My truths

By: Divianca Martinez

This Shadow Box represents me, my identity, what makes me who I am. Many people assume that I am a criminal just because of my colored skin, that I am dumb because of my race/ethnicity, that I am less then and uncapable because I’m a female. These are my assigned identities that also make me who I am, but they are not the only identities that build me. To represent my race, ethnicity, and nationality, I included a Mexican game that me and my family play called “Loteria”. My family is a really significant part of my life, so I added a picture of all of us. There is a Mexico flag and a U.S flag, showing where I was born and where my family descended from. The images that were added to signify my chosen identity of being a female is a “We Can Do It” sign and the sign of my sex with a fist inside it, showing demonstrating women power. All of these objects have both their dominant and counter narratives, but for me it is more important to focus on the counter narratives because I feel they are more true to me.            

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Spencer
April 9, 2020 4:14 am

Dear Divianca, I am a student at SJSU. I loved how you immediately got my attention with the first line. I was instantly hooked by this line, “Many people assume that I am a criminal just because of my colored skin, that I am dumb because of my race/ethnicity, that I am less then and uncapable because I’m a female.” This is such a powerful statement that describes how our society judges people today based on their race, gender, and appearance. This was a very strong and inspiring shadow box. Thank you for your time.

Aminah
November 4, 2019 9:54 am

Dear divianca,
I love how you expressed your identity through your box. This shows how insightful strong and talented you are. I love how you represented your culture and family and their importance in your life. I was able to get a picture of your beliefs and the significance certain things play in your life. I love how proud you are to be a woman and how it is an important part of you although it is hard to be a woman in our society.

Jennifer Cardenas
October 30, 2019 3:45 pm

Dear Divianca,
Your box is so creative, beautiful and overall representative of who you are, and who youve become. The start of your descriptrion is formed so beautifully, I say this because I feel I can relate to this, we have alot in common. I was also born here and my family is from Mexico as well. I strongly agree with everything youve stated and I can see you are a strong independant person. Your box really brings out who you are and how important most of these things are to you. I love the fact you added your family, sports, activities and games that represent you. Overall your box was beautiful and really brought out the type of person you are.

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