“Culture, Consciousness, and Movement Building: Las Tres Hermanas”
These three concepts acted as the foundation of the community organization I interned at throughout my year at community college, Motivating Individual Leadership for Public Advancement (MILPA). It is based on Las Tres Hermanas (the three sisters), the indigenous farming technique of planting beans, corn, and squash together for greater yields and soil sustainability. The tall stalks of corn act as a support for the vining beans which intertwine with the ground covering squash, all contributing to the flourishing of the crops and maintenance of the ground for the next harvest. Culture, consciousness, and movement building are interconnected in the same way: each element supporting one another and reinforcing the strength of the community for generations to come. My past experiences in community organizations had never yielded such a powerful concept; one that would completely change my sense of identity and start my journey down the road to personal healing.
“You gotta heal yourself before you can heal your community.”
As a second-generation Mexican immigrant, my life was characterized by the need to discover a solid identity for myself as a womxn of color. Growing up, the pressures to assimilate were exacerbated by my schooling, located far from my primarily Latinx, fieldworking neighborhood. Mixed messages from my Mexican community and American institutions regarding race and socioeconomic status disturbed my sense of belonging. I walked in the shadow of my missing identity.
MILPA’s empowerment through cultural consciousness was a safe haven. My often forgotten Native heritage was at the forefront of my internship. Indigenous philosophies, perspectives, and ways of living challenged my colonized outlook of the world, enlightening me on my position in society. I explored my connectedness with everything, noticing how my individual actions and successes have an impact on the world around me. I felt compelled to continue learning and changing.
A major journey I undertook in this process was in regards to spirituality. I realized the Catholicism that was forced on me as a child reflected the colonization forced on my ancestors, a revelation that drove my passion to uncover their practices. This manifested into me participating in a sweat lodge ceremony. Steam created from the combination of water and scorching hot rocks filled the small, dark hut and enveloped me. The air was difficult to breathe, but everyone within the symbolic womb shared prayers and experienced rebirth when crawling out of the hut. A sense of connection to the past, present, and future was born into me that day, revealing that spirituality was individualized and its definition is unique to everyone; not solely practiced from an institution.
This introspection was surprising; more so because it was caused by my workplace. My thoughts regarding myself, my community, the world, the universe, and their relations to each other were forever transformed. Challenging my previous perspectives through the lens of my ancestors beliefs—decolonizing—was healing. Teachings that stressed the importance of community, empathy, and collective wellness disputed the hyper-competitivity of American culture, revealing a more equitable way for society to run.
Prior to this exploration, the different environments I navigated constantly forced me to code-switch, so frequently and intensely that I questioned if I truly had a “genuine” self. Decolonizing my identity helped me understand that our human identities cannot be divided; the genuine self stands where there is no full beloning. The beauty in this was looking at my conflict between “Mexican” and “American,” and painfully exploring my divisions further than these. Acknowledging my middle-groundness helped me recognize that I don’t have to “give up” any aspect of myself. I gift myself term identification as Xicanx to honor this. Daily navigation between different cultures gives me a strong physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual intelligence. Recognizing this has become my self-empowerment.
Following our unique lived experiences and paths, middle-grounds are located in various places for each one of us. Regardless of our individual differences, recognizing our identities, learning about our ancestry, and exploring our sense of self gives more meaning and definition to the way we lead our life and develop our passions. This does not only translate into self-assuredness and well-being, but the positive development of our communities, especially those that are the most marginalized. In where we live a positive path, we can encourage others around us to do the same, teach others about our journey, or simply be a positive example. Sharing my story is one of my many efforts to do this. If my writing has impacted at least one reader, we are one step closer to developing our campus community into one where everyone leads their lives with strength.
So, I dare ask: how do you identify?
~Mariluz Tejeda Leon ’22
