Letter F rom T he Editor Dear Drif ters, 2020 is the worst recession America has seen since T he Great Depression creating even more uncertainty for the working class. During a global pandemic those of us who still have shelter continue to worry about how we’re going to make rent and put food on our tables, meanwhile our unhoused neighbors are being forcefully removed and labeled as criminals by our politicians. America has failed to protect its people by implementing a system of capitalism created to chew us up and spit us out so the 1% can thrive on stolen land. Drif ter is proud to showcase the work of local artists from the San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles who created their own interpretations of working class struggles for T he Labor Issue. We want to thank all of our contributors for trusting us with their work, T his issue would not have happened without every single one of you. We hope you continue to grow with us in our mission to support locals and highlight injustices through all art forms to serve and create a sense of community.
T hank you, Madi Parsley Creator and Editor-in-Chief of Drif ter
Checkout Our Website & Social Media: drif terzine.com IG: @drif ter_ ter_zine Spotify: @Drfiter Email: zine.drif ter@gmail.com Cover Illustration by Madi Parsley
TABLE OF LABOR
6
DO NOT CROSS
8
By Reign
By Drew Balaguer
W.A.P
By Joshua Tamayo
10
Work Ethic
12
Los Olvidados
14
Labor of the Artist
16
By Yair Lopez
By Maria H. Andrade-Reyes
By Ari Kloke
Motel 6
By Sarah Shabbar
24
CONT ENT S Labor Statue
By Nina Avadisrostamian
Paying Homage...
26
By Nikolas Iankov
28
Unheard Stories...
30
Backs of Labor
32
The Day Paul Stanley...
34
By Susana Radillo
By Cynthia White Anderson
By Iván Salí
Faces of Labor
By Joshua Pacheco
40
la·bor /ˈlābər/
By Reign @reigh_of_sadness 6
Noun
1. work, especially hard physical work. Blistering hands covered in dirt Throbbing feet so much pain it’s starting to numb Standing in the blazing sun for hours selling flowers and fruit Being underpaid or not paid at all Rough hands covered in cement whipping off the sweat Hands covered in cuts picking grapes and fruit Waiting in the blazing sun for hours waiting for just one opportunity Pushing a cart filled with ice cream on hot days making children smile Tears flowing down their cheek trying to make ends meet Fearing life as if they where the prey in a hunting game Born a darker shade forcing a target on their backs Being forced in cages separated from their families Last words being I can’t breathe or I don’t wanna die Knowing well that these hands will never be the same as those with lighter skin Being told all lives matter knowing damn well they don’t give damn about our lives I ask myself do your hands look rough and all blistered up Do you cry yourself to sleep because your afraid of not being able to support your family Are you forced to have two jobs or more just so you and your family can survive a week Did you hear them scream out for their mommas when you held them down with your knee Do cry to yourself when you can’t afford a new toy for your child Are you afraid of the people that say they are here to protect you Are you afraid that one day you’ll be forced in cages separated from your children like animals Do you fear for your life because of your skin tone Would you love to be a target If not why do you force it onto us These hands with a different skin tone and blisters, dirt are the hands I believe represent what labor means
7
Do Not Cross
8
By Drew Balaguer @dbalaguer_
These two illustrations attempt to capture my thoughts about school closures. During the pandemic, I’ve driven by many city parks and playgrounds that have “Do Not Cross” tape wrapped around them. And I’ve also driven by many K-12 school campuses; they look abandoned, quiet, and empty. It makes me wonder what the insides of the classrooms look like! School closures and virtual learning have brought up so many issues, conflicts and challenges for students and teachers, and these illustrations are about these issues and the sadness they’ve brought with them.
9
Supporting W.A.P.
