The Flower Vendor
No one truly prepares you for the obstacles you’ll face in this lifetime, especially when navigating a journey into the unknown. This is the reality for many immigrants, who make the difficult decision to leave everything they’ve ever known behind, all in the hope of building a better future.
Resilience and Change: A New Beginning in the Aftermath of Dating Violence
As time went by, everything was changing, everyone had their own priorities, and I felt lost and confused. I remember that my mother always told me, “Don’t let a man raise his voice or hit you.” At that time she had already received VIP services and I saw her more free than ever. In her outreaches as a Promotora, always taking us along, I saw how she saw herself in other women who asked what VIP was. My mom, very confident, would talk about the services they were offering at the time, but she would also explain that abuse is not just physical, that there are other abuses as well; emotional, financial, digital, mental, verbal, and sexual. Without Mom knowing it, I was going through abuse but I was too embarrassed to tell her.
Surviving and Thriving: An Immigrant’s Journey to a Life Free from Violence
I was born in a town in Sierra Norte de Puebla and grew up in a family that has always experienced violence. All the time I saw my dad mistreating my mom. My dad is an alcoholic and was always like that. I grew up self-conscious , afraid, and isolated. I wanted to be invisible, for no one to see me. That was the fear my dad provoked in me. I would cry when the sun went down, because I knew he would come back to the house.
The Female Face of Latin American Migration
It is difficult to make someone understand the migration process if they have never experienced it. Migration is much more than crossing geographical borders; it’s crossing cultural and emotional boundaries. It’s leaving behind a life that you know you will never get back. For many, migration means burning bridges and diving into uncertainty, embracing an unknown world where customs and values are not always familiar, but where you must inevitably learn to navigate.
Statement in Solidarity with Survivors of Violence and in Support of Sanctuary Policies
As organizations that work with survivors of gender based violence, including sexual and domestic violence, in New York City every single day, we were devastated to learn about the rape of a 46-year-old woman in Coney Island last month.
From Retribution to Restoration: Justice Through Community Healing
Let’s try a quick exercise. When you hear the word “Justice” – what first comes to mind? Do you think about punishment for the person that did wrong? Or do you think about healing for the person that was wronged?
My Journey with Grief and Mental Health
On a hot summer day, my world changed completely. The person who brought me to this world died. One moment she was alive, smiling and living and the next she was no longer reachable by a phone call or airplane ride. The grief that came over me turned my world upside down, painting it black. Sometimes, through the cracks, light shines brightly warming me up inside. There are moments of hope even though it is fleeting.
Coming out to my Mexican Father
I didn’t mean to come out to my parents. If it had been up to me, they might still have no idea their daughter is queer. In fact, when I turned 18 yrs. old, I moved 2000+ miles away from home just so that I can live my life outside of the reach of their eyes and their judgment. As a Chicana raised in a catholic household, the idea of being queer ate away at me. I could think of no fate worse than disappointing my parents and shaming my family. I had never seen any positive images of Latine queers. We were jokes, perverts, sickos, sinners – people who did not deserve love and who would spend eternity burning in hell. So, I shoved all those feelings somewhere I would never have to acknowledge them and prayed for relief. My first semi-formed thought about my sexuality rose in my consciousness like bile. I felt sick.
La Salud Mental Durante la Maternidad
El ser madre cambia nuestras vidas por completo. Esta nueva etapa afecta nuestros cuerpos, nuestras emociones y nuestra salud mental. Las madres sienten un cambio total en su ritmo de vida, sus prioridades y en su identidad. Muchas mujeres se sienten solas en este camino de la crianza. La soledad, los cambios hormonales, el sentimiento de culpa y la auto exigencia son algunas de las experiencias abrumadoras que afecta la salud mental de las madres.
Sexual Violence is Sexual Terrorism!
Sexual aggression and attacks against women are all too common and horrifying. For immigrant women, the risk of experiencing sexual assault is even greater, particularly when pursuing education, employment, and access to social and healthcare services. Unfortunately, even when they seek medical care, they are often subjected to sexual assault by medical professionals.
