Volume 30• Number 2 • Spring 2021
quepasa.osu.edu
Making Space for Latinx Scholarship and Community
Cure yourself, with the light of the sun and the rays of the moon. With the sound of the river and the waterfall. With the swaying of the sea and the fluttering of birds.
Esquina De Los Editores
This is our 3rd issue of ¿Que Pasa, Ohio State? produced during a pandemic. In that time, the death count has passed 500,000, several vaccines have been tried and distributed, and a new administration has been voted in. It’s hard to describe how I feel right now. Part of my heart is sharing the collective grief this country is feeling; I feel some sense of relief knowing my parents were recently vaccinated; I have a small bit of hope hearing about the rolling back of immigration policies that endangered a lot of lives. How do we go back to normal after living in one of the darkest periods of American history? After listening to the stories of those who suffered the worst, trying to help as many people as possible, I feel like we’re asking the wrong question. We should not be asking if we can go back. We need to ask how will we prepare for the unknown while remaining present. This is where our magazine kicks in. Heal yourself, with mint, with neem and eucalyptus. For this issue, we collected stories inspired by what grounds us, and what makes us feel like we are where we need to be. This is one of the most eclectic issues we have curated so far, ranging from stories on food, tranquility, history, family, and traditions. Natalia Rodrigues shares her account of attending an online yoga retreat, where she found the inner peace needed when starting a new graduate program. Caleb Gonzales describes the fascinating history behind Green Chiles from Pueblo, Colorado. Adrienne Ferguson recounts the delicate of her grandmother’s tamale making process. We also dedicated our center section to showcase poetry written during quarantine, affectionately entitled Socially Distanced Lines. These are the stories that remind us that the stillness our hearts seek is all around us- we just need to stop and listen to find it. Hug yourself with the cocoa bean and a touch of cinnamon. Put Love in tea instead of sugar and take it looking at the stars. My Esquina essay is drawing from Maria Sabina, Mexican poet and Curandera (native medicine healer). As we put our magazine together, her words permeated what we wanted to share: words that bring you tranquility, transporting you through cherished memories, enveloping you with scents and tastes that remind you of home. With so much of the unknown unfolding after a tumultuous year, we wish to promote a kind of wellness that draws from what we know and from what makes us feel that we are okay. Heal yourself, with beautiful love, and always remember… you are the medicine. With Hope, Love, and a Penchant for Good Stories,
Rolando Rubalcava, Editor of QuePasa Magazine, Spring ’21
Contenido 4-6 Mindfullness 4 Retreat Experience, Natalia Rodrigues 5 Novembro de 2008, Luiza Correa
7-13 Food 7 Latinx-Owned Business Review (from home): Pretentious Barrelhouse, Rolando Rubalcava 8 Sacks of Pueblo Green Chile on Display at DiSanti Farms, Caleb González 10 Food for the Soul: Collective Food Reviews by Que Pása? 12 Holiday Traditions, Adrienne Ferguson
14-17 Poems - Ode of Quarantine, Jacqueline Sampaio - Tú eres ls Medicina, Maria Sabina - Señora Medicine For Dominica Rice-Cisneros, Paloma Martinez-Cruz - Metamorphosis, Igdalia Covarrubias - Burning Summer, Dennis Elis
18-29 Comunidad 18 Volunteering During the Pandemic, Marvin Meza 19 Exquisite Tenure - A Tribute to Fredrick Aldama 20 Students Advocate for LGBT+ Inclusion, Alexis Miranda, Gabe Myers and Lulu Montes 22 Crónica: América en 2020, Gabriella Reyes 23 Latinx Student Success Center to open in Hale Hall, Yolanda Zepeda 24 Cautious Optimism: DACA Recipients as Medical Workers During THE AGE OF COVID-19, Rolando Rubalcava 26 "The Latina Academy is a Sisterhood"- Interview with Lair Marin-Marcum, Jessica Rivera 28 Teaching Juan Luiz Guerra in Mansfield, OH, Ana Gisela Diaz
30-33 Latinx Graduates
Quiénes Somos Rolando Rubalcava, Editor Jessica Rivera, Staff Writer Adrienne Ferguson, Assistant Editor Robert Soto, Social Media Manager Luiza Corrêa, Art Director Yolanda Zepeda, Managing Director Contributors Adrienne Ferguson Alexis Miranda Ana Diaz Caleb Gonzalez Dennis Ellis Gabe Myers Gabriella Reyes Igdalia Covarrubias Jacqueline Sampaio Jessica Rivera Luiza Corrêa Lulu Montes Marvin Meza Natalia Rodrigues Rolando Rubalcava The Office of Diversity and Inclusion publishes ¿Qué Pasa, Ohio State? each autumn and spring semester. ¿Qué Pasa, Ohio State? celebrates the achievements of our Latinx community. Each thematically organized issue provides a space for Latinx voices to share, express, and highlight our experiences and ideas. The Ohio State University is not responsible for the content and views of this publication. The publication does not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the staff. Cover Art: Healing through Cultura: An Ode to María Sabina by Jessica Rivera
Mindfulness
Retreat Experience By Natalia Rodrigues (Design) I arrived in Columbus in August, when the arrival of foreigners in the country was extremely controlled due to cases of COVID-19 cases in the USA and worldwide. So, like so many international students, I soon came across difficulties that caused me stress and anxiety, and I still had to deal with culture shocks. Since the beginning, I have been pressing myself a lot to quickly overcome the cultural barriers of the education system, as I wanted to learn as much as possible and guarantee good grades. The pressure I put on adapting was already enormous and intensified with the pandemic scenario. Although my teachers were super understanding, I still pressed myself a lot, putting me through many moments of anxiety, insecurity, and insomnia. That was my mental and emotional state when I had the opportunity to participate in the SKY retreat, and it couldn’t have happened at a better time!
very conscious and active way, almost like a muscular activity, and the result was impressive! I had never felt my breath like that. For a moment, my breathing was so slow and calm that it seemed to be non-existent. The attention to the body was huge and it came with a great feeling of gratitude. At the end of the three-day retreat, I felt like a new person, much more aware and relaxed. My mind was calm, even though the end of the semester was on fire. Before SKY, I used to meditate sporadically because “I didn’t have time”. Nowadays, I meditate almost daily (or at least try). It is more difficult than it looks like. Overall, my experience with SKY was very important in my self-caring journey, because only after those three days I did realize the importance of meditation in my life. Nowadays, I try to treat meditation as we all treat the task of brushing our teeth. Do you go a day without brushing your teeth? Probably not. Just like meditation, brushing our teeth is an act of self-care that requires only a few minutes to complete. Once it becomes a habit, those few minutes can help us to relate to ourselves and to others with more caring and respect.
The meditation retreat was offered online through Zoom for three consecutive days. Each meeting lasted three hours, and we were a group of approximately 20 people, mostly from Latin America. The mentors guided us in the meditation practices that SKY uses, and we even did yoga, which was great for relaxing. The meditations contained breathing practices that helped us be present. I had an incredible sensation of relaxation. I actually had feelings that I had never had before. I felt very aware of my body, feelings, thoughts, and breathing. Breathing exercises happened in a 4 Collage by Luiza Corrêa
Mindfullness
Novembro de 2008, By Luiza Corrêa (Design) “True generosity consists precisely in fighting to destroy the causes which nourish false charity. False charity constrains the fearful and subdued, the “rejects of life,” to extend their trembling hands. True generosity lies in striving so that these hands - whether of individuals or entire peoples - need be extended less and less in supplication, so that more and more they become human hands which work and, working, transform the world.”
