Samples of My Writing in Audio and Text
Humor, essays, playwriting, and curriculum
Second Guessing my LinkedIn Posts: A Self Dialogue (text posted on LinkedIn 7/12/23)
Audio Recording by Cliff Mayotte (1 minute)
What Is Oral History and How Does It Relate to Social Justice?
From Say It Forward: A Guide to Social Justice Storytelling, Haymarket Books, 2018. https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1225-say-it-forward
Historian and activist Howard Zinn popularized the practice of “people’s history.” His description creates a useful distinction between top-down history, or “winner’s history,” and underrepresented accounts from individuals whose stories complicate or contradict dominant narratives. Zinn’s term also serves to illustrate that history should include the voices of our friends, families, neighbors, and community members. Oral history seeks to grab the mic from the constantly amplified voices of the powerful and privileged and direct it toward ordinary people with stories that deserve hearing. This impulse is an oral historian’s response to the inequity that results from ignoring or silencing the mosaic of stories that make up any historical event, time period, or social issue. As playwright and poet Bertolt Brecht states in his poem “Questions from a Worker Who Reads”: “Philip of Spain wept when his armada went down. Was he the only one to weep?” Brecht’s lines eloquently capture the intersection of oral history and social justice, asking, how would those who are not in power write history differently?
This Precious Life: Theodor and Seppi learn that their friend Nikolaus' death has been foretold and only has ten days left to live.
From my stage adaptation of The Mysterious Stranger by Mark Twain. World premiere by San Francisco Youth Theatre, Fall 2024. (1:38 minutes)
Civil Rights and Security (abridged)
From The Power of the Story: The Voice of Witness Teacher's Guide to Oral History, written and edited by Cliff Mayotte, McSweeney's Books, 2013.
TIME NEEDED: One class period.
MATERIALS: Narrative of Adama Bah from Patriot Acts, and a list of civil rights.
OBJECTIVE: To analyze U.S. civil rights and security issues through the lens of personal narrative.
RELATED CORE CURRICULUM STANDARDS: Reading History RH.9–10.3, RH.9–10.4, RH.9–10.9.
CONNECTIONS: This activity can also be done with the following narratives from Patriot Acts: Yassir Alladin Afifi, Faheem Muhammad, Raed Jarrar. The following narratives from the series can also be used: Patricia Thompson and Dan Bright from Voices from the Storm; Farid and Olga from Underground America.
STEP ONE: Examine and discuss the list of civil rights and address any questions. You may find it helpful to refer to specific examples of these rights (10–12 minutes).
Civil rights in the United States related to the listed narratives:
- Your First Amendment rights—freedom of speech, association, and assembly; freedom of the press, and freedom of religion.
- Your right to equal protection under the law—protection against unlawful discrimination.
- Your right to due process—fair treatment by the government whenever the loss of your liberty or property is at stake.
- Your right to privacy—freedom from unwarranted government intrusion into your personal and private affairs.
STEP TWO: Read pp. 29–41 of Adama Bah’s narrative. Reading can be done as a class or in small groups. Encourage students to practice active reading strategies.
STEP THREE: Compare the list of civil rights with the Adama Bah narrative. Discuss the following questions (20 minutes):
- Were the civil rights of Adama Bah violated? If so, which ones?
- If these rights were violated, was it justified for the sake of security?
- Adam Bah's experience was related to the passage of the USA Patriot Act in 2001. Do you know of other related examples from US history?
- In times of upheaval or crisis, is it necessary to suspend some of our civil rights in order to maintain security? Why or why not?
- What is your opinion of heightened airport security (body scans, searches, etc.)? Is it a necessary precaution or a violation of an individual’s right to privacy?
OPTIONAL ORAL HISTORY PROJECT: Class creates an oral history project that focuses on security and civil rights issues. Students conduct interviews with friends, family, local leaders, and community members, collecting a variety of stories that reflect this divisive issue. The discussion questions above can be used as a basis for potential interview questions.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: Islamic Networks Group (ING) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to counter prejudice and discrimination against American Muslims by teaching about their traditions and contributions in the context of America’s history and cultural diversity, while building relations between American Muslims and other groups. www.ing.org
ACLU Know Your Rights: Student's Rights: "Students do not shed their rights at the schoolhouse gate." https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/students-rights