BOOST BLOG

by Allan Gomez

Have you ever thought about how humans developed language? How is it that we have a come to such an intricate (and fluid) design of ways to communicate? Linguists have wondered about this question for many years, going back to study some of the earliest documented civilizations. Noted MIT linguist (and Anarchist!) Noam Chomsky stated in the 1950’s that grammatical structures were innate to our existence (“The child is built to know language”). However, without any kind of access to the primordial moment every theory has been based on speculation, since we have influenced all our learning and communications based on existing language structures. 

In the 1980’s, due to a surprising outcome from the Nicaraguan Sandinista Revolution of 1979 through the seemingly unlikely protagonists of deaf children, the world was given the closest documented glimpse of the evolution of human language.

As is the unfortunate reality for many persons with disabilities, deaf children in Nicaragua (and many parts of the world) had a long history of being marginalized and shuttered away from society at large. A much-heralded program launched by the Sandinistas was their Literacy Campaign. As an extension of the highly successful campaigns, two Managua-based schools for deaf children grew from around 50 students in 1977 to over 400 by 1983. 

The fact that pedagogy was rooted in spoken Spanish, lipreading and some fingerspelling led to initial interactions between teachers and students having little success. Children remained disconnected linguistically from their teachers. However, the children’s interactions amongst each other led to the early formation of a pidgin-like language. This early stage is referred to as Lenguaje de Signos Nicaraguense (LSN).

The staff at the school, unaware that a brand-new language was being formed, felt that the gesturing was merely mime and an overall failure to acquire Spanish. They sought outside help to better understand what was happening. In 1986 the Nicaragua Ministry of Education reached out to Judy Kegl, an American Sign Language linguist also from MIT. 

Kegl and other researchers started to analyze what was happening and soon discovered that the older children were using the pidgin form of sign language, a crude method that was tied to existing home-learned gestures, basically a vocabulary function. However, the most fascinating discovery came from observing the youngest children (pre-adolescent). They had taken the pidgin model from older children and were developing a higher level of complexity involving intricate grammar conventions such as verb agreement. This later stage is referred to as Idioma de Signos Nicaraguense (ISN).

From wikipedia: ISN offers a rare opportunity to study the emergence of a new language. Before ISN, studies of the early development of languages had focused on creoles, which develop from the mixture of two (or more) distinct communities of fluent speakers. In contrast, ISN was developed by a group of young people with only non-conventional home sign systems and gesture.

This powerful story has two remarkable components for me. One is that a traditionally marginalized population provided the insight for all humans to learn about themselves. And the second is that it was children who were true generators of a new language. The sad reality is that society has long undervalued the contributions possible from both persons with disabilities and children in general. Yet here is an example of children with a disability being the only way we could catch a glimpse of our primordial development and unlock some of the mysteries of our shared humanity.

Many articles have been written about this phenomenal experience. Here are a few links for a deeper dive.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/what-is-nicaraguan-sign-language

https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/magazine/home/19991024mag-sign-language.html

https://chomsky.info/1996____/

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/07/2/l_072_04.html

by Memory Thomas

The death of Nipsey Hussle shook the black community as well as the entertainment industry, leaving millions in disbelief and tears. It also sparked a call to action toward black on black crime, gang violence and rebuilding and buying back the block. A purpose Nipsey would never get the chance to fulfill personally.

It was the middle of the afternoon on March 31, 2019 when news first broke that the rapper Nipsey Hussle and 2 other men on his crew were involved in a shooting on the corner of Crenshaw Blvd and Slauson Ave. All that was announced was that 2 people were in critical condition and 1 person was killed at the scene. I could almost hear the buzz and whispers throughout the streets of Los Angeles as I waited and scrolled through our social media timelines checking for updates, texting and calling those close to me to discuss what was happening, and telling them to pray and hope that it wasn’t Neighborhood Nip who was the one killed.  A couple of hours later, at 3:20 pm it was announced that Nipsey Hussle was shot in the parking lot of the Shopping Plaza and clothing store he owned.

Nipsey Hussle was born Ermias Asghedom to a Black mother and Eritrean Father in Los Angeles where he was brought up in the streets of the Crenshaw district, smack dab in the middle of the 1980’s when the streets were the most violent due to the impact of drugs and gangs, most notably the Rolling 60 Neighborhood Crips.