Paulo Freire in Pedagogy of the Opressed
I managed to get my acceptance letter at the only Public Relations College in Rio de Janeiro. It was exciting to think I was able to make it. I never thought I could reach this far. Enrolling in a public institution was my mom’s (and at least two of my uncles) longtime dream. Unfortunately, she was not able to make it herself for many different reasons, and all of them due to the invisible obstacles poor colored people go through. The history behind these obstacles you might have already heard as it includes low investments in K-12 public education, hostile neighborhoods, urgency of making money to pay bills and their nutrition, and violence in and out of the household. This is not just a Usonian phenomenon, but a neoliberal consequence. Public colleges in Brasil are respected in the country. They are the best higher education institutions one can have and it is entirely free. The best History College and the second-best Medicine College in Latin America are located in terras tupiniquins. In spite of the political chaos the country has been brought into, our colleges are still known by their critical and political reflections about society. However, despite being public, these colleges were also known as being an elite (and white) space. The poor were never welcome into these spaces for similar reasons. Nontraditional students from the U.S. pursue for-profit institutions and often ended up with an insane amount of debt. It was after a radical change in Brazilian Higher Education conception (2002-2003) that I was able to enroll in the State University of Rio de Janeiro. For the first time, a mass of black and brown students walked into the public university and took seats in classes that were white dominated. We were one step closer to breaking up with the poverty line. The process of putting forward a racial equity plan favorable to enroll disadvantaged people in public colleges was built in partnership with society. That effort was the result of an extensive pressure by the black, feminist and syndicalist movements, progressive political parties and international commitments. That plan would consider the holistic story black people went through: both the years Back to Contenido
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Mindfulness
they were forced into slavery as well as the post slavery ones. More importantly than acknowledging their suffering, the policy would look to the struggles they face now. How were they performing in society? Are there any social mobility indicators? Why are black people frequently relegated to prisons? In 2018, we counted almost 56% of the population as black and brown. Mitigating the consequences it carries in the Brazilian society was not an act of a single school nor a single city, but a task force. Inspired by the Education’s Patron Paulo Freire and his revolutionary view on education, the Federal Government worked with an extensive list of stakeholders (including universities and various black movements) to design a plan. Roughly, this plan consisted of a rapid expansion in the number of public universities and guaranteeing the enrollment of black, brown, indigenous and people with disabilities across all of them. As Telles and Paixão (2013) mention in their article Affirmative Actions in Brasil, “The very idea of affirmative action, which largely sought to increase the number of nonwhite students at Brazilian universities, was widely considered as anathema to Brazilians’ long-established idea of their country as a racial democracy.” Despite its implementation having been considered controversial to some groups, the higher education democratization plan boosted an important discussion about race and class so long avoided in Brazil. I hope to see the number of black and brown people getting higher than the 56% pointed by the last IBGE’s (Brazilian's Institute of Geography and Statistics) research, but Brasil still has a long way to go in the race identification debate. My research is my way to say, “Thank You” and “I believe in (real) racial democratization” to my ancestors and to the people that fought for me when I didn’t even know I needed or was in a poverty war. It is not a manifesto, but it could be if you want to. This work is definitely a call for empathy and innovative forms to solve old problems. It is an urgent call on joining forces to solve issues we’ve been struggling with for so long. Time is running out for some of us, and as much as getting a diploma is a political act, waiting is, too. While some of us have the privilege of waiting, people are being incarcerated, dying, living miserable lives or conditioning themselves to situations we would never wish for our beloved ones. I used to think empathy was a theoretical tool, but while writing this preamble I slowly acknowledged it was actually a political tool needed in the fight for the education access of people “sem eira e nem beira” like me. “What we need are new choices”, says Tim Brown, IDEO’s founder in “Change by Design”. We indeed need “new ideas that tackle the global challenges of health, poverty, and education; new strategies that result in differences that matter and a sense of purpose that engages everyone affected by them”. Brown and I believe Design Thinking is a powerful method that can help solving some our hardest problems by involving people. Two heads are better than one and multiple heads thinking together is a revolutionary act. 6
Food
Latinx-Owned Business Review (from home)
Pretentious Barrelhouse
By Rolando Rubalcava (English)
P
retentious Barrelhouse is a brewery established in 2017. Its beer selection is dedicated to sour beers only, inspired by the palate of owner/former-chemist/ Southern California native Joshua Martinez. Every beer selection is a variation on the sour beer model, ranging from sweet to bitter, offering them on draft and bottled. The space itself is warm and inviting, with Edison bulbs and barrels for décor, giving its indoor and patio area a rustic aesthetic. There are even games like retro arcades and ski-ball, making it a space great for get-togethers with friends. This place sounds amazing, and I would love to visit sometime. Unfortunately, I can’t do that, because we’re still in a pandemic. At the time of writing of this article, the US is facing a public health emergency from COVID-19, with the death rate blowing past the 500,00 death mark. Non-profit organizations dedicated to helping BIPOC owned businesses are helping, but the first place to start is by using our own purchasing power. In an article for Al Dia, Maria Samaniego, Senior Program Manager at The Aspen Institute Latinos and Society Program states, “Every dollar spent at a Latino-owned business supports them in creating jobs, sustaining families, bolstering other businesses, and providing valuable services in cities across the country,”. At nearly $2.3 trillion, the purchasing power of Latinx clientele goes a long way. I decided to support Pretentious Barrelhouse by using eleven of the $2.3 trillion to try out a sour beer from my local bar, purchasing it via curbside service.
The Verdict I tried a bottle of Sybarite w/ Peaches. The bottle itself has the same characteristics as the place: a pleasant aesthetic that is not shy letting you know you are about to consume something special. At 5.8% ABV, it did not take long to remind me why reviewing this beer with dinner was a good idea. (plus, now I don’t need a cab to get home). I would be eager to try more flavors, especially the kind that are more hoppy, like a good amber beer, until I remembered that it is not up to me pick something I already like, as it is to try something new. The selection is pretentious like that.
Photo Credit: Rolando Rubalcava
For more info on supporting Latinx businesses during the pandemic, visit the Online Directory created Al Dia Magazine here: https://bit.ly/3byDPgg For a list on Latinx businesses in Columbus, find them at the Experience Columbus website: https://bit.ly/30wDRPBTo learn more about Pretentious Barrelhouse, visit their website: https:// bit.ly/3t8xVIJ
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Food
Sacks of Pueblo Green Chile on Display at DiSanti Farms, June 2020 by Caleb González (English)
T
here is a saying among some of the youngsters of my hometown of Pueblo, Colorado that the city itself is an abyss. That once a person grows up there, it is nearly impossible to leave, even when they do leave. As a teenager, my friends and I spoke of this truth almost as an absolute. As if the city had us bound to the land and we were unable to leave. I know this might be odd to say but I wonder if the city’s abyss is, in part at least, because of its roasted green chile. Everyone is hooked on it all year around. In many ways, Pueblo chile is grounding. It brings people back to a sense of community even in extraordinary and uncertain times. The southwest crop is distinguishable because it is locally grown, and it can be an additive ingredient to a variety of meals. The New Mexico equivalent is the Hatch Chile (some have been known to engage heated arguments over which crop is better). In Southern Colorado, green chile 8
Photo Source: Bristol Farms
Food
can be made as a simple stew with a roux base that makes it thick. In addition to the chile, it tends to have diced tomatoes, broth or water, onions, maybe garlic, and a pork butt or shoulder cut into pieces and trimmed of excess fat. It has a roasted flavor and a warmth that can satisfy the stomach even in the summer. My grandmother always has a container filled with diced green chile and onions. She keeps it at a close distance. It can be found in almost every restaurant and market in the city of Pueblo. Before the pandemic, thousands of bushels were roasted on the streets of downtown during the annual Chile and Frijoles Festival. The pubs serve up a surprisingly divine green chile beer that comes with a hint of spice and a reminder that fall has arrived. Growing up, I remember pork green chile as a house and even a church dish. It was a Christmas must and a direct substitute for brown gravy. For church potlucks, there could sometimes be two or three dishes of green chile available, some made with pork while others had ground beef with varying degrees of spice. When my dad prayed over the food, a more specific prayer would sometimes emerge in my head. Bless the green chile in the room. For fundraisers, my parents along with the hermanos and hermanas from church would make tamales and pints of green chile. This is what often paid the bills. I heard that the farms were open with distancing measures shortly after driving in from Ohio. I travel with my parents to DiSanti Farms in rural Pueblo para ver que onda. Driving on the dirt road with my window slightly open, I can smell the roasted chile as we pass by the cornfields. I can almost hear the charred peppers crack over the fire. Wearing a dark blue Denver Broncos t-shirt and carrying her purse, my mom approaches the half-open mar-
ket with her shoulders back and her head held high. My dad remains near the car. I see barrels of locally grown pinto beans, black beans, and deep red kidney beans, boxes of potatoes, homemade green chile jams, smaller peppers like serranos and chile de árbol. In the middle of the market, there are boxes of watermelons larger than basketballs. The green chile is located in the back and it must be requested. It seems complicated at first but after requesting a bushel, a woman wearing a large mask goes to the back. Within seconds, she returns with a bag of fresh silky green chile peppers, each larger than my hand. My mom confirms with the cashier that we can get the chile roasted before we leave. After the purchase, she carefully hands the bag to a woman, one of the chile roasters, as if she were handing her a fragile Christmas gift with both hands. The woman takes the bag and slowly opens one of the empty pepper roasters, lighting another fire below. The roaster spins for what seems like 15 minutes. I feel the fire on my face in the summer Colorado dry heat and I can almost taste the seeds of the roasted green chile through my mask. At one point, the pepper roaster spins so fast that all I see is blotches of green. With shoulders back and a clear focus, the woman pulls out a short water hose spraying the roaster down to hydrate the chile as it spins. I stand about seven feet away with the sun beaming on my head, tapping into the abyss of my hometown. The abyss of the green chile that pulls me back in. Arriving at the apartment, I open the freezer to make space. “We can leave some of it out for dinner this evening” my mom says while passing me by. “You can help me make some pork green chile for dinner.”
