AJ's Thought Bubble

           The podcast episode "Healing Work Through Understanding Our True History" features a conversation between host Chris Nguon and Dr. Cory Greene, co-founder of the organization How Our Lives Linked All Together (H.O.L.L.A.). Cory discusses the evolving nature of healing work and its intersection with social justice, particularly within Black and Indigenous communities. He reflects on the growing awareness of healing as a political process, noting how it has gained more attention in recent years. However, he warns that this attention, especially from institutions, can lead to the co-opting of healing practices, particularly when the people meant to benefit are not in leadership roles. Cory emphasizes the importance of grounding healing in historical context and community leadership, highlighting the need for genuine transformative justice. He also addresses the dangers of restorative justice being co-opted by systems of oppression. He suggests that ...

  How does whiteness and white supremacy culture impact the youth and educational spaces that you inhabit? What does it look like? Feel like in your body and movements? How does it sound? Taste? Slip by or call out?      Power and privilege are concepts I’ve been aware of for most of my life. Acknowledging my own power, privilege, and, at times, lack thereof, has been crucial to navigating various spaces, particularly in my role working in an elementary school in Woonsocket. Reflecting on how whiteness and white supremacy manifest in this setting, I find it challenging to pinpoint overt examples at the elementary level. However, it's clear that whiteness still lingers, operating more discreetly and often unaddressed, shaped by unconscious biases and the norms that define "appropriate" behavior and success in schools.      Woonsocket is a diverse city, home to a wide range of ethnicities—Nigerian, Laotian, Colombian, Puerto Rican, and more. The hardshi...

The Early Years        My educational journey began early on in life. My mother was a teacher for many years working with students with special needs and various learning abilities. Many members of my family have worked in the field of education and still do to this day, so teaching and the value of education are in my blood. Knowing this, both my mother and father pushed me to succeed throughout my early childhood education leading me to excel academically and enjoy learning. I had many wonderful teachers through my primary school years, but three made a lasting stamp on my education experience. My second grade teacher Mr. Souza was my only male teacher from Kindergarten to 6th grade. He was an amazing example for me that men could work with young students and didn’t have to just work in middle and high school. Then there was my 4th grade teacher Mrs. Nichols and my 5th and 6th grade teacher Mrs. McLaughlin they both instilled in me a joy for education and empo...