Joe Navarro

Hyphenated As a young child I thought I was an unhyphenated American I was John Wayne, growing Into my role, a real-American Transitioning to a teen, who Grew up in the other-America Becoming the other-American Whose life was consumed in Survivalist strategies, where poverty Was one welfare check away from Extinction, where hue mattered In…

People often ask me who I will vote for in the November 2012 presidential election. It is a given that I will not vote for the Romney/Ryan team. I would view involvement in the current elections as a temporary effort to forestall the right-wing’s ability to control this nation completely and use this time as…

At the forefront of the headlines has been the blatant and apparent case of racial profiling and murder of Trayvon Martin, an African American youth, because of his race.� Complicit in this crime are George Zimmerman, the Sanford, Florida Police and the so-called Stand Your Ground law.� Now the Florida and US Justice Departments have…

I read with amusement the BC commentary on Tucson schools, “Applaud Tucson’s Unified School District! Now, Confiscate Shakespeare’s Plays!” by Dr. Lenore J. Daniels. It was a great satirical approach to questioning how American’s view what is foreign and what is not. In the United States the “other” is a social construct that is defined…

It has been eight years since Elizabeth “Betita” Martinez drafted the letter titled, “Open Letter to African Americans From Latinos,” which was co-signed by 43 Latina and Latino activists, nationally. This historic letter made a call to strengthen African American and Latina/o unity, and challenged the attempts by the government and media to stir division…

I often hear people say that when you think about education you should remember when you were in school and you will appreciate the things that go into education. In some surveys about education that I’ve seen recently, I noticed that when asked in general what people think of education, most say that the education…

I know that I am prejudiced Against some people. Yes me. They revile me and make me sick, And why? You will see. They are people who disgust me; I have no use for them. This disdain I feel From where does it stem? It’s a feeling from within That has fermented over the years.…

The recent Sherry Sharrod incident, where she was misrepresented (by a Tea Party supporter) in an on-line video as being an African-American racist against white people, and the ongoing anti-Mexican, anti-immigrant legislation in Arizona have once again forced the discussion of “race” and “racism” to the forefront of media headlines. I am surprised at the…

As we approach the one year anniversary of President Obama’s inauguration as president, there is a lot of disagreement about his role since he took office. Many progressive and leftist activists and scholars (I use this loosely to include left leaning writers and researchers) have been trying to figure out Obama’s real impact on the…