Yesterday I was delighted to attend a symposium that was
hosted by the Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos Puerto Rican High School (PACHS) in
Chicago, IL. The theme of the symposium
was “Realizing the Power of Movements through Multicultural Education”. The full day event featured speakers from
across the United States that highlighted the minoritization of Latino youth
and the need to strengthen youth through engagement in the community.
Dr. Antonia Darder, Loyola Marymount University, provided an
inspiring keynote address. She presented
the social and economic trends that impact Latino youth. While our country has a growing population of
Latino youth, school systems often engage in practices that limit
development. Too many youth feel
disconnected and unengaged.
The next session that I attended was Dr. Jason Irizarry,
University of Connecticut. He shared
about some amazing research that he completed with Latino youth. He empowered them to challenge the status quo
by interrogating the world around them.
I am sure everyone in the audience felt a pang when Irizarry told a
story about a teen who told him that “Latinos
aren’t smart”. That young woman took
on a belief that had been supported by a system. Through engaging the youth in a participatory
action research project, Irizarry fostered a shifting belief system of
empowerment. The project resulted in a
book that was written in collaboration with the youth.
The final session that I attended was Dr. Laura Ruth
Johnson, Northern Illinois University and Dr. Enid Rosario, University of
Michigan. Their session focused on
research that they are doing at PACHS in which they are exploring how youth can
be empowered through meaningful engagement in the community. They described how youth at the high school
are involved in community projects that are based on critical, authentic needs.
The projects are aligned with the
mission and vision of the school and engage the youth in collaboration with
members of the community from different generations in projects that can be
sustained over time.
During the luncheon, one of the students from PACHS read two
original poems as odes to Oscar Lopez Rivera and the high school. This powerful
young woman read her poetry as she was surrounded by peers and staff from the
high school. It was such a striking
example of the support that a loving community can provide. The pieces spoke to sense of history and
community, but also a strong sense of individual identity that emerges when
youth are strengthened by their community.