Nipsey took his street experiences and began to put it on a beat as early as 2005. He dropped his first mixtape Slauson Boy Volume 1 and followed with a couple more underground projects. These projects helped him to become a pillar in the community, shedding light on his intelligence, spirituality, and passion for change, all while maintaining his reputation within the gang and local community. His music shared his story of who he was and how he survived the poverty stricken conditions of the LA area; making him inspirational, relatable and authentic to anyone who knew him or his music.

In 2013 he dropped a mixtape titled Crenshaw. He charged $100 per tape in an era where mixtapes were given out free and streamed on the internet for no charge. Rapper and icon, Jay-Z took notice and bought 100 copies of Nipsey’s mixtape to show support. Crenshaw sold out within 24 hours, selling 1000 copies, helping Nipsey make his first 100,000 dollars all on his own. Nipsey had one of the most impressive independent runs in hip hop history. Never settling for a record label and being adamant about having full ownership of his music and career no matter what.

With the 100,000 Nipsey Hussle made off the success of the Crenshaw mixtape, he created his very own record label and named it All Money In. Under the All Money In label, Nipsey dropped his last mixtape Mailbox Money, only pressing 100 copies with the price set at $1,000 each. He sold 60 tapes. With this money, he purchased the Shopping Plaza where he opened his infamous clothing store, “The Marathon”. A strategic plan he’d had since he was a young teen hanging out in the shopping plaza where he and his friends were constantly harassed and kicked out by the original owner of the plaza because of who they were and what they looked like. His desire to own the plaza became reality and he created a neighborhood staple that no one would be kicked out of.

In early 2018, Nipsey dropped what would be his first and final album titled, “Victory Lap”. An album that fans waited 5 years for. Victory Lap quickly climbed up the charts and eventually became nominated for a Grammy as Best Rap Album of the year in 2019.

Nipsey was at the pinnacle of his career when his life came to a sudden end at the age of 33. He had begun to be invited and attend events he’d never imagined himself attending and speaking with real change makers that could help him make a direct impact and continue to help shape the community and people who made him who he was. He wasn’t the biggest hip hop artist of his time but arguably the most entrepreneurial. Nipsey was also in the middle of helping to create a documentary on the life and work of Dr. Sebi, a Honduran herbalist and self-proclaimed healer. There is still so much work to be completed in Nipsey’s name, including the rebuild of his shopping plaza he was gunned down in front of. He had just invested a couple of millions to revamp the Marathon Store and rebuild the shopping plaza into a six story residential building atop of the commercial portion. His final vision was to add a barbershop and restaurant, making the plaza “a vertically integrated retail network” for his brand and community. Nipsey Hussle just wanted to introduce information to his community and the youth that would transform them.

It has been over a month since the sudden passing of Nipsey Hussle and still millions of people are grieving and numb. Even writing this, I still don’t want to believe it.

Some of my family and myself went to visit a vigil in the parking lot of the shopping plaza in front of the Marathon Store in the week following his death. It has been packed with people from all over the world, celebrities, and famous people since April 1st. The Muslim community greeted us with newspapers and a very organized approach to be sure everyone got into the vigil and was able to pay their respects peacefully. The vigil was surrounded by incredible art, millions of flowers and candles. People sold shirts on every corner and Nipsey’s music could be heard from the speakers of the shopping plaza as everyone stood around silently taking it all in. They announced over a microphone that it was the next groups turn to pay their respects.  I wrote “Forever I will Hussle and motivate” in sharpie on my candle, quoting one of his songs, lit my candle and sat it with the rest, as our group filed out of our parking lot and back on to Crenshaw Blvd.

His funeral was held a week later at the Staples Center. Seats were all filled up within an hour and most people from the community didn’t get to be in the actual funeral but instead attended the parade at different points. Slauson and Crenshaw were completely shut down for the whole day. People came out in blue hair, shirts, shoes, blue roses, and blue bandannas. A lot of people even got shirts made. I can imagine this is what it was like back in 1993 when Tupac was killed. The energy was electric as Nipsey’s hearse came around and we said our goodbyes for the last time. People shouted Nipsey’s name, climbed on top of billboards, street lights, and gas station pumps and even jumped on top of police cars in the name of Nipsey.

