Author: Erica Richardson

By Isabella Bonilla

The relationship between land and culture is one that has been studied and reviewed but time and time again merits critical attention. With our area of study being the Afro-Latinx experience and its history, it is necessary to understand that the Western foundations that exploit, abuse, and displace Black and Indigenous people are still present today and demand collective action to combat. The issue that will be discussed in this analysis is that of the fundamental right of land ownership, and how access to this has positive effects on Black/Indigenous/Latinx communities. In order to analyze this connection I will examine the MST organization and its practices, as well as the personal essay “Paraíso Negro” by Kahlil Haywood.

By Tasmine Lester

On my very first afternoon staying with her, my Tía gave me a grand tour of her garden. She showed me every single plant from the full-grown trees and mature plants that have been there bearing fruit or flowers for at least a decade, to the new baby plants that were so small I was impressed she could even identify them. Even though the garden wasn’t the largest, every single inch of soil was used meticulously and nurtured.

By Sandy Paulino

¿Cuán importantes son las raíces culturales? ¿y aún más, que califica como raíz cultural y social?

This is a concept I am seemingly called upon to ponder continuously. It feels something like a beckoning – a beckoning by the creator of the Universe for me to grapple with the significance of our intangible “roots”. Roots that ground us (no pun intended). That turns our environment into fuel. That marks the beginning of our journey and measures the lengths we’ve grown by the end of each odyssey.