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Alejandro Canelas – Extra Credit Response

Alejandro Canelas

Eng 103

Professor Kitana Ananda

11/27/17

Extra Credit Assignment

 

Extra Credit: United Nations Sustainable Fashion Event

 

Attending the Fashion and sustainability: look Good, Feel Good, Do Good using fashion as a vehicle for change event at the United Nations was an opportunity that I am ever so grateful for. I have never been to the United Nations before and as an International Studies major at LAGCC this was right up my alley. Upon entering the United Nations I was met with many cultures and languages and it was quite exciting seeing all the signs in French. It was also quite surprising to see the UN officers speak in Mandarin Chinese and they clearly were not of Asian descent. The focus of this event was for us to see how the fashion industry is trying to bring awareness towards sustainable practices when they are one of the leading industries of environmental pollution.

There were various panelists throughout the discussion on sustainable Fashion. The panelist I was most drawn to was Professor Andrea Reyes who is a fair trade advocate, a small business owner, and teaches at many colleges which include LIM, Pace University, Berkeley College, and Baruch College. She frequently organizes fair trade trips to Uganda, where she teaches students about how the Ugandan people use recycled materials to create home goods, accessories and other apparel. She brought up various small solutions that we as New Yorkers should be engaged with in order to make a difference. She suggested that we attend clothing swaps, which is a great place to not only mingle, but get some new clothing in exchange.  

Another point that Professor Reyes made was for us to find an organization we are passionate about, and make our presence be known because that is how she ultimately obtained her position as the Chair of the NYC Fair Trade Commission. Throughout her presentation I was just shocked on the amount of work this one individual does and how she finds time to participate in all these organizations in addition to teaching a various colleges. Home ec classes is another point of discussion she brought up. I was unaware of the existence of these courses, but everyone in the room who was born in the 80’s most certainly knew about its existence. Reyes believes these courses were a way to teach us simple things like sewing a button which could prevent us from having to buy a new article of clothing. One point that she brought up that I do not agree with is for us not to use straws when drinking beverages. In an ideal world these straws would be made from sustainable materials and companies should definitely invest in creating a replacement. However, I do not foresee myself going out of my way not using disposable straws. Oftentimes when dining out the servers automatically bring them to your table, and I would not want to inconvenience them.

Another panelist by the name of Lilian Lu, showcased what is going on in the world in terms of climate change.  Lilian manages partnerships and UN relations at the United Nations Global compact which is the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative. Lilian presented us with various statistics one of which was that 1 in 5 people in the world is employed by the fashion industry. In addition, it is a sector where most women gain employment. This sector is responsible for employing so many people worldwide and strategies have to be implemented to curtail environmental impact. During her discussion I was informed about how throughout the clothing making process, dyes make their ways into rivers and harm the local water supply. Companies need to come up with innovative ways to use sustainable dyes that do not harm local water supplies. Lilian also mentioned how sustainability needs to become more accessible to the everyday person because at its current stage sustainable clothing has an inaccessible price tag. For example, it was mentioned that she saw one sustainable plain white t-shirt being sold for 300 dollars. One can agree how ridiculous that price tag is.

Overall, I learned a lot attending the  Fashion and sustainability: look Good, Feel Good, Do Good using fashion as a vehicle for change event. I learned how the fashion industry tends to sustainably shame those companies deemed not to be doing enough for the problem. The issue of climate change is complex, and has various components, and no amount of positive decisions, no matter how small, should be subject to the shame. Attending this event was quite a highlight for me as a student due to the international culture of the United Nations. It was quite exciting for someone like me who is quite fascinated with all things global. I look forward to see what changes will be implemented by the fashion industry in concerns to sustainability in the future.

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Draft # 1

Alejandro Canelas

English 103.0905

Professor Kitana Ananda

November 5th 2017

Research Paper Draft # 1

      Gentrification in New York City

The City of New York is without a question a Global city that attracts various groups of people from around the world. With that in mind, it is of no coincidence that New York City is an attractive area for many investors to flock to. With all the economic activity that New York City experiences one can see the flipside of all this new investment to NYC. This flipside is the topic of Gentrification that this paper will dismantle and shed light on. Gentrification as defined by webster is the process of renewal and rebuilding accompanying the influx of middle-class or affluent people into deteriorating areas that often displaces poorer residents (Webster). POC tend to be the ones at most risk when it comes to displacement and housing issues. This paper will delve into dissecting the neighborhoods of Harlem/East Harlem, and North Williamsburg; which have experienced dramatic shifts in demographics and undergone heavy boutiquing. In addition, the oral histories of New yorkers will be highlighted and in particular giving a voice to the Latino community of New York and issues they have faced and the various resistance strategies implemented.

