The Latino community has shown itself to be a powerful, unstoppable force leaving its imprint on every facet of life, but that has not been without struggle. Latinx activist and author of “For Brown Girls with Sharp Edges and Tender Hearts, a Love Letter to Women of Color,” Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodriguez shares her experience.
“I think the first time I realized how important it was to identify as Latina, or Latino or Latinx, it was in grad school,” says Rodriguez. “When I realized how many people weren't included in Hispanic, I didn't know that I thought Hispanic meant all of us.”
She explained at the beginning of her book the difference between Latinx and Hispanic Heritage Month and shared why that was a necessity for her.
“I think it's because it's so politicized. You can be a creator online, and the minute you say Latinx, in any part of the caption, if you say it in a video, the comments will forget anything that came out of your mouth, and they will just focus on ‘why the X? Why are you changing who we are?” says Rodriguez. “So, I knew I needed to be clear that that was what I was going to use.”
She shared what was the biggest obstacle when writing the book.
“I think being honest, being really okay with what I have discovered because I'm a first gen. I'm the first to do a lot of things, my family and I started going home with a lot of this new knowledge,” says Rodriguez. “And my parents were very resistant to me coming into self-importance. Like they didn't do all this work for me to get to this place, you know? And so, I was like, ‘okay, that's not working with a better strategy?’ Just show your scars.”
To order her book and want to know more information, visit priscadorcas.com