10
By Joshua Tamayo @jlternative.art
Acronyms really stand out and this specific one has grown traction as of recent so here is my interpretation. For those working through these tough times I feel like they are not paid enough. At times, some people feel like they are just making cents, they’re not compensated well. Hopefully, this entices some change other than those in our pockets. 11
Work Ethic
12
This picture is of a man who told me his name was Keith, He was always seen at the 76 gas station by my home. Keith is a hard worker, he cleans people’s car windows and always had a smile on his face. Keith is a very friendly man, on this day he offered to clean my car window, I said yes, gave him some money and I asked to take his portrait
By Yair Lopez @xxyxairxme
He enthusiastically said yes and that’s how this shot was made. I haven’t seen Keith since the pandemic started. It was taken last year on black and white film. 13
Los Olvidados
14
By Maria H. Andrade-Reyes @ mhar_reyes
Los Olvidados, during COVID-19, the government sent out stimulus checks to American Citizens and was done to boost-up the US economy. Unfortunately, despite their hard-work and dedication for this country, for Los Olvidados, this income never came for being illegal immigrants. Mis tios, tias, are part of Los Olvidados. Seeing their daily struggles and ways to survive was hard. Yรณ no los olvido!
15
Labor of the Artist: Murals in the San Fernando Valley
A photo collection of new San Fernando Valley mural completed during the past year starting from November 2019.
By Ari Kloke @ycfotostory
“Cactus Bloom� by female muralist duo Yoshi Glow @erinyoshi & @gloriamuriel
19151 Ventura Blvd. in Tarzana on east side of Ross building (Nov. 2019) 17
“Kobe Bryant 1978 - 2020” by @hattaspublicmurals
18
19218 Ventura Blvd. in Tarzana (Feb. 2020) 19
20
Building murals at Mira Apartments by the former artist duo @cyrcle who are now solo as @davey_leavitt & @rabi_towing
21425 Vanowen in Canoga Park ( mid-2020)
21
18408 West Oxnard Street, Tarzana. (Summer/Fall 2020)
In the second image, An astronaut is looking in the direction of Jane reflecting her image in their helmet as this portion of the mural is painted on an opposite wall.
22
“Jane� by @leviponce at Elevar Studios. One side of the mural covers the outer wall of a renovated industrial complex located in Tarzana.
23
MOTEL 6 Every time I pass by a Motel 6 The thought of green curtains and living rooms in bedrooms cross my mind For months, that was our home In addition to the backseat of your four doors And for years I watched you attempt to live the “American Dream� Even when the eviction notice hung over your door I watched you never giving up, but always giving in To fantasies lined of scratchers and lotto tickets Laced with overtime I watched a company once United Let you go... And I continued to watch you struggle each step of the way Refusing to admit that living here...in this country...was hard And that you missed simplicities once granted to you back home And that no matter what book you grabbed in the self help section at Barnes and Nobles Nobody could teach you how to manifest your way out of poverty or how to live the American dream Even if they looked shiny and bright
By
24
Sar
ah
Situated in cupboards and sorted in lines Consumerism existed in between those lines They wanted you to buy into Breathe into This illusion that you could be seen as one of “them� ...American But your accent was too thick Your skin was too dark They called you black And when atrocities would happen You were their mouthpiece Proving your humanity time and time again Reminding us, your kids, that we were given no god given right under that American flag Because it was part of our price living here...in this country The price we paid for what you perceived as freedom But we still somewhat hold that dream as kids in diaspora that the American dream could someday be granted to people like you and me... shining ever so dimly at every Motel 6 sign.
Sha
bba
r@ ssh abb ar
25
By Nina Avadisrostamian
26
My life is strongly connected to children and their welfare, which brings my artwork to speak up of child labor. In the pandemic and zoom-schooling days we all--including children--are communicating through electronic devices. While cellphones and computers become educational necessities for our children, the most important parts to make these devices are gathered through child labor in Africa. Many children are employed in washing and sorting Cobalt, an essential mineral to use in electronic devices to prepare it for sale at the market. These child miners, some as young as seven, live in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), central Africa. Child labor harms the mental, social, physical, and psychological development of children.
27
28
Paying Homage to the Paletero Man For Getting You Through These Tough Times By Nikolas Iankov @beyondniksart
Las Calles Del Valle is a grassroots organization that helps provide resources and financial assistance to street vendors of the San Fernando Valley. Follow @lascallesdelvalle on instagram to find out how you can support your local street vendors through mutual aid funds and community buy outs.
29
Unheard Stories of
30
By Susana Radillo This artwork was an interpretation of labor from the viewpoint of undocumented immigrant farm workers working in the agricultural fields. These workers come to the U.S to work to financially support their families back home. These undocumented workers risk their lives from getting deported by ICE. At the same time, they start a new life they couldn’t have back in their home countries. These workers aren’t mentioned enough for their hard work. The American nation should appreciate more these workers for getting fresh produce from the field to the grocery store.
