My gift to the family of this earth is being an advocate for others.
Identity
I know it is really important to speak both languages to be able to be able to be understood in the two cultures; one because it is my culture and the other one because I am in the United States of America and I need to communicate.
It Is Hard for Me
I have four daughters. My fears now are based on national statistics; one in four women will be assaulted. This is very scary to me. I have four daughters....
Healing in Progress
This ends with not the ending but the beginning, the beginning of my healing... My education and work in this field saved me. It helped me learn to begin to heal and allowed me to work towards...ending violence against women.
La Niña Invisible: A Story of Trauma, Violence and Alcoholism
I hear the pens around me in this workshop scribble away their most intimate memories. I think to myself, how vulnerable we can be, but yet so empowered by our written word. I feel very honored to have a space to share my story, and acknowledged for how unique and beautiful it is.
A Gentle Invitation
Your dust papa is covering my silence, my voice reveals to be silence. Why to reveal to the sacred silence?
Silence
So Guatemala called my mom. Guatemala happened. So they call her saying your dad is dying
The Big Story
It basically erased my identity. Now I think how do I get it back?
Never Forgotten, Never Again
6 That sunny May Day afternoon all of the classes in third grade were assigned to dance the Mexican Hat Dance in the elementary school festival. It was one of the few ways that our culture was honored in school. Every May Day there would be one class that performed something Mexican. It may have always been the Mexican Hat Dance because I don’t remember any other dances.
Mama Carmela
At suppertime, someone unexpected would show up hoping that they would be able to share some of the delicious meal. At times, some of the women who had earlier contributed monetarily to the meal would give a cry of disapproval as to why someone who did not contribute was still able to come in and eat. My abuela’s response always was, “Un plato de comida no se le niega a nadie,” you should never deny anyone a plate of food.