Giroux describes this as the project of defining national identity through an appeal to a common culture that displaces any notion of national identity based upon a pluralized notion of culture with its multiple literacies, identities, and histories and erases histories of oppression and struggle for the working class and minorities. By remaining neutral in relation to cultural issues, mainstream programs background the normative framework of their literacy curriculum and perpetuate the illusion of national homogeneity. Freire s challenge was to break this cycle of seeing ourselves through another s eyes and to reawaken in learners their right and ability to make culture. There are frequent potluck suppers, dances, and holiday celebrations of Puerto Rico, Mexico, Guatemala, and every nation of the community, providing opportunities for families and friends to strengthen community ties across ethnic borders. On a daily basis, coffee and shared food provide students with an informal and relaxed environment for conversation about their personal and social lives.
Many people get to know and trust their neighbors.
It s changed my life, Marta noted. I have friends I never knew before, people in the next building I never talked to. The convivial atmosphere of the center, reflecting the interlocking cultures of Latin America with its multiplicity of struggles and political options, resonates with many voices. For the adults who participate in classes, the journey to the New World begins from their home, learning builds with understanding the strengths and oppressions of the barrio . Beginning in the 70s, when there was little or no support for Spanish language literacy in the United States, the center s staff realized many of their adult learners were not only acquiring a new language, but also learning to read for the first time.