PRECE Memorial... My Memorial

For the PRECE Memorial all students and partners are asked a write their own Memorial. Below is mine...

Since moving to Brasil I have woken up every morning with the same thought, “I am the luckiest girl in the world.” Most mornings this is a reflection of the fact that I get to work with and walk alongside what I consider to be the most inspiring educational movement I have ever known, PRECE. Other days it is a self centered reflection because I will get to watch the sun set over the Atlantic or walk along the beautiful beaches of Ceará. But, every day it is a reflection and acknowledgment of all of the privileges I was granted at birth that others were not so fortunate to be given.

Let’s face it, being born a white north-American grants one advantages that others never imagine or dream of. Through my study of “white privilege” I was introduced to the writings of Peggy McIntosh who refers to the unspoken advantages we are granted at birth as an “invisible knapsack”. (1) Some of us are born with a knapsack that is light and contains only a few items; others are born with a knapsack that is bursting at the seams and difficult to zip. In the United States, the color of my skin means that I can walk in to any store or bank without a security guard watching my every move. In Brasil, the color of my hair (though I want to color it red because of the attention it calls from men!) means that business people treat me differently believing that I have money to purchase the most expensive products. And, around the world, the language that I learned at birth means that I can always find someone who can communicate with me or there is a sign to guide me in the right direction. It’s easy to see- I am the luckiest girl in the world.

I have witnessed acts of extreme violence but never have I been a victim to violence. I have seen great poverty, hunger and need but never have I gone without a meal. I have watched in horror as injustice dominates people but never have I known the sting of racism, classism or piercing discrimination. And, I have wept for those who suffer oppression, knowing at that same time my skin color, the tint of my hair, my ethnicity and my nationality make me one of the oppressors. It is because of this, because of my luck, that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God has called me to daily try to shed my full knapsack and stand in solidarity with those whose knapsacks appear to be lacking. It is my call as a global citizen and a follower of Christ to walk alongside all of my brothers and sisters seeking to improve the plight of all humanity until we are all born with equal rights and privileges.

Growing up, my life was very different from the lives of most PRECE students. My parents had both gone to college, had master’s degrees and were well respected teachers in our small country town of Wabash, IN. Schooling was always a given for me, and I grew up knowing that I would go to a strong private college/university when I finished high school. It wasn’t an option. It was an expectation. Transportation was never an obstacle for me. My mother or father drove my sister and I around in one of our 3 vehicles and when I was 16 I got my driver’s license just like all of my friends and was provided a car to drive when I needed. I never knew life without paved roads, running water or electricity. These were givens that the infrastructure of my country provided. Resources like food, clothing, school supplies, computers and more were always a given in my family. If my parents couldn’t provide the things I “needed” then my grandfather would step in to help. I never knew what it meant to want for anything. I wasn’t “rich” by American standards, but we were comfortable.

But, there was one thing that was missing from my life until the day I was introduced to PRECE. Before knowing PRECE I had never known community- true community. Sure, my family is close and we love each other- my sister is my heart and soul. Of course, I have developed deep friendships that I cherish and could not live without. Naturally, I have a strong network of support that I can rely on when I need strength. But, never had I experienced the type of community that PRECE creates. This is the community that develops when people walk hand in hand, struggling together, living together, learning together, failing together and succeeding together. It is the community that develops because there is the realization that alone one cannot accomplish his or her goals but with the support of others he or she can exceed those goals and excel to dreams never before imagined. It is the community that must develop in communities where the struggle is great and the burdens are heavy.

The first time I heard Prof. Manoel Andrade speak of PRECE was in Atlanta in 2007. I was working as the Director of Elementary and Family Ministries at First Presbyterian Church and had recently taken on the shared responsibility of bringing groups of families to Fortaleza, Brasil to work with partner churches and organizations. The second time I met Prof. Andrade was in Fortaleza, Brasil. I had been studying the work of Paulo Freire at Emory University and was blown away by the similarities between what I had been studying in liberation education/theology and the journey PRECE was taking. I knew immediately that I had to be a part of PRECE. In July of 2009 I took a study leave from my job and spent a month living and breathing the PRECE movement as I visited the EPCs in Pentecoste and Fortaleza teaching English classes. It was this month that sealed my future. PRECE had gotten in to my blood and I knew that I had to find a way to get back to the PRECE community and all they could teach me.

In July of 2010 I arrived in Fortaleza and have been walking alongside PRECE since. I feel that I don’t have much to offer the PRECE community- some English classes, connections with Americans and the resources/opportunities they can provide, and maybe some reflections/advice in regards to Cooperative Learning. But, compared to what PRECE offers to me, I give practically nothing. PRECE has changed me and the way I see the world and relationships. The PRECE community has taught me love, acceptance, patience, perseverance, vigilance, and the true meaning of community. I am forever grateful for the role PRECE has played and continues to play in my life.

Every day is a new adventure and a new opportunity for growth. Every day I am inspired by the stories of the PRECE students. Every day I stand in awe at the strength and determination of the people from the rural communities of Ceará, Brasil. Every day I am thankful for the chance to walk alongside PRECE. Every day I am reminded that I am the luckiest girl in the world.

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(1) McIntosh, Peggy. “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” http://www.amptoons.com/blog/files/mcintosh.html