Who is MR. JOE? (he/him)
MR. JOE is the product of his environment, just like anyone else is. In the same way that the human body will react to illnessess by building antibodies, MR. JOE is one of many individuals who's response to injustice and inequity in their communities is through action, education, and collective liberation. Though my path led me to become an educator, I consider every role in the movement toward a better future for out planet to be incredibly vital in the effort to build social justice movements nationwide and abroad.
My life is nothing spectacular and my situation is not unique. Growing up in "Northtown," the 89030 area of North Las Vegas, I learned a lot of hard lessons early in life. I was an angry kid with a lot to prove. My family, as were many others in my community, did not come from much and tried to raise their 2 sons with even less. With my family's previous gang affiliations and my experiences in my neighborhood, I admired the wrong folks and my path was unclear.
In school, MR. JOE was also a terrible student. I graduated high school with a 1.9 GPA and I regularly had to make up my classes, often to the disappointment of my teachers who knew I could do better if I had applied myself. To me, my brother, and many others, there was no point in learning anything from school with so much on your plate, and teachers were more of an obstaclit was more important to get a job and work hard for a chance at a good life. My family and I would say "you can't eat dreams."
I didn't start to dream until early 2020, when in my last year of high school, I was inspired through my frustration seeing the death of George Floyd, something that happened to many on my side of town, which led me to join a #BlackLivesMatter protest in downtown Las Vegas. I didn't know a lot, and I was scared being around so many people, but I knew I cared and many there did too. I learned about many more issues affecting people in my community and how I could get involved which sparked hope in me and my abilities. I knew I wanted to help people somehow and the embers of a dream started to emerge. After attending more rallies, community meetings, speaking out for water rights, marching for people killed by racist police officers, and learning as much as I can, I made the choice that truly liberated me.
"Education is an important element in the struggle for human rights. It is the means to help our children and thereby increase self-respect. Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today." - Malcolm X
As I was working for casinos, I tossed around the old idea I had from high school of becoming a teacher in some of the circles I was in and I got recommended a book we used in revolutionary circles to educate and organize folks titled "Pedagogy of the Oppressed" by Paulo Freire. Though my first encounter with Critical Pedagogy was as something helpful for organizing, that had been the first time I'd encountered it as a potential educator and I saw the seeds of a mighty tree within that book and I knew the impact I could have as a teacher could be tremendous. I realized I could help others become changer-makers as I had found myself lucky to become. I realized it didn't have to be luck or frustration that could bring people to make the changes they want to see in the world, but a liberatory education that could truly liberate humanity. While studying to become a liberatory educator at UNLV and make that dream come true, I worked with student organizations such as the Students For Justice in Palestine (SJP), the Las Vegas Punk Coalition, and others to organize community activities, build awareness through educational activities, and advocate for solidarity to advance liberation struggles here in Las Vegas.