Immigrant Farm Workers
31
Backs of Labor
32
This piece is meant to highlight an interpretation of the essential in ‘essential workers’ during COVID -19. Food is essential for life. If you don’t work behind a keyboard - where are you in relationship to other people’s needs? Whose essential needs may be made a priority over others?
By Cynthia White Anderson @kittypuppytown
33
Illustration by Madi Parsley
The day Paul Stanley walked next to me in a private school in Van Nuys.... By Iván Salí @ivansali_ I don’t remember what kind of car he drove, my dad says it might have been a Lincoln van. There’s no way he’d let a Mexican kid park his car even if he would’ve known I was a lifelong KISS fan...and so was my dad. I wanted to know what it was like working in Valet Parking, out of curiosity and mere boredom, so I went to work with my dad. To be honest I was in it for fifty bucks at the end of the day. I’d already heard my dad had seen Paul Stanley, but I didn’t know it was this place: a small gated private kindergarten sitting right behind a Jack in the Box in Van Nuys. A private lot I had walked by so many times on my way back from school. That day, I was a runner. It meant I had to greet parents as they drove in through the gate, get them out of their car, then find a space in the paved parking lot area for their car, and when there wasn’t any space left, we’d turn the school’s synthetic-grass soccer field into a parking lot, too. This happened every time there was a school event for the parents. We tried our best not to run over their children. I didn’t think too much of seeing a celebrity like Paul Stanley, but I did think of just how much I listened to his singing voice before going to sleep, on my way to and from school, the market, while I was doing homework; I listened to all KISS’ corny hard rock on my first teenage years. I learned some English singing along. Their entire discography took about 2 GB worth of songs on my iPod. I was obsessed. 35
36
Tio Pepe was there, too. He worked in Valet Parking with my dad. He dealt with the clients; distributed the money at the end of the day. He said he signed a contract with the private kindergarten director and if we were cuaght talking to the parent-celebrities or asking them for a photo we’d get fired. I would’ve liked to tell Paul that he and my dad share the same zodiac sign--capricorn. They have a quiet attitude in common. My dad saw himself as “the starchild” at least back when he was a teenager himself, before he met my mom and coming to the U.S. was not a thought in his mind. My dad crossed the border to work with cars and people in a different way. Before he crossed, he was a chauffeur for La Oreja reporters, a Mexican gossip TV show in the mid-2000s that aired at six pm every weekday from Mexico City. He worked there for three years before they fired him. He then got in an airplane to find a job in California. I didn’t talk to him much when I was a kid. While I was in school or sleeping, he was out there chasing down telenovela celebrities, helping the reporters harass them. Sometimes, he’d come back with interesting stories and gifts from celebrities. On one of those nights he had to stay out working late, I woke up in the middle of the night because I heard my mom cooking and noise coming from the TV. I saw these monsters wrapped in silver gear running around a stage mounted on a sports arena. They had guitars wrapped around their hairy torsos and wore black and white makeup on their faces that gave them their on-stage identity: The Starchild, The Demon, The Spaceman, and The Catman. My favorite was The Fox. The make up helped them stand out in the glam-rock fashion of the 70s; they were a hit with the youth. My mom told me to go back to sleep, but I kept staring at the screen displaying the live performance. My dad handed me the DVD case. I recognized those faces from another vinyl he owned. He then showed me the part where Gene Simmons spits out blood on stage and the band proceeds to play “God of Thunder.” In a parallel universe I share this memory with Paul Stanley. In another life, I say hi when he walks next to me and we hold a conversation. I ask him how are the rest of the guys. I ask him for an autograph and a photo. I would have
