December 4th, 2008

First off I can't believe it's already December!
I went to an Antiracism training for three dayz and came back with a puzzling thought. It was the assumption that all people are good. Now I have heard of all people start out good then get influenced therefore choose to be bad. I can agree with the latter. My argument to this is that I would have to, if the first one is to be true, then Adolf Hitler, Stalin, Columbus, Slave owners, and those in charge of genocide are all good people also. This much is unbelievable! How do I tell youth this liberation theory to be true when I and everyone else knows it to be untrue. This is not a matter of debate but that of fact and reality. No form of any theory can change my reality. I would be a victim if I am telling myself over and over that white privilege doesn't exist.

So now that I took my time to reflect on the above I am still searching as to what I want to do when I grow up. What a lie! Adults tell kids especially in high school that they need to figure out what they want to do when they grow up and then they hear it again in college. But then as most students you don't find what you are looking for and end up like me questioning what that is? My problem is that I have so many loves and passion about many issues. I feel as though I have worked with every community that the mainstream society has written off maybe that's why I didn't ever get paid what I am worth. It took me thirty years to finally ask for what I am truly worth and say it with confidence regardless of the outcome. How invigorating!

Hmmm...

30 years of putting up with WM expecting me to believe them leaving me with no voice to be heard. Why can't I be believed? Why do I have to be the bigger person and take their actions to perpetuate the cycle of white privilege? How much longer do I need to put up with this? Instead I have to be a professional actress and maid all at the same time. The actress is acting like all is well and transforming myself into their norms and ideals. The maid trys to make them feel comfortable emotionally above my own anger. Since the citizenship test, which was revamped to create meaning and not just memorization has been changed, one of the questions on the test should ask about the history of white privilege in America.

Fall Time in 08

Politics: Overuse of power vs. power. Which one is better? Maybe we should have another party thrown into the mix?

Financial situation: " We are not in recession" according to the man who represents us to the international world. We have to be very ignorant to elect another one of them again.

Yes, the ism (s) still do exists, everyday!

Hmong women and social change

We follow the cultural practices and systems that are in place as our contribution.Although I believe there are still women who still contribute because they respect the tradition. I believe some of the unintentional consequences are that we will lose the tradition. In the process we also lose the language and the reasons as to why certain practices and systems are in place to begin with. At the end of the day I think that we will be seen as only Hmong women for now. Like in every immigrant and refugee communities that have come to the United States it will take time to change and maybe even more than time. Women will need to also learn to support other women. No great movement has ever been successful without unity by all. It is apparent it will take more than just education to improve social change system since it does have to do with all the systems for true social change.

Rage!!!

Rage was awesome last night!

Whatz A Happineng!