Raye Winch: Imelda G Cortez is an openly queer, proudly brown organizer and educator dedicated to supporting the Wakefield neighborhood where she has lived almost her entire life. Imelda, what is it like for you teaching at the school that you went to yourself?

 

Imelda G Cortez:

When I was in high school, I felt like I couldn't be myself, and I felt like if I were, people were going to judge me or look at me weird. So for me, being able to be somebody who's more masculine presenting, who identifies as Queer and Chicana, I feel more empowered now as a teacher to try to be the person that I wish I would have had when I was in high school.

 

Raye:

You describe yourself as a co-conspirator with students. What does co-conspiring mean to you?

 

Imelda:

To co-conspire for me is to be that person who is willing to push the administration in different ways. Students have these ideas, right. But they need a little bit of guidance and with my background and my knowledge, I'm able to help students build the environments that they want to have. It's just facilitating giving them the tools that they need. And then stepping back.

 

Raye:

Do you have an example?

 

Imelda:

Yeah. Um, there was, there was an incident at the school with one of my gay students and he, you know, he felt comfortable going to the female identified, restrooms and nobody would say anything like, they're just like, whatever, like go to the bathroom. It's not that big of a deal. Um, but there was a teacher who thought that, she thought that he was having sex in the bathroom. I was really upset and I went to the teacher and of course, like it's hard to change old people's minds, so I'd rather just work with the youth. Um, and then the youth said, okay, let's, uh, let's have a gender neutral restroom. I made them do some research about it first and they did their presentation to the site council. And, and then I had to have a private meeting with the administration. We talked about what it would be like, and then we got a gender neutral restroom.

 

Raye:

One of the important lessons you're teaching your students is to question what it means to behave or to be good. Could you say more about that?

 

Imelda:

Yeah. Um, you know, in the, uh, Mexicano Latino community, which is what I grew up in, um, it's often like in order to be good, there's these criteria, that you need to follow, right. Like get good grades. Uh, don't talk back. Your teachers, know everything and you're just there to take it all in, right. And with my students, um, I always try to push them, even with me, right. Like if you don't agree with me, like, let's talk about it. I don't always consider myself a teacher because I feel like that word, and just that idea, it's so hierarchical. Um, and I really tried to facilitate students learning and expose them to different ideas.

 

Raye:

Are there any messages that you'd like your high school students to leave high school knowing and believing?

 

Imelda:

To the students that I work with and those who I don't work with yet--It's very important for you all to push the envelope, to go beyond what you've been taught for such a long time. And it's okay to be who you want to be. Um, and it's okay to do things that aren't always looked on as good things. Right. And it's okay to recreate your own ideas of good or bad.

 

Raye:

You're deeply committed to your neighborhood. What message would you like to share with those who believe they need to leave in order to be successful?

 

Imelda:

Success can be defined in different ways. You can leave if you want to, right. But it doesn't mean that success is going to be out there every time and it's okay to stay and be here and make your community a better place. And it's okay to grow and learn here. You shouldn't have to leave a place in order to be better or do better.