Hello, my name is Alejandra Peguero, but I prefer to be addressed just by Peguero. My pronouns are they/he/she and I was born and raised in Boyle Heights, a neighborhood in the Eastside of LA.
I am a 2nd year Chicana/o/x Studies major pursuing caminos (concentrations) in Labor, Law, & Policy Studies and Expressive Arts. At the moment I do not have any concrete ideas about the type of research I would like to be involved with or what doing research in my field of interests even looks like. I have been involved in community organizing with a primary focus on educational justice and wellness. I also got to be involved with local art spaces that really sparked my interest in storytelling and studying how the Arts can be used by marginalized communities/individuals as a tool for social change. What role do artists play in raising awareness for issues their communities face? How are the arts used in our communities as a form of relationship building and as a reminder of the importance of documenting our existence, and preserving our narratives.
The reading that stood out to me was Venegas’, “Conditions for producing chicana art.” because I felt it captured that notion of “Ni de aqui ni de alla” that, in this case, many Chicanas experience. While I understood that in recent years the social conditions for chicana artists to practice their craft and thrive are much better, I couldn’t help but think if statements like “it wasn’t their time yet” will always remain true for women of color? I wonder if such arguments will always be the case unless society is ready to understand the complexity and interconnectedness of people’s experiences.
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