The Projects

Click here for the presentation.

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 

"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.

"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 

"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.

"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.

"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

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 

Click here for the presentation.

"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.

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

"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.