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Final Portfolio
English 10
Nusayba Guiro
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Table of Contents
Page 3-4 Autobiography
Page 5-6: Things Fall Apart Essay
Page 7-8:: Identity Poem
Page 9-11: Always Running Essay
Page 12: MLA Works Cited Document for LGBT History Project
Page 13-15: Independent Reading Essay TImed Write
Page 16: End-of-year reflection
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Nusayba: Not a Single Story

My name is Nusayba Rochelle Parrish Guiro. I inherited my last name, Guiro, from my

dad who is Senegalese...not Guatemalan. My moms last name is Parrish and I added on Parrish,

which is not on my birth certificate. I use that one because right before my grandpa passed away,

he told my mom, Nusaybas last name might be Guiro, but she is a Parrish by heart. I got my

first name, Nusayba, after the first woman warrior in Islamic history. My middle name, Rochelle,

is my grandmothers first name.

Im American and my ethnicities are African descent, Native American, and Guatemalan.

I was born and raised in Oakland, California. I still live in Oakland. For fun, I enjoy dancing,

eating, and talking on the phone. I attend Realm Charter High School.

There are a few single stories that exist about me. For example, a lot of Latinos think I lie

about being partially Guatemalan because of my hair and skin tone. Also, another single story is

that because I am Black, I must like chicken, even though I do. Also, society assumes that I am

dumb and cant graduate early from high school because I am a young woman of color. These

narratives have come from historic stereotypes through media and other ignorant people.

Me being Black is most obvious to others. People assume that Im poor and smoke weed,

which are both not true. But, for those who dont know, Im an upper middle class, honest, smart

student that doesnt have bad habits. Also, I will not allow these misinterpretations to stop me

from being proud to be Black.

The fact that I am Guatemalan is most hidden. A lot of assumptions are that Guatemala is

in Mexico and that Im supposed to speak Spanish. Also, my hair isnt as long as some of the

people in my family and my Spanish is not as fluent as some of the people in my family, so
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many believe its impossible that Im mixed. When I was younger, it was more obvious because

I was lighter and my hair was long until I damaged it from all the dye and heat. I can only disrupt

these single stories by showing Guatemala on the map and I dont really care for peoples

assumptions of me because I know who and what I am.

Adichies speeches affected my perspective of myself and others around me because I

have a lot better understanding on how power affects society. For example, when Adichie said,

Power is the ability not just to tell the story of another person, but to make it the definitive story

of that person. That quote taught me that its not the other races fault for how they view me.

Its the ignorance of the people with power and now a day there is a lot of follow the leader

that goes on.

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Things Fall Apart

Okonkwo is a man of pride and a man who is strong in what he believes in. In the novel,

Things Fall Apart written by Chinua Achebe, he commits a woman crime so he gets sent to his

motherland (Mbanta) for seven years, along with his family. When they return to Umofia, the

Europeans invaded and changed Igbo society with their culture, such as government, churches,

and a prison system. Nwoye along with members of the clan as well as outcasts embrace this

change and convert to Christianity. This betrayal causes Okonkwo to become depressed and go

crazy, with no hope left and kills himself. Okonkwo and Nwoye respond differently to the

cultural collision because one embraced the cultural changes and the other resisted.

Most were accepting of this new culture change because they felt like Igbo punishments

were too harsh. For example, Nneka had had four previous pregnancies and childbirths. But

each time she had borne twins, and they had been immediately thrown away. Her husband and

his family were already becoming highly critical of such a woman and were not unduly

perturbed when they found she had fled to join the Christians. It was good riddance. (151). This

quote shows how the outcasts that experience harsh punishment for things that are not in their

control accepted the Christians and were also accepted.

A little later in the book, the Europeans send Nwoye off to school to get an education so

that he can become a teacher. Here it says, He went back to the church and told Mr. Kiaga that

he had decided to go to Umofia where the white missionary had set up a school to teach young

Christians to read and write. (152). When Achebe wrote this in the book he showed a positive
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side of how the Christians did do some good things, also how Nwoye and Okonkwo are having

total opposite experiences.

