Listen to Sequoiacast Episode 03: Senseless

She's six years old
All she sees are dirty walls around her
Men coming in and out the front door
She wants to run cry and yell
But there is nobody there to help
She sees many different faces
Touching them in all the wrong places
Hearing the door open and close
She follows him because she is the one he chose

--Gabriela

I spoke with Gabriela, Bernardo, Heriberto, Santiago, Escarlet, Esmeralda, and Aldo on Friday, May 21, 2010. You can hear a photographer from the San Mateo Times working in the background at the beginning of our talk. Apparently the pics didn't make the paper. After the intros, Gabriela reads her poem. Listen.

Music by airtone: sometimes instrumental mix; and Petitjardi: Sin Sentido, featuring Carmen La Puerta; both from ccMixter. Visit Creative Commons to view the license under which these works are used.

Listen to Sequoiacast Episode 02: Free

According to the nonprofit California Against Slavery, seventy percent of slaves worldwide are now women; fifty percent are children. Human trafficking is now tied with weapons sales, and second only to the drug trade, in terms of profitability in the illicit global marketplace. What surprised me most when I met with Eduardo, Javier, Daena, Gaby, Laura, and Blanca was to learn that San Francisco is now a bustling center of trade in humans. Our conversation took place on Thursday, May 20, 2010. The classroom ventilation system did not do us any favors that day, but I hope you'll give it a listen.

Music by airtone: sometimes instrumental mix; and Alex Beroza: Be Free, featuring kCentric; both from ccMixter. Visit Creative Commons to view the license under which these works are used.

More on its way!

Episodes 02 and 03 will post by this afternoon.

Listen to Sequoiacast Episode 01: Papers

On Wednesday, May 19, 2010, I sat down with Marcela, Donaciano, Anet, Rocio, and Maria to discuss Arizona Senate Bill 1070, the widely protested new law requiring proof of citizenship or resident status on demand from peace officers or other government agents in that state. What emerged was a coversation about identity, aspiration, and the economic cycles that regularly make restrictive and discriminatory immigration policy the order of the day. Our talk inspired me to read the actual text of the law and think about the tricky language it uses to skirt the charge of racism. It also reminded me, once again, that when we talk about 'immigrants' or 'aliens' we are talking about people.

Music by airtone: sometimes instrumental mix; PhinkTink: el ciclo; both from ccMixter; and by Eternal Blue Moon: Mother; from Jamendo. Visit Creative Commons to view the license under which these works are used.

Welcome to Sequoiacast

On May 19, 20, and 21, 2010, I talked with three groups of students at Sequoia High School in Redwood City, California. These kids are AWESOME. During our time together we discussed Arizona's SB 1070 (the controversial new law dealing with proof of immigration status), as well as contemporary human trafficking and bondage. Their emotion and frustration were obvious as they tried to articulate why these issues are important and what they personally could do to intervene.

I hope I've done their words justice in producing the resulting podcast. Because these recordings were made in a classroom setting, the sound is somewhat gritty, but I think their voices come through quite clearly. I've edited the conversations for length and clarity; I'll post the first three episodes in the coming days.

I would like to thank teacher Stacy Schmidt Wenzel, along with her co-teachers Lailie Ibrahim and Agnes Zapata, who welcomed me into the classroom to work with these students, and all the staff at Sequoia who greeted me so warmly and supported this effort.

Emily Kathleen Cooke