Grant Beacon Middle School Speaks! Vol. 4 Cafe Cultura Community Speaks Project 38 Telling Our Stories Class
Grant Beacon Middle School Speaks! Vol. 4 Copyright Š 2016 by Telling Our Stories Class All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission of the author.
To the intelligent students with so much potential who participated in our Spoken Word enrichment‌Be the leaders we know you are! #CafeCultura #XpressYourself #TellingOurStories
Acknowledgments Thank you Grant Beacon Middle School staff for providing Café Cultura the opportunity to continue working with your students. Special thank you to students in our enrichment for writing and sharing such amazing poetry. Remember: “It’s our responsibility and choice to express ourselves and lift our voice, together building unity, leaders in our community. This is how we tell our stooorrrryyyy!”
Foreword It was a privilege for Café Cultura to continue our three year partnership teaching a Poetry/Spoken Word enrichment at Grant Beacon Middle School. We enjoyed learning about the 6th, 7th, and 8th graders while using our “Telling Our Stories” curriculum to hear what they had to say. This book, the 4th volume of our series with GBMS, gives you a sense of their stories and potential for the future. Enjoy and share their words! For those who do not know about our organization: Café Cultura is an award-winning arts, culture, and youth development organization in Denver that promotes unity and healing among Indigenous peoples through creative expression while empowering youth to find their voice, reclaim oral and written traditions, and become leaders in their communities. Café Cultura has been providing positive, creative, and engaging community spaces for the Denver metropolitan area for more than ten years. After the passing of respected elder and veteran poet Abelardo “Lalo” Delgado, we accepted responsibility to continue using our oral and written traditions to provide opportunities for creative expression often not offered in schools or in the larger community. Café Cultura also drew inspiration from the movement connecting Indigenous people from throughout the Americas. We use creative expression to unify people representing southern Indigenous nations, known by terms such as “Chicana/o” and “Latina/o,” with those Natives of northern nations, referred to as “American Indian” or “Native American.” Café Cultura hosts one of the best open mic venues in the Denver metropolitan area, and the only space focused on family and youth. We also conduct highly engaging and culturally relevant spoken word/poetry workshops for underserved youth throughout Colorado. Café Cultura partners with select organizations and schools to facilitate an intensive workshop series, publish youth
poetry, and organize participant showcases. In an effort to develop young leaders within our community, we also coordinate a youth leadership program for Indigenous youth. If you or your organization is interested in collaborating, feel free to contact us. For more information about our open mic events, workshops, youth leadership program, and other programs: info@cafecultura.org 720-394-6589 www.cafecultura.org
Table of Contents My Life and Cultura by Brianna ...........................................................1 Pride by Kevin ........................................................................................3 Basketball by Juan ..................................................................................5 A Reminder by Nevaeh .........................................................................6 Mexico by Ximena .................................................................................8 Together by Zairy................................................................................ 10 Home by Azeleth ................................................................................ 11 Love by Hadde .................................................................................... 12 My Favorite by Kevin ......................................................................... 13 Happiness by Juan............................................................................... 14
My Life and Cultura by Brianna I come from my mom, a beautiful rose. She inspires me to never give up. My mom is my life. I love her with all my heart. I will never forget her, my mom. I come from sopes with masa, frijoles, queso, lettuce, and chile. I am passed down from my mom’s mom. I will always remember those moments when my mom and auntie make them. I will remember the heaven in my mouth from the hot delicious taste. I come from a beautiful state that makes me happy: Michigan, a cold place. I have lots of memories from there. I also come from Mexico. I remember when I went to Cancun with my god-parents.
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I will never forget those times. I will never forget that I am a Mexican. The flag makes me feel happy. It represent our culture and life.