wanted him to invite me to his studio that must have been pretty close from Van Nuys, too. But I kept my mouth shut because Tio Pepe said that at the most, I could just wave at him, otherwise we’d all get fired. So I just glared at the unmasked Starchild without his giant sized glitter-boots and then...there wasn’t much left to idolize. Not being able to say anything took all the excitement of seeing him up close. He was just a dude that happened to be famous walking next to me and I guess I had to respect his privacy even if he had impacted my life in a way he probably would never know, just like any other artist. My dad wasn’t fangirling as I thought he would have, I think because he was used to it. None of us had even parked Paul’s car that day anyway, he parked it himself in a separate lot on the other side of the school building. I’ve never had my car valet parked so I wouldn’t know if I’d let a stranger into my car. But, sometimes valet parkers got lucky and cherished photos with women like Paris Hilton or Salma Hayek outside of some expensive restaurant in LA, just ask my Tio Beto; one time my grandfather, Papa David, crashed Lindsey Lohan’s car at a private party, she was too drunk to care. It could be dangerous, too. Tio Gabriel was killed at midnight for trying to break up a fight while he worked as Valet Parking in a West Hollywood restaurant. I even had the chance to do Valet at a party where I got to speak French to a legit French crepe-maker who insisted that I should not waste my time learning his langue mère and instead should learn cantonese, because, economically speaking French was useless. Most of the men in my family on this side of the border have worked in Valet Parking at least once. I had to join them for the experience. Rockstars love to retire in L.A. If you’re one of those that gets to live in the hills closer to the coast or in any of the mansions surrounding the valley, you’ve got it made, you even have immigrant workers opening the fancy doors of your car for you. So Paul decided to live here and enroll his daughter in a little private kindergarten. After he walked by and nobody said a word to each other I saw him a couple of times again talking to other parents and then he drove out.
37
At the end of the day, I got my fifty bucks. On the five minute ride back home my dad drove while I cued “Rock Bottom” to blast through the car speakers. A few weeks later, Tio Pepe and his crew went to work there again and one of the runners he hired had forgotten someone’s keys in his pocket. A very angry parent had to stay there, stuck with their child for a good minute. They all got fired, we never worked there again. I think my dad would have liked to work as a roadie, perhaps as a tour bus chauffeur. Maybe in some childish fantasy of his he is KISS’s roadie; hauling ass for a quartet of Jewish rock stars. Maybe that went through his head when he decided he was going to live in Los Angeles, another perfect city to chase down celebrities. As soon as he got here, he got to work with my uncles who were all making their humble living through Valet Parking, operating mobile machinery was already familiar to him. My dad, to some extent, felt comfortable fetching someone else’s vehicle and got a little work out running back and forth. He did it out of necessity for twelve years. He parked cars for a long time, but he doesn’t earn a living driving other people’ s cars anymore; the COVID-19 pandemic was a catalyst for the Valet Parking industry to finally crumble. 2020, new decade, less jobs. Now he washes his own clients’ cars, but so far none of them have been any celebrities.
Illustration by Madi Parsley
Faces of Labor: A Photo Essay By Joshua Pacheco @jp_img
Two questions were asked to each worker: the biggest positive to their new work style and environment because of the pandemic and the weaknesses exposed in their old work environment.
Andrea Leonor 4th grade teacher in Sylmar, CA
One weakness that was exposed is the lack of support for English Learners. I speak Spanish and I’m able to communicate with my students but others aren’t so fortunate. Even for me it can be so difficult because there’s not enough time in the day. A positive is that for once teachers have a voice. Usually it’s hard for us to speak up and now we have no choice. Whether it’s advocating for ourselves or for our students. I don’t work for LAUSD, I work at a charter and one thing that’s been important is that we’ve been part of a lot of the processes during the transition.
42
Chris Judd
Guitar and Piano Teacher for Music School To Go in Northridge, CA A weakness exposed was getting the kids to tune in. It’s much more difficult through a computer screen to get them engaged. I’m having to adapt almost constantly to whatever mood they’re in, and not being able to be there in person stifles the attention span for sure. It’s positive in the sense I can share links for teaching online, and not have to worry about printing costs. Also getting to work from home, instead of having to drive for up to an hour round trip to teach a lesson, has been a great relief off my sanity.
