Note: I am turning this in a day late, as I was sadly not able to attend the event synchronously, and the video was not posted until after I fell asleep Sunday night. Thanks for your patience.
During these tumultuous times, being reminded of the power of healing and remembering is especially poignant and important. When Black people are being murdered by law enforcement regularly in this country, and the people brave enough to speak out are only being tear gassed and shot with rubber bullets in response, having a place to reflect, mourn, and heal is incredibly powerful. As Ofelia Esparza showed us, Ofrendas are art and are very powerful to communities. They remember and honor people who have passed, which is very relevant to what is happening in the world right now. One of the panelists talked about the need for public places to pray, as churches and more traditional places of worship are less popular with the younger generations. I think Ofrendas are especially needed as places of healing, especially for my Black and Brown counterparts, as in these times there’s such a demand due to the violence from law enforcement. At the same time, it gives us a place to remember and honor the lives of these Black people murdered, not just their deaths. These are real people murdered, and we have to remember and humanize them as people and real lives lost, not just corpses. Within the Black Lives Matter movement, there is often a focus on Black men killed, and while that is a meaningful epidemic, we must not forget to remember the Black women and Black trans people who are also killed in remarkable numbers. Racism affects women and LGBTQ people as well.
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