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Photo Credit: Rolando Rubalcava
Photo Source: Yelp.com
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Food for the Soul
Collective Food Reviews by Team Qué Pasa? Photo Source: Deposit Photos
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Photo Source: Receitas Agora
Food
1. Mariscos San Blas
2. Casa Hacienda Grill
by Rolando Rubalcava
by Jessica Rivera
I grew up in Los Angeles, where mariscos, ceviche, and Catholicism is not difficult to find. When you step into Mariscos San Blas, you are greeted with an alter of La Virgen de Guadalupe and the smells of a good mariscos restaurant. The scenery looks just like the places I grew up with, with blue walls and décor that says, “We know the definition of good mariscos” I ordered a coctel de camaron and was proven right. The smell of the juice was perfect, and the shrimp was so fresh! I decided to go one step further and order a michelada and was not disappointed. With a chile rim and lime for garnish, made with Budweiser, I was transported back to my home city, as if I never left. I was still hungry, so I ordered steak fajitas, and they were…. fine. I think, like all good mariscos places, if you go to a mariscos restaurant, get seafood. You’ll be glad you did. My empty glasses can vouch for that.
Great place for beautiful scenery, good food and generous portions. It is probably the only Mexican restaurant that I’ve ever been to that serves a side of beans with its chips and salsa. The beans were delicious, and they must be popular because there is a fee if you ask for an extra serving. For my meal, I ordered the carne asada and it did not disappoint. It had a great flavor that reminded me of carne asada from home. Another great part of Casa Hacienda Grill is the ambiance, the whole restaurant is covered with beautifully painted Mexican décor. From the chairs to the booths, there were images depicting different Mexican scenes. The music playing in the background of a restaurant is often telling of a restaurant’s authenticity and Casa Hacienda Grill had Mexican music for all generations. Overall it was a great meal, the only thing missing was fresh limonada!
3. El Cubano from Pablo’s Havana Café
4. Moqueca Baiana
by Yolanda Zepeda
by Luiza Correa
“Two kinds of pig meat--ham and roast pork--and a slice of white cheese in the shape of New York.” This is the refrain of a song by Tom Russell about a guy who uses his Cuban sandwich to accost a would-be robber. Praised as a hero, he delivers the punchline of the song: “that was no hero, that was a Cuban sandwich.” This fun soundtrack plays in my head whenever I bite through the crunchy toast and into the warm, seasoned ham and melty cheese of a perfect Cubano. I get mine with a side of tostones from Pablo’s Havana Café in Powell—pure joy!
¿Qué Pasa, Ohio State? invited me to review a comfort food that reminds me of home. My choice was Moqueca (pronounced as mookeh-kah) Baiana (from the State of Bahia), my favorite food in the entire world. Moqueca in English would be translated as “Brazilian fish stew,” and its recipe contains coconut milk and azeite de dendê (Red Palm Oil). Add to this flavor explosion some shrimp, mariscos (if you like), bell pepper, cilantro, tomatoes, onion, and voilà! My moqueca was way modest version, but it was still great and I am sure the one cooked in my casa in Columbus was as delicious as the one in the picture! You probably won’t find this dish being offered here in Columbus, however, you might be able to find some ingredients to reproduce it. I recommend it! Back to Contenido
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Holiday Traditions by Adrienne Ferguson (Political Science)
Photo Source: Minimalist Baker
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My mother is an immigrant from the beautiful and culturally abundant country of Guatemala. With very little resources, my mother made her journey to the United States in her twenties and since then, she has raised a humble family of seven in Columbus, Ohio. Despite transitioning into a life very different from her upbringing, my mother was set on preserving her culture for her children. She would incorporate her childhood cultural traditions into our family’s daily lives as best as she could. And one of the most prominent ways I have been fortunate enough to enjoy my mother’s culture is through her delicious food- especially during the holidays. As a child and even as an adult, there are no other parts of the year that I look forward to more than the holidays. I always found it a bit humorous when people would be asked what their favorite season was, and everyone I knew would always say summer because of school break or winter because of Christmas. My favorite season is also winter because of Christmas, but more specifically because of my mother’s delicious cooking during the holidays, instead of the presents! Even with the presence of COVID-19 this holiday season, my family was blessed to celebrate the Christmas holiday together. Like every year, my family will come together with my aunt’s family for a huge dinner. And thankfully, all my family members were healthy and COVID-free, and we met the
Food legal capacity of 10, allowing us to maintain the same traditional gathering like every other year. Since my aunt’s family is also Guatemalan, and they share the same cultural traditions as my immediate family, it makes the holidays even more enjoyable. The most coveted part of the entire traditional get-together is the making of the tamales. A mouth-watering dish of bliss- the tamale is a holiday staple throughout many regions of Latin America. Comprised of primarily corn dough (masa), beans, meat, and really whatever other ingredients you like, the tamale is the focal point of our Christmas dinner. My mother would have these little tamaladas- tamale- making parties- with her mother (Abuelita Olga) when she was younger, and she made sure that this family tradition would be passed on to our family. However, do not be misled. While this holiday tamalada is certainly a family-bonding experience, there is no funny business allowed by my mom or tía Mirna when handling the precious ingredients. My mom and aunt are the queens of the kitchens and every dish they prepare must be cooked to perfection and must receive their blessing before it is deemed servable. And since they are generous enough to allow their children into their sacred space, we have to be quite serious or leave the kitchen. However, after continuing the tamalada tradition for years now, all my siblings and cousins understand the importance and meaning to the Guatemalan dishes, and we know to respect and appreciate our parents’ culture. My mom will always handle the moist doughy
corn flour because she knows how to make the tamales into the perfect rectangular shape, and my siblings and I will always have the honor of scooping the inner filling- usually a concoction of sauces, meats, and sometimes beans- into the bottom layer of corn flour before my mom tops it off with another layer of corn flour. Then my mother wraps the tamales into a papery corn husk or sometimes a big green banana leaf, tying them up and popping them into a pot of boiling water. Our meal commences once the tamales are fully cooked, which I love. Every other American traditional food we have - the turkey, the green beans, the mashed potatoes, will be prepared and already set on the table. But it’s the tamales that are the stars of the show, and to make sure they are the freshest they can possible be, they are prepared last. Once they are fully cooked, we start our family prayer and proceed with our feast. We all serve ourselves our own plates- but not the tamales. They are a delicacy, so my aunt and mom handle them as such, gently placing them on our plates. The tamale is typically accompanied with fresh hand-made tortillas or sometimes bread; either are delicious. It’s never a surprise, that it is always the tamales that run out first at our meal. For many others the turkey is the centerpiece for holiday meals, but for my Guatemalan family it is the tamale. It is a great blessing to be able to participate in this cultural experience because of my mother, and I look forward to sharing my tamaladas with my future family and children in the years to come.
