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We Exist//Existimos


On August 25th I was able to attend an art show put together by a local photographer named Patricia Campos entitled, “We Exist//Existimos.” The purpose of this art show was to give a platform to several Latinx artists within Salt Lake, and call attention to a gap that exists within media representation of Latinx creators. As well as providing a space for artists to showcase their creations, this event was a celebration of culture, as many talked about or portrayed their experiences as immigrants or children of immigrants. Patricia, along with being a photographer, has created her own clothing line that emphasizes her identity as a Latina, and how proud she is of her culture. She continually is working towards visibility for Latinx artists, and celebrating what her worldview and experiences can add to artistic spaces. 
An incredibly impactful part of the evening was a performance by José Soto, a slam poet who attends the University of Utah. His poems have a strong focus on his family’s emigration from Venezuela when he a child, becoming a citizen of the United States, as well as his love . Below is a poem he performed that evening: 

Today (after Danez Smith)

Today I woke up late
I did not let Wham! interrupt my sleep
And I did not interrupt Mr. Michaels
Today I woke up to an empty
bed and ignored texts
Both to and from
Today I burned my toast and ate it anyway
Today I continue to be raised
by too great a Mother
and I know to be fearful
of more than just god when I waste food.
Today I was late for class because I continue to live
in a state that persists
in disappointing me with its weather
But today I am just talking about Utah
And today I do not let ICE stop me from where I want to go
Because today I am grateful
Today I am 14 years and 1 day grateful
Today I am not ashamed to have been born
on the wrong side of the line in the sand.
Today my dad is not odd jobs and a broken smile
Today my mom is more than just a helpful hand in ungrateful homes
And today I do not have to stay
up to wish them both goodnight.
Today I sat in the front of the class
Today I raise my hand and was not asked to repeat myself
And today they said my name right
They said my name right. 
And Today I continue to carry respect like I was born
with it. Because today I continue to be raised
my two great parents refuse to tell
God otherwise. 
And today I am more than just paper
and permission. 
Today I can just be
Because today I am not illegal
Because today we are not illegal
Because 14 years ago today we were not illegal
Today my family and I get to call ourselves
American and we are not forced to
listen to those that think otherwise.
Today I continue to live
in a land that was not built for us
But I get to make it into a nation built by us
And today I get to call this place home
And today I am an immigrant
And today I am not just an immigrant
And today I am proud of both 

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