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Pride by Kevin My mother has always been there for me no matter the situation. She has always pushed me forward, telling me to give the best of myself. My house is the place where I feel safe. I am protected from the cold, rain, and bad weather. I will never forget my house. I am the perfect food made from the perfect balance of tortillas and juicy, flavorful lamb. I tell the story of a kitchen full of love and passion since the first generations. I represent the pride and culture of the early people passed down. Even through the conquistadors’ destruction, our culture did not fade like the steam rising and fading out of the kitchen’s burning stove, where the plate of perfection is created. I am the soccer ball representing a game that has evolved since our ancestors. They used it as a symbol of honor and pride. It still represents honor
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for me. Every time I step on the field, I feel proud to play the game of my ancestors.
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Basketball by Juan I am a basketball player. In fact, I see life as a basketball game. You have to work hard to get to your goal. When you are running down the court, you push yourself to succeed. In both life and basketball, there is good and bad. When you have the opportunity to shoot the winning point, you could make it or not. When you do your best, you win.
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A Reminder by Nevaeh I come from Chicago. I have never been there but my entire family is from there. So it is in my blood. I am from a city that is not the cleanest, but inside, there is real beauty. My family is rooted there. I will never forget my mom because she tells me right from wrong and gives me advice. I can always talk to her. She is not just a mother but a friend. My mom has sacrificed many things for me, inspiring me every day to have confidence. I am from a world of stuffed shells on my dinner plate and the smell of cooking enchiladas. I am from walking through the door, ready to eat. I am from living with my little brother, waiting for dinner as we chase each other around the house. I come from the bracelet I wear every single day on my left wrist. The word “commitment�
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is engraved in the metal circle, a reminder for life.
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Mexico by Ximena I am from Chihuahua, Mexico. I come from el jardin full of kids, couples, and love. I would always remember the memories of buying fresas con crema. I will never forget when I would go to the store, without fear. One thing I love about Chihuahua is when you go in my grandma's house. It smells like posole. I am from September 16th crossing the streets with dresses and a baby across your chest. Boys would wear a suit, with guns and bullets across their hearts. I come from going to la tienda en frente carrying La Virgen from house to house. I will always remember going on late nights to my school, “Emiliano Zapata Escobedo”. to sing the national anthem on Cinco De Mayo. I will never forget going to “adorar al Nino Dios” antes de la noche buena. I come from chewy tacos made with tortillas, cilantro, cebolla,
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salsa, y carne. My mom makes them any day to get my family together. They make my stomach feel fantastic. They are the link to my future.
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Together by Zairy I come from Denver, Colorado, a place where I can trust people. I grew up here. I will always remember the times that my mom made asada fries for me. They taste like love and make me feel like my mom put a lot of work into them, since they are so delicious. I come from a beautiful mother. I hope she never leaves me. She deserves everything. I am so thankful for her. I will always remember the image of her, my family, and my dog. It reminds me of my family and me being nice to each other. Taking a family picture shows how we can do things together.
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Home by Azeleth I came from my mother. I will always remember how she raised me with manners. I will never forget how she taught me to cook. I come from a place, a place I have not been to. I will always remember the stories my mother tells me about our homeland. I am in every Mexican family that everyone loves to taste. I come from the oven and the way you make tamales. They taste like getting new clothes.
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Love by Hadde I love Mexican food I will never forget the taste of tamales made with masa, oil, \water, carne, queso, y rajas. I will always remember when my tias, mom, grandma, and me have fun making tamales. I come from a beautiful mother. I hope she stays beautiful, like me, and she gives me her things, so I can pass them on my future kids. My mother comes from a pretty city or town and a very beautiful family. I hope I have the same life as my mom and have the same attitude, raising my future kids with kindness, like she did for me. I come from a young lady who supports me. She inspires me with love and kindness.
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My Favorite by Kevin I will always remember the tacos del pastor. They smell like tasty salsa made with love and masa of the tortilla. You know why they are so good? Because my mother makes them.
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Happiness by Juan I am from Denver, Colorado. Colorado makes me happy. I have a lot of memories here. If I ever move somewhere else, I will not be happy since Denver has made me a happier person. I will remember what me and my family do. I am Mexican American. I come from my mom. I will never forget her because she is always there for me. She is the most beautiful person in the world to me. I will always remember what we do as a family.