Many Highlights at the Chicano/a Workshop
I want to share my experience at the Chicano/a Workshop that happened this July in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.
Lorenzo Garcia, the International Liberation Reference Person for Chicanos and Chicanas, led about forty of us completely as himself. He met us where we were and gave us the space and example to be ourselves, show our chronic material [distress], and work. The workshop was organized by Maria Franco and Sparky Griego, but unfortunately Maria was unable to attend because of illness. A big thank you to the three of them.
The last time we had been together in this configuration was in 2015, and I’d forgotten how powerful it is for me and my re-emergence when we come together. I can work on my material in a group that looks and feels like my family and community.
There were many highlights and sweet moments at the workshop. I will share two:
I was part of a team of women, led by Sparky Griego, that offered physical counseling sessions to the other females. I am a new mom and hadn’t used my body in that way since before I’d been pregnant. And getting to be a counselor for females fighting on their own behalf was a big contradiction [to distress].
I was also in a topic group on the climate crisis that was called by Lorenzo and led by Andres Mares Muro. It was amazing to work on that topic with all Chicanos/as. I could see familiar material on everyone and how working on it will free our minds to think about the crisis more sharply.
Lorenzo encouraged us to show ourselves and our struggles and to push past our defenses to be with each other. I think we did well. I appreciate all of us for our ability to be hilarious and fierce. I’m excited that our constituency will be meeting together more frequently in the coming years to continue to strengthen our relationships. It will make a difference to me.
Oakland, California, USA
Reprinted from the RC e-mail discussion list
for leaders of Latinos/as and Chicanos/as