45
Daniel Medina
EMT from the San Fernando Valley, CA The weaknesses exposed were that we didn’t have enough PPE to begin with. I think aside from the EMTs being dismissive about PPE in the field, some owners, supervisors, people in charge per say, were also dismissive about PPE. In my case, and others I heard from, they didn’t care to have extra in stock. When the pandemic hit all hell broke loose. We were finding ourselves basically having to steal PPE from hospitals most of the time. These things would have been preventable if we had real plans in play in our facilities. The biggest positive I would have to say is the fact that everyone is taking PPE a lot more seriously in and out of the EMT world. Before it was a little more inconsistent. We weren’t always sure if we should wear PPE in certain situations, some EMTs were pretty dismissive on PPE aside from wearing gloves. Because of the pandemic and its seriousness it’s a lot easier for us to make the right choice and we definitely don’t think twice about it. 46
Kevin Hinojosa
Emergency Department Clinical Partner from Granada Hills, CA Weaknesses that were exposed in my work environment: first off, limited amount of PPE we had. This was not by any means the fault of the institution where I work, but the whole nation in the lack of preparation of what was coming. At one point we ran out of simple masks, N95s, and no face shields. Staff and myself were buying our own PPE from online or wherever we could find any. We had no certain section organized for COVID patients. They tried setting up a tent outside to treat the high volumes coming in, but were not successful. It was chaotic the first few months. Things are still intense, but through trial and error have been successful in maintaining PPE and an organized placement of COVID-19 patients in our Emergency Department. The biggest positive impact COVID-19 has brought upon my work environment, would be the improvement & installation of negative pressured patient rooms. We had a whole section in our Emergency Department with 10+ rooms remodeled with state-approved negative pressure. As we understand, COVID-19 can be spread through aerosols, therefore these rooms are being used to treat our COVID-19 patients. Thus far they have been efficient in helping keep us as staff safe and reduce the exposure of the virus to any other of the patients.
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Destiny Isiguzo
Artist, Designer and CEO of Clothing Line Hooded Bandits in Northridge, CA One weakness that was exposed is how hands-on my product is. It’s an actual step by step process I go through during production and working with other small businesses to get the product made. This has also been a staple in the brand so the products aren’t mass ordered and given out. Every piece has been worked on individually which only became stressful once Covid limited our access to resources. I think my best outcome is that no matter what may happen on the outside world, I now know I will still be able to get things done for my brand. If things got so bad that I wouldn’t be able to buy products for my clothing line I would still find a way. I’m an artist, I honestly can learn and teach myself if circumstances really called for that, it wouldn’t take away from the meaning and concept behind the brand.
50
Contri Reign: Hello, my name is Reign and I’m a 21 year old Latina
that loves to write and draw. I suffer with depression and anxiety but my writing and drawing is my only escape. Through writing I can make my own world and in my drawings I no longer have to answer back that I’m not sad. My art is my escape; my breath of air.; my freedom.
IG: @reign__of__sadness
Drew Balaguer: Drew is a Deaf illustrative designer. She
was born Deaf but is both oral and fluent in American Sign Language. She is interested in color theory and creating Deaf Art (or De’VIA) as a way to express ideas about Deaf culture and the Deaf experience since it is “difficult to explain in words!” She is now earning her teaching credential in Art at Cal State Northridge, and she is very excited to get in the classroom and teach!
IG: @dbalaguer_
Joshua Tamayo: Joshua Tamayo is a Filipino American
student born and raised in the San Fernando Valley. He currently studies at the California State University of Northridge where has a focus on Art Education and Printmaking. From his experiences in the print lab and observation hours he has realized he loves the socializing peer environment, so being a future teacher seems like a good fit. His personal artwork consists of his interests within pop culture and creature designs. He often enjoys the physical process of making art and the conceptualization behind said artwork.
IG: @jlternative.art
Yair Lopez: Yair was born and raised in Los Angeles.
Currently, living in the San Fernando Valley. Yair has an interest in photography, street photography in particular. He is looking for like-minded people to collaborate in a few projects that he will be working on. His projects will involve mental health, queer identities, race/ethnicity, socio-economic status, substance use disorder, BDSM and kink.”
IG: @xxyxairxme
butors Maria H. Andrade-Reyes: Maria H. Andrade-Reyes,
is a Fine Art Artist living in Los Angeles, CA. She discovered photography at an early age and since then it has become her platform to express her emotions, and fears she once felt while in the foster home system. Maria is an Art Education Major at Cal State University Northridge, and planning to enroll in the teaching credential for Fall 2021 and teach Middle School. Maria has been working as a teaching assistant at a Community College and recently hired as a Peer Mentor for the EOP-Resilient Scholars at CSUN, her ultimate goal is to share her knowledge and continue to build community as the Co-President of the Art Education Club at CSUN.
