Un-Silencing the Afro-Puerto Rican Voice Project

On Saturday, June 9, 2012, I had the opportunity to share with participants of the Summer Institute sponsored by TESOL and hosted by the Southern Chapter.  In this activity I was able to present a preliminary overview of what I will be my dissertation which focuses in giving a voice to the Afro-Puerto Ricans in children’s literature.

     I have titled my project “Un-Silencing the Afro-Puerto Rican Voice: Puerto Rican Stories for Elementary School Children”.  This creative writing project consists of Caribbean retellings from an Afro-Puerto Rican perspective.  Most of my stories will focus on the period where the African slavery system existed in Puerto Rico with an emphasis on the 19^th century.  Most of my stories will be inspired in European fairy tales such as “The Sleeping Beauty”, “Beauty and the Beast”, “The Frog Prince” and “Rapunzel”, just to name some of the fairy tales I have already used as the starting point of my writings.

     The origins of this project come from many different sources and experiences.  When I worked in the Department of Education as an English teacher, I faced the challenges that educators have and still face in the public school system.  Textbooks were assigned from above (meaning Department Education central office); chosen mostly from the criteria that they were excellent textbooks that have been successful out there (meaning the United States).  It was true that the stories were of outstanding qualities many times written by established authors, but when placed in the Puerto Rican classroom setting, these textbooks failed in the goals established.  Students struggled with stories which they had no interest that dealt with situations alien to them. 

     When I began working at the University of Puerto Rico Humacao, I was given the opportunity to teach Children’s Literature, one of my most favorite courses.  And I loved teaching the course, but some courses after being assigned Children’s Literature for the first time, reality slapped me on the face. Yes, I was teaching Children’s Literature but I was following the same path that our schools walked upon and brought so much academic frustration and resistance- I taught the classics and literature that came from an American and British background so unrelated to our students’ cultural background.

    So I then began my quest of Caribbean Children’s Literature.  I introduced Caribbean traditional tales and my students met Anancy the spider for the first time.  I included some Caribbean novels with very favorable responses.  But still Puerto Rican literature in English was lacking.

     One semester when teaching Young Adult Literature another course which is very significant to me, I mentioned to my group the lack of Young Adult Literature in English for Puerto Rican students.  I mentioned this observation to my students. I said that my dream was that maybe someday they would begin writing YA stories and we would have an established canon such as in the United States with books with themes that would reflect our students’ interests and concerns.  And that day, one of the students unveiled what was unknown to me up to that time- there was already an English professor writing YA Literature in English about the Puerto Rican reality our young adult readers faced.  That is when I was introduced with Dr. Anibal Muñoz’s literary work.  And after reading The Sweet Puerto Rican Money, a new literary world full of possibilities emerged.

     Another source for the development of this writing project came from the proposal that was approved by FoPI (Fondos para la Investigación) of the Academic Affairs Office at UPRH titled Electronic Storytelling Project (ESP) where I had the opportunity to organize conferences with author Edwin Fontanez who is the founder of Exit Studio, Dr. Loretta Collins of UPR- Rio Piedras Campus and even a décima workshop with a first year student who sings and writes trova. 

    The proposal concluding activity was that students from Children’s Literature would adapt or create their own Caribbean picture book.  This was an enriching experience where the talents and creativity of our BA students were seen with their electronic books.  During this time I wrote the pour quoi tale “The Coquí Song” to give an example to the participants of ESP of what could be their project about.

     The third influence for this writing project came with my graduate experience at UPR Rio Piedras.  In 2009 I began my studies towards a degree in Caribbean Linguistics.  Simultaneously I registered in a creative course offered by the Institute of Children’s Literature. In my first graduate course offered by Dr. Mervyn Alleyne, I focused my research in the race issues of Puerto Rico and picture books that reflected this reality.  There I read and used for my final paper Fernando Picó’s The Red Comb.  In the following courses I continued working my research work in this area.

     In my creative writing course offered by Prof. Jan Fields, my writing was culturally relevant for Puerto Rican children.  For this writing course I wrote the essay “The Vejigantes are Coming” and the short stories “Adannaya’s Sugar” and “Amapola in Her Dream”.

     The culminating experience that has shaped my dissertation project came from my participation of Dr. Nicholas Faraclas’ course Language and Power.  My final presentation was about fairy tales and how the patriarchy model that appears in these tales.  And for this course I wrote the story “The Ungrateful Coquí” which was my form to challenge the patriarchal model still so strong today in traditional tales.  “The Ungrateful Coquí” has become the emblematic story of my dissertation.  After writing this story, I discovered what I really wanted to accomplish in my dissertation- write stories from an Afro-Puerto Rican perspective.

    Dr. Anibal Muñoz’s invitation first to become a member of PREWA (Puerto Rican English Writers Association) and recently to accompany PREWA in the TESOL Summer Institute held in La Catolica de Ponce has marked the second stage of my graduate studies. 

     Last Saturday, accompanied by my husband and daughter (who is the true inspiration of writing children’s stories), I had the opportunity to share with many outstanding educators who like the members of PREWA are compromised with the educational future of our students and the acquisition of a second language.  It was an experience that has motivated to continue writing more stories to include in my project and to continue my quest in giving a voice to those silenced throughout history.

     Many people have made possible to be today at the threshold of this second stage of my graduate studies.  One of these special persons is my mother who ever since I can remember has been there for me and my love for reading was sparkled with the novel Miss Bianca which she gave me when I was nine years old. My sister and brothers have supported my dreams and my father that even beyond life is still with me.

      I am also grateful for the English Department at UPRH first they received me as an undergraduate student where I completed my BA and years later they gave me the opportunity to be part of their faculty. 

     The Linguistic faculty at UPR Rio Piedras believed in me and has guided me to accomplish this goal.  I am especially grateful to Dr. Alicia Pousada who accepted being my advisor and has read my work and given suggestions in improving it. Another person who helped me in this second stage is Prof. Vivian Mayol who sponsored the writing competition where “The Ungrateful Coquí” was read beyond the course of Language and Power.  Thank you all and as well as to all my English students who inspire my work as an English educator.