Gracias A La Vida : Reflections of a Mexican-American Woman from Detroit

Abstract

The stories I reminisce about in this SIP have significant meaning to me. They are brief but powerful. They are moments and times in my life that define me and allow my younger self to understand I was never alone in this process. These moments were essential parts of my journey because they were vital to understanding my Latina identity--a young second-generation Mexican-American woman in Michigan who grew up far away from where my family and culture are said to meet. When I was young, I believed that I was never enough to embrace my identity, let alone who I was. In this piece, I try to unpack that concept through storytelling and allow my audience to see two things: Accepting my identity and that there are Latinx communities where you least expect it. They, too, deserve to be told; They are valid, and they also find their home and identity in the Midwest.