Community As Sanctuary
I came to the United States when I was three years old along my mother and younger brother. My mother wanted to reunite with my father who was already living in Los Angeles. I do not remember much because I was a toddler but my mother shares that it was really hard to adjust to a new environment with lack of food and a supportive network. Majority of our family members stayed in Guatemala where I am originally from because the United States seemed like a far away adventure to arrive at. They are comfortable and do not see the need to leave like the mainstream news depicts the situation of most immigrants. Guatemala or originally known as Iximulew is a colonized land; specifically indigenous communities have been murdered, tortured, and violently displaced by capitalist’s interests. Most of my generation is emotionally drained with intergenerational traumas and have difficulty overcoming it because there are no spaces where we can talk about state violence and what has caused to our families.
Fortunately, due to the juxtaposition of inherited trauma we also inherit resiliency from our ancestors and as working-class people we have been able to find ways to survive in the urban jungle of Los Angeles. Since the age of 12, I remember being part of community organizations that helped ameliorate people’s social issues. These organizations became my families and I sanctuary where we can meet other families and create a sense of community without anxiously worrying about our status as immigrants or about the distances between our families living in other countries. It’s not that we want to forget but at least the time spent with new people brought us a relief and an opportunity to build relationships. It became my community family, my chosen family. Suddenly, I had 15 aunts and 20 cousins to play and refuge with.
Therefore, I learned that we could find sanctuary with others and build community to avoid loneliness and isolation, which at times it’s worst than not having food to eat. Not feeling empty made me want to continue this legacy of creating spaces in marginalized communities. Today, I am part of a community space in South Central Los Angeles; Solidarity House of the South where there are multi-generations of people using the space and community classes are provided such as guitar, Danza, Maya k’iche’ language, and popular education. The space is donation based we don’t like to focus on money; instead we focus on a mutual aid system where we as a community help one another grow and heal. Another space I am part of is a space we have created with my own family; my mom and grandmother. We are part of an organization Generaciones en Accion where we plan storytelling workshops in the community of East Los Angeles to motivate people to start sharing their own stories as a way to overcome trauma and also find a process of healing.
Nowadays, many people and children are migrating arriving to the U.S. without any resources. Many need emotional support to connect and survive. I feel it’s a full circle how now it is our turned to help those newcomers feel a sense of community and find sanctuary; even if it’s not institutionalized we ourselves are creating it for our own survival and preservation.
