Reading to the kids of Nickerson Gardens
Last week I flew to Los Angeles for an American Federation of Teachers media event on August 19th. As a child, unions were a natural part of life to me. I grew up with talk of Cesar Chavez, as well as shop talk about the electric union my father belonged to. So I was honored to be included in supporting the union that supports some of my favorite and most respected fellows: educators.
The event took place at the Head Start Center, deep in the Nickerson Gardens Projects in Watts, Los Angeles. The outside walls were covered with fading, but powerful renditions of Martin Luther King Jr. and inspirational words. The images reminded me Continue reading »
Filed under Events, Maya in the Classroom | Tags: children, event, family, neighborhood, outreach, school visit | Comment (0)Dancing in Half Moon Bay – Celebrating Día de los Niños
Oh the traveling about…we have been everywhere! And truly it has felt like a party everywhere we go. But everywhere there is a treat, a special prize to be had…and the Half Moon Library on April 29th, was no exception.
Beforehand, Matthew shared with me that he thought Armando Ramirez, the Librarian who invited me to the event, and I were old friends because of the way he worded his email to us. I laughed. “Nah, we’re just Mexican.” I joked, “I don’t think we’ve ever met, he just needed a favor.” I was joking, but the truth is that at times, cultural differences are clear and do bond us. It’s not that Mexicans are friends right off the bat. Of course not, life is not that simple. But there is a sentiment, a cultural aura that has been handed down to us through???eating tamales only our grandmother could have made, the bond of menudo, nature, sangre?, genes, or just culture??? Truly, it is impossible to pinpoint the heart of a Mexican. But as each race knows, there is something that is inherent to each of us. It may be tagged as a stereotype or a profile by outsiders, but there is a heart within us that remains uniquely our own, a shared navigational tool to face the reality of “westernization” through centuries of familial colonization… or possibly just this moment.
As I suspected, when I met Armando, he felt like family, a familiar fellow.
We set up for the event. We played with fantastically awesome kids who looked just like me or the kids in my books. It was good. Together, we read I Know the River Loves Me (see video below) and later Continue reading »
Celebrating Día in Vallejo
Saturday, April 24th, we drove up to Vallejo. I didn’t know it was so very water-y around there. I’ve only lived here for 16 years and driven over the Carquinas bridge countless times! I now understand that the San Pablo Bay is enormous and stunning on a sunny day. Water, water everywhere!
When we arrived, we walked into the full swing of Día events at JFK Library. The big room was packed with families watching the tail end of a puppet show. Then we watched as the rows of chairs were strategically moved about to include tables and a great feast began. After we were all full of tamales and salsa (they even had a salsa that had a bit of a bite to it!) I asked the children to join me on the floor. I had decided Continue reading »
Let the Festivities Begin – Celebrating Día in West Sacramento
We headed to Sacramento for a gorgeous drive from San Francisco last Saturday, April 17, to our first Día de los Niños event this year at the Arthur F. Turner Community Library. I’m always happy to go to Sacramento. It reminds me of being a kid and going to see the State Capitol. My father would stop at each and every Historical Landmark and noteworthy piece of local information on the way there. I love the shape of the town, the streets and parks. Matthew and I have had cause to go there a lot in the last couple of years and it feels familiar in parts. Sacramento has that Continue reading »
El Día de los Niños Coloring Page
To celebrate all the Día events we will be attending this year, we’ve created a coloring page to download. View and download it from our main site.
Can you find all the things that start with the letter “B”?
Hope to see you at some of the events this month! For a listing of the events Maya will be presenting at, visit our Día blog post.
Filed under Events, General | Tags: celebration, children, el dia de los libros, el dia de los niños, fun | Comment (0)