IG: @mhar_reyes
Ari Kloke: Ari Kloke is a San Fernando Valley native who
returned home in early 2019 after nearly 20 years living and working in Germany, as well as in Colorado and in Oregon. A visual storyteller and photojournalist, Ari creatively and compassionately partners with individuals, families, groups and organizations to document stories of relationship, place, memory and sacred space.
IG: @ycfotostory
Sarah Shabbar: is a writer, poet, journalist, and teacher
residing on Tongva Land. As a first-generation immigrant, she uses storytelling to describe dreams of her mother land and disseminate her experiences in the United States. She holds a M.A. in Mass Communications from California State University, Northridge, her thesis project focused on destigmatizing the image of Homeless Women and Gender-Based Violence through environmental portraits and in-depth interviews. She also holds a B.A. in Journalism, emphasis in P.R. and minor in Communication Studies.
IG: @sshabbar
Contri
Nina Avadisrostamian: My life is strongly connected
to children and their welfare, which brings my artwork to speak up of child labor. In the pandemic and zoom-schooling days we all; including children, are communicating through electronic devices. While cellphones and computers become educational necessity for our children, the most important part used to make them become accessible by child labors in Africa. Child labor harms the mental, social, physical, and psychological development of children. Many children are employed in washing and sorting Cobalt; an essential mineral to use in electronic devices, in rivers to prepare it for sale at the market. These child miners, some as young as seven, live in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), central Africa.
Nikolas Iankov: I was born in Burbank, California in 1996.
After earning my AA degree from Pasadena City College, I moved to Northridge where I now reside and am studying to become an Art Educator and designer at California State University, Northridge. My artwork pulls from my experiences as a skater and as a person that seeks to combat all types of “-isms” and stereotypes such as racism and sexism through the use of sarcasm, humor, and contemporary design. My artwork about social issues directly affects my color choices and my design compositions. Ultimately, my work acts as a conversation starter and strives to initiate dialogue, debate and hopefully positive social change and community growth for all audiences of my work.
IG: @beyondniksart
Susana Radillo: My name is Susana Radillo. I’m a multi-
disciplinary artist. I specialize in illustration, painting, digital art, animation, photographer, sculptor, and ceramics. In the near future hopefully become a future high school art teacher, a university art professor, freelance artist, art gallery store owner. I got my inspiration for my art teaching career from my cousin, Nena, she is a Mexican Art teacher, photographer, and painter from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. One fact about me, is last summer I was a photographer and illustrator for my friend’s short indie film, Worrier the Warrior. My favorite place to go to is the beach, it’s great for its different cuisines, thrift stores, comic book stores, and art galleries.
butors
Cynthia White Anderson: Cynthia loves living
in Southern California with her husband and two dogs. She is thriving as an artist, teacher and change agent for people with differing abilities. She has teaching experience from her time in Haiti, Thailand, Japan and America that has developed her mentoring skills and creative communication abilities. She began a student-oriented community service art education program, volunteered with Hospice Savannah, assisted with the implementation in an after school program for latch key children in Pensacola, along with assisted earthquake and tsunami victims in Japan through creative fundraising. She is now earning her teaching credential at CSUN, is an active member of CSUN’s Art Education Club, Teaches with 2BeHappy and continues to paint portraits.
IG: @ kittypuppytown
Iván Salí: Un poeta from Mexico City perdido en otra
ciudad, I find inspiration in the chaotic streets of Los Angeles or in the off-beat suburbs of the San Fernando Valley. My words are a reflection, sometimes of my own grim and obscure experiences or the beautifully absurd plane of existence en la que me toco vivir. Experimenting with words, music, and images I became involved as an artivist with the LA Poet Society. My poetry has been published in local literary journals Curious Publishing, Dryland and The Luna Collective.
IG: ivansali_
Joshua Pacheco: Joshua Pacheco is a photographer
working in the greater Los Angeles area. With a background in photojournalism his interests lie in capturing live events and telling stories within different communities. Loving a creative environment that allows him to learn and teach is what he loves most about photography. Apart from freelance work, he plans to continue his personal projects.
IG: @jp_img