women who rock

Mia Gasero

The 10th anniversary of the Womxn Who Rock conference was very eye opening on the future of female artists and those of the past. Especially in a time where life is turning in so many directions and we need to be there for one another and come together to support Black Lives and understand that not all of us experience what others have. During the dance breaks, it was amazing to see the expression of another while we had a chance to take in the love from the community we were gathered in and reflect on what has been occurring. It was interesting to hear Rosanna Esparza Ahrens discuss the making of an altar and how they use organic materials to put it all together but with a sketch of it first. Also a quote that I remember is when Rosanna said along the lines of, “When your in presence of an altar, your presence of sacred space”. This is absolutely true that the altar is sacred space and we must respect what we are viewing and whose lives we are honoring! One more quote that resonated with me was one from Francisa Garcia when she stated, “It’s not about death it’s about how a person lived”. I believe that is correct as well because with an altar, we want to ensure that we are honoring life while we are showing our love to the family. An individual's life goes on forever and we can feel their spirit when we are in the presence of an altar. Lastly, it was moving to view everyone’s altar near the end and see how incredible each one was made and how much of their spirit was seen within.