Performance, Art, Audio Reflections

Performance, Art, Audio Reflections

Blair International Baccalaureate

Participating teachers: Ms. Elizabeth Najera Bustillos & Ms. Jesus Cobian Baca, Dual Language Immersion Program (DLIP-Spanish)

In 2022-23, Ms. Najera and Ms. Cobian worked with sixty five eighth graders who were in Blair’s DLIP-Spanish program. In Fall 2022, students read Antes de ser libres, Spanish translation of Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez, that traces the story of a 12-year old girl’s quest to find freedom while living in the Dominican Republic under the rule of a dictator. 

In the spring semester, students began reading and discussing Nos llamaron Enemigo, Spanish translation of They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, and Steven Scott.  In February 2023, students attended a field trip to Little Tokyo through which they explored the eight blocks on their own and participated in an interactive tour of the Japanese American National Museum’s Common Ground exhibition.

After the field trip, as part of the project, students generated newspapers in Spanish about the Japanese American detention camps, and also prepared a sushi meal.

The project culminated with students writing public speeches on contemporary issues such as immigration, racism, LGBTQ+ rights and much more. At a public event in Blair’s middle school courtyard, sixteen students delivered their speeches in Spanish; English versions of their speeches were recorded later that week. 

Audio recordings collected by Pasadena Media’s sound engineer Joe Carbonetta and Building Empathy director, Sehba Sarwar. Photographs by Lorena Yepez Hernandez.

Building Empathy is supported by funding provided by the State of California through the California Civil Liberties program, administered by the California State Library.

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