About the Artwork in this Issue

The artwork featured in this issue was selected by the Editorial Board both for its vibrancy and for the multitude of narratives and representations of cultural wealth it contains. In Maddu Huacuja’s painting, “Jakelin headed North, but arrived in heaven,” a series of arresting migrant figures boldly face the viewer, as if to declare their stories of triumph, hardship, and vitality. We editors saw parallels between this image, this title, and the ELL reform, which has also required an honest sharing and hearing of stories—at times, necessarily uncomfortable—and an understanding of equity and cultural wealth with depth, nuance, and a goal of true opening toward change. Fundamental to the ELL program reform was paying close attention to the plurality of cultural wealth BHCC students bring to their college experience. The quilt segments that accompany the articles in this issue —shown in full further below —display patterns from pieces created by students in Professor Emmanuela Maurice’s themed writing course, “Telling Our Stories,” ultimately unified by renowned artist and quilt-maker, Susan Thompson. Students supplied textile imagery representative of their cultural backgrounds and experiences, like Huacuja’s migrants, sharing some of their richly layered identities. Without recognition of our students’ cultural identities and assets, we would not have been able to enact productive reform.