Nipsey Hussle was more than a rapper. Nipsey was a father, Nipsey was a revolutionary, an entrepreneur, a son. Nipsey was a “Crip with book recommendations”, a man with a plan and the light at the end of a systematically and mentally oppressed tunnel for the black community. Nipsey was and is the example a lot of us POC did not have and very well needed. And for that… the marathon continues.

MLK Jr. has taught us to give voice to our values in a way that is persistent, yet peaceful. Passionate, yet principled. And always in a way that gives the utmost respect for the dignity and equality of every human being.

by Allan Gomez

I feel MLK Day is used to commemorate the man, but also as a reference point to a set of ideas. I think it is also unfortunately consumed up in the mythology of a hero creation and a static notion of the past and present. Which I feel does a disservice to the reality of the individual and the strength of the human being that was Martin Luther King, Jr. He walked among us and we can all walk like each other as the times call for. Instead of the picture of a towering giant of justice, I prefer the picture of a human full of doubts, frustrations and insecurities, taking giant steps toward justice. That to me is the hope that the everyday person can also achieve and struggle for justice anywhere and anytime.

For these reasons I am continually impressed by a Letter from Birmingham Jail, where MLK’s human frustrations with the status quo of would be white allies, (and even well-off people of color) are made clear.

Even though his most often referenced speech is the famed I have A Dream speech, I was first taken a aback by the power and precision of MLK’s Letter from Birmingham Jail. Prior to being exposed to this, I had been challenged by the dichotomy of philosophy present between MLK and Malcolm X. This great divide between a “non-violent peaceful movement” and one “by any means necessary”. When I read it and really grasped the messages, I felt that perhaps this was to some extent a false dichotomy, as both leaders wanted to rock the boat, just that they though that different tools caused the most rocking. It was at this point that MLK grew frustrated in those who questioned any boat rocking.

A little background was that MLK wrote this in while in jail in response to criticisms levied at him by members of the Southern Clergy, for the demonstrations in Birmingham. Here MLK issues challenges that go against the niceties of the day. He states that he is more frustrated by the moderate would-be ally who tries to maintain order instead of pursuing Justice, than by the most hateful of the public. I too have felt those frustrations of the person who does not openly profess hate but gets irritated at my struggles against an unjust status quo. Or worse even if they claim to be all for justice, but only if it is not an inconvenience.

Coupled powerfully with this message, is the “interrelatedness” (today we call this interconnectedness), and how we are caught in an “inescapable network of mutuality”.

I found myself adopting these ideas in a deliberate manner in social justice solidarity work throughout the US and the world, be it in for labor rights in farmworker communities in Florida fields, seeking justice against police violence in Chicago, developing health infrastructures in Colombia, building and supporting community radio stations for indigenous and struggling peoples in Nicaragua, Bolivia, Honduras, Ecuador, Mexico and even Palestine. Refreshingly, I found people of so many stripes tied to the idea of interconnectedness, and the credo of an injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

Now that I have children, I also think about his words reflecting on his daughter “and see ominous clouds of inferiority beginning to form in her little mental sky, and see her beginning to distort her personality by developing an unconscious bitterness toward white people;”

I think about how I always want my children to challenge that which would impede them, but also to challenge their own notions of superiority to the world around them, so that they do not subscribe to that which “gives the segregator a false sense of superiority and the segregated a false sense of inferiority” be it through a lens rooted in race, class, gender, or even able-bodied-ness.

All this and more is what I think about on MLK day.

Latino or Hispanic.  Is there such a thing?

Before heading into Hispanic Heritage later this month, I thought it’d be great time to provide a simple crash course for the many kinds of descriptors for Latin folks. Many folks, including Latin folks can often use different cultural descriptors to describe themselves. Whichever way they want to describe themselves is a personal choice and there is no set correct/incorrect terminology. I just wanna preface this by stating that this is not super detailed but just a broad overview. There are tons of sub-categories and cultural identifiers within Latin culture. So let’s get into it:

“Spanish” vs “Hispanic” vs “Latino” vs “Latinx”

Spanish – Spanish refers directly to people from Spain (European). Spain colonized a large chunk of Latin America but were not alone in doing so.The Portguese, the French and Dutch all had colonies in South America. Spain did have the largest cultural impact across Latin America and is the most recognized language. People who are not from Spain often identify as Spanish likely either because they have Spanish ancestry or misunderstand the term since it’s often conflated with Hispanic.

