2011 December | VivirLatino

Archive for December, 2011

2011 – El Año Que se Va/ The Year that is leaving

6:48 am By Maegan La Mala · Media|VivirLatino · 5 Comments

28 Dec 2011

Back in October, when VivirLatino had its 5th birthday, I wrote about how much the blogging landscape had changed, especially for independent, political, Latino blogs. In the five years since the site’s birth, we have contracted, not expanded and this has been the tightest year yet. This year, VivirLatino had one of its founding editors move on, leaving one person in charge of the entire operation and as that one person; it was and remains the biggest challenge. The changing nature of ethnic political blogging is one side of the coin. The other side is more personal.

I could go on and talk about how hard it has been financially to keep this space alive. I could go on and talk about how the need to do other various jobs, some within the publishing/writing world, some not, has felt so exhausting that it has left me with more moments of hopelessness than I would like to own. Throw in single mami’hood and having to leave my apartment and you have a drop in motivation.

But it is not all negative. How else to explain why, despite wanting to throw in the towel many times and watching my close circle of fellow bloggers get smaller as they stop producing, move to new spaces, or (let’s be real) are co-opted, I still find value in this space. I have been blessed by opportunities because this space exists – visibility has expanded to local and national media – ethnic and with a broader audience. This space gives me voice and in turn gives the world I am a part of voice, and does so unapologetically, even if that ruffles some feathers or makes people uncomfortable. Scratch that, especially if it ruffles some feathers and makes people uncomfortable. More than anything however, I am truly humbled by the people I have met and continue to meet through the work of having this space. Our communities are filled with amazing, beautiful people with rich lives, not just stories for consumption. What I have been blessed to witness and be a part of because of this space has given me so much love which I am compelled to return in whatever small way I am capable. All the hate mail, attack press releases from orgs, and under the table moves I have experienced pale in comparison to the amount of support I have felt. I am still here because you are still here – whoever that you that has placed your granite de arena is.
So, I close this year at VivirLatino, acknowledging the struggle that 2011 has been professionally and personally. But I also close the year open to possibilities, (real) change, and so much hope. My modest desire for the new year is to make media that reflects my values and voice honestly.

Maegan Ortiz

Always the Mamita Mala

Publisher

LGBTQ Undocumented Youth in the US Northwest Scholarship

2:18 pm By BiancaLaureano · Education|GLBT|Immigration|Oregon|youth · 3 Comments

21 Dec 2011

A homegirl of mine shared this information on one of the few scholarships available for LGBTQ people who are also undocumented. The Pride Foundation does not ask for social security numbers or immigration status. Folks living in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington are eligible. Deadline is January 31. Please share with folks who may be interested!

VL Digest

13 Dec 2011

Instead of me finding time to write about some of the news stories that are of interest (which seems to be a challenge these past few weeks) I’ve decided to share with you the stories. Yes! These are stories I would love to write more about, share my perspective, challenge our ideas, and forge a conversation about them with VL readers. Perhaps we can do that without individual posts for each piece? Perhaps not, either way, here’s a VL Digest. Have VL readers heard of these stories? What are your thoughts?

An Apology 30 Years In The Making: El Salvador Marks El Mozote Massacre

Yesterday I was reading about the apology the Salvadoran government gave for El Mozote massacre where over 800 women, children, men, people were killed by the Salvadoran military. The Massacre occurred 30 years ago in December. I remember growing up in Maryland and hearing about this massacre by the Salvadoran immigrants who migrated to the Takoma Park and Langley Park area. I remember my parents telling me that some folks who we met may not ever be able to go back home because of a Civil War. It all began to become more clear to me years later when I started reading more on the historical accounts and injustices that were occurring, especially the role the US played in training the military in the Americas.

The Exiles of Puerto Rico

There was a lot of buzz about TEDx San Juan, and I’m eager to see what video is available of our friend Larry La Fountain-Stokes’ presentation of the work, activism, and survival of Puerto Rico’s LGBTQ community. In attendance was Forbe.com blogger Giovanni Rodriguez who shares his ideas of Puerto Ricans as being exiles (inspired by Larry’s usage of queer Puerto Ricans as sexiles who use music, art, songs, and writing to share their testimonios). Rodriguez considers those Puerto Ricans who migrated from the mainland to the US as exiles as well (this would include my parents) who were searching for more secure and better economic opportunities. He argues that many Puerto Ricans leaving now are doing so reluctantly.

Third Party & Independent Candidates 2012

I am often exhausted with hearing only two party debates, discussions and media coverage. This week I went in search of who may be considering running as Third Party and Independent candidates for President of the US in 2012. This site was useful to give me an idea and remind me that there are always more than two options when it comes to voting, and knowing all of those options is what makes someone, in my opinion, an educated voter.