Okonkow gets tricked and got arrested by the Europeans. Here it says, Okonkwo and his

fellow prisoners were set free as soon as the fine was paid. (198). This quote shows how the

Europeans were really changing their culture because Igbo people did not have a government or

jail system. Therefore, the usual for them was found illegal.

In conclusion, Okonkwo and Nwoye experience and respond very differently to the

cultural collision.
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Unapologetically Proud

Youre pretty for a Black girl.

What do you mean?
Im prettyfor a Black girl?
Because Im BlackIm supposed to be ugly?
Oh, you mixed huh?
Thats cute.
So what?
Is that your ticket for it to be okay to love me?
Thenno.
I dont want your love.
I dont need your love.
Miss your love?
Nah, you can miss me
Girl, you got good hair.
All hair is good.
Its sad when you hear this from your family.
Family.
Its hard when you cant understand most
Ashamed
I was too ashamed to learn Spanish
Elementary kids hated me for knowing a lot
At least for my age
They picked on me
Threw my things around
Which caused me to beat up the bully
Only in first grade
I wanted to fit in
I was an outcast
I was living up to a stereotypical Black girl
Here I am now
Years later
Ashamed
Ashamed I didnt learn more
Ashamed I wasnt proud
Ashamed because
That wasnt my best
All society does is hate on Black people
But yet loves our culture
Everyone wants to be a part of the beauty
But not the struggle
But society doesnt get it
We are a beautiful struggle
And struggle shaped the beauty
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I aint ask to be alive

Now Im trying to survive.
Lifes a game
But I dont have the pieces to win
Im unapologetically proud.
Im not taking it back.
And I refuse to live up to societys standards.
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Always Running

Growing up as a Chicano during the Chicano movement in East Los Angeles was a

struggle for young Luis. The book Always Running by Luis R. Rodriguez is about the coming of

age of a young Chicano in a challenging environment and violent times. In this book it shows

how a crazy time can bring somewhat good change in East Los Angeles that had a high effect on

Luis. He grew up in an unstable home with a rocky living situation, got involved in the gang life,

and experiences depression that led him to drugs. This book shows how Luis comes of age

during a time of change in East Los Angeles and how he overcomes many obstacles.

Luis never had a stable home. In the beginning of the story Luis describes his living

situation. For months we had been pushed from one house to another, just Mama and us

children. Mom and Dad had split up prior to this Some nights we slept in a car or in the living

rooms of people we didnt know. [14] This quote shows that Luis never had a stable home

growing up and had family and money problems. He was homeless with a broken up family.

This means that Luis never had a community. Luis growing up without a community and a home

made him want to be apart of something and he didnt have any friends when he was younger

either. Overall, the beginning shows how Luis childhood is colored with harsh realities of

struggle, which included a lack of housing stability.

In Luis early teen years he joins a gang and runs into a lot of trouble with the police and

had even been incarcerated. There are many parts throughout the book that show how gang life

affected him but for example when Luis went through his initiation and him and the other gang

members went to their rival gangs territory and had to kill the first group they saw. I clasped

the screwdriver and walked up to the beaten driver in the seat whose head was bleeding I
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plunged the screwdriver into flesh and bone, [111] Luis went through his initiation with the

gang and had to kill somebody even if the victim did not do anything. This shows that Luis

wanted to show his loyalty to the gang and that he was not scared to take inhumane and

dangerous actions. Throughout the book, Luis and the gang commit numerous crimes that

contribute to the violence in his community, which made his environment even more

challenging, not only for himself, but for those around him.

