please come through!

I needed a neutral space to concentrate for an extended period of time to discuss and develop strategic planning with my agent, Matt Kelley. Returning to our hometown, Seattle, for a work retreat was a perfect place to reflect and gain inspiration.

After the first day, it has been enlightening to discover what I really want for my career and future through a few short exercises. I discovered after one particular exercise, that my dominant interests are creative related. However, I have traditionally been more “academic” in my pursuits.

Speaking of academia, tomorrow I will be returning to my alma mater, University of Washington, to speak with an undergraduate communications class about my time at MAVIN Magazine published by MAVIN Foundation and my experience living in South Korea. I am really excited to return to campus! Go DAWGS!

That afternoon, I saw a double rainbow which supposedly means a transformation of life.

Overall, I am curious to see what the rest of the week will reveal and what direction I will take.

My new role is to support teachers enrolled in the Teacher Leadership Development Program (TLDP). The TLDP is a Georgia Teacher Academy for Preparation and Pedagogy (GaTAPP) alternative certification program designed to provide corps members with the knowledge, skills, and mindsets to become transformational teachers.

Quite simply, I will be teaching new teachers how to teach. I will be conducting various courses on social studies lesson planning, social/emotional intelligence in pre-K students.

I have already met the 2012 corps members and look forward to sharing my experiences and skills in order to assist them in having an immediate positive impact on the lives of children in the Atlanta metro area.

Hands On Atlanta has an extensive database of various organizations that need volunteers regularly. You can choose by day, time, type of organization, radius from your zip code.

I chose to dedicate my Saturday morning of service at Books for Africa, a nonprofit organization that donates books to children in Africa.

Books For Africa remains the largest shipper of donated text and library books to the African continent, shipping over 27 million books to 48 different countries since 1988.  Over the past 12 months we have shipped 2.2 million books valued at $28.3 million to 22 African countries, with an additional 616 computers and 15 brand new law libraries.

I had a great time sorting books and meeting fellow volunteers ranging from church members to college students.

If you missed this local event, national  Make A Difference Day is happening on October 27. 2012. Millions of Americans will come together for the nation’s largest day of community service. Make A Difference Day was founded by USA Weekend Magazine in partnership with the HandsOn Network.

If you are interested in volunteering, you can find an opportunity here.

Let’s take a quick review of some of the fashion offenders:

Hollister-(August 30-September 2, 2012/Yeouido, Korea) Hollister opened a store in the South Korean market, where in my experience living in Seoul-Korean youth love the brand. Then, models representing the brand at the store opening posted squinty-eyed pictures of themselves, giving obscene hand gestures(reportedly) and even Tweeting, “Hahahaha they ruhhvvvv ittt!”

Hollister quickly offered an apology via Facebook:

In summary, the company terminated the couple of associates involved. On behalf of our more than 80,000 associates around the world who cherish our core values and our culture of diversity and inclusion, we sincerely apologize for the offense caused by these unauthorized, ill-considered actions.”

Paul Frank- (September 6, 2012/Los Angeles) Part of Fashion’s Night Out global event, Paul Frank Industries held a Native American themed party. Title? “Dream Catchin’”. They had guests dress up and play “Indian” complete with neon war paints, tomahawks, feather headdress and no party would be complete without a signature cocktail right? They served drinks like “Rain Dance Refresher” and “Neon Teepee”. You can read more and check out pictures here.

Paul Frank later apologized on their Facebook page:

Paul Frank celebrates diversity and is inspired by many rich cultures from around the world. The theme of our Fashion’s Night Out event was in no way meant to disrespect the Native American culture, however due to some comments we have received we are removing all photos from the event and would like to formally and sincerely apologize. Thank you everyone for your feedback and support.”

Victoria’s Secret-(September 6, 2012/Internet) On the Racialicious blog, Nina Jacinto wrote about the new “Go East” collection by Victoria’s Secret and the outfit that promises a “ticket to an exotic adventure”. The “Sexy Little Geisha” outfit with obi belt, also came complete with a fan and chopsticks. National media picked up the story and suddenly…

As of September 25th, the Asian fetishized fantasy set is noticeably absent on their website. They have pulled the “Go East” line. No formal apology has been given by Victoria’s Secret.

Dolce & Gabbana- (September 23, 2012/Milan) Fashion faux pas? You can take a look at the pictures here of the mammy like earrings that dangled from waify models at the recent D&G show. Inspiration is supposedly from opera dei pupi, Sicilian puppet theatre that featured Blackamoors, black Africans dressed in a lavish head coverings and jewels, who were often depicted as villains in the poetic tales of the marionette theatre. To me and many other writers, the images were reminiscent of the mammy archetype; dark skinned, bright red lips and headwrapped.

Noticeably absent on the catwalk? Black models. Does representing blackness mean it is only okay as a tasteless accessory?

As of today, Dolce & Gabbana has not released any type of apology.

Why are racist images of minorities still in vogue? There are several stories in the new millenium of previous (multiple) offenders, Abercrombie, Urban Outfitters . And do you remember these shoes from Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior in 2008? So the flurry of fashion fails this month should not be a surprise right?

I always wondered how hard is it really for these large multi-million dollar companies, to gain some insight on what could be offensive to people. Perhaps they are lacking in diversity on their executive teams? There shouldn’t be a need to issue apologies because products like these should never be manufactured. It is easier to be proactive than to do image control after negative publicity. What a waste of money on their end to have to pull these items after public outrage!

My questions to my readers:

Should “ethnic”, “tribal” be fashion trends at all? Is it something only people of color can wear if they are a part of that culture? Are any of these fashion trends offensive or are people too sensitive?

Photo of model at Dolce & Gabbana show from refinery29.com

As I watched the footage, I remembered taking walks through that very same community. I recognized the house located on the corner. In fact, it was the very place where I bought my first home. Then, I recognized some of the faces in the news report.

Through my Teach for America experience, I met enthusiastic educators through the program that sought to change the futures of the students we served. A few of my colleagues chose to remain in the education field beyond their two-year commitment with TFA and began working at KIPP charter schools. Started by Teach for America alumni in 1994, the acronym stands for Knowledge Is Power Program, where the essential belief is “Work hard. Play nice.”

From KIPP’s website:

More than 87 percent of our students are from low-income families and eligible for the federal free or reduced-price meals program, and 95 percent are African American or Latino. Nationally, more than 90 percent of KIPP middle school students have graduated high school, and more than 80 percent of KIPP alumni have gone on to college.

Although I haven’t taught at a KIPP school, I admire the community atmosphere to achieve a common goal for students to succeed by getting parents, educators and students on the same page. I respect KIPP educators and their tenacious drive to make sure that underserved communities have the opportunity to attend college by hard work and dedication. When I taught in Atlanta Public Schools, I would refer my exiting 5th graders to KIPP WAYS (West Atlanta Young Scholars) Academy to begin their middle school education.

As it happens, I had just seen the principal and assistant principal Friday evening. They were in good spirits, undoubtedly ready to celebrate the beginning of their autumn break. As we shared smiles and laughs that night, no one thought that by Sunday one of their students would be the victim of a triple murder.

Demiya Griffin was a 7th grader at KIPP WAYS. At just 12 years old, she was murdered alongside her mother. According to police, Joseph Smith, the new husband of Demiya’s mother, shot and killed them both. Smith is also a suspect in the murder of another woman at a nearby hotel. She has been identified as his mistress. Smith was officially charged today.

According to the Georgia Solicitors’ Office, 30% of all murders in this country are committed by family members and 13% are committed by spouses. Children are present during 80% of assaults against their mothers and 3 million children witness domestic violence each year.

As educators, our careers are not a clock-in, clock-out type of profession. You become part of your students’ lives and whatever is going on at home with them, you also take home with you. As educators, we try to instill the value that education is the one thing a student can control about their destiny despite their circumstances, context and environment. However, in the end, it renders us helpless because we can’t protect our students at home, no matter what message we drive into them during the school day. For me, that was the most painful thing about teaching. I didn’t know Demiya Griffin, but I knew so many students like her.

KIPP Ways Academy held a candlelight vigil on Monday. Unfortunately, I found out about the news late today. My heart goes to all those affected by this senseless tragedy.

On September 24th, the Asian American Legal Advocacy Center, Inc. debuted their “Vote for Our Future” campaign billboard. I was pleased to organize the photo shoot and wish AALAC great success in getting the Asian American community to the polls in November!

From the AJC:

The organization’s first “Vote For Our Future” billboard is on I-85 between Beaver Ruin Road and Steve Reynolds Boulevard. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Gwinnett County is home to more than 86,000 Asian Americans – about 11 percent of the county’s population.

While attending a forum in Atlanta, I collected many questions from the audience. One question in fine, child script said, “If I have a ‘C’ on my report card, can I still become a citizen?” This little girl was innocently inquiring about one of the many application guidelines for deferred action. Indeed, one of the key documents are school records demonstrating continuous stay in the United States for at least five years. This was one of the heart string-pulling questions, but there are, in fact, many more. I had a few questions of my own.

From the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website:

You may request consideration of deferred action for childhood arrivals if you:

1. Were under the age of 31 as of June 15, 2012;
2. Came to the United States before reaching your 16th birthday;
3. Have continuously resided in the United States since June 15, 2007, up to the present time;
4. Were physically present in the United States on June 15, 2012, and at the time of making your request for consideration of deferred action with USCIS;
5. Entered without inspection before June 15, 2012, or your lawful immigration status expired as of June 15, 2012;
6. Are currently in school, have graduated or obtained a certificate of completion from high school, have obtained a general education development (GED) certificate, or are an honorably discharged veteran of the Coast Guard or Armed Forces of the United States; and
7. Have not been convicted of a felony, significant misdemeanor, three or more other misdemeanors, and do not otherwise pose a threat to national security or public safety.

Speaking of costs, the application fee is a steep $465 and may not be feasible for most. Thankfully, organizations like Public Interest Projects have launched funds for DREAMers to help offset the cost to apply. You can make a contribution here.

Something else to consider is that you can only apply once! If you are denied, you do not have another opportunity. Keeping this in mind, your paperwork has to be completed correctly. Sadly, there are already reported instances of unethical people out to make some money who are taking advantage of people desperately trying to become a part of this country.

Undocumented students that request deferred action are not eligible for federal financial aid, nor can they apply for federal work study. The only benefit is that it removes deportation for about two years and opens up an avenue for work authorization. There is no guarantee that they will ever become U.S. citizens.

Like many, I am interested to see how this plays out. My personal opinion is that the administration’s timing is suspect. It seems like a strategic, half-hearted political move in an election year.

Finally, I recently saw a trailer for the independent film, Illegal, which looks interesting and I hope to view it soon. Let me know if you have seen it and what are your thoughts on the DREAM Act?

“What you wrote wasn’t controversial, so I don’t understand the negative backlash,” a puzzled friend, who currently teaches, remarked.

But apparently, it was.

I saw how different schools were led and how students succeeded no matter what. I also learned a lot as a veteran teacher beyond what I thought I already knew as a student attending eight different school systems across the United States and in Germany during my K-12 years.

In summary, I stated that all children can excel in the article. Some people don’t believe that. They think that circumstances outweigh individual potential. I don’t follow that ideology. Because my own achievements have been made despite difficult circumstances, I credit the schools that invested in me, the community that cared for me and my parents who valued education despite their own struggles. I was fortunate to teach for 10 years in two urban schools, a virtual school and in a South Korean private school modeled after an American curriculum. At the latter, parents spent over $25,000 a year for an American “model” of education.

Why would wealthy Korean parents, that seemingly have access to excellent public schools shell out that amount of money for education? Well, Korean students spend late hours cramming for standardized tests that has created a very competitive and stressful school culture. The Korean government is seeking to reward more innovation and creativity, something that Western education models tend to allow if children are not stifled by standardized tests. This is a quote below from Time Magazine.

You Americans see a bright side of the Korean system,” Education Minister Lee Ju-ho tells me, “but Koreans are not happy with it.

Sure, I could have ranted about how horrible American schools are; particularly focusing on the Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal, No Child Left Behind, etc. But I didn’t. Don’t we have enough people doing that? Despite all of what’s wrong with American education, I learned a lot from being in the “trenches.” And yet, people want to blame parents. Attack the system. Disparage the teachers. That is why our schools are in turmoil. We attack and argue instead of build.

As I watched the final day of the Democratic National Convention last night, the President stated something that mirrors the message I tried to convey in my piece:

But teachers must inspire; principals must lead; parents must instill a thirst for learning, and students, you’ve got to do the work. And together, I promise you – we can out-educate and out-compete any country on Earth.

I believe that. Whole-heartedly so, based on my experience in South Korea and in Atlanta Public Schools, two systems worlds apart and so different. What makes South Korean education “the model” is a simple thing. Their society is united in the belief that education is vitally important. There isn’t a blame game on teachers, parents or schools. Everyone is working together for the child.

We have to do the same. For the sake of our children, we have to stop pointing fingers at who is responsible for their success.

So when I read an article today from the UK’s The Telegraph. Again as so many Western countries do, the article highlights the success of South Korea’s education system. But this is based just on test scores. As many teachers and parents in America have lamented that NCLB has created a test culture in our schools, do we want to model after South Korea’s test heavy culture when they are seeking to change it themselves?

Why is Korean education portrayed as successful?

This is quite simply due to South Koreans’ attitude towards education. Schooling in their country is considered vital to a child’s future; competition is fierce and college degrees are considered an element of social status. Children are hungry to learn and parents are desperate for their child to succeed…To be successful as a nation requires the desire to remedy this, to change our attitudes toward education, work, business and aspiration. We should also stop vilifying those who have worked hard to become the successful role models our country surely needs.

Imagine if we as adults; commenting on education blogs, working in schools, sending our kids to schools or making policies about schooling, got on the same page and changed our attitudes? Let’s take the positives of our schools and make it even better. We owe it to our children to lead.