Hispanic – Hispanic originally referred to the people of ancient Roman Hispania, which roughly comprised the Iberian Peninsula, including the contemporary states of Spain, Portugal, and Andorra, and the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. Hispanic in modern context typically applies to people in the US. a Spanish-speaking person living in the US, especially one of Latin American descent.

Latino – Latinidad is a Spanish-language term that refers to the various attributes shared by Latin American people and their descendants without reducing those similarities to any single essential trait. It’s a term often used in the United States to refer to people with cultural ties to Latin America, in contrast to Hispanic which is a demonym that includes Spaniards and other speakers of the Spanish language. However this term encapsulates all people from Latin America, including countries and cultures that do not speak Spanish. It is purposefully an encompassing term as it’s meant to includes folks from all spectrums in Latin American cultures. Often in music, musicians will refer to Latinos as “La Raza”. This is a term for the latino spirit of unity amongst folks of all walks of life. It was popularized in Mexico and Chicano culture but became a staple of Latin American culture.

Latinx – Latinx is a more recent adaptation of “Latino” by Latinos in North America used by younger generations of Latin folks. The key difference is that Latinx is gender neutral and recognizes folks from all kinds of different gender identities and backgrounds.

If you have any commentary or questions make sure to post in the Boost channel!

Former employee Shelby Dobbins shares why working in a gender inclusive workplace was great for them.  We will miss you Shelby!

If gender pronouns are a new concept for you or you just are unsure about what it all means, allow me to explain! The idea of gender neutral pronouns has been around for a long time (look it up!). I use them because I identify as Transgender Non-binary. All that it really means on your end, is that I do not wish to be referred to as a “woman or a man”, just a “Person” or a “Human”. I also do not want to be called “Miss, Lady, She/Her, Sir or Ma’am”. There are a lot of reasons for this but they all boil down to one thing, I don’t feel like they fit me accurately and honestly, they make me feel uncomfortable.

It is a very simple, but huge change, that makes me feel great and even better when my coworkers are able to validate me by using my pronouns as well!

I understand it is something that totally trips people up when they are not in the rhythm. I too, at one point, had never heard of “Preferred Pronouns”, or really understood “Gender Neutral Language”. It tripped me up! I had only a handful of friends who identified as Transgender.

There were a lot of “He.. I mean SHE!”s and “Well.. they still look like a woman, so I don’t know why I would use “They”. I wasn’t being proactive to include this brand-new concept into my language!

So, with that in mind, here are some tips on being more gender neutral and inclusive!

Do:
Address a group as “Everyone”, “Folks”, “Ya’ll!”

Don’t:
Use “Ladies and Gentleman!”, or call everyone “dudes” or “guys!”  Not everyone vibes with this and it is not inclusive to all people! If you really must argue this one, ask your straight male friend how many “dudes” or “guys” he’s ever dated.

Do:
Use everyone’s pronouns properly! Try incorporating gender neutral identifiers into normal conversation! “That person” or “someone” versus “That Guy”

Continue reading “How to be more gender inclusive in the workplace: Do’s and Don’ts”

LA and Philly festival/parades are this weekend!  OKC is 2 weeks away.  Note, Vegas celebrates in October.

Here are links to Pride events and info in your area.  Check the blog for more content next week.

http://www.phillygaypride.org/

http://lasvegaspride.org/event/2018-pride-celebration

https://okcpride.org/

https://lapride.org/

by Memory Thomas

Mental Health is a person’s condition with regard to their psychological, emotional, and social well-being. It determines how we handle stress, relate to others and make decisions. Mental Health is an important factor in every stage of life from adolescence to adulthood and is so common that it affects 1 in every 5 Americans. Certain things such as, biological factors, life experiences, and terrible traumas throughout the span of one’s life can result in mental health problems and begin to affect one’s mood, thinking and behavior. Thus developing into a mental health illness. Mental Illnesses can happen to most anyone and are completely out the person’s control. To majority of people on the outside looking in A person affected by mental illness will seem perfectly fine due to the fact this type of illness hides in plain sight. This is because it affects the emotional side of the brain and is often referred to as “The Invisible Illness”.

Continue reading “The Invisible Illness”