The time is always right...

Let's find the racist! And then let's shame the racist!

by Jen Chau

This is - I think - our favorite game to play when it comes to race. Locate the racist, focus on the racist, blog and tweet the crap out of that racist, and shame that racist as much as possible. The racist shouldn't be able to carry on life as he knew it. I too hope for change in the person who took a misstep, but I think we are missing the bigger picture. We use magnifying glasses to focus on individual events rather than seeing the connections and the patterns that point to larger societal problems.

The problem in perfection

by Jen Chau

Perfection was cute when we were little. Sure...it was all about being perfect when the task was laid out for us and all we had to do was it. Perfectly. I remember...

I love fake radio interviews: about Obama and race

 
by Jen Chau

Over the last couple of months, I have begun to expect that every un-identified number that pops up on my cell phone is probably connected to a well-intentioned (most of the time) reporter wondering if I could offer my thoughts on Obama‘s mixed race identity. Asking me to comment because of my work with Swirl, they have all wondered how hot of a topic Obama has been amongst other mixed race people. Was everyone excited about it? Were people taking offense to the fact that he was identifying as an African-American man? And what does he mean for the future of mixed race people everywhere? These are just some of the questions that came up during the interviews in which I have taken part (I guess though, that I should at least mention my favorite of all, “What if Obama identified as a white man? What would people think of that?” The best rhetorical question I have heard in a while. If nothing else, these conversations surely have been entertaining).

The best present an activist could receive

by Jen Chau

Someone who I hardly know gave me a present last month. It is one that I will never forget.

We give presents for birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, wedding showers, just-born-babies, and new homes. We even leave money under pillows for little ones for their lost teeth. But very rarely do we give gifts to thank those who really dedicate their lives to bringing about positive change for our world. Maybe we don't because we wouldn't know what to give them...I mean, what do activists need? Great cardstock for making signage at the next protest? Sharp business suits for networking meetings? Books and books on revolution? Blog space? :) Donations to their favorite organization?

This is silly to even think about because activists are probably not doing the work they do for presents. :) I surely don't do the work that I do to get thanks or praise. I do what I do out of a feeling of responsibility and a passion for the issues. I envision a world that looks very different than the one in which we are currently living, and that inspires me to work for change. That said, sometimes it gets tough. Just like the work of teachers and other social service workers, the work of activists is mostly thankless. But that's what makes the kind words of one person that much more impactful. I was recently given the best present an activist could ever hope to receive.

The time is always right...to VOTE!

by Jen Chau

At the annual cookie swap that my mom and I have in December (yesssss, I said cookie swap), her friends called me into the kitchen. Somehow, word had gotten out that I wasn't yet sure for whom I was voting. So here I was, standing in front of a group of about ten middle-class, middle-aged white women, all seemingly for Hillary. And they looked at me. "Soooooo, Jenny?! Who's it going to be? I mean, Hillary is your Wellesley sister after all!!!" Wow, trying to play the Wellesley card. Dirty and low. I took a deep breath, considered getting into it with them...but then decided not to, since my thinking wasn't yet fully formed. That, and at least 5 seriously arched eyebrows told me better. I said, "Ya knooooowwww, let's just enjoy the cookies, ok?" They let me off the hook, but I knew that this would be a tough one. A situation in which people were going to want to see whether I cared more about sexism or racism. After all, this is how people are looking at this race.

I hope Katie rolls her eyes

by Jen Chau

I hung out with Katie this weekend – she has gotten so big. The last time I saw her, she mostly looked at me with wide-open googly eyes, but on Saturday, she was completely with me. She laughed and giggled, made funny faces, and ate my hair. We had a great time. Her mom, Lorraine, is my closest friend from high school, like a sister to me, so this is really the first baby of my friends to whom I will be close. It’s pretty amazing and unreal to me, still.

In the months leading up to Katie's birth, I would sit around with Lorraine and Harry, the future mom and dad, talking about what she would be like.

Comfortable and overheard

by Jen Chau

We say what we really mean when we let our guards down, don't we? When we are at our most comfortable, when we are with friends, when we think no one else can hear us...we tell the truth.

Lest we forget how far this country needs to go to get to a better place in the ways we think about each other... Listen to the world around you and see what people say when they are comfortable. Ok, yes, I'm condoning the art of eavesdropping, but it's for educational research purposes! :)

listen up: Future of the Multiracial Movement

by Jen Chau

Please check out my return to the podcast, Addicted to Race! I join my former co-host and partner-in-crime, Carmen Van Kerckhove; and Anthony Yuen, a long-time activist in the Hapa community in California, in order to talk about the future of the Multiracial Movement.

Is there a movement? Where is it going? I share some of my thoughts and talk about the challenges and the wins that I have experienced through my work with Swirl, the non-profit organization that I founded in 1999. Swirl is a national multi-ethnic organization that challenges society's notions of race through community building, education, and action.

For those of you not yet familiar with Addicted to Race, it's a great podcast that deals with America's obsession with race. Carmen and I started over a year ago and she is going strong with it...you should really tune in for all of the great and honest discussions around race!

scribblings: grow what's working

by Jen Chau

"Grow what's working..."

Jon Schnur, the CEO of New Leaders for New Schools said this when he spoke at an event last week (he was talking about education and he was referencing the importance of sharing best practices in order to help more and more low performing schools turn around). And it has started me thinking about where I am with my work.

I have to admit, in really trying to figure out where to go with Swirl and all of my activism right now, I have gone back and forth a lot lately...perhaps to the dismay of those close to me. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that it drives them crazy to hear me -- OOOH! I finally know what I am doing now! And then the next day -- OOH! Now I REALLY know! No wait wait....now this is it! Sigh...

If I could go back to the classroom...(part 3/the conclusion)

by Jen Chau

Lots going on lately (will explain)...sorry for the delay! It took me so long that you might want to re-read Part 2 to refresh your memory.

Here's the conclusion:

Flash 1: Our date with destiny. I mean...the principal.
Conclusion: Paper cutting, Cave paintings, Jackson Pollack splotches, and quizzes.
Moral: Think creatively!
I had absolutely no idea how I was going to actually teach art in a way that would add value to my kids' education. But what I didn't initially realize was that art could open them up to so much more than just drawing...