Episode 006 - Latinx Representation and Your Battle Is My Battle w/ Marissa Calderon Jimenez

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On the sixth episode of Shit We Don’t Talk About; Mia chats with Marissa Calderon Jimenez, a bilingual early childhood professional who is waking us up when it comes to Latin representation in education, policies, and well…everywhere.

In early childhood education (which is a huge part of Marissa’s world) and everywhere else in the world, we are not talking about the fact that most policies, laws, and regulations have been written by people who don’t represent this population.

Three takeaways from this episode of the Shit We Don’t Talk About podcast.

Representation matters, and identifying with a person in authority matters, too.
Monolingual Spanish-speaking students and families are struggling to learn in the wake of COVID.
Being anti-racist is not just a stance; it is a way of life.

The fact is that when a specific faction of minorities prosper, other minorities follow suit. We build upon each other. When we are fighting to overcome oppression, it helps to remember that this is a collective fight and that the people opposed to unity want the Latino and Black population to bicker amongst themselves and break down. We can’t let that happen. We are in this together and we’re stronger when we work that way.

“Tu lucha es mi lucha.”

“Your battle is my battle.”

That’s why you need to listen to this episode of the Shit We Don’t Talk About podcast. Because Latin history is American history. Any ethnicity living in America makes up American history. It needs to be included in our books, and also when it comes to representation.

White centering is about ease for white people. History is not made up of all white guys. They were the people who could get the patents. Women couldn’t, and minorities were oppressed. But these people are still part of threads that wove together our history. They can’t be forgotten.

Remember, when we commit to talking about the shit we don’t talk about, we’ll be okay.

Til next week. Tune in. Turn on. Talk.

About Marissa

Marissa Calderón Jiménez is a bilingual Early Childhood Professional with over 20 years experience working in the Education sector. Born in Los Angeles to Mexican parents, she also holds dual nationality having lived as a child in Mexico. An Early Learning Educator, podcaster and Chicana advocate for children and vulnerable BIPOC communities, she hopes that she can continue to advocate for anti-racist education polices and better understanding of a growing Latino population.

Find Marissa Here:

Personal Twitter: @MCSalma

Twitter: @ECJourneysAz

Instagram: earlychildhoodjourneys

Facebook: ECJourneysAz

Website: EarlyChildhoodJourneys.com