Unfortunately, due to WiFi issues in my building, I wasn’t able to attend “!Printing the Revolution! Virtual Conversation Series: From Black and Brown Solidarity to Afro-Latinidad”. Thankfully, I was able to watch a recording of the seminar as one of our amazing classmates recorded it. As an individual of color, predominantly Syrian, I felt as if I was really able to connect with Moses Ros-Suarez’ story. For some context, I was born and raised in the Bay Area, specifically Foster City, CA. My city consisted mostly of white individuals. Similar to Ros-Suarez’ ambiguity, I too felt marginalized at a young age. But, growing up, Ros-Suarez wanted to show his community his true identity. Moreover, in order to establish who he was, he used the power of graffiti to express his true colors. Similar to Ros-Suarez, I didn’t shy away from my identity. So, with the confidence of my roots, and my religion as a Muslim, I would maximize my values and pray during recess throughout my time in high school. While some individuals in my high school found it odd, I felt that my creative ways of following my roots to not only my culture, but my religion, empowered who I was, allowing me to educate my fellow peers and help them understand my true colors. Something that I personally want our society to address is that race and class are subjects that desperately need to be addressed. And to hear Ros-Suarez address this issue really relieved me because not a lot of people know the hardships and barriers that we the people of color face during our day to day lives. It would be amazing to see more classes that address these certain topics because then, individuals will truly understand our barriers and make an effort to push for change.
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