La Niña y La Del Barrio
By Emely C Fabian Vasquez
The privilege to read someone’s story is great, but what counts the most is the experience you leave with after you reach the last page.
Raised by a strong Dominican woman Her strong character many times overshadows mine I enjoy listening to hip-hop while my mother enjoys her salsa and bachata I like to wear my hair curly and she likes hers blown out My mother believes in God and follows the ten commandments I identify as a spiritual believer My mother identifies as Latina Dominican Her safety net All she's ever known. I identify as Afro-Latina I am Black, But, I am also Latina I grew up surrounded by Black culture through my community Streetwear slang The city The projects MTA While my mother grew up around the trees El colmado La musica El campo All my life I went by everything my mother told me and hid parts of myself All my life I swallowed so many words to keep the peace It grew overwhelming To have someone teach me who I had to be To meet expectations needs desires I couldn’t stay quiet anymore I was trying to save the world from my mother’s judgment but who was to save me I had to save myself this time and so I did. My mother doesn't always agree with how I choose to express myself Our differences are what makes us unique What makes me Me And her, her So I stopped comparing Stopped fixing what wasn’t broken Now I see myself Emely The one coming from behind the shadows
Process
As a senior, you have a lot of responsibilities. One of the major given responsibilities would be the college process. A struggle of mine was writing my personal statement. I wanted to write something with a balance of being personal, demonstrating growth, and emphasizing my background. With the help of my mentor Shanice I was able to write down on paper my conflicting relationship with my mother while demonstrating my growth throughout. I decided that for my Girls Write Now solo piece I wanted to write something as personal as my personal statement. So I decided to recycle the essay and turn it into a poem instead. I added pictures I have taken from my phone to give it that experience and feel as if I am the reader and the audience are the authors.
Emely C Fabian Vasquez
Emely Fabian is your average 19 year old trying to find herself through her relationships and experiences. Throughout her life she has fought a tremendous battle with her identity. It is difficult forming your own ideas and beliefs when you are overpowered by a dominant parent. Like Gilmore Girls’ Rory Gilmore, Emely too uses writing to process her relationship with her mother. Emely uses dramatic tools of expression, like photography and poetry, to paint the picture of both her struggles and eureka moments. Welcome to her world.