Radio VL: Maracuyeah!

9:25 am By BiancaLaureano · Arts|Culture|Immigration|Music|Washington DC · Comments Off

13 Dec 2011

This is not our usual VL musica review. As I’m sure you’ve noticed Maegan and I are surviving so much and our posts at VL have not been all that we wish them to be. I know that after I’m done grading 70 final exams I’ll be back to bringing you more reviews and updates on topics and issues impacting us all.

For now, I’d like to share an amazing interview with the transnational media-makers, DJ, activists, artists Maracuyeah!. Our good friend Hugo over at American Pupusa has a fantastic interview with the members of Maracuyeah! , DJ rAt and Mafe. When Hugo first shared with me some of their work I was already in love with their existence. He shared that their sound and creations come from our experiences (Hugo and I grew up in the same community in Maryland) of sending “mix tapes” back home to family of the music we listened to in the US. His explanation invoked so much nostalgia for me that it lead to some sort of resistance to listening to their sound.

I know it may sound odd, but there’s a level of joy and pain and bittersweet memories of those times in the late 80s and 90s for me when I was coming into my own consciousness of why I was away from everyone in my family besides my mother, father, and sister. However, Hugo’s interview has lead me back to Maracuyeah!’s musica mash-up and I’m thankful and hopeful I can attend one of their events when I visit for the holidays.

Here’s a bit of the interview that had me sold (again!) on Marachuyeah!’s cultural productions:

Maracuyeah! is a collective of transnational, global, local, DIY activists, artists, DJs, and music promoters presenting the “now” in upfront soundsystem/DJ culture in Washington D.C. They spin underground DJ music from Latin America – Cumbia Electronica, Tribal, Dembow, Tropical Bass, with dashes of old school Latino pop. Officially starting in March of 2011, Maracuyeah! also put on shows of local and international musicians such as Chancha Via Circuito, Permnet, Zuzuka Poderosa, and El Freaky, who bring innovative takes of contemporary Tropical music. Their sets and shows are mixed and jumbled together in a classic (cassette) mixtape style. And, the venues they play out in are purposeful and grounded in social consciousness.

….

So you call it a movement, and you have a political grounding to it. How would you describe this movement? Movement is a big word.

DJ rAt: It is a big word… for me, I say movement because dancefloors are depoliticized and they are some of the most powerful spaces that we have, so more than Maracuyeah. I belong to another DJ collective called “Anthology of Booty” and like Mafe said, we work on radio together, and we have a project called “DJ Geek Out” all of that is being like ‘culture is political, our bodies are political, our identities are political, and social spaces. I think often, social spaces are depoliticized in a way that… they really deserve a lot more credit for bringing people together and crossing lines and building power.

Read the full interview at American Pupusa.

World AIDS Day and the Language of Status

11:01 am By Maegan La Mala · Health · Comments Off

1 Dec 2011

Here at VivirLatino we write many posts about Latino representation in the media and about how identity politics play out within the policy realm. The theme of status is a recurring one, especially as the issue of immigration has garnered more attention in the last few years. There are campaigns to open dialogue and challenge how we talk about these issues and about how the words we use matter. “Undocumented” and “status” are words that appear over and over.

How do we apply this same language to how we talk about health in the Latino community? How do we challenge the way we talk about sexual behavior and the relationship it has with our whole health? How do we face ignorance and discrimination within our families and communities while envisioning and putting into practice models of real self-care and healing?

Today is World AIDS Day, and so many years since the HIV virus was discovered and named, to me it feels like we as a culture have regressed a little when it comes to talking about HIV status, sexual health, and AIDS. Perhaps it is out a sense of complacency. Medical technology has made HIV and AIDS feel less scary, less deadly while ignoring the basic issues of access to those technologies. Our children are given what passes for sex education and yet fail to understand the basics of how their own bodies work autonomously (forget about with other people). It’s not that I think we should be living in fear. It’s that I think we should be living in love and part of that is a self awareness and an awareness of shared community health.

I also think that we have gone back to thinking that HIV is something that “other” people get, and that othering is based on racial, sexual, gender, and geographical stereotypes.

Let’s not move backwards. Let’s face our fears about what could exist in our communities and inside our bodies. This can take on many forms including talking about these issues within our families, neighborhoods, communities, getting tested and knowing our status and sharing the experience with our friends and partners. Whatever small step is taken, let’s make sure it’s a step forward.

Make sure to follow VivirLatino’s twitter stream today as there will be tweets re: World AIDS Day. Also if you are in the NYC area, the Latino Commission on AIDS has a list scrolling on it’s homepage of local places where you can get tested today

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