Statistics indicated that from the years of 1989 to 2002 that displacements rates of experienced an exponential increase (Newman).

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Paper Sketch – Alejandro Canelas

Alejandro Canelas

English 103.0905

Professor Kitana Ananda

October 30th, 2017

Gentrification In New York City

Paper Sketch Assignment

Question

How has Gentrification targeted and Displaced People of Color in NYC?  How has the voices of the Latino community (which has had a historical presence in New York) experience an erasure from the larger narrative of Gentrification related issues? (i.e. Housing, employment, education etc..)

Thesis and Intro

People of Color have been the targets of urban displacements for quite sometime now.  In particular the latino community and specifically the Puerto Rican community has experienced an exodus from New York, and yet their narratives are not being archived or being reported amongst the urban displacement that is currently occurring. On-going issues such as housing, employment, and access to government programs all lead to displacements. With the influx of new affluent residents oftentimes create business catering to their own and ostracize individuals who are born and raised in the neighborhoods currently being heavily developed. In particular this paper will explore North Williamsburg and Harlem and their rapid rezoning and restructuring which never include the voices of minority groups.

Main Points

1 – An exploration of  policies that affect Latino and NuYoRican residents. I will explore rezoning, redistricting and data that supports the numbers that indicate a mass exodus from NYC.

2- Exploring Retail and Boutiquing occurring in rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods. Specifically taking a look at North Williamsburg and Harlem.

3 – An incorporation of the Oral Histories relevant to my research topic and focused a more person tone. Earlier research will focus specifically on policy and data. However, as the paper ends I would like to incorporate a more person approach and let the reader know it’s not a statistic, but rather human beings that are continually affected.

 

 

Citations

1– MLA (Modern Language Assoc.)  Works Cited

Lees, L. “A Reappraisal of Gentrification: Towards a ‘Geography of Gentrification’.” Progress in Human Geography, vol. 24, no. 3, Sept. 2000, pp. 389-408. EBSCOhost, mail.lagcc.cuny.edu/viplogin/default.aspx?redirect=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=4166072&site=ehost-live.2

2 – Davila, Arlene M. Barrio Dreams: Puerto Ricans, Latinos, and the Neoliberal City. Univ. of California Press.

3 – DW Gibson The Edge Becomes The Center An oral History of Gentrification in the Twenty-First Century.

Title
Gentrification: The on-going Displacement and issues affecting the Latino Community NYC

Reflection

1- I believe the sources that I have offer a plethora of information that I can adequately incorporate into my argument. I initially wanted my paper to focus on Black/latino communities in my paper. However, with the research I have gathered it’s focusing more towards the latino community and their displacement in Harlem and North Williamsburg. I need feel like I can hone in my broad topic even further and I believe as time progress I will be able to further specify my research topic.

2 – My next step is to look for more valuable sources that are the authors of the books I am using have used for their research. Maybe I will be able to find further information by tracking the process of their works cited. I will start to write a first Draft to see where I am stuck and see where I need to further develop my research paper.

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Archival Response – Alejandro Canelas

Alejandro Canelas

English 103.0905

Professor Kitana Ananda

October 30 2017

                                      Archival Response

During the Laguardia Wagner Archives visit I learned about resources available to Laguardia Students. During the visit we analyzed a primary source which was the document Res. No.1873, which was submitted by: Ira S. Pers and was a proposal to sponsor 2200 Haitian refugees during the 1980’s. This document was proposed during the Papa Doc administration of Haiti, where the Haitian Dictator Duvalier massacred a large number of Haitians on the basis of skin color. The mass murder of Haitians caused many refugees to seek political asylum in various parts of the United States. However, this document in particular emphasized the detainees being held at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. This surprised many of us due to that fact that the area used to be a dilapidated area, and now it has experienced an urban renewal and an influx of new wealthier residents.  

The main source of contention in this document was the fact that these Haitian refugees were in a state of limbo for long periods of time. They also were denied and/or received fewer due process rights. These rights are meant to be distributed to everyone on United States soil regardless of legal status. However, the reality at hand was that many were often times denied these rights and this caused many to be held at these prison like accommodations. On paper the areas where they were being held were called “detention centers”, but they operated in a systematic prison-like fashion.  Furthermore, the document goes on to explain how the then federal Judge Robert Carter issued the release of about 53% of the refugees, but due to similar cases occurring in Florida they were still being held.