Photo Credit: Andy Reynolds/ Getty Photo Source: The Atlantic
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Poems
Ode of Quarantine
by Jacqueline Sampaio (SPPO) Just another day Everything will be fine The mantra of life Repeated again and again In just one day Good luck, they said I wait patiently Good days will come soon Positivity messages Stuck in our throats Can you hear the scream coming from inside me? Or your screams are louder than mine? I embrace the hope Thin blanket covering my body during the Winter Tragicomedy Welcome to the new way to live
Illustration Credit: Jacqueline Sampaio
Tú eres la Medicina by Maria Sabina
Cúrate mijita, con las hojas de la menta y la hierbabuena, con el neem y el eucalipto. Endúlzate con lavanda, romero y manzanilla. Abrázate con el grano de cacao y un toque de canela. Ponle amor al té en lugar de azúcar y tómalo mirando las estrellas. Con los besos que te da el viento y los abrazos de la lluvia. Hazte fuerte con los pies descalzos en la tierra y con todo lo que de ella nace. Vuélvete cada día más lista haciendo caso a tu intuición, mirando el mundo con el ojito de tu frente. ¡Salta, baila, canta para que vivas más feliz! Cúrate mijita, con amor bonito, y recuerda siempre… tú eres la medicina.
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Poems
Señora Medicine For Dominica Rice-Cisneros by Paloma Martinez-Cruz (SPPO)
The señora swirls copal to greet the four directions then swings the burning resin back to you: the fifth meridian the length of your body antenna connecting thirteen odd hells and eight or nine heavens give or take you never were clear on the count you just know the heavens are outnumbered Excerpted from, "Señora Medicine" published in About Place Journal
Metamorphosis
by Igdalia Covarrubias (HESA)
I am metamorphosis. And I’ll tell you why. You see, Antonio Covarrubias Sandoval Was my father. Sandra Reyna Munguia Is my mother. My father resembled a Spaniard. My mother’s skin bared the indigenous brown. And there it was all over again. The Spanish plus the Indian to Equal the mestizo race. I was conceived. In the Central Valley I was born. Igdalia given as a name. Back to Contenido
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Poems
With the “g.” It was not an accident, but With all intent. I speak two imported languages And another that I’m Well, Unsure what it is yet. Spanish with the family. English for the academics. And Spanglish with the friends. In the American continent You know that place, Down south. They call me a Pocha. A North American. Another tourist gringa. In the same continent Just a little up north They identify me as a Mexican-American, a minority, A first-generation to go to college.
Now, let me tell you who I really am. Igdalia, yes that is my name. Una mujer (a women) That was born in the Central Valley You know? In Califas (California) Not just any part of Califas, but Farmas (Farmersville). I was also born Catholic but of the Type that venerates Tonantzin. And I still eat nopales (cactus) And frijoles (beans) And homemade tortillas de maiz (corn). I am also not the first to go to college. What about my ancestors? They went to the college of life. The college I go to is of Another type. My Spanish is different. Well, the English gets in the way. My English is different. Well, the Spanish gets in the way too. I’m of another type. I have metamorphosed into something new. A little bit from the north. A little bit from the south.
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Poems
Burning Summer
By Dennin Ellis (English) I remember well how it began. That summer we burned. A wind rushed and settled into silence and its ghost spiraled into a hurricane, a juggernaut. At a distance, we caught each other’s eyes; not cold, not dead, but more alive than ever and burning hotter than the sun. At a distance, we locked arms and gave in to nature. It carried us. And our thousand-thousand pairs of eyes accused the land beneath us. Mouths covered,
we screamed into the wind and it carried our voices upon itself as we prayed for the hurricane to cleanse the earth of rotten trees that bore rotten fruit. Together, apart, we blew the wind until it caught fire. And among us, within us, one mouth opened, one voice called, and it is still burning, and it is still howling for righteousness. I remember well how it began but it hasn’t ended yet.
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Comunidad Comunidad
Volunteering
During the Pandemic
I
by Marvin Meza (English)
began volunteering with the Laser program during the spring of 2020. Currently, I am a senior majoring in English Literature. I have been volunteering ever since I transferred to Ohio State, but my first volunteering experience was at the Mid-Ohio Worker’s Union. I began my volunteering with Laser once I switched majors from Economics to English. My former professor Carlos Kelly convinced me to switch majors when he realized my passion for proper media representation and cultural appropriation in literature. He also informed me about Laser and how I could become a volunteer. Laser is a program where Latinx students at Ohio State can mentor students at Columbus area high schools prepare for college. When I took his class, he was so excited to see me because I was the first Latinx student he had ever taught at Ohio State. I was simply mind blown at the fact that I had a Latinx professor at a prestigious university like Ohio State. Initially, I was excited when I got the letter of acceptance from OSU, but I quickly found out what it was like to attend a majority white university as a Latinx student. Having a role model like professor Kelly helped me realize that I could potentially have a future in academia. I originally attended OSU to get a BA in Computer Science. I wanted a well-paying job as soon as I finished college, but I never considered enjoying the work I would be pursuing a career in. Since switching majors I have decided that I want to pursue grad school in English so that I can further my education. Mentoring has sparked a passion in me to help younger Latinx students navigate higher education. Volunteering during the pandemic has been a huge adjustment that is still difficult to grapple 18
with. Additionally, the pandemic has made everyday life stressful. Socializing through zoom is simply not the same, and I miss being able to hug my friends without second guessing myself. Hybrid classes during the fall gave me some sense of normalcy even when we were socially distanced. However, I lost that sense of normalcy when classes were made fully online during the last few weeks of the semester. I’m excited that my classes this spring semester are mostly in-person, but I know that the decision to make classes online again is just around the corner. Before the pandemic, I really enjoyed being face to face, volunteering with students and reminiscing on my time in high school. However, when I was in their shoes, I didn’t have the same resources that a program like Laser provided. Having our volunteering sessions over Zoom creates a big disconnect and makes it difficult to build relationships with the students on a different level. It’s a frustrating position to be in. Sometimes it is even difficult to hear what the students are saying; for example, in one session we discussed different university types and we couldn’t hear what the students were sharing. We quickly adapted by having students submit online responses, but it still is not the same as being there in person. Before the pandemic, we would be in the classroom and whenever students had a question, they would just raise their hand. Volunteering in-person, my fellow mentors and I would drive to the school and meet with the students. This past semester I would log on to Zoom for 45 minutes before my classes started and as soon as the session was finished, I closed my laptop and walked right to class.
Comunidad
Exquisite Tenure
A Tribute to Frederick Aldama
I sit at a table where we can offer our students And other scholars different options to enrich An understanding of the making and consuming Of the cultural phenomena we identify as Latino literature. By exploring and connecting the Correlations of the humanities and Brain sciences, students will better Understand critical processes such As thought, feeling, and action in our Scientific world.