Luis becomes apart of the ToHMAS and the walk out organizing. Luis life takes an

unexpected turn. I finally graduated from High School. Quite an achievement...ToHMAS had

its own celebration where I received a certificate in appreciation of my activities of previous

two years. Mrs. Baez and Chente were among those arrested, both smiling with perhaps a sense

of accomplishment. They helped me make it. [220] Luis had graduated from High School with

the help from ToHMAS and the guidance of Mrs.Baez and Chente. This just goes to show that

having a community and mentors can change your future and outlook and perspective in a

positive way. When Luis became a part of the Chicano movement and got involved in activities

and community give backs, it had a positive effect on him and it began to counterbalance his

negative and challenging environment.

Always Running shows how growing up as a Chicano during a time of change in East

Los Angeles had an affect on Luis. Luis went through being homeless, joining a gang, and being

incarcerated, and then taking a positive turn by joining ToHMAS and the walkout organizing. I

do not think Luis was a bad person. He just didnt know better. His parents did not teach him

right from wrong and he just wanted to be a part of something. So, he joined a gang which was

negative but later joins a positive group. Throughout his experiences Luis learned that he could
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be the change that he desired and alter East Los Angeles through action in the Chicano

movement.
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Works Cited

Administrator. "Timeline." Castro District San Francisco, Castro Guide, Gay and Lesbian News

MyCastro SF. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 May 2017.

"Bringing People Hope: Harvey Milk and the Gay Rights Movement in America." Tavaana.

N.p., n.d. Web. 23 May 2017.

"The Castro | Castro History." KQED. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 May 2017.

"Harvey Milk." Biography.com. A&E Networks Television, 29 July 2016. Web. 23 May 2017.

Harvey Milk. By Gus Van Sant, Dustin Lance Black, and Danny Elfman. Perf. Sean Penn, Emile

Hirsch, and Josh Brolin. Socit Nouvelle De Distribution, 2009.

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The coming of a age of Juliet

Have you ever felt ashamed to speak your truth? Well in the novel, Juliet Takes A Breath

by Gabby Rivera, that is the case for young Juliet Milagros Palante. Shes finally leaving the

Bronx after 19 years of feeling suffocated. She loves it in the Bronx, however its starting to

become too familiar. When youre nineteen years old and havent gone other places and

experienced new things you get bored and curious. Young curious Juliet goes through a lot of

change. For starters, shes going to Portland, Oregon for the Summer to intern with the author,

Harlowe Brisbane who wrote favorite book. She connects with the author because shes

interested in feminism and in some ways connects with the author. She comes out to her

traditional Puerto Rican family and is not sure that when she comes back if they are ever going to

speak to her. The central theme in this novel ir racism and taking risks. What the audience can

learn from the book is all you can do is tell your truth and understand that not everyone, even

family will accept it but have to live with it.

Well, whats an experience without taking a risk? In this novel Juliet takes a lot of risks,

for example when she finally comes out to her family the dinner before she leaves to Portland.

She wasnt sure how her traditional Puerto Rican family was going to react but, she knew they

werent going to support it. Her grandmother didnt mind but she wasnt sure if her mom will

ever speak to her again, in this quote, You are what you are Juliet. You are my blood, my

first-born granddaughter. I love you like the seas love the moon, Grandmother Petalda said

pulling me into her soft belly (27) This quote demonstrates that Juliets grandmother supports
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her unconditionally and even though shes a lesbian her grandmother loves her for who she is

and it doesnt matter whether she is a lesbian or not. Her mother on the other hand reacted

differently, this additional quote that shows another response of, so forgive me if I cant

accept what youve said tonight. Mom spoke, still on the other side of the door. (28) This

quote shows that Juliets mother is not pleased with her sexuality and does not accept it. This

connect back to the thesis because Juliet took the risk of her family shaming her and spoke her

truth. Even though it didnt bother most of her family members shes unsure if her mother will

ever speak to her again.