The fact that this document was issued during the 1980’s Reagan Administration which was a Republican Administration highlights the fact that this issue was being ignored and swept under the rug. This also calls into question the treatment of refugees and immigrants who happen to be POC and their on-going treatment and denial of status in the United States. This document although published in the 1980’s is still relevant today due to the fact that detention centers are still an issue and the negative treatment towards people coming from non-eurocentric backgrounds.

This document proposed by The Council report of Legal Services Division attempted to rectify the Haitian refugee crisis by showcasing that these individuals will have sufficient sponsorship and will accept responsibility for them. What makes this document rather convoluted is that how does one prove and determine if someone is a refugee or an illegal. The lines are blurred and often times overlap, and it is unfortunate that such a desperate situation requires tedious paperwork in order to prove something that is blatantly obvious. One questions the fact if they were coming from Europe if they would receive the same treatment. Personally, I believe if they were coming from a European Country that they would have received a much faster response and rectification of the situation. It is quite unfortunate that these issues are still relevant today and are still being conducted in much of that same antiquated fashion and still much of the same stigma applies today.

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Research Topics – Alejandro Canelas

Alejandro Canelas

ENG103

Dr.Kitana Ananda

09/26/17

 

  The first Research topic that I would like to look further into is Gentrification in NYC. This issue is one that I personally see around NYC and in all honesty it frightens me if it were to affect my neighborhood. I would like to explore the history of communities of color being displaced all due to capitalist agendas. I know that columbus Circle used to be an area where a Puerto Rican neighborhood once thrived and now the area is a tourist destination and shopping district. This little known fact makes me think of the recent Puerto Rican and Dominican displacement of neighborhoods like Williamsburg which was once referred to as “los surez” by locals. This issue has a historical component and i would like to explore if this simply is an economic issue or is it racial genocide? Or is it both? I would like to tie in housing issues and employment issues into the research as well. I would like to also explore on-going African American displacement in places like Bushwick, Bed Stuy, and Crown Heights. There is a historical component to this that I would to connect to in recent history.

 

  My second research topic I am considering is the grossly overlooked contribution of LGBTQI people of color in the sexual liberation movement. Specifically I would like to point out how Trans gendered individuals were and are the catalyst of much of the freedoms experienced today. Often times the narrative tends to be centered around a White gay male’s perspective and I would like to explore how the Stonewall riots became such a white washed moment in history. I would like to even point out the recent issues that occurred in Orlando and how many Black, and Puetro Rican/Domincans died and their ethnicity was overlooked during the discussion.

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Educational Narrative – Alejandro Canelas

Alejandro Canelas

ENG103

Dr.Kitana Ananda

09/26/17

 

   Education has always been something that was deemed as a necessity by society at large. Not only is it a necessity, it is mandatory up to a certain age depending on where one resides. Personally for me I have always felt that education is more of a regurgitation of what the grade wants one to learn. This ends up with us becoming miseducated and learning diluted histories for the sake of not pushing societal boundaries. In addition the school system I grew up with was so focused on teaching about test preparations that this would lead to testing anxiety among students and sometimes lead to failed results. The school system has yet to adapt to different learning styles and it is about time it catches up with the times.

  On a lighter note learning does not have to be confined to the classroom. If one is open you could learn something new quite periodically. There are amazing resources out there where one could learn about the times and not have to rely on mainstream education to provide the answers. Twitter is an invaluable resource where people re tweet useful links to articles and direct us to information we would not have access to otherwise. I personally like going on  YouTube and learning simple phrases in foreign languages or coming across a Ted Talk on topics that peak my interests. These platforms that I frequent provide an excellent resource for me to engage in everyday learning.

  On the subject of higher education, it has been a journey for me to say the least. This is my second time around in college and this time around feels more certain. What I mean by certain is that although I am unsure of where my direction in education is leading me, I feel that my absence in higher education has taught me the value of having a degree. Realistically I do not want to be stuck working an endless job which translates to Just Over Broke. Unfortunately for me nepotism is not apart of my reality, so I must obtain a degree in order to be connected to resources and valuable connections. In addition the growth and maturity I bring to the table this time around allows me to be fully engaged in the process day to day learning.

  Overall, education is a loaded subject that has various complexities that we all bring to the table. I feel that education needs a revamping in a lot of arenas, but I know it is a valuable tool no one can take away. I also feel that many people shouldn’t give up on school just because they failed the first time. It is never too late to learn and reassess your own situation.