Frederick Aldama
Frederick Aldama
If we Latinos Have no future, then the country as a whole has no Future. This may sound like the premise of a dystopian Science fiction flick, but it’s not. It is our reality today. The doors are now open. A lot of people were Behind the force that opened them. Now, we have Created a community where ideas are flourishing, And we all know who to thank. A leader with energy and enthusiasm to spare, Uniting Latinx students through Laser, He is the guy with the light spiky hair, Best of luck Aldama take good care!
Frederick Aldama
Rolando Rubalcava
Yesenia Alvarez
You have done so much for students of color in the academy In creating spaces, publications, events, and opportunities And in doing so, you have changed all of our lives greatly. Kaitlin Sweeney
(at QuePasa Magazine, we created a poem composed by excerpts of Prof. Aldama’s writings, and words of praise by his students in an effort to reflect his scholarship, mentorship, and impact he has had during his time at Ohio State University)
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Comunidad
Latinx Profiles in Leadership
STUDENTS ADVOCATE FOR LGBTQ+ INCLUSION by Alexis Miranda (Public Health), Gabe Myers (Neuroscience), Lulu Montes (Social Work)
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hree campus leaders are advocating for a more inclusive climate for LGBTQ+ students. Lulu Montes, Gabe Myers and Alexis Miranda are actively involved in Undergraduate Student Government (USG) and were instrumental in producing the USG LGBTQ+ Campus Climate Survey and Report (https://bit.ly/3rFJwi4). It calls for an LGBTQ+ Center that centralizes resources and builds a sense of community for students across multiple identity groups and advocates for greater attention to the needs of BIPOC queer and trans students. The trio met with President Johnson last autumn to discuss the report. Qué Pasa caught up with them over winter break and shares their insights here. For all three leaders, the Morrill Scholarship Program (MSP) was a deciding factor in choosing Ohio State. The MSP staff were “so passionate about helping students,” said Alexis, “I was excited to have a community on campus before I even started classes.” Gabe wanted a school that offered a good program for his major, that was also affordable, “OSU’s Neuroscience program and MSP checked both of those boxes.” USG is as an important space for acceptance, friends and mentors. “Almost immediately after joining I found a great group of friends who shared a
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lot of my interests and passions,” noted Gabe. Lulu added, “I met phenomenal members there who do important work, accept me for who I am, and quickly became some of my greatest mentors and friends.” Ohio State ranks among the nation’s top LGBTQ-friendly universities, but it can still be challenging for students to bring their whole selves and the multiple identities they hold. Alexis acknowledged the community of students working to create a welcoming climate, but emphasized that “OSU is in a state that has no statewide protections for LGBTQ people and has a crisis of police violence.“ Pointing to her own experiences of “significant discrimination on campus due to my identities…this ranking doesn’t necessarily correlate with the student experience.” She noted that LGBTQ and Latinx campus events are helpful but argues that the structural factors have to change in order to make campus a safe space for students to bring their whole selves. I think OSU as a whole, needs to be more critical of the power and resources it has and needs to connect them to the community on and off campus.
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Individuals rather than physical spaces provide support. Lulu pointed to Jeff Perkins, the former Intercultural Specialist for LGBTQ Initiatives, as a source of support for her. Gabe agreed, noting that “For the most part I have felt comfortable being myself on campus.” Rather than physical locations or organizations, he surrounds himself with “people who make me feel supported in expressing my identities, especially being both LGBTQ+ and Latinx.” Institutional equity requires an intersectional approach. Lulu argues for an established commitment to queer and trans BIPOC to be reflected throughout student organizations, programming, training, funding, departments/offices, dorms, resources, and policies: “It is easy to claim support for the community while gaslighting and exhausting minoritized students within the community.” Alexis echoed this message, “I feel like many conversations and initiatives on campus center the experiences of white LGBTQ folks. I would like to see BIPOC queer and trans folks’ needs being prioritized…it’s also important for white queer students to support and uplift BIPOC-led initiatives on campus and in the Columbus community. Gabe noted the “lack of LGBTQ+ competent mental health resources at OSU that are easily visible and accessible, along with a lack of resources for LGBTQ+ individuals who aren’t white and cisgender.” They all agree that creation of a campus LGBTQ+ Center is the best way to address these concerns because it would allow for more full-time staff members to be hired whose sole focus would be supporting the needs of LGBTQ+ students.
Sharing pearls of wisdom for future leaders Lulu: Some advice I would give would be to surround yourself with people who check in with you, celebrate you, and challenge you- not because they feel obligated to, but because they care. Having this support system influences the way you continue any type of work and see perspectives other than your own to grow into a better person. Alexis: The best advice I received was from my professor; she told me not to shrink myself to make other people comfortable. This empowered me to view my unique experiences, identities, and passions as a benefit to my work, both in and out of an academic setting. Gabe: The best advice I can give is to get involved on campus and make new friends as soon as you can. It may seem scary but having those friends and connections early can really help out in the long run. Where their paths lead next Lulu wants to start a small business that engages her passion in art. “I have learned a lot from my family in small businesses and am especially proud of my mom who is committed to the Latinx community back home. She is relentless and has taught me to pursue opportunities that matter to me.” Alexis, currently in the throes of graduate school admissions, is weighing offers from Ohio State, Yale, and others. “I want to learn how to apply the skills I have learned to pursue health equity for my communities and those of my peers.” Gabe’s long-term goal is to go to medical school. “I plan to become a physician and help people who are having issues with their health. In the short term I plan to continue using my platform in USG to advocate for and communicate the needs of students to administrators.”
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Comunidad Comunidad
Crónica:
América en 2020 by Gabriella Reyes (Romance Studies)
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l año 2020 es como ningún otro. Miro este mundo y todo lo que veo es un abismo de oscuridad. Hay una torpeza de la que uno no puede escapar, ha invadido cada parte de nuestra vida y nos ha cegado. La disensión se ha producido a gran escala. Los problemas por los que solíamos pelearnos parecen no molestarnos más. El 2020 es un año en el que muchos se han visto afectados. Las minorías son tratadas peores que los animales, como si fueran basura. Quién diría que el color de tu piel podría determinar que sea aceptado o rechazado por ciertos grupos de la supremacía blanca! El color de tu piel hace que ciertas gentes te vituperen, mientras sonríen y te dan la mano. Tu piel oscura hace que la policía te tema, porque su primera reacción es sacar un arma y disparar. ¿Qué pasó con los Estados Unidos que se construyó sobre la diversidad? Algunos inmigrantes que vinieron aquí, fueron esclavizados, marginados y vejados. George Floyd, Breonna Tayor, ¿qué pasó con sus vidas? No tuvieron derecho a hablar por sí mismos, porque les fue arrebatado en el momento en que un policía blanco sintió que necesitaba silenciar sus voces para siempre con el arma que les fue confiada. Pero, ¿qué pasa con los que están fuera de la autoridad? ¿El ciudadano promedio camina con grima y presentimientos contra aquellos que tienen diversidad racial? Black Lives Matter se convierte en una organización porque muchos han olvidado la 13ª enmienda. El Dr. Martin Luther King sacrificó su vida para ver el fin del 22
racismo, sin embargo, 2020 está aquí y es tan frecuente como siempre. El sueño americano se ha desvanecido en la nada. ¿Cuál es el sueño de estar aquí? Esta nación no es todo lo que dice que es, especialmente para los forasteros. Dicen que esta es la tierra de las libertades, pero los negros son encerrados todavía de manera desproporcionada. ¿Cuál es la respuesta de las minorías? En lugar de reconocer la belleza en la diversidad, se les enseña a ser inseguros, a odiarse a sí mismos, rechazar el mangú con plátanos y cambiarlo por un “happy meal”, dejando un gran vacío, anhelando que se cumpla. Cambiando sus hermosos y rizados cabellos que hablan de sus raíces, de su gente, por el cabello liso de Barbie. Miedo de hablar con su inglés roto por miedo al prejuicio y la marginación de la mayoría. ¿Qué pasó con América? El crisol en el que fundamos esta nación con tanto entusiasmo se nos ha ido. ¿Qué pasa con los niños que son separados de sus padres diariamente en la frontera? En los Estados Unidos hay una falsa creencia de “ama a tu prójimo” pero odia al vecino indocumentado que vive junto a ellos. Los niños gritan “no” mientras las manos los alejan violentamente de sus seres queridos, sin saber cuándo volverían a ver a sus padres. Vuelven a sus horribles condiciones, duermen sin comer, no reciben educación y mueren por falta de medicinas al contraer una mera infección. Vienen aquí en busca de mejores oportunidades, porque Estados Unidos tiene recursos que podemos brindarles, pero nuestra ceguera solo nos deja ver el color, el color que nos asusta y rechaza ofrecer una mano amiga. No hay amor, hay tolerancia. La paciencia entre unos y otros se ha agotado y la gente está dispuesta a luchar, no a hablar. Somos gente privilegiada, a la que se nos da luz cada mañana pero la oscuridad la vence rápidamente. Nuestros valores se olvidan. Estados Unidos ya no protege a su gente. América protege a América. 2020 es cada hombre por sí mismos. Esto es América 2020.
Comunidad
Photo Credit: Michael Bustamante
Latinx Student Success Center to open in Hale Hall by Yolanda Zepeda (Managing Director)
The Office of Diversity and Inclusion is opening its doors to a new Latinx Student Success Center. The Center, located in room 200 of Hale Hall, offers students a lounge space to engage, interact, create, and build community. Michael Bustamante, program coordinator for the ODI Latinx Student Success program, initiated the project and oversaw renovations of the space with support that he secured through a university Informal Learning Space Grant and matching funds from the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. “Current research shows that Latinx students encounter challenges at Predominantly White Institutions,” said Bustamante, “and often interpret the culture or climate as alienating, isolating, hostile, and unsupportive.” He explained that the antidote for this alienation is cultural nourishment-- replenishing one’s cultural sense of self. Bustamante aims to use the Center to help provide that cultural nourishment, “I envision the Center as a safe, cultural,
welcoming space for a student population that may not feel very well-supported elsewhere on campus.” The ODI Latinx Student Success (LSS) team is dedicated to the academic success and full inclusion of Latinx students on campus. They deliver programming that cultivates Latinx communidad for academic, social, cultural, and professional support. In addition to an early arrival program and year-long leadership series, LSS hosts Conversaciones con Café, a monthly event series that brings Latinx-identifying students together for conversations, activities, and presentations that strengthen academic achievement, promote a sense of identity on campus, and encourage service to the greater Columbus Latinx community. The Latinx Student Success Center is not officially open yet, due to limitations on in-person gatherings, but members of the campus community are encouraged to visit http://bit. ly/3byU0KG to learn more. Back to Contenido
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Comunidad Comunidad
Photo Credit: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images Photo Source: The Guardian
Cautious Optimism: DACA Recipients as Medical Workers During the Age of COVID-19 by Rolando Rubalcava (English) Living as a DACA recipient requires a kind of versatility that is only asked of our most vulnerable. Your citizenship is at the whims of congressional debate, your employment status is constantly at risk, and some days, just leaving the house puts you at risk of getting spotted by law enforcement. Now imagine that risk of leaving home multiplied as a plague ravages this country, and your job is to treat those infected. According to Center for American Progress, there are roughly 29,000 DACA medical workers. As they await a decision at the federal level, they are also saving the lives of those hospitalized during a pandemic. DACA recipients fill almost every position in the medical field, including nurses, administrators, paramedics, and doctors. Uncertainty for DACA medical workers is on multiple fronts, 24
waiting for courts at the federal level to make a decision that helps reach their citizenship, while treating people and trying to minimize your exposure to this novel virus, in hopes that your employment isn’t terminated, since they don’t qualify for unemployment benefits. In a video for the Washington Post, Jose Aguiluz and Jesus Contreras describe their experiences as both DACA Recipients and medical workers combating COVID-19. Contreras states, “We’re just kinda holding our breath- not only for COVID, but actually holding our breath for the program itself”. It’s a really difficult position for them, yet the pandemic still goes on, and they are still showing up for work. They mask up, scrub down, and brace for the next shift. As they wait to hear about court decisions at the federal level, DACA medical workers
Comunidad continue to brave the worst of the pandemic. A brutal winter made the last several months some of the deadliest in US history. The death count surpasses the 400,000 mark, with no sign of letting up. Inside hospitals, there is grief, sadness, and doctor burnout. Jessica Muñoz, a resident at the OSU Wexner Medical Center, shares her experiences, discussing working at a hospital during COIVD. “There’s a lot of experiencing loss of patients…and learning about loss. You’re kinda learning as you go”. Working at a medical center now only highlights the gravity of what is happening, as the efforts to prevent further spread only increase. Visitors are no longer allowed, the removal of PPE is now a ritual for prepping for the day, all while the research on the virus is constantly updated, almost in a kind of flux. The stress only highlights the need for resources for DACA recipients, but medical workers of color as well. A new class of medical students will arrive, yet with doctor burnout and lack of resources for newly minted medical workers of color, it feels almost impossible to succeed. “There’s not a lot of people that look like me”, Muñoz states. An increase of doctor burnout means a decrease of mentors, reducing the fraction of physicians of color to almost non-existent. The tragedy is not the pandemic itself, but the compounding of issues, exacerbating already-existent crises. “I care what’s happening with DACA workers, with kids in cages”, says Muñoz, further highlighting how the pandemic is disproportionately affecting communities of color. Infection rates are higher where there is a lack of access in many communities of color, and jobs that are at high-risk for infection are mostly filled by migrant workers. The death count only climbs, making the situation feel almost hopeless. Almost. There is so much to be saddened, or angry, or even cynical about at these stages, both the pandemic and waiting for something to change, yet DACA workers continue to work, continue to show up, masked and with steril-
ized hands, ready to help. Why? What makes them continue this work when so many voices tell you you’re not wanted in this country? Jose Aguiluz, after being furloughed as a registered nurse, describes his experiences by saying “After being unemployed, I decided to volunteer in my community and provide my nursing services in this time of crisis…it’s a way to payback what the state of Maryland has provided to me”. During what may be the worst health crisis in US history, DACA medical workers are putting themselves in harm’s way to help others, all while in a state of legal limbo. Aguiluz later says, “My patients don’t care that I’m not a citizen. They just care that I’m a confident healthcare provider”. We could all learn a lesson about humility and duty from them. The versatility DACA recipients have learned will be needed now more than ever. Laws are constantly shifting, and legislation during the pandemic is more reactionary than helpful, as well as highlighting the disparities in health care access to migrant workers. In the state of Florida, state proof of residency is needed to have the vaccine administered, leaving farm workers on guest visas left out. Yet other countries are moving in the opposite direction. France has decided to grant fast-track access to migrant healthcare workers. This is happening in a different country, yet this may be what is needed to signal a change in the way we treat DACA medical workers. At the time of writing this, two breakthroughs have happened: a vaccine is now available to help stop further spread of the virus, and a new administration has been sworn in, and one of their first moves was signing an executive order reinstating the DACA program. Solely getting a vaccine or hoping for reform from a new administration does not guarantee a change overnight, yet this may be what DACA recipients need during a pandemic. They are still working, still masked, still waiting to hear what will happen to them. This is what cautious optimism looks like.