When Juliet entered Portland, wide eyed and all types of curious, she wouldnt think that

she would encounter racism. She thought that since Harlowe and her are both feminist there

wouldnt be any assumptions of her being a Latina from the Bronx and Harlowe being a white

woman with privilege. Wrong. After a while Juliet rethinks the whole internship and started to

wonder if Harlowe was just a white hippie. How could I love some fake-ass, kinda racist or

something, clueless person like Harlowe? (182) The significance of this quote is that Juliet

realizes and comes to terms that her idol is a fake and does not speak for everyone. Throughout

this process of getting to know her, Harlowe says some slick racists things and Juliet doesnt

understand why its so important that shes a smart Latina raised in the Bronx poverty. This is

one of the ways Juliet comes across racism through the book.

Laine, Juliets girlfriend she left in the Bronx for the Summer. Juliet feels like Laine is

ashamed of her because she wont let Juliet meet her parents. Is is because Laine is white? And

Juliet is Latina? Juliet feels this way. Probably white, straight hair, blond, perfectly feminine.

Everything I wasnt. Everything Id ever hated about myself came out of my pores. Sarah was
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going to meet Lainies parents as her girlfriend, no wait, excuse me: her forever person. I wasnt

good enough. Thick-bodied, bespectacled, cautious, overly Puerto Rican and brown-skinned,

book-nerd, daydreamer. Were all these elements the sum of why Lainie refused to bring me

home for real? (143-144) This quote is important because it shows Juliets emotions on how

Lainie left her for a white girl and how it was a reminder of all the things Juliet hates about

herself. Also, it started to make since to Juliet why she never met her parents and why she kept

everything on the low with them. This connects back because it shows racism along with

internalized racism.

From Juliets mother not accepting her, to her idol disappointing her, and to her

heartbreak. Juliet takes risks, tells her truth, learns about herself in this interesting feminism

journey. Overall, I liked the book. I cant relate to the book but it was fun reading. This was a

good coming of age novel and I would recommend this book to feminist.
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End-of-year Reflection

Throughout this school year I feel like I learned a lot about myself as a thinker. This class

has taught me to be more of a critical thinker which helps me with handling situations when I

watch kids and helping hem when theyre having a bad day and not doing their best to help the

situation grow. Another skill this class has gave me was the gift to be more compassionate. With

the novels we have read and the films weve watched its given me a better understanding of

people, culture, lives, different struggles, and equality. I feel like I can go into the world with

more insight now.

One of my favorite topics of many was colonization. Colonization is rarely talked about

in school the way the novel explains the topic, Things Fall Apart. In the novel, it shows that

Africans werent just slaves, at one point they were kings, they had their own religious belief,

and their way of doing things in terms of consequences of what is rational long before they

became enslaved. I knew this already but the book gave more detail that I was even surprised

about. Overall, I was very happy reading the book because a lot of people dont know the story

other than the story of colonization that was told through a white mans perspective who had

known nothing about African culture.

Another one of my favorite topics that were discussed was about gender equality.

Watching the films about how men feel and how theyve been hiding behind a mask since they

were younger was interesting and how men and women arent that different when it comes to

masks. A lot of similarities include not wanting to be excluded, the codes that they live by like

girl code and bro code and if you were to break the code you were an outsider. Most

importantly how everyone wants to be desired and has to fit the description of what that looks
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like in society. Like in movies and music videos, the more geeky normal looking people get

ignored and made fun of. Then, theres the fit, over-sexualized man or woman that everyone

wants because theyre half naked, lighter, just the general things you see in movies, social media,

and music videos that represent what were told we should look like. When we discussed this,

everything I saw, I thought about gender exuality more. And then, I realized that every movie

Ive ever watched it portrays the woman as needy, helpless, wanting a man, trying to find love,

giving herself a makeover to impress a man, etc. It really hit me that society has been trying to

tell me since I was little that as a female that was the way it should be. In my opinion women

should be held as powerful, successful, and independent, and not always the beauty queen

because at the end of the day thats reality

What Ive noticed about the work in my portfolio is that all the essays and my poem were

about real topics that need to be talked about like my poem. My poem was about me explaining

about how in a world where race plays a big role I feel lost and dont fit into the categories I

belong to and how over the years Ive had to prove myself so I could belong.