The Projects
Marla Avila - "1971, birth"
Click here for the presentation.
Kim Diaz - "Quien Soy" (poem)
Quien Soy
Brown
El color de la tierra que nos dío la Pachamama
En donde nací y moriré
La tierra where Manco Capac, Mama Ocllo, and the Great Pachacutec sauntered
Yet this color, the color of our origins, is what differentiates me from you
You have told me to be submissive and to follow the lead of the white man
You led me to believe being brown meant being inferior
You led me astray
Why did you call me racist slurs when I was only 8?
Mamá porque nadie me habla?
Not perucha enough for peruvians
And not catracha enough for hondurans
The mere difference between a palta and an aguacate
A tajada in a sea of cancha
Why must I prove my Latinidad to you?
Misogyny fetishizes me into a “crazy” and “spicy” latina
Soy latina but why must I be sexualized at the expense of the male gaze?
You fixate on my “exoticness” but disregard my intelligence
You have hyper-sexualized my color
I find strength in Dolores Huerta, Sylvia Rivera, Rigoberta Menchú, and Berta Cáceres
When I ask you to imagine a feminine identifying Latine do you think of these activists too?
Who am I to you?
Te digo quien soy
I am Brown
El color de la tierra
Daniela Fernandez-Siman - "Siman Family Identity"
"I chose to do this presentation about my family and our background because I find it very interesting to me. All my life I grew up thinking I was purely just Latina, but as I grew older, I started to want to learn more about my family and where we came from and was just fascinated by it. I am now able to embrace my Arab culture and love it even more. All throughout the class we talk about our cultural identity and what it means to us and be being half Arab and half Latina has just accelerated my want to understand and embrace both my beautiful culture. I also love that my family finds ways to embrace and combine both cultures together. I really did like this project and liked showing people my family background and history."
Here is the presentation.
Jacob Hall - "Statue of Liberty" (poem)
"Statue of Liberty"
The first thing insight was her bright torch
From now on their life would take a different course
Some feared and some hoped
Others wondered how they would cope
Escaping poverty and famine
Their long stares were nothing but random
To them the statue was a sign of freedom
Leaving behind all the obstacles they had beaten
Without their journey I wouldn’t be here
Each time I see the statue I imagine their stares
Sam Jones - "Yadhira Romero Martínez"
"I decided to bring attention to Yadhira Romero Martinez for my end of the semester presentation because the learning does not stop now. This class has broadened my understanding of the Latinx experience in the United States so much. As much as we have to celebrate, we also have to be aware of the issues that persist. Femicide, men's fatal violence against women, is a major world problem. Immigrant women are often left out of data and the conversation. Yadhira was a beautiful soul, and we must remember her."
Click here for the presentation.
Maya Krauss - "My Dad's Immigration Story"
"My creative component was an interview that I did with my dad. I asked him four questions: why did you immigrate to the United States, when did you immigrate to the United States, what was the hardest part of your immigration journey, and does the immigrant's journey end when you get to the United States. I decided to ask these questions because I thought they provided a good foundation for the interview. I chose to interview my dad because he is Latinx and I knew he had immigrated to this country when he was younger but I had never heard the full story of his journey."
Here is the presentation.
Luke Ladner - "America for All"
"America for All"
Oh, how it must feel
To not feel welcome
After everything you've overcome
I hope and pray
That the Land of the Free
Is a place for all to be
All for one, one for all
Day by day, night by night
Together, we will win the fight
No matter the color, age, race, or class
We will do what we need to do
So all are home in the Red, White, and Blue
Sofia Murillo - "Soy Latina y Orgullosa" (poem)
Soy Latina y Orgullosa
I can tell you’re latina because…
your skin
your thick hair
body hair
so much hair
The words she heard from her pale-skinned, blonde-headed, peach-fuzzed peers
Cover it all up, she thought
dye your hair
iron your hair
shave your hair that doesn’t belong
do not speak in Spanish
Like a traitor to her ancestors, she pretended like her cultural roots did not exist
For many years, she was playing the part until
she was left lost & disconnected
You cannot cover up something that is meant to be seen
You cannot cover up a culture that screams to be heard
This is who you are
This is what sus abuelos worked tirelessly for
And after years of shame
How does she reclaim her identity?
How does she be latina
Be latina
but how do you be something you already are?
I am latina
There is no performance
Yo soy latina
Soy latina y orgullosa
Ana Nacianceno - "Photo Album"
Click here for the presentation.
Jack Perry - "My Grandma" -
"For my project, I chose to do a presentation on my grandmother who is from Argentina. I chose this topic because in talking with my mother, I learned a lot of interesting things about my grandmother's life and experiences as an immigrant in the United States. This presentation means a lot to me because her history shaped my life growing up, learning Spanish, and visiting her home in Argentina and family in Chile."
Click here to see Jack's presentation.
María Romero - "Do you miss El Salvador?" (poem)
Do you miss El Salvador?
By María Romero
People always ask me if I miss El Salvador
“Certain things” I reply
I miss my family, the food, the comfort of my home,
The fact I never have to pay for a ride and that everything is close
I miss not having to explain that my country is beautiful
Despite all the horrible things you hear about it on the news
But nobody asks me what I do not miss about it
I do not miss accepting the fact that so many people are poor,
And that their children are barely getting an education.
I do not miss accepting that the government is failing them
And that people are getting away with crimes
I do not miss accepting that there will always be people who emigrate
Because they believe in the US their lives will be better
Because I have learned that I should not accept those things
It is not enough to be outraged by the state of my country
I must work to change those things I was conditioned to accept
Alisa Salame - "Interview: My Dad's Immigrant Story"
"My interview about my dad is based on his immigration story, and how his life has been here in the United States. I really wanted to do this presentation to show a successful story about an immigrant. My dad was the first person that came into mind. I want my dad’s story to help kill the stigma that immigrants are lazy and steal jobs. My dad is one of the hardest people I know, and has been working since he has arrived to the United States. He started from the bottom and has worked to the top, even while trying to adapt to a new culture and learning a new language. He was been able to provide my family with what we need and even some more. This interview was important to me, because it really shows how hard work pays off and defies the negativity surrounding immigrants."
Click here for the presentation.