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Comunidad Comunidad
“The Latina Mentoring Academy is a Sisterhood”
Interview with Lair Marin-Marcum by Jessica Rivera (HESA)
Photo Source: Latina Mentory Academy
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ecently, I was able to chat on the phone with Lair Marin-Marcum, President/CEO of the Latina Mentoring Academy. The Latina Mentoring Academy is a non-profit organization aimed at promoting the development of Latinas in central Ohio. JR: Can you tell me a little about yourself?
Photo Source: Latina Mentory Academy
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L.M-M: I am part Spanish and Mexican, and grew up between Spain and the U.S. For a while, we lived in Puerto Rico and then moved to the twin cities in Minnesota. There I completed most of my schooling and during the summers I would go to Mexico and Spain. After graduating from high school, I attended college in Madrid where I studied economics and music. My first job after graduation was at Virgin records, but I moved to Ohio after meeting my husband. When I got here, I studied the markets in Columbus to help me figure out where to apply for a job. I was hired at Nationwide insurance in a role that connected Hispanic employees with higher level executives. At that time, there wasn’t much of a Latino community in Columbus. After some time in that role, I became the Nationwide liaison for the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. I then saw a position for an office manager with the Ohio Latino Affairs Commission. I got that position and after two years I was promoted to the Community Liaison position.
Comunidad Latinos, we like to get together and have face Can you tell me about the Latina Mentoring to face contact, since for many Latinos, a physAcademy and how you got involved? ical connection is important to our culture. The Latina Mentoring Academy is a sisterhood and During my time in the Community Liaison not being able to see each other in person is role, members of the board wanted to start a really difficult. It was hard to deliver materials mentorship initiative that focused on Latinas. for the retreat and not be able to hug each About 12 years ago, Latinas were the fastest other. There was also challenges for mentors growing population for opening small busi- in our program. Mentoring is one of the most nesses. We asked Latinas what they wanted to unselfish things a person can do. Many of the learn more about, and they weren’t interested women who are mentors are usually working in learning about entrepreneur development long hours during the week and are exhaustbut instead wanted to learn more about lead- ed of being on Zoom. Volunteering during this ership. During my second year working with time is very difficult. In addition to those isthe Latina Mentoring Academy, I became Chair sues, there were several participants who were of the group. By the third year, we began to learning all these technologies for the first time. have more trainings, some focused on entre- Balancing a job on top of volunteering and othpreneurship but most on leadership skills. We er responsibilities during this time, while taking collaborate with corporate sponsors to help care of mental health is a lot. provide training resources. Some of the topics that are a part of our training include resume One of the challenges that many young probuilding, interviewing, negotiation skills, high fessionals face is knowing how to negotiate power speaking skills and more. Participants job salaries. What advice do you have for stuof the Mentoring Academy attend 8 to 10 ses- dents getting ready to enter their first jobs? sions from June through October. The program It’s important to do your research when you concludes with participants giving a capstone presentation on how they want to give back to are applying for a job. Make sure you know the organization or the community. It is a very how much other people in your position are empowering activity. We have corporate direc- making. Once you have a number, you know tors come in to judge the presentations and we how much you can negotiate. Negotiating a also invite the community to participate. At the salary also depends on your experience and end of the program, there is a graduation and what you are worth. Never say yes to any first debriefing. So far, we have graduated about salary offer! Ask for some time to think about 150 mentees. We equip them with professional the offer. Latinas make the least when you look at the salaries of various groups. We need to and personal life skills to be successful. make our worth known. When you’re making a How has the Latina Mentoring Academy nav- decision like this, make sure you have a sounding board to guide you. Also think of the skills igated the COVID-19 pandemic? and qualities that you can leverage. For examThis year we had to move our retreat on- ple, being bilingual is a great skill to leverage line and unfortunately, we could not host our since diversity is an increasingly valuable asset mentee-mentor mixer in person. This is usually for most work settings. Use the diversity you a big event, where we invite big leaders from bring to the table to help you negotiate the the community. We usually have Mayor Ginther salary you deserve. or members of the city council at our events, To find out more about the Latina Mentorbut this year that was not possible. Another ing Academy, visit their website at: https://bit. challenge during the pandemic has been so- ly/3cjnZpc cial distancing. As humans and especially as Back to Contenido 27
Comunidad Comunidad
Teaching Juan Luis Guerra in Mansfield, OH
by Ana Gisela Diaz (Spanish)
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he landscape took my breath away. Literally. Not because of its beauty, but because of its whiteness. It made me hyperventilate. I was a stranger to cold and snow. I recently migrated from the island which has fallen to pieces: Puerto Rico, the forgotten place with the funky political status and the rowdy people. I did not have an idea of the misfortunes yet to come. I was driving through 70 North right from Ohio. I was going to teach basic Spanish to college students in the heart of America. It was money and I needed money being one of the many underemployed, middle-aged people caught in the shift of the new economy. Photo Credit: Fred Squillante/Columbus Dispatch Photo Source: The Columbus Dispatch
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Comunidad I hated driving, and I hated the interstate, and I hated snow. That winter was the worst Ohio had seen in 20 years. That didn’t endear the place to me. The drive from Columbus to Mansfield is approximately two hours of nothing but land, road skeletal trees. They seemed like menacing giants against me, about to attack at any moment. I felt like I was driving through some alien landscape; perhaps the moon. I felt lonelier than ever, so I inserted my favorite CD and started listening to Juan Luis Guerra. I had to and I loved to. I was going to give to my class a brief cultural panorama of the Dominican Republic, and of course I must talk about Juan Luis Guerra. When I was in Puerto Rico, I never listened to Latin music. It was all American pop and rock. I wanted to belong to what I thought was the greatest nation on Earth. Now, I crave a language and a music that are the source of my numerous embarrassing daily exchanges. It was truly in Columbus, Ohio that I discovered Juan Luis Guerra. It was in Columbus that I first heard Bachata Rosa, Si tu no bailas conmigo y Ojalá que llueva café, the merengue of the hungry, that at the same time, shamed me and made me want to dance. That is Juan Luis Guerra: happiness and sadness, sweetness and bitterness. I also discovered Cultura Proféctica, Fiel a la Vega, Calle 13, and Maná. Music I used to think didn’t belong in my world. As I drove, listening to Bachata Rosa, I could smell the salty air of the beach in the middle of this ocean of snow. I could feel the warm breeze on my face. Unfortunately, I realized I was going 85 in a 70 speed limit zone. I reduced my speed and tried to calm myself by breathing deeply. There should be a law against listening to Juan Luis Guerra while driving. Something like: “Avoid romantic bachatas while driving in the interstate. Danger ahead”. I looked for something to wake me up, and I stared listening to La Bilirrubina. Merengue is blood music. The beat goes to your heart as quickly as your circulation allows. In half a
second, I was driving and dancing at the same time. I looked at my rearview mirror and no cars were behind me or in front for that matter. I started to beat the steering wheel and sing, my small white car dancing to the beat. I shouldn’t have this reaction to merengue. I am not from the Dominican Republic. Puerto Rican, Dominican. Really? We are all the same. Little lost islands, trying to survive a relentless tropical sun and the anger of the sea. Beautiful places that can’t hide the ugliness of poverty and the traces of colonialism. Finally, I arrived to the Mansfield Campus of The Ohio State University. It was a really small and unassuming place. I got there to the tune of Bendita tu Luz. I love that song. I was singing loud and badly. But I felt OK. I made my way through snow and icy patches, scared to death of falling. I made it to my classroom, empty and cold, and prepared to thrill my audience. I relived my day again on my way back, through 70-South and away from Mansfield. The blank faces staring at me; the snickering at the back of the room; but above all, the total lack of interest of my students. It did not surprise me. When you love something, you think everybody loves it, too. How could I explain to these young people that despite its poverty and unhappiness, there is something incredibly beautiful about the Dominican Republic? I believe that beauty comes through the voice of Juan Luis Guerra. It’s music that gets into your soul and simply won’t let go. I realized you had to be from the Caribbean to touch its words and caress them with your own voice. As I drove back, I sang about starry skies dancing with the sea, about little yellow flowers lost in a young girl’s hair, seeing myself crossing the Niagara in a bicycle, and thought about life. I was happy to be me. I didn’t know who I was until I left Puerto Rico. I must admit I felt a little sorry for my Mansfield students. I can move through different worlds. I love and respect different cultures, different languages, different ways of life. I know that is a blessing. Back to Contenido
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Comunidad Comunidad
Class of 2020-2021
Latinx Graduation
Photo Credit: Ohio State News
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Associates Angell-Perez, Haven, Associate of Arts Callahan, Owen, Associate of Arts Garcia, Mateo, Associate of Arts Glenn, Isabelle, Associate of Arts Goenaga Lask, Kelly, Associate of Arts Goodman, Rachel, Associate of Arts Islas, Ashelyne, Associate of Arts Munoz, Bryson, Associate of Arts Pennington, Brooklyn, Associate of Arts Ramos-Ochoa, Areli, Associate of Arts Rodriguez, Kyleigh, Associate of Arts Rogers, Venus, Associate of Arts Solis, Samantha, Associate of Arts Velasco, Brianna, Associate of Arts
Bachelors Abreu, Asha, Envir Pol
Charnigo, Nichole, Criminology
Angelo, Joseph, History
Combs, Skye, Communication
Bagley, Camila, Public Health
Cruz, Luz, Biology
Balko, Stephen, Accounting
Dailey, Gabrielle, Accounting
Bebinger, William, Actuarial Science
De La Vega, Diego, Political Sc
Bockrath, Reed, Communication
DeOliveira, Eduardo, Health Scs
Braun, Michael, Comp Sc & Eng
Diaz, Javier, Economics
Briones, Stephanie, Communication
Diaz, Javier, Political Sc
Burk, Veronica, Civil Eng
Doig, Andrea, Oper Mgmt
Burwinkel, Erika, Communication
Esparza, Olivia, Social Work
Campbell, Andrew, Weld Eng Canzone, Dominic, Sport Ind
Estrada, Alexander, Geographic Informatn Sciences
Cartagena, Victoria, Marketing
Flores, Kelby, Oper Mgmt
Casale, Katherine, Psychology
Fuller, Seth, Sport Ind
Castro, Julian, Eng Phys
Gallegos, Matthew, Political Sc
Cerda, Socorro, Med Anthro
Garcia, Veronica, Psychology
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Comunidad Gervacio Camacho, Mayra, Neuroscience
Negrete, Nicholas, Comp Sc & Eng
Gonzales, Elizabeth, Biology
Ortiz, Justin, Fashion & Retail
Gonzales, Richard, Envir Pol
O’Toole, Cailly, Sport Ind
Gonzalez Brana, Sergio, Mat Sc & Eng
Peregrina, Alejandro, Studio Art
Gonzalez, Emmanuel, Communication
Periel, Luis, Biology
Gonzalez, Madalynn, Health Scs
Periel, Luis, Psychology
Gonzalez, Martin, Chem Eng
Perney, Alexis, Exer Sc
Good, Jacob, Finance
Quintero, Lauren, Finance
Granger, Jessica, WGSST
Reopell, Laura, Marketing
Hernandez, Paula, Psychology
Rice, Kassandra, Theatre
Jackson, Brady, Construction
Risser, Ian, Biomed Eng
Jackson-Ketchup, Joshua, Communication
Rodriguez, Kristin, Neuroscience
Jefferies, David, City & Reg Plan
Rodriguez, Maria, Microbiology
Juarez, Edwin, City & Reg Plan
Rodriguez, Nathan, Biology
Kenner, Skyler, Psychology
Rodriguez-Giusti, Danella, Art
Lambermont, Marisol, Health Scs
Rodriguez-Giusti, Danella, Psychology
Langlois, Celena, Food, Agri & Biological Eng
Roldan, Guillermo, Economics
Lense, Noah, Comp Sc & Eng
Ruelas, Nathan, Finance
Lewis, Ava, Evol & Ecol
Runyon, Victoria, Mid Child Ed
Liberto, Craig, Finance
Sanchez, Jarrod, Forr Fish & Wild
Lisevick, Taylor, Biology
Spring, Marcus, Weld Eng
Luevano, Julia, Psychology
Stanco, Rachel, Animal Sc
Martinez, Logan, Finance
Talanca, Alec, Finance
Mastenbrook, Walter, Economics
Tamayo, Olga, Chem Eng
McDermott, Connor, Sport Ind
Thal, Alec, Human Res
McIntyre, Julia, Psychology
Turk, Alexa, Hosp Mgt
Mendoza, Eduardo, Accounting
Underhill, Canyon, Weld Eng
Meyers, Laurel, Anthropology
Velasquez, Joshua, Weld Eng
Michael, Jonathan, Mech Eng
Velasquez, Kayla, Sociology
Moore, Josef, Child & Youth Svs
Weinstein, Paul, Finance
Morales, Alexander, Comp Sc & Eng
Wells, Adam, Oper Mgmt
Moscoso, Douglas, Ind & Sys Eng
Williams, Jada, Env Sci
Moser, Raeana, Health Scs
Works, Brandon, Communication
Munoz, Mackenzie, Anthropology
Zamarripa, Maria, Accounting
Murphy, Connor, Info Sys
Zapata, Gabriella, Psychology
Museitif, Mohammed, Public Health 32
Comunidad
Master Gabourel, Kimberlee, Clinical & Preclin Res
Gabourel, Kimberlee, Translat Pharm
Parsons, Jonathan, MBA
Garcia, Alberto, Physics
Rosas, Lucia, MBA
Gomez Flores, Mario, Mathematics
Marrero Garcia, Hilary, Math Sciences
Hendey, Briahna, Envir & Nat Res
Davidson, Elizabeth, Slavic & East Europe
Jacob, Bryant, Biochemistry
Espinoza Guzman, Lizeth, Teaching and Learning
Jimenez-Harrison, Daniela, Neuroscience
Lujan, Alan, Economics
Lucado, Alfonso, Elec & Comp Eng
Watts, Judy, Communication
Marroquin, Cynthia, Evol Ecol & Org Bio
Garcia, Carlos, Business
Mata Mata, Severino, Dentistry
Garey, Susan, Business
Melendez, Alex, Physics
Kutscher, Yasmin, Business
Navarro, Kristen, Molecular Genetics
Mercado, Elvin, Business
Ortiz, David, Comp Sc & Eng
Rodriguez, Alvaro, Business
Prieto, Sarah, Psychology
Sastre, Manuel, Business
Rima, Xilal, Chem Eng
Williams, Danius, Business
Rodriguez Garcia, Priscila, Mol Genetics
Rodriguez Santos, Karen, Law
Salcedo, Andres, Astronomy
Vandecarr, Theresa, Public Health
Tiscareno, German, Physics
Altamirano, George, Aerospace Eng
Valero David, Guillermo, Plant Path
Avila, Jeshua, Chemistry
Kennedy, Sofia, Translat Pharm
Cardenas, Cody, Evol Ecol & Org Bio Fisher- Garibay, Shelby, Envir & Nat Res
Doctor Castillo, Andrew, Mathematics
Rodriguez Pena, Rosa, Evol Ecol & Org Bio
Combita Heredia, Jose, Evol Ecol & Org Bio
Sarni, Samantha, Biochem
Dalla Lana da Silva, Felipe, Plant Path Lado Henaise, Paula, Evol Ecol & Org Bio Lerma, Marie, WGSST Martinez, Michael, Comp & Vet Med Moya Calderon, Christian, Elec & Comp Eng Ramirez Nieto, Katerine, Agr, Env & Devp Econ
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