Stories

This Spring, the students in the Mexican Popular Catholicism and Gender class and I had the privilege to learn from a group of four Mexican immigrant female writers—Las Madres Escritoras.  Last summer, four mothers from Washington Elementary School wrote their own stories of faith and resilience with the mentorship of graduating senior and San Juan Diego scholar Thelma I. Valadez. On May 30th, in a formal panel presentation, Las Madres Escritoras shared their experiences as first-time authors and their writing journey as an act of self-empowerment. Las Madres Escritoras brought their families and their children witnessed, for the first time, their mothers present on a college campus.  The stories of Las Madres Escritoras filled the conference room with laughter and many tears. For me, being a Religious Studies professor is a privilege that carries the responsibility to create opportunities to have people from local communities come and teach our students about faith and resilience. At the same time, such experiences offer an opportunity for community members, and families, to further their journey to self-empowerment.