Me
Academic Essays
Elvia Alvarado: a Campesina's
Intersectional Struggle
This essay was written for a class I took in the fall 2020 semester at the University of Michigan. For the second paper for this first-year history writing seminar through the University's Residential College, we were asked to analyze the development of twentieth century Latin American feminism in the context of our testimonial books. I had read the testimonial Don't Be Afraid, Gringo, by Elvia Alvarado; in this book, she opened up the intersection of her identity as a woman and as a campesino––a Honduran agrarian worker. This intersection was then used to wield a movement fighting a repressive government. In my paper, I argue that although Alvarado doesn’t describe herself as a feminist, her story exemplifies how the development of Latin American feminism in the late twentieth century expresses continuity, relying upon the intersection of personal experiences and identities of women to fight overarching injustices.
Diplomatic Divergences: Bertha Lutz's Committment to Human Rights
This was the first essay I wrote for the class I took in the fall 2020 semester at the University of Michigan. In the first segment of our course, we studied the foundations of Latin American feminism, focusing on multiple feminists from different countries. We talked about the ways that many women fought overarching injustices, like imperialism or fascism, or their contributions to Inter-American networks and organizations. For our paper, we were randomly assigned one of the feminists we studied and had to make an argument in support of creating a memorial to honor them. I was assigned Bertha Lutz, a Brazilian woman. In my paper, I argued that because of her strategic implementation of women’s rights amidst her colleagues’ power jockeying, Lutz deserves a memorial.
Interconnected Equality: Gandhi's Modern Legacy
During the Winter 2020 semester, I took the class Revolutionary Nonviolence at the University of Michigan. We studied the underpinnings of nonviolent movements in the beginning of the class by examining Gandhi. We talked about his principles and strategy. For our first paper, we were asked to argue which part of his legacy was the most important. In my paper, I argued that although Gandhi’s revolutionary views of nonviolence are often perceived as the most important facets of his legacy, the interconnectedness of his ideas make it near impossible to distinguish the most important element.
Strategic Symbols: the Intricacy of Gandhi's Salt Satyagraha
For the second paper in the class Revolutionary Nonviolence through the University of Michigan, we analyzed Gandhi's famous Salt March, or Satyagraha. To foreshadow the content we would be studying in the next part of the course, we focused on the strategies employed during movements. These strategies were then used to contextualized movements around the globe, like the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s in the United States. In my paper, I focused on the portrayal of the Salt Satyagraha in the film Gandhi by Richard Attenborough. I argued that while independence from the British was portrayed as the main goal of Gandhi’s Salt Satyagraha, the film only provided a superficial explanation of the intricacy of Gandhi’s campaign strategies used to achieve independence.
Gene Sharp's Strategic Nonviolence
Our third paper before the final exam in the course Revolutionary Nonviolence focused on Gene Sharp. After spending the semester studying the foundations of nonviolence with Gandhi in India, and then moving to the emulation of his legacy in other movements, we watched the film How to Start a Revolution, which highlighted the series of books Sharp has published. In my paper, I argue that although the movie How to Start a Revolution does not necessarily provide protesters with a copy-and-paste template for bringing about change, its effectiveness stems from the important overarching targets protesters must accomplish to dismantle the status-quo.
During my junior year, I took my school's Harlem Renaissance Literature class. Each quarter, we had a big writing assignment, and although we had moved remotely during the last quarter, we still had to produce a piece. After reading the Autobiography of Malcolm X, I was particularly interested in the second chapter entitled Mascot. Here, he talks about how he was tasked with representing his entire race when in predominantly white spaces. I began to think of how accurate his portrayal could possibly be, which then reminded me of the minstrel show. In my paper, I argue that minstrelsey and the task of the mascot are detrimental, as they create inaccurate representations of an entire race.