Americana Stories – Humor

Notes on MLK History Lesson for Immigrant Students, by Prudence Soobrattie

“Can anyone tell me who Martin Luther King Jr. was?”

“A president!” Samira shouts. At least she is paying attention. Gizelle, who sits next to her, is scrolling on her cell phone.

“No,” I reply. “Any other guesses?”

“Wasn’t that the man who helping the black people?” Angela asks.

Angela: sixteen, loves Reggaeton, and taro flavored bubble tea – Dominican

As her English teacher, I should be correcting her misuse of the progressive tense, but I’m too struck by the otherness of her reference. 

“Actually, he helped all people, not just African Americans,” I explain.

“What did he do for the Africans?” Youssef asks.

Youssef: fifteen, loves rap music, yet bears a striking resemblance to Freddy Mercury, the lead singer of Queen, a group he never heard of – Egyptian

I notice his question sparks interest, particularly with the other Egyptian students in class.

“Well not really Africans, African-Americans,” I state.

“Who are African-Americans?” he asks. I silently appreciate his inquisitiveness, since it’s a quality most teens lack, but I really wish he would just let me get on with the lesson. 

“Americans of African descent.”

“Like me?” Youssef persists.

“Most Americans probably would not consider you African-American. They would consider you Middle-Eastern.”

“But Egypt is not the Middle East,” he corrects. 

“Youssef, you’re only African-American if you’re black like me,” Lester interrupts.

Lester: Angela’s cousin, tan skin, curly light brown hair, hazel eyes, also from the DR

“You’re not black,” Angela snaps. “Eres moreno.”

Note on Lester: black in the United States, not black in the Dominican Republic

“You are Latino, no?” Shin Young asks.

Shin Young: seventeen, excellent at sketching, pixie cut, black hair frosted blond ends – Chinese 

“Yeah, we’re Latino, but we’re also black,” Lester replies. He is pointing to both himself and his cousin Angela who looks uncomfortable.

“I’m Dominican,” she states.

Lester gives her a dirty look.

Note: some Latinos are black (but not African-American) others are not, at times this is a choice.

“Yo, check it! Lester and I look like brothers,” Youssef notes. He holds out his arm next to Lester’s. They are close in complexion, though Youssef is slightly darker. 

“So am I Latino?” Youssef asks.

“No, you would have to come from a Spanish speaking country to be Latino,” I explain.

“All Latinos speak Spanish?” he asks. 

I think about some of the kids I grew up with. “No, some American born Latinos don’t speak Spanish,” I say. The students look at me confused.

“Then they are not Latino,” Samira says. The Spanish speaking students begin to argue about this, but not in English. Since I wish to keep them engaged in the lesson and have them practice English, I’m not sure if this is really a teacher win.

“What that makes me?” Fernanda calls out.

Fernanda: sixteen, wants to become a veterinarian, light complexion, dark eyes, long braids (probably extensions) – Brazilian

“Let’s see,” Lester says. “Speak Brazilian, tell me what day it is and I’ll tell you if you’re Latina”

“Portuguese,” I correct.

“Whatever,” Lester says, staring at Fernanda, waiting for a reply.

“Quinta-feira,” she states.

“What?” Both Lester and Gizelle shout in unison. At least Gizelle is no longer looking at her phone, a clear teacher win.

“It’s Jueves, J-U-E-V-E-S,” Lester proclaims, using the Spanish sounds for the letters when he spells.

“If I am no Latina, what I am?” Fernanda asks. 

Note: Further research on the precise definition of Latino, or as many non-Spanish speakers say “Latinx”, is necessary.

“Maybe you are different but from same place,” Shin Young suggests.

“What?” Lester asks. 

“In China, we have many people, all different.”

“You’re different? How?” Angela asks.

“Look me and Lily,” Shin Young says, pointing to her own nose.

Lily: eighteen, long black hair she keeps in her face (possibly to hide acne), little spoken English, lives with older sister – Chinese

Lily, who generally looks out the window, turns after hearing her name. Shin Young explains, “We have different. Different ethnic, different food, different look, different everything.” Shin Young folds her hands upon desk, displaying the same composure she has when acing a quiz. 

In the back of the room I hear Gizelle murmuring. “Pero todos los chinos son iguales.”

Note: the students require lessons on world cultures – asap

“Well Egyptians are not the same,” Youssef declares. “My family are Coptic. He is met with blank stares from his peers. I feel for him, yet there is a slight schadenfreude since these looks are usually reserved for me. “Coptic Christian,” he clarifies.

“I thought you’re Muslim,” Lester says.

“No, she’s Muslim.” Youssef points to Samira.

Samira: seventeen with long blonde hair usually in a ponytail and green eyes, stares at Lester whenever he’s not looking – Albanian

“So you’re not Muslim?” Lester asks Youssef to clarify.

Note: Middle-Easterners are often believed to be Muslim even if they are not Muslim or not even from the Middle East.

Angela points at Samira, “But you’re white.” 

At first, Samira doesn’t respond, perhaps she thinks it is an accusation. After about four seconds she speaks. “My last name is Abdullahu.” Many of the students nod, as if finding some epiphany in Samira’s statement.

“My bad,” Angela smiles, apologizing.

Note: a person’s skin color can drastically change based solely on the ethnic origin of their name – topic would make fascinating socio-linguistics research

“Am I white then?” Youssef persists. I shake my head no. He looks confused. They all stare at me as if a reasonable answer exists and I can provide it.

“Did you guys ever see a really old movie?” I ask.

“Like from the 2000’s,” Lester says.

“No older, a black and white one.”

“My abuelo told me about them,” Angela says. Some of the others nod in agreement. Everyone, regardless of background, seems to understand the word “abuelo”. 

I continue, “Well long ago, people thought that America was a black and white movie, but it never was. You might meet people who still think everything is black and white, so you’ll just have to tell them about you and your lives and teach them…Take a look around.” Surprisingly, the students do as I instruct. “Martin Luther King wanted a world like this one, exactly what we have here, all of us together.”

Note: Oversimplification. America was never just b&w. My own family is an oddly non-classifiable group of people who don’t resemble each other. People were confused by our existence. I hope it will be better for my students. 

2nd note: Bring students lollipops tomorrow. They really are good kids. 

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