This is for you.

OUR DEBUT

Our Debut was a huge success, and we couldn't have wished for more. We would like to extend the biggest abrazos y besos for all the support and love from our family and friends. Your understanding, support, and encouragement is our success. We would like to acknowledge those that have helped us, inspired us, mentored us, those whom we have learned from, people and organizations, there's no way we would be here without you.

This is for you, my friends and family: I could sit here and articulate, draw out, and cite all the reasons why we are doing this. I could stand on my soap box and pound out the importance of strong community, of creative outlets, of breaking cycles of oppression, of loving your neighbor, of continuing positive communal traditions. I could say that we have a big job, that we must preserve the good of our culture, and we must acknowledge and get rid of the bad. I could explain how success should humble you. But I don't think I need to this time, because all of this is reverberating within us. Because we know this, and because we have the tools and power to handle and rise. What are we waiting for? What are we waiting to be acknowledged, or approved by? Let's not wait for a false beginning.

So, instead of reiterating what we all already know, I hope that the reverb of that night, the reverb created by all of us, from all of you, in attendance or not, will be a step to achieving your goals.

La Chicana Collective is not here to be exclusive, we are inclusive. We are not here to be the beginning or the end. We are a small part, creating our history, following in the foot steps of our mentors. This isn't about what we are doing, this is about what WE, as a community, are capable of. Let's do this.

Here are a few fotos of a night that will never be forgotten, this was our Debut:

With a very badass performance by punk/crunk/funk duo PUSSYFOOT:





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p.s. I love you all like my sisters. Thank you for being such an amazing group of women. -mari

p.s.s Stay tuned for more images of our individual work and artist statements. As well as a peek into the process of making that BADASS petticoat in my self-portrait--made by Sarah Castillo :)

(said petticoat, aka: amazing)