“Trini” Garza students share hardships of race and Covid-19 in published anthology

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Students from Trinidad “Trini” Garza Early College High School at Mountain View published a book about COVID-19, race and their life challenges.

“Faceless: Untold Side Effects of Culture, Race & COVID-19” is a collection of almost 80 narratives, poems and short stories from students from two Mexican-American and African-American history classes at Trini Garza.

“What we want everyone to take from this book is not just how we’ve spent our quarantine, but how we are determined to speak about our happenings in a way that makes reality just a bit better throughout it,” the book states. “This book is more than just a project that was assigned in class, this book is a creative outlet for us to use our voices and express our deepest thoughts while the world is in shambles.”

The cover of “Faceless: Untold Side Effects of Culture, Race, & COVID-19.”

This anthology is the result of a collaboration between the ethnic-studies teachers of Trini Garza, the 826 Dallas Project, The University of Texas at Dallas and other local education-focused organizations.

In November, a delegation of staff and students traveled to the State Capitol in Austin to provide traveled public comment in support of the statewide implementation of Dallas ISD’s African-American Studies Course.

Students from New Tech High School, Pinkston High School and Trini Garza talked about the impact the course has had on their lives. Trini Garza Principal Macario Hernadez said the student’s social involvement may be one of the main reasons why 826 offered to work on this project.

Dallas ISD leaders and students testify at State Capitol in favor of statewide implementation of African-American Studies Course

Students and staff from Trinidad “Trini” Garza Early College High School, New Tech High School at B.F. Darrell and Pinkston High School pose at the Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas, on November 12, 2019.

 

Students from New Tech High School, Pinkston High School and Trini Garza talked about the impact the course has had on their lives. Trini Garza Principal Macario Hernadez said the student’s social involvement may be one of the main reasons why 826 offered to work on this project.

“Education is not a one-way street,” Hernandez said. “It’s a two-way street where we as educators can learn immeasurably more from our students if we provide them opportunities to share their voices, stories, and feelings in a safe learning environment”

“This project gives voice to an incredibly resilient generation of students who are navigating one of the most unprecedented times in our history. Their written words are rooted in their own lived experiences regarding issues of race, culture, and the global pandemic,” he added.

826 National is a non-profit that encourages young people to channel their creativity, explore their identity and advocate for themselves and their community through writing. The organization manages a large network of chapters that connect young writers with volunteers and publishing centers.

“Faceless” is the first book from 826 Dallas Project. This new Dallas chapter hosted two successful college essay workshops in which college-bound seniors worked one-on-one with volunteer tutors. These workshops served 114 students from 6 different high schools with the support of over 50 volunteers, according to their website.

“Faceless: Untold Side Effects of Culture, Race, & COVID-19” is available to the public at the 826 National online store for $18.00.

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