Search Results

My friend Maria, who lives in Tucson, sent me a copy of her missive to Hacienda Del Sol Guest Ranch Resort in response to their invitation to their Dia de los Muertos "festive" Brunch. I share this with her permission. To: Hacienda del Sol (Tucson, Arizona) Subject: The Real Meaning of El Dia de los Muertos: Dia de los Muertos is a celebration that honors the dead and reflects the belief in the cyclical nature of life and death. It is a time when the living come together to remember and celebrate the lives of those who have passed away. The holiday is a blend of ancient Aztec traditions and sacred Catholic elements, creating a unique cultural tapestry, like no other. Families create altars, known as ofrendas, adorned with photos, moments, and favorite foods and beverages of the deceased. These offerings invite spirits to return for a brief visit, filling the atmosphere with joy and remembrance rather than sorrow. The origins of Dia de los Muertos can be traced back thousands of years to the Aztec civilization, where they honored their deceased ancestors through rituals and ceremonies. The holiday has grown in popularity in the Latino communities in the United States and continues to spread around the world, emphasizing the importance of remembering and celebrating the lives of those who have passed away. This day is NOT about brunch and cocktails. I find your event to "celebrate" this sacred holiday at best - clueless and at worst - disrespectful. How many of your guests will understand the real meaning behind this holiday? Without an authentic cultural context, your event to me is just another commercialization of Mexican culture and history. You folks can do better! This is Tucson Arizona for Pete-sakes! How do we honor our ancestors? Questions for mi gente: What are your family traditions around remembering the dead? Do you still follow these traditions? If you did not grow up observing Dia de los Muertos, have you now sought to make this part of your life? For my non-Latino readers, when and how did you first learn about Dia de los Muertos? How does it relate to your life, if at all? Have you participated in any Dia de los Muertos activities, like going to a Museum Exhibit or even making or helping build an altar in your home or community? No matter how long our families have lived in the United States, our cultures and traditions are always changing, influenced by the people around us. If we are lucky, we have friends and neighbors from different racial and ethnic backgrounds. The high rates of intermarriage mean that many of our families blend different cultural backgrounds. I clearly remember our son sitting next to his Dad at the kitchen table; Tony was eating tamales, and Mark was having gefilte fish and horseradish. That is a beautiful part about living in the United States. We celebrate and enjoy the foods and traditions of others in our communities. Many people first became familiar with Dia de los Muertos when Pixar's widely acclaimed movie "Coco" featured aspects of Mexican culture related to life, death, and family traditions. Side note: Do you recall that Disney (which owns Pixar) sought to trademark "Dia de los Muertos" in anticipation of releasing the film and its marketing campaign, selling everything from Coco-themed snacks to toys and clothing. It was audacious of Disney to think it could trademark a holiday from another country that has been observed for hundreds of years. Imagine an effort to trademark Yom Kippur. Political cartoonist and activist Lalo Alcaraz created this Muerte Mouse cartoon mocking Disney's attempts and casting beloved Mickey Mouse in a not-so-festive light. Following the public outcry from the Latino community, Disney withdrew its trademark application. Before Muerto Mouse, he created Migra Mouse and always has insightful commentary, capturing the horrors of the current Trump Regime and its abuses. If you aren't familiar with Lalo Alcaraz' work, I highly recommend you follow him on social media. Enter his name and you'll find him on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and elsewhere. And on a side note, Lalo was among several consultants to Disney/Pixar on Coco to ensure its authentic portrayal. Now, back to my childhood and how we honored our antepasados. In my home and among family and friends in rural South Texas (back in the Fifties and Sixties), we did not have elaborate altars with papier-mâché figures of calacas y catrinas, papel picado, or food and drink offerings like those we typically see now in beautiful, colorful Dia de los Muertos displays. Many families had a special place in their homes that held votive candles, and perhaps a picture or a small statue of a favored saint. I, too, have such a place in my study, honoring La Virgen de Guadalupe, beloved in Mexico and throughout Latin America, and by many Latino families (especially Mexican-Americans) here in the United States. Several days before All Souls' Day, November 2nd, el Dia de los Finados (as my relatives called it and known also as Dia de los Difuntos), our family would make the two-hour drive south from Alice (my hometown) to Escobares, Texas, the ranchito where my father's family had lived for generations. My paternal grandmother was a member of the Escobar clan. The closest Mexican town to Escobares, nine miles away, is Ciudad Miguel Aleman across the Rio Grande River from Roma, Texas. The streets of Ciudad Miguel Aleman were lined with vendors selling flowers, mainly marigolds. It was much cheaper to buy flores en Mejico, than en los Estados Unidos. In those visits, we paid our respects at the gravesides of my father's extended family. We would then return home and bring flowers to the historic (and segregated) Collins Cemetery in Alice, Texas, the burial place of my mother's side of the family. Visits to the cemetery included cleaning the area and ensuring that everything was in good order. We delivered the flowers, offered prayers, and remembered our departed relatives. I greatly appreciate the time, effort, and good intentions devoted to creating altars and public offerings at museums, schools, libraries, hospitals, and many other institutions that acknowledge the Day of the Dead. I was glad to learn about this holiday celebration many years ago, and I appreciate how it connects to my ancestral roots, even though it wasn't part of my childhood. I hope to be introduced to the traditions of other cultures and communities and to observe them respectfully.

That was the feedback from my spouse about my show the previous evening. "It's a fine essay!" I repeated and then laughed at Mark's comment.   “I know, it’s more like a speech to the Commonwealth Club than theater", I said, "I have no idea how I’m going to turn this into an actual play.”   “You’ll get there.”   I wondered for a moment whether I would. Then, I remind myself that this is my process. I write and research and write and research some more; then I present the facts and the law and weave them together, determined to convince you that some injustice needs to be corrected. IMMEDIATELY. Case closed. The early drafts look more like a legal brief, only without the legalese.   The first presentation of The ICEmen Cometh was Tuesday night. I publicized it on my social media, wrote a newsletter telling readers about it, and mentioned it to friends and regulars I see at Catahoula Café in Richmond (where I sit at an outdoor table almost every morning, even when it’s cold). I casually told people, “Come if you can. Tickets are available online, but you can pay at the door. It’s a one-night group show for a class I’m in, and there will be space. These shows never sell out.”   Was I surprised! The show was sold out, and they had to add more chairs and allow overflow to sit upstairs, which is only occasionally used. Processing the large crowd meant the show started almost 30 minutes late. THANKS for your patience in getting seated. There were four other storytellers on stage that night, and they, too, had invited their community. We shared five very different stories, and we all appreciated having such a great audience.   The storytellers are David Ford’s students, who attended a 10-week workshop, getting together on Saturdays. We stand on stage, notes in hand, developing some story or series of stories we want to present to a broader public. At the end of those ten sessions, we have a group show, divided into two nights of performances.   Performers and Their Excerpts Monday Night Lineup Tuesday Night Lineup Show night, David tells the audience, “We don’t know what we have until you hear these stories.” And that is so true, audience feedback is so important, and I feel the audience’s energy and reactions: maybe it’s an audible sigh, a gasp, laughter, groans, or the “you can hear a pin drop” quiet moment.   I’ve been taking these workshops over the past decade, thanks to my dear friend Diane Barnes, who invited me to join her. She is the creator of two very successful solo shows, My Stroke of Luck  and Not One of Us . David Ford's classes are where I developed my first play, Why Would I Mispronounce My Own Name?, and returned to the workshop as I made changes to that material at least three times.   Last year, when I was developing a new play, Class Migrant: de Aquí y de Allá , I signed up for David’s classes again, knowing that this is the most effective way for me to produce work and to get valuable feedback from him and the generous classmates.   Earlier this year, I signed up for another session starting in late spring. About halfway through, I felt compelled to address the assaults on our community under the Trump Regime and began writing a different play, The ICEmen Cometh . This work is new, and the material is quite raw. In fact, during one of the classes, I burst into tears, evoking the name of Anne Frank, knowing that today some families are in hiding. Some muchachita, maybe named Anita Franco, is frightened that one day she and her parents may be separated or disappeared. Although some may think this comparison is extreme, we are seeing the unfolding of a fascist society every day.   In some ways, I’ve been writing this play my whole life, as I’m flooded with all kinds of memories from childhood. One story is about my mother carrying my birth certificate when we visited our grandmother, who lived in Escobares, Texas, a ranchito on this side of the Tex-Mex border. As I was darker than everyone else in my family, she had proof that I was a United States citizen, in case that was ever questioned.   The two-plus-hour drive back home from the Rio Grande Valley included a stop at a Border Patrol checkpoint on Hwy 281 about 50 miles south of Alice (my hometown). It was usually nighttime when we pulled up. Traffic would slow down with the bright yellow blinking lights ahead. Once our station wagon had come to a complete stop, my Dad rolled down his window as the Border Patrolman approached and politely greeted him.   “Good evening, where are you folks coming from?”   “Escobares.”   “What were you doing down there?”   “Visiting my mother and other relatives.”   “Did you go into Mexico when you were down there?”   “Yes, sir.”   “How long were you there, and are you bringing any products from Mexico?”   “We just went to Ciudad Miguel Aleman for the afternoon, to have lunch. We bought a few trinkets for our kids, some Mexican candy, and my wife got some blouses for our girls.”   “Where are you headed?”   “Alice.”   “Is that where you live?”   “Yes, sir.”   “Where were you born?”   “Yoakum, Texas.”   The officer would point his flashlight at my Mom in the front seat.   “Ma’am, where were you born?"   “Realitos.Texas.”   The flashlight would then scan the back seat.   “Are these your kids? United States citizens?”   “Yes, sir, they were all born in Alice.”   “Thank you. Y’all drive carefully.”   After we drove away, my siblings would tease me. "Did you see, they kept the light on you a looooong time. Aren't you glad they didn't keep you?"   “Niños, stop it. Déjenla sola.”   My mother would tell me to ignore their taunting.   I don’t recall any encounters with the Border Patrol being unpleasant. I now wonder if my parents felt uneasy as they approached the inspection station. Back then, all the border patrol agents were white men. And for sure, there were NO women. Today, ICE and other law enforcement agencies have many Latinos, men and women. In several South Texas communities, the largest employers are prisons and immigrant detention facilities, so who they employ is not surprising. These are relatively well-paying jobs in communities with little industry and low wages. It is one of the reasons that rural counties with Mexican American populations in excess of 80% now vote for the supposed "law and order" Republican Party.   Caltrans Sign of Two Adults and Child Running On two occasions, I’ve driven from the Bay Area to South Texas, and along the way, I’ve encountered border checkpoints; each time, I got flashbacks to the border check stops of my youth. More troubling were the CAUTION signs of two adults and a child running. The message: Be careful, don’t hit the fleeing Mexicans. Seeing these signs always made me profoundly sad. And now we get to watch videos of people being tackled and beaten by masked ICE agents and thrown into unmarked vehicles. I process my grief and my rage on the page by writing.   I’m hoping that in a few months, I’ll have a new play about our current times and why we all need to speak up against the abuses and injustices. The rounding up of immigrants is the most visible sign of fascism. But I also plan to address the censorship and rewriting of history that the Trump regime is seeking to implement. All this is part of the same plan to dismantle our system of government and strip us of our Constitutional rights. All to enrich and give power to broligarchs and white supremacists.   If you’ve never read George Orwell’s book, 1984, I highly recommend you do so. And if you did read it years/decades ago in high school or college, I urge you to read it again. It will all feel so scary and familiar.   Thanks so much for your words of encouragement, and the emails and texts you send me with news stories that relate to the topics I write about. I appreciate your support and friendship. We will get through all this, but it requires all of us to be aware, to speak up, to take action.   As we say in Chicano Spanish, ponganse trucha.   I’ll end with the final words of the segment I performed this week.   “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence, encourages the tormentor.”             ~Elie Wiesel, Nobel Prize Winner, survivor of Auschwitz and Buchenwald   We all know that saying nothing encourages the bully. We’ve seen it in the school yard and in the White House.   Doing nothing is picking a side. Stand up, speak out, protest, band with neighbors and friends, and support organizations fighting the Trump Regime, while we still have these Constitutionally protected rights.   Pick the side fighting fascism, even when at times it feels futile. Don’t wait ‘til they come for you.   “In the end,” said Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, “we will remember  NOT the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”   One more thing: find joy in your life. Make some time to engage in activities that bring you happiness, such as being with family, seeing friends, cooking, reading, playing, or listening to music. I was uplifted watching these South Texas jóvenes playing mariachi music.

Years ago, I spent several days in DC with my spouse, who was there for some meetings. This gave me a chance to play tourist and visit my law school housemate, Pat. From there, I was going to Toronto on a work assignment. I’d never been to Canada and was looking forward to the trip. Although I had a passport, I had not brought it with me. This was before 9/11, when airport security looked nothing like what we have today. Pat, who had grown up in Buffalo, reassured me that getting in and out of Canada was a breeze: “You don't need a passport, just show your driver’s license.” The same was true of going into Mexico when we visited our relatives who lived in South Texas border towns; we often went "al otro lado," to enjoy lunch or dinner at a restaurant and to buy groceries, which were much cheaper at the mercados of Nuevo Laredo, Ciudad Aleman, and Matamoros.   But back to my concern about traveling to Canada. I decided to call the airline. “Hello, I have a flight to Toronto, can I travel to and from Canada with just my California Driver’s License?” “That should be fine, assuming you look like an American.” “What’s that supposed to mean?” “Well, do you look American?” “Excuse me? The United States has many kinds of people, brown, black, native, tall, short. And who exactly  decides whether someone looks American?” “Since you aren’t sure,” she responded, “I suggest you carry your American Passport.” Jaw-dropping. When I look in the mirror, I see an American, whether someone else sees me that way . . . can’t say. I did not take that chance. So, a friend went to our home and sent the passport by overnight mail.   Masked law enforcement: Homeland Security, ICE, other agencies, who can tell? Given the goal of Stephen Miller and the Trump Regime to arrest a minimum of 3000 persons each day, we know that racial profiling plays a massive role in who they target and those they arrest. There are plenty of reported cases of U.S. citizens (almost all of them dark-skinned Latinos) picked up by ICE and kept in detention for hours and days or even sent out of the country. Now, when I go to protests, I carry my US passport. Who knows when some masked law enforcers might nab me off the streets? Many Latinos report being scared. Being brown puts a target on our backs. It's a fact, and already there are several court rulings finding racial profiling and racism at the root of the government's actions. Take these opening lines from US District Judge Trina Thompson on a case involving the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) of people from Nepal, Honduras, and Nicaragua. "The freedom to live fearlessly, the opportunity of liberty, and the American dream. That is all Plaintiffs seek. Instead, they are told to atone for their race, leave because of their names, and purify their blood. The Court disagrees." Wow, even on those days I feel discouraged, I am reminded that so many people, everyday folks like you and me, are standing against the fascist moves of the Trump Regime, and many courts are ruling that the government's actions are unlawful. Although there are varying estimates (who can keep up with all the cases, motions, and preliminary injunctions currently in place), the government's LOSS rate for cases is between the high 70s to 90%. True, the Supreme Court majority appears to be in Trump's pocket, but only a handful of cases reach the Supreme Court. And in many instances, the government follows the orders of the court, although we typically only hear about their obstruction and defiance. As some of you who read my newsletter may recall, I have been working on a new play, Class Migrant: de Aquí y de Allá , about class prejudice and socio-economic mobility (and lack thereof). As inequality has accelerated, it has led to disaffection and unrest, and conflict between groups: college-educated “elites” and working-class people (who often did not have the opportunity to pursue higher education). Trump stokes resentment among his MAGA base by constantly claiming that (fill in the blanks as appropriate) people of color, gays, trans folks, feminists, non-Christians, radical lunatics... are ruining our country, taking things, depriving other more deserving people, to whom these advantages rightfully belong. Working on Class Migrant became challenging a few weeks ago as I was seeing images of horrific militarized raids in communities around the country, and especially here in California. And my head was spinning hearing and reading about the many lawsuits against the Trump Regime challenging the countless Executive Orders through which they seek to strip us of constitutionally guaranteed rights such as birthright citizenship, freedom of speech, and freedom to assemble. So, I put Class Migrant  on hold so I could write about the cruel excesses of the Trump Regime and the targeting of the Latino community. Of course, we aren’t the only ones at the receiving end of this hate. Muslim and Middle-Eastern brothers and sisters have also been kidnapped and forced into unmarked vehicles and locked up for weeks and months on end. Other groups are also at the receiving end of racism, homophobia, transphobia, the kind of prejudice that is front and center in my first show, Why Would I Mispronounce My Own Name?   This Regime, like those in fascist countries, is telling us that "dear leader" is never wrong and commanding us about what we should think, what we can read, who we can associate with, and what we women can do with our bodies. I say HELL NO!! How vulnerable are you feeling, my Latino peeps? What about the rest of you? Donald Trump makes clear in his white supremacist comments and ALL CAP posts that he considers Blacks, Latinos, Indigenous folks intellectually inferior, not deserving of a good education, of jobs that pay well with advancement possibility, and of leadership opportunities. I did not imagine that one day, I’d be living in a country where my right to live here would be challenged. And so, I’m writing about what is unfolding before our very eyes, and lucky me that I am enrolled in a 10-week class with solo theater maestro, David Ford. Halfway through our Saturday meetings, I decided to switch my focus and put Class Migrant on hold (at least temporarily). My new work, The ICEmen Cometh,  explores the nation’s relationship to immigrant groups and how this has changed over the years. I remind my fellow Americans, descendants of European immigrants, who came in earlier waves of mass migration in the 19 th  and early 20 th Century, how their ancestors were treated. And so much more. I’ll be performing a 20-minute excerpt of this new work in a staged reading at The Berkeley Marsh Theater on Tuesday, August 19 th  at 7:30 pm. It’s a student group show, with five different performers, each doing excerpts of 15-20 minutes. Studying with David Ford is a great learning experience as all the students are writing solo shows, which are in various stages of development. I learn so much from watching the evolution of the stories others are telling. If you live in the Bay Area, I hope you’ll see our shows. I offer you a money-back guarantee that you will enjoy the entire evening and will reflect on these stories in the weeks ahead. The ICEmen Cometh Tuesday 8/19 @ 7:30 pm The Berkeley Marsh 2120 Allston Way Berkeley, CA (Across the street from the Downtown Berkeley BART station) Buying tickets online is a bit tricky, so here are directions on what to do after you open this URL . First, you’ll see: "David Ford’s Class Performance Summer 2025" There are shows on both Monday and Tuesday, so to buy tickets for Tuesday, click the arrow below Audrey Mei’s name, "Show Info" You’ll see Tuesday’s lineup, with the names of the performers and the title of the pieces we have written. Tickets are $13 (including service fee) and are also available at the door. Thanks for reading, and I hope to see my Bay Area friends at this presentation.

One of thousands of protesters in Sonoma, CA The United States of America, long known as the Land of the Free, Home of the Brave, doesn't feel that way for many of us at this time. I have a mix of emotions as the 4th of July approaches. How can I not be alarmed seeing masked men (and a few women) wrestling people to the ground, dragging them away in unmarked cars? People are forcibly taken to prisons in other countries without due process. Hoopla to mark the opening of Alligator Alcatraz. Who could imagine that cruelty and humiliation of fellow human beings would a core design of government policies? Who hasn't heard about US citizen children with cancer deported along with their mothers, sure to die as the medical care that could cure them is no longer available? And watching California Senator Alex Padilla, for whom I voted, being tackled and handcuffed at a Kristi Noem press conference where she was spewing outrageous lies about Los Angeles and California, wow, that was too much.   Entire communities, including those of us who have lived in this country for generations, fear for our safety and that of our loved ones. There is a disconnect between the myths about our country and the reality of living in the United States. Of course, this is not a new experience. For generations, our families have been treated as second-class citizens, regardless of how many generations we have lived here or that our grandfathers, fathers, brothers, uncles, and cousins fought and sometimes died defending the freedom and liberties of our Constitution and Bill of Rights. Patriotism runs deep in communities of color, particularly among Latinos, African Americans, Native Americans, and Asians of all backgrounds. The Japanese American sons and daughters (whose families were in internment camps during WWII) courageously fought overseas, even as their families were treated as traitors.   The United States belongs as much to us as it does to anyone else, and my form of patriotism is protesting injustice. Let's remember that July 4th celebrates breaking free from the injustices that King George III and the British Empire wrought upon the colonies on the Eastern seaboard.   I became a lawyer to challenge discrimination and unfair treatment, and I have done this alongside many colleagues, including organizers, elected officials, lawyers, policy experts, and business leaders. During my lifetime, ordinary citizens who showed up for themselves and others have created a more level playing field for people from all walks of life. I have witnessed the power of the law to redress wrongs. We have worked diligently over the decades to make sure the ideals behind the Constitution and the Bill of Rights are a reality for everyone, not just some Americans. There is a full-court press to take away our rights, and countless people are fighting to uphold the principles of a country that has a system of laws, not a King who rules by fiat.   As a playwright and solo performer, I tell stories about our community, sharing how we are part of the American story that has evolved alongside the country.   I confess that sometimes, I get discouraged and overwhelmed. I was feeling enormous despair yesterday. And then a chance encounter with a neighbor, I'll call Carlos, lifted my spirits.   I emailed several neighbors asking if anyone had available space in their Green Bin (we recycle many things in Northