“We need more light about each other. Light creates understanding, understanding creates love, love creates patience and patience creates unity.” Malcolm X
Encuentro Diaspora Afro began this year with a message of hope and love. We heard from many in our family who shared these thoughts with you:
Happy New Year to all from the Encuentro Diaspora Afro family. We entered the New Year with change in the air. This change is asking us to look inward, to be more open and to challenge ourselves to grow and expand. In working towards that goal, we would like to share the words of the Encuentro Diaspora Afro family. These are heroes like Mr. Claral Richards, the Nelson Mandela of Panama, my father, my 16 year old niece, our spiritual community, my cousin in Martinique, dear childhood friends, my sister and staff/advisors to the organization.
Our energy is strong from our new elected President and our thoughts are filled with possibilities.
'
We hope to continue to share and grow with you in 2009.
-Yvette
This is a very important and historic year. The election of Barack Obama to the Presidency of the United States is a hugh psychological boost for people of African descent around the world. It is inspiring to people who are still relegated to the bottom of humanity. Obama's election is an inspiration to become active politically and to fight for our god given rights as human beings. This year we must let our work be inspirational in helping those who are globally impacted by the social, political and economic policies of the greedy economic elites around the world. We must let our Ori (spiritual head of destiny) guide us and remember that Black is beautiful and Africa is still the center of the world.
Ase!
-Tony van der Meer
We the African Panamanians are deeply satisfied and very happy for the great victory of our Brother Barack Obama. We cherish the opportunity to remind you that we are the same people; we were all brought in slave ships from different parts of West Africa by Europeans from Spain, England, France Portugal, The Netherlands who imposed upon African men, women and children their own languages. This fact doesn't make us different, It is time for us to unite in soul and mind in this Continent which we helped to build up for many centuries.
Mr. Claral Richards
Afro Panamanian Leader
I pause today to look back at our Reflections for the year and ask, Did we have the movement that we hoped for? Was there love in our message? Was there an opportunity to love each other and our individual self without shame and did it bring us closer together?
My year began with a very spiritual trip to Belize where I wrote;
When the meeting began, I reached over to Dorotea the Netwok/Red General Coordinator to say, we may need to do an ice breaker. I then caught myself and said I am among Caribbean women the love comes out of our pores. There was never discomfort in the air. Once we shared our work the connection was made deeper than any ice breaker. Dorotea then said the energy around us is doing the work. We all looked over to the elegant movement of the waters.
As I do in any place I travel, I went for a run. This makes others nervous but I always feel safe, at times, safer than I do running in Boston Streets. Everyone greeted me with “good morning maam”. How loving, how comforting to know that there is still genuine love and respect among our people. These gestures reminded me of my own upbringing. I was not allowed to call anyone outside of my immediate friends, by their first name, it was either auntie or Ms or Mr.
After my run, I found some of the women in the waters for a morning dip. We did not worry about fancy bathing suits, or anything that would get in the way. It was about the pure pleasure of soaking in this warm refreshing water. What better cleansing of the spirit and the soul than this. I found myself going in fully clothed. We sat for an hour sharing stories about home and our Caribbean upbringing. This would then become our morning ritual. Our rooms were no more than 20 feet from the ocean. So with no hesitation, I fell asleep and woke up daily to the sounds and depth of Olokun.
We held onto this sense of community, of purpose as the year moved on. When I look back at the hope in my heart and in the eyes of the many youth that I came in touch with, I feel that the conversation that did need to happen on a larger scale did not. The level of racism that I saw, felt was like no other. It was not hidden. It was blunt. The question was and is, are we naming it? That theme led me through my next few Reflections.
The following event was a National Latino Symposium Meeting in Detroit. I was more excited that a fellow Panamanian had put my name out than I was about the Foundation actually inviting me. I read all the information they sent and was concerned that the racial issues would not get its deserved time. I felt prepared for whatever would come my way when I was in the meeting. What I was not prepared for was that I would feel the “whiteness” in the space before even entering it. While on my last connection flight, I realized most of the people were also attending the meeting. I noticed them but no one made an effort to even look at me. I have learned to deal with these moments a little better. This time, I sat down pulled out my notebook and wrote the following words.
Do you see me?
Do you see me?
The Me that embraces her full self.
You have no idea that I understand your words, Quien es ella?
I acknowledge you yet, I am invisible in your eyes and mind.
You turn away to not be reminded of your roots.
What roots, you say?
The roots that challenge your white privilege mind.
The roots that built the country that you stand and say, Latino Presente!
The Day you see me, is the day the chains of colonialism will be removed from your mind.
On that day, you will embrace the Tio that the family disowned,
On that day, I will sit with you and say,
You hurt me but I forgive you, and maybe,
Hopefully on that day, You will SEE ME!
This was a defining moment for me. It validated that there is still so much work to do. It spoke to the need for the internal conversation going side by side with the external. But it is moments like these that I hold onto the words of the many people who inspire me and one in this reflection was Mr. Claral Richards.
Mr. Richards’s words speak to our connection to each other. He said to me once, when I see a Black man and a Black woman, I treat them as a sister or a brother because we were separated and we never know who is before us.
Today on Dia de la Etnia Negra in Panama, I give thanks to him for his dedication and determination to have this day become a reality. Today with all of you, I say thanks for taking the time to See Me. Your words are an inspiration to rise up and face the challenges for the full inclusion of the Afro descendent voice.
This year brought a great sense of clarity of my childhood and the role, the depth it has played in what I do on a daily basis. We mourned and celebrated Michael Jackson and my teacher, Mr. Phillip Henry. I began to see things differently and memories came to light.
As the year moved, we went further away from love, self-love and unity. My sadness came out during some major incidents. The response to this reflection was overwhelming because so many were impacted by the incidents. The part that stood out for most was,
We should not let this time pass us by without acknowledging the deep divide that exists in the Americas.
How do we mend our broken communities? How do we heal the deeply rooted history that lies within us? How do we build a community that cares for our youth and defends the humanity of our people? How do we create a space that speaks Truth?
We need to begin answering these questions if we hope to move as a people in the 21st Century. By beginning this dialogue, we give hope to those who are coming behind us and justice to those whose shoulders we stand on.
As we began to evaluate our direction, create new questions, in our following Reflection we wrote;
As we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, go home sit with your family and engage in these questions. Cry, laugh and hopefully begin the healing process within, then when you come out, Encuentro Diaspora Afro will be there to move, walk, hold you, in the process as a community. Embrace your Afro descent identity. Honor your family, your ancestors in all their shades.
This also applies to African Americans, Africans and our allies. This is a time for all to return home to reflect on our past to know how we can be a part of the healing process of our society.
By embracing your full self, you can then embrace your African American, Caribbean, African, brothers and sisters. We will then be a community that heals itself and removes the shackles from our mind and our feet.
I pause here to share one of my, aha moment, quote from Assata Shakur: “Our desire to be free has got to manifest itself in everything we are and do.”
We did not give up! Encuentro Diaspora Afro had the honor of hosting and participating in events and entering spaces that had fruitful, spiritual and moving dialogue. It gave hope and energy to keep moving forward.
I have always loved this quote by Che Guevarra:
Dejeme decirle, a riesgo de parecer ridiculo,
que el revolucionario verdadero esta guiado
por grandes sentimientos de amor.
Let me say, at the risk of sounding ridiculous,
that the true revolutionary is guided by feelings of love.
I began to understand it better this year on a many levels both professionally and personally. Love, Self-Love, Unity: you can choose your order. What I continue to learn is that if you have early examples of love, then some obstacles are less intense, holding each other is less difficult and seeing it when it is right in front of you becomes easier.
Such spaces as the Red de Mujeres Afro is built on this quote. No matter how strong our individual position in a discussion, the ultimate goal is the advancement of Afro descendent women.
The Ifa study group, were we learned the verses and discussed them as they related to our everyday life created a spiritual love. The constant message was the building of good character as individuals and as a community and gaining wisdom and knowledge from those who have come before us.
Other spaces include our Hispanic Heritage Month event where Artist/Activist Marcos Bellamy moved the crowd with his music and his strong presence. Marco said something in a presentation that has stayed with me. He said, “We should feel betrayed because the system has failed to tell our truth”.
This statement fits with the space that we see growth yet there is a stillness that does not allow us to truly love, self-love and create unity. The H.E.R. Project is a space that teaches us what our youth is really thinking. They are open and raw. At the end of each session we all walk out saying, they are loving a little more today because they are feeling a little safer and comfortable in their own skin.
They are still conversations to have. The Hair issue is an important one for many. The movie “Hair” caused strong reactions based on how much money women spend on weaves. What lacked in the dialogue was the deep damage that has been done to Black women to act and look a certain way. Our hair issues are not just OURS but of a society that is not ready to view us in our most natural form. At times, my natural hair, my Fro, makes me feel naked because I cannot hide behind anything.
Facilitating/guiding the Reflection writing workshop combined all these spaces. We spoke openly, wrote without fear and as one of the women shared, sat at the edge of our bed and had the most important conversation with ourselves. The energy in the room is something I will treasure for life. It was an affirmation that the pen can do wonders for our social and personal transformation.
With all these wonderful moments of the year, one that speaks very close to my heart, the one where there is love, self-love and unity has been reconnecting with dear childhood friends from Rainbow City and high school classmates.
As I shared earlier, I have gained a new sense of clarity of my childhood since reflecting without discomfort and sitting with them. I realize even more that my story is their story. We still have so much in common and by reconnecting we began to love each other as adults.
This space gave me LOVE, taught me SELF-LOVE and because of that, there is a UNITY among us that is indescribable. I know that no matter how far away we are from each other, all we have to say is, Rainbow City, Colon, CHS and we are there.
So as we close out 2009, I Reflect on that Love that I hold dear for my people, my community, all of you, that gives me the energy to still believe that we can make a difference.
May the light shine on you, to create the Unity that will lead us into 2010.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Reflection-Hispanic Heritage Month- Embracing all of you
Reflection- Hispanic Heritage Month- Embracing all of you
On this Hispanic Heritage Month, Encuentro Diaspora Afro would like to share our internal and external development and celebrate all of you during this time.
This has been an amazing gift that we continue to shape. The organization began as El Encuentro de Afro-Latinos in Boston but in my own internal and external growth and travels, I realized it was beyond that and bigger than that.
The word that stands out for us at this present moment is Equity.
We have celebrated Afro-Latino, Latino, Caribbean, African American culture in a variety of ways. We have engaged ourselves and the community on a deeper level. As we move forward, we find it necessary to reflect on our mission and vision. This is due in part, to what we have learned over the years that requires us to speak directly to the experience.
At the core of our presence, our need to keep moving, our development is Racial Equity. What does it mean to be a person of African descent in the 21st Century?
We recently began developing a new project where we will revisit the questions we posed when this all began when all I wanted was to bring people together. The intent is to add to those what we have seen, learned, and what we still see as unanswered questions.
To share a few:
Where do we get our message of Race?
How was it delivered to us?
How has it helped us or hurt us?
With the youth, we have seen that they are willing to engage but when the time arrives to go home and ask questions of family history, they get stuck. We learn that the message is so ingrained in them from their own families, that is, Latino good, Black bad, that they are confused and torn.
Sadly, this is causing a level of confusion to many Afro-Latino youth. To not walk across the room, as we have seen in our workshops, when asked if you are of African descent because you do not like being told you are Black, is painful to all.
Our experience has been the same among adults. We have met many from all walks of life and all different professions yet the conversation is the same, I still cannot talk about this at home. I have seen adults cry from the pain of their relationships with family members diminished because they have embraced their Blackness, have natural hair or brought a Black man/Black woman, Afro-Latino/a home to the family.
Our home shapes us. It was and is the space where words were first defined and attitudes shaped.
As we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, go home sit with your family and engage in these questions. Cry, laugh and hopefully begin the healing process within, then when you come out, Encuentro Diaspora Afro will be there to move, walk, hold you, in the process as a community. Embrace your Afro descent identity. Honor your family, your ancestors in all their shades.
This also applies to African Americans, Africans and our allies. This is a time for all to return home to reflect on our past to know how we can be a part of the healing process of our society.
By embracing your full self, you can then embrace your African American, Caribbean, African, brothers and sisters. We will then be a community that heals itself and removes the shackles from our mind and our feet.
I pause here to share one of my, aha moment, quote from Assata Shakur: “Our desire to be free has got to manifest itself in everything we are and do.”
On this Hispanic Heritage month the Encuentro Diaspora Afro ask that you Celebrate and Embrace all of you. Say loud and proud, Negro Latino Presente!!!!!By doing so, we will begin healing as individuals and as a community.
This year we have two events on October 14, 2009. We are excited to collaborate with Community Change Inc. and The Cultural Café for the Hispanic Heritage Month Event. Please join us for a Brown Bag discussion from 12- 1:30pm, Seperated by Slavery, Reunited at Verse, with Marcos “Sese” Bellamy. Marcos will also join us for an evening event from 6:30-9pm at the Cultural Café. Marcos will speak on his time in Venezuela and share his very powerful, powerful music. See attached flyers.
In Celebration of All of you,
Peace
Yvette
On this Hispanic Heritage Month, Encuentro Diaspora Afro would like to share our internal and external development and celebrate all of you during this time.
This has been an amazing gift that we continue to shape. The organization began as El Encuentro de Afro-Latinos in Boston but in my own internal and external growth and travels, I realized it was beyond that and bigger than that.
The word that stands out for us at this present moment is Equity.
We have celebrated Afro-Latino, Latino, Caribbean, African American culture in a variety of ways. We have engaged ourselves and the community on a deeper level. As we move forward, we find it necessary to reflect on our mission and vision. This is due in part, to what we have learned over the years that requires us to speak directly to the experience.
At the core of our presence, our need to keep moving, our development is Racial Equity. What does it mean to be a person of African descent in the 21st Century?
We recently began developing a new project where we will revisit the questions we posed when this all began when all I wanted was to bring people together. The intent is to add to those what we have seen, learned, and what we still see as unanswered questions.
To share a few:
Where do we get our message of Race?
How was it delivered to us?
How has it helped us or hurt us?
With the youth, we have seen that they are willing to engage but when the time arrives to go home and ask questions of family history, they get stuck. We learn that the message is so ingrained in them from their own families, that is, Latino good, Black bad, that they are confused and torn.
Sadly, this is causing a level of confusion to many Afro-Latino youth. To not walk across the room, as we have seen in our workshops, when asked if you are of African descent because you do not like being told you are Black, is painful to all.
Our experience has been the same among adults. We have met many from all walks of life and all different professions yet the conversation is the same, I still cannot talk about this at home. I have seen adults cry from the pain of their relationships with family members diminished because they have embraced their Blackness, have natural hair or brought a Black man/Black woman, Afro-Latino/a home to the family.
Our home shapes us. It was and is the space where words were first defined and attitudes shaped.
As we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, go home sit with your family and engage in these questions. Cry, laugh and hopefully begin the healing process within, then when you come out, Encuentro Diaspora Afro will be there to move, walk, hold you, in the process as a community. Embrace your Afro descent identity. Honor your family, your ancestors in all their shades.
This also applies to African Americans, Africans and our allies. This is a time for all to return home to reflect on our past to know how we can be a part of the healing process of our society.
By embracing your full self, you can then embrace your African American, Caribbean, African, brothers and sisters. We will then be a community that heals itself and removes the shackles from our mind and our feet.
I pause here to share one of my, aha moment, quote from Assata Shakur: “Our desire to be free has got to manifest itself in everything we are and do.”
On this Hispanic Heritage month the Encuentro Diaspora Afro ask that you Celebrate and Embrace all of you. Say loud and proud, Negro Latino Presente!!!!!By doing so, we will begin healing as individuals and as a community.
This year we have two events on October 14, 2009. We are excited to collaborate with Community Change Inc. and The Cultural Café for the Hispanic Heritage Month Event. Please join us for a Brown Bag discussion from 12- 1:30pm, Seperated by Slavery, Reunited at Verse, with Marcos “Sese” Bellamy. Marcos will also join us for an evening event from 6:30-9pm at the Cultural Café. Marcos will speak on his time in Venezuela and share his very powerful, powerful music. See attached flyers.
In Celebration of All of you,
Peace
Yvette
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Reflection- How do We Mend and heal our Communities?
Reflections- How do We Mend and heal our Communities?
I have been sitting with this Reflection for a few weeks. I have gone through different stages of emotions due to recent incidents that cause you to pause. This is a time of great analysis for a real dialogue on race in the Americas.
From the young Black campers, pool incident, the Prof. Gates arrest, to the President’s response, the atmosphere of urgency for this country to engage on the racial disparities that exist was front and center.
“Change the complexion of the pool” that was one of the statements made about the young black summer campers. This is 2009!!!!! I was so sad when I heard about this incident. My initial reaction was, at such a young age, they now know the meaning of “racism”. This incident will most likely stay with them. I saw a video of some of them speaking on their experience and it was clear that it has affected their self-esteem.
I commend Tyler Perry for celebrating the childhood of these young people by taking them to Disney World. It may seem trivial but it was good enough to bring them back to some level of their innocence.
Question- Why was this not on the front page for weeks? These are young children, our future and we want them to know that we feel their pain and that we will not tolerate such negative actions towards our, youth.
The Prof. Gates incident brought to the surface a myriad of concerns, discussion and revelations of who we are in 2009. Yes, this happened to Prof. Gates, Harvard Professor and it happens to many Black and Latino men on a daily basis.
African American and Latino men are at high rates in prison, some due to such incidents where they do not have the status of Prof. Gates and get the media coverage to get the charges dropped.
I know we have many opinions and positions on this one. I share these reflections for us to stop, pause and develop a dialogue. The Presidents response was that of someone who was a personal friend of the Prof. and a BLACK man in America.
I commend his response and yes, he apologized for the “stupidly” statement but his response was bigger and deeper, than that. Why did he have to explain himself to such length?
While attending a Red de Mujeres Afro meeting in the midst of this, many did not see the President’s response as an explanation but as an apology. Yes, an apology for those who cannot listen to the reality of what it means to be, BLACK in America.
To reflect on these incidents is also to reflect on the reality of the Canal Zone experience in Panama, where we lacked a racial dialogue.
Here it is, raw and blunt
BLACK
I am Black in America not the Black in the Canal Zone that was sheltered and not engaged in real dialogue.
The dialogue that speaks to my Rainbow City and your Margarita
The one where I went to your home and you hesitated to enter mine.
The Black in the Canal Zone that developed my internal power,
To the Black in America that follows me around the store.
The Black in the Canal Zone where my Father got a beating for taking a Banana from a White man’s tree, A BANANA!!
Black in America ask, show me your ID and you are guilty before being proven innocent and even after,
Black in the Canal Zone where it meant attending a segregated school, long after Brown vs Board of Education to Black in America where in 2009, young children cannot go swimming
Black in the Canal Zone donde yo soy la hija de Elicia y Felix to , quien es ella.
Yes, people, I have come to the true realization that Black as dark as it is, is still invisible in the Americas.
REMEMBER KATRINA
This is a time for unity amongst Afro descendents, Latinos and our allies. How do we take these incidents and build a space where we can truly listen to each other and even if you do not agree, I can tell my story in my words, from my eyes.
We should not let this time pass us by without acknowledging the deep divide that exists in the Americas.
How do we mend our broken communities? How do we heal the deeply rooted history that lies within us? How do we build a community that cares for our youth and defends the humanity of our people? How do we create a space that speaks Truth?
We need to begin answering these questions if we hope to move as a people in the 21st Century. By beginning this dialogue, we give hope to those who are coming behind us and justice to those whose shoulders we stand on.
peace
Yvette
I have been sitting with this Reflection for a few weeks. I have gone through different stages of emotions due to recent incidents that cause you to pause. This is a time of great analysis for a real dialogue on race in the Americas.
From the young Black campers, pool incident, the Prof. Gates arrest, to the President’s response, the atmosphere of urgency for this country to engage on the racial disparities that exist was front and center.
“Change the complexion of the pool” that was one of the statements made about the young black summer campers. This is 2009!!!!! I was so sad when I heard about this incident. My initial reaction was, at such a young age, they now know the meaning of “racism”. This incident will most likely stay with them. I saw a video of some of them speaking on their experience and it was clear that it has affected their self-esteem.
I commend Tyler Perry for celebrating the childhood of these young people by taking them to Disney World. It may seem trivial but it was good enough to bring them back to some level of their innocence.
Question- Why was this not on the front page for weeks? These are young children, our future and we want them to know that we feel their pain and that we will not tolerate such negative actions towards our, youth.
The Prof. Gates incident brought to the surface a myriad of concerns, discussion and revelations of who we are in 2009. Yes, this happened to Prof. Gates, Harvard Professor and it happens to many Black and Latino men on a daily basis.
African American and Latino men are at high rates in prison, some due to such incidents where they do not have the status of Prof. Gates and get the media coverage to get the charges dropped.
I know we have many opinions and positions on this one. I share these reflections for us to stop, pause and develop a dialogue. The Presidents response was that of someone who was a personal friend of the Prof. and a BLACK man in America.
I commend his response and yes, he apologized for the “stupidly” statement but his response was bigger and deeper, than that. Why did he have to explain himself to such length?
While attending a Red de Mujeres Afro meeting in the midst of this, many did not see the President’s response as an explanation but as an apology. Yes, an apology for those who cannot listen to the reality of what it means to be, BLACK in America.
To reflect on these incidents is also to reflect on the reality of the Canal Zone experience in Panama, where we lacked a racial dialogue.
Here it is, raw and blunt
BLACK
I am Black in America not the Black in the Canal Zone that was sheltered and not engaged in real dialogue.
The dialogue that speaks to my Rainbow City and your Margarita
The one where I went to your home and you hesitated to enter mine.
The Black in the Canal Zone that developed my internal power,
To the Black in America that follows me around the store.
The Black in the Canal Zone where my Father got a beating for taking a Banana from a White man’s tree, A BANANA!!
Black in America ask, show me your ID and you are guilty before being proven innocent and even after,
Black in the Canal Zone where it meant attending a segregated school, long after Brown vs Board of Education to Black in America where in 2009, young children cannot go swimming
Black in the Canal Zone donde yo soy la hija de Elicia y Felix to , quien es ella.
Yes, people, I have come to the true realization that Black as dark as it is, is still invisible in the Americas.
REMEMBER KATRINA
This is a time for unity amongst Afro descendents, Latinos and our allies. How do we take these incidents and build a space where we can truly listen to each other and even if you do not agree, I can tell my story in my words, from my eyes.
We should not let this time pass us by without acknowledging the deep divide that exists in the Americas.
How do we mend our broken communities? How do we heal the deeply rooted history that lies within us? How do we build a community that cares for our youth and defends the humanity of our people? How do we create a space that speaks Truth?
We need to begin answering these questions if we hope to move as a people in the 21st Century. By beginning this dialogue, we give hope to those who are coming behind us and justice to those whose shoulders we stand on.
peace
Yvette
Monday, July 6, 2009
Reflection- A Celebration of my childhood; In Memory of my teacher, Mr. Henry
Reflections- A Celebration of my Childhood; In Memory of my Teacher, Mr. Henry
My childhood memories have been very present in my thoughts for the past week. This is mostly due to the mourning on a global scale of the passing of Michael Jackson and on a personal profound scale of my teacher, Mr. Henry.
The news of Michael’s death really moved me. It has been some time, since I celebrated and danced to his music without some reservation. This reservation was due in part to his many legal troubles and his external struggle with his identity.
His passing took me immediately to the place of celebrating this man that made us dance, scream, cry and change our entire wardrobe. Yes, I did and I have pictures to proof it!! The news made me realize that there was no one outside of my family or community that I wanted to be like, more than the Rock with you, Michael Jackson. That in itself is a huge revelation.
For the child in Panama, the Jackson family was royalty. Michael was the artist who transcended race. You could not help to move to his music, no matter what color you were or what part of the world you lived in.
I am not dismissing his public contradictions but would like to focus on the first time you heard Ben or your first attempt at memorizing the Thriller video. How you smiled when you danced to Remember the time.
I knew my adoration was not only a product of my imagination when my father called me to see if I was ok. My father brought us to the US for the Victory Tour at the Meadowlands. He remembered how much I cried from the excitement. My sister and brother remember my screaming. Later that evening, my niece called me to see how I was doing and she could not comprehend the level of my sadness. It was difficult to explain how I had a story to what I was doing when I heard Michael’s songs.
All in all, I mourn Michael’s sudden and tragic death and I celebrate the video of my childhood with his music as the background.
Very similar to the impact of Michael’s passing was the news of my teacher, Mr. Henry. Mr. Henry was dear to me not only in the classroom but in the community. As I have gained clarity on the impact of segregation within the Canal Zone, Mr. Henry was very much a part of my fluid transition.
He was part of Rainbow City. He understood us because he was us. He was a daily reminder of how important it was for us to succeed in this environment.
Mr. Henry also went beyond us by having an impact on all his students at CHS. This week we all had a story, from his smile, to his pens, his driving and his dedication. Bless him for all the time he spent with me on Math.
A few years back I was able to say, Thank you directly to him. Today, I share him with you and thank him for his lasting impact on so many of us. I thank him for being a teacher beyond the classroom.
Before closing, I reflect back on my recent Reflection where I shared that I am a product of many people. My childhood memories continue to answer, why I do what I do and why I have chosen this path. Today the woman in the mirror is a product of Michael Jackson’s great music and the simple joy of dancing and of Mr. Henry who defined commitment to his profession and to his students.
May they rest in Peace. Alaafia
My childhood memories have been very present in my thoughts for the past week. This is mostly due to the mourning on a global scale of the passing of Michael Jackson and on a personal profound scale of my teacher, Mr. Henry.
The news of Michael’s death really moved me. It has been some time, since I celebrated and danced to his music without some reservation. This reservation was due in part to his many legal troubles and his external struggle with his identity.
His passing took me immediately to the place of celebrating this man that made us dance, scream, cry and change our entire wardrobe. Yes, I did and I have pictures to proof it!! The news made me realize that there was no one outside of my family or community that I wanted to be like, more than the Rock with you, Michael Jackson. That in itself is a huge revelation.
For the child in Panama, the Jackson family was royalty. Michael was the artist who transcended race. You could not help to move to his music, no matter what color you were or what part of the world you lived in.
I am not dismissing his public contradictions but would like to focus on the first time you heard Ben or your first attempt at memorizing the Thriller video. How you smiled when you danced to Remember the time.
I knew my adoration was not only a product of my imagination when my father called me to see if I was ok. My father brought us to the US for the Victory Tour at the Meadowlands. He remembered how much I cried from the excitement. My sister and brother remember my screaming. Later that evening, my niece called me to see how I was doing and she could not comprehend the level of my sadness. It was difficult to explain how I had a story to what I was doing when I heard Michael’s songs.
All in all, I mourn Michael’s sudden and tragic death and I celebrate the video of my childhood with his music as the background.
Very similar to the impact of Michael’s passing was the news of my teacher, Mr. Henry. Mr. Henry was dear to me not only in the classroom but in the community. As I have gained clarity on the impact of segregation within the Canal Zone, Mr. Henry was very much a part of my fluid transition.
He was part of Rainbow City. He understood us because he was us. He was a daily reminder of how important it was for us to succeed in this environment.
Mr. Henry also went beyond us by having an impact on all his students at CHS. This week we all had a story, from his smile, to his pens, his driving and his dedication. Bless him for all the time he spent with me on Math.
A few years back I was able to say, Thank you directly to him. Today, I share him with you and thank him for his lasting impact on so many of us. I thank him for being a teacher beyond the classroom.
Before closing, I reflect back on my recent Reflection where I shared that I am a product of many people. My childhood memories continue to answer, why I do what I do and why I have chosen this path. Today the woman in the mirror is a product of Michael Jackson’s great music and the simple joy of dancing and of Mr. Henry who defined commitment to his profession and to his students.
May they rest in Peace. Alaafia
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