"Mija, I don't know if you thought about it this way, but we were also separated because of immigration.”
The costs of family separation (and scroll down for son jarocho and the art of Sentrock to brighten your day)
From discussing her own childhood as a young person labeled undocumented to her current work as an assistant professor in the Department of Chicana/o Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Dr. Silvia Rodriguez Vega has illuminated how her scholarship links together the personal and the professional.
In this final part of our conversation, we explore how her family has responded to Drawing Deportation, what’s next for Dr. Vega’s research, and where she presently draws inspiration. If you missed them, check out part one and part two of our conversation.
Antero Garcia: Earlier, you mentioned that your legal status in your family changed as you were doing this research. Do you see or connect with your family very often?
Silvia Rodriguez Vega: We honestly haven't been close in all this time because everybody was all over the place. But it's funny because I gave my mom a copy of the book. And at first she was like, “What? It's in English?”
[laughs]
But she's been reading it. Which really surprised me because I didn't expect her to engage with it in that way. I see her reflecting on our immigration story. She told me recently, “You know what, mija, I don't know if you thought about it this way, but we were also separated because of immigration.”
My family had to move out of Arizona because of fears of being detained. And then in Texas, my sister's high school called Immigration on my mom because her ID didn't match my sister's information. As a Masters student living in Boston I had to fly back. It just led to a series of unfortunate events. It's interesting hearing my mom reflect on that now through reading the book.
I see [my mother] reflecting on our immigration story. She told me recently, “You know what, mija, I don't know if you thought about it this way, but we were also separated because of immigration.”
AG: When the press talks about family separation it is in the way depicted on the cover of your book. Those experiences are awful--I do not mean to downplay the severity of what's happening--but the kind of separation you're talking about is a reminder that many, many more people are separated in ways that aren't counted in traditional media.
SRV: That is so true. And it's sad that it happens in any form. What I write about in the book is that, even when there isn't a separation, the idea or the fear of it impacts children. It's still significant and can shape the student's trajectory and well being. Complicating the way that we think about family separation is part of what has come from this work. I don't think I was trying to do that initially, but it kept coming up in so many different ways.
Even when there isn't a separation, the idea or the fear of it impacts children. It's still significant and can shape the student's trajectory and wellbeing.
AG: Have any of the students that show up in the book heard you share your work?
SRV: No, because when I was going through the IRB process, one of the requirements was that I keep no identifiable information. There was one parent that later found me on Facebook, and I'm very, very tempted to send her a copy of the book. But I haven't been able to contact the kids. It's really sad because I'm wondering how they're doing.
AG: They would be so excited to see their pictures and their stories shaping what readers learn. But, yes, IRB is always tricky with young people.
SRV: Exactly.
AG: You are now at UC Santa Barbara. I'm curious how your work has changed.
SRV: I just got to Santa Barbara last July. So I feel like I'm really new. I am excited about being at a place that has a very strong history with Chicana/Chicano studies, activism, and ethnic studies--specifically being from Arizona, seeing the banning of ethnic studies there, now seeing the banning in many states that is spreading. It makes me really excited to be at Santa Barbara and part of the next visions for what we want to see in terms of ethnic studies and Chicana/Chicano studies.
In the coming year, I'm going to be working with an arts collective in the Bay Area with queer women of color. I'm looking at how they use film and creativity in their work. I also for sure want to go to the border again; I want to go to Texas now because this work is based on Arizona and California. Right now, Texas is a place with a lot of camps where children are awaiting their asylum cases. I want to see what's happening and work with those organizations there.
AG: Is there an artist or work of art that is catalyzing for you?
SRV: Wow, that's such a good question. There's so much amazing stuff. Two things come up. One is the practice of son jarocho, which, as a musical category, is so resilient and powerful that it's survived so many hundreds of years of enslavement, genocide, colonialism, borders, and still relies on poetry and movement and dance.
And then there's an artist who's from Phoenix who now lives in Chicago. His artist name is Sentrock. He depicts these birds as people. Being from Phoenix, he depicts the phoenix a lot. I find his art so powerful because it's all about the desire of a kid in the hood wanting to have the freedom of a bird.
AG: I love it.
SRV: I have one of his prints, I saved up for it.
AG: I'd love to see it.
SRV: [turns computer camera to a picture on the wall] It's this.
AG: That's beautiful. I love it.
SRV: Yeah. He started off as a graffiti artist. His art is so powerful. Actually, one dreams is to write a children's book. I've been working on one since … oh my gosh …since 2016. It's so sad that it's still hasn't come to life. But one of my dreams is to have Sentrock illustrate a children's book that I've been working on about immigration.
Once again, we want to thank Dr. Silvia Rodriguez Vega for sharing her work with La Cuenta these past three weeks. If you would like to read more of her work, Drawing Deportation is out now on NYU Press.
Propina: Songs of the Summer
This week, we are thinking about the sounds of summer!
What is a song or artist that has been on your mind these days? If you’ve got a playlist that tells your story, get in touch!