La Gente Entre Nosotros / The People Between Us
Abstract
This collection stems from the tradition of poetry of witness / anthro-poetry, and chronicles the lives of individuals within communities who are affected by racism, ignorance, and Americanization. The catalyst for this collection was the massive influx of immigrant children fleeing South and Central American, and Mexico to the United States in the summer of 2014. This event spurred a whirlwind of anger, confusion, and racism, which left children in the political crossfire. Thus, this collection is aptly titled La Gente Entre Nosotros / The People Between Us. In this collection, I take the approach of the anthro-poet, to document and be witness to these events. This is what anthropologist turned poet, Renato Rosaldo, calls “poetry that is centrally about the human condition” the documentation of an event (101). For me, writers are the individuals who must speak for the voiceless, and must paint their stories on the page. This collection also examines my own relationship with racism, its proximity to my family and my child, and how these relationships contribute to my cultural identity and my writing. The work also delves into my own struggles with racism growing up Mexican-American in South Texas in the 1980’s.
Subject Area
Creative writing|American literature|Hispanic American studies
Recommended Citation
Robledo, Gerard Stephen, "La Gente Entre Nosotros / The People Between Us" (2016). ETD Collection for University of Texas, El Paso. AAI10118199.
https://scholarworks.utep.edu/dissertations/AAI10118199