Encanto Review – The Myth of Mestizaje and Portrayal of Intergenerational Trauma

The family Madrigal reunited for a family picture

*Warning this review contains spoilers for the entire movie*

7 LGBT2S Bolivian Community Organizers You Should Know About – [WearYourVoice]

Screen Shot 2020-03-12 at 10.04.16 PM — © *latetera*

Towards the end of October of 2019, the rise of anti-indigenous, misogynistic, homophobic and transphobic violence in Bolivia led to the coup of Evo Morales government. While Evo Morales’s government was full of contradictions, it does not change the fact that overtly racist, misogynist and religious fundamentalists are currently in power in Bolivia. I felt frustrated that mainstream media tried to simplify what is happening in Bolivia so I decided to write this list to honor community organizers that have always been doing amazing work and are currently fighting against this dictatorship. This list was published on Wear Your Voice.

Mate de Coca – [Daughters of Madre Earth]

Screen Shot 2020-03-12 at 7.21.43 PM

There are a lot of misconceptions about coca because of the stigma created by the cocaine wars in Latin America and the Caribbean. I wrote this piece to challenge the mainstream narrative about coca and remind everyone that coca is sacred in my communities and we used it in medicine and ceremonies. This piece was published on Daughters of Madre Earth.

13 Bolivian Heroines That Should Have Been In Your World History Books But Weren’t [FierceMitu]

Screen Shot 2018-08-26 at 9.48.21 PM — © *FierceMitu*

This list was a passion project for me. It took a few months to research every amazing Queer and Trans BIPOC on this list and while the research often led me to tears, I am grateful and humbled to have studied the lives of these amazing Queer and Trans BIPOC. While I will often be the first to denounce borders, it is so rare for our past and present leaders in Bolivia to be celebrated on a global scale. This list is for them. I love them, please celebrate them with me. My followers can read this passion list on FierceMitu.

[Podcast] Chatty AF 53: Michiko & Hatchin Watchalong – Episodes 18-24 [FINAL] – [AnimeFeminist]

Screen Shot 2018-08-26 at 9.11.24 PM — © *Michiko to Hatchin*

That’s it folks!! In this episode, we discussed many topics such as womxn friendships, inspirations and how we would pitch the series to anyone. It was a lot of fun chatting about this series with the AnimeFeminist team and I would highly recommend for everyone to support their work because they prioritize marginalized voices in the nerd community. Please listen to this final episode on AnimeFeminist.

[Podcast] Chatty AF 52: Michiko & Hatchin Watchalong – Episodes 13-17 [AnimeFeminist]

Screen Shot 2018-08-26 at 8.59.20 PM — © *Michiko to Hatchin*

In this episode, we focused on our favorite Queer character Atsuko, Portrayal of Chinese characters and behind the scenes speculation of the difficulties of working with men on a show that is predominantly about womxn. Please listen to this episode on AnimeFeminist.

[Podcast] Chatty AF 50: Michiko & Hatchin Watchalong – Episodes 7-12 [AnimeFeminist]

Screen Shot 2018-08-26 at 8.21.04 PM — © *Michiko to Hatchin*

In this episode we continued the conversation about Mejorando la Raza, Thinness, Sexual Violence, etc. Please listen to this episode on AnimeFeminist.

[Podcast] Chatty AF 49: Michiko & Hatchin Watchalong – Episodes 1-6 [AnimeFeminist]

Screen Shot 2018-08-26 at 8.00.59 PM — © *Michiko to Hatchin*

If folks thought I was done talking about Michiko to Hatchin, they were wrong. I feel very humble that I was invited by the AnimeFeminst team to discuss the series in depth with other amazing folks about this show. I was so nervous in this episode that you can literally hear me stuttering throughout this entire episode. I hope listeners were able to understand what I was desperately trying to say. There were a lot of heavy topics we discussed such as Mejorando la Raza, Sexual Violence, Police Brutality, etc. so please be advised that these episodes have trigger warnings. Please listen to this episode on AnimeFeminist.

Coco: A Somewhat Touching, but Problematic View on Dia de los Muertos [BlackGirlNerds]

Screen Shot 2018-08-26 at 5.10.15 PM — © *Coco*

This review was published on Black Girl Nerds on December 29, 2017. While there were a few enjoyable moments in the movie, the erasure of Indigenous and Afro-Indigenous people and the Land of the Dead reflecting the real world white supremacist racial hierarchies in Latin America, ultimately created a very empty movie that is invested in mestizaje. Please read the review on Black Girl Nerds.

The Melancholy Adventures of Michiko and Hatchin: Series Review [ShojoPower]

Screen Shot 2018-08-26 at 1.02.10 AM — © *Michiko to Hatchin*

This article was originally published on AnimeComplexiumon June 13, 2016, but I loved this piece so much that I decided to republish an updated version on the ShojoPower website on June 2, 2017, after AnimeComplexium was shut down.

This review focused on the mini history on how Sayo Yamamoto got inspired to make Michiko to Hatchin and how the series was able to discuss the complex racial hierarchies in Latin America and the Carribean through fictional Brazil. Please check out this article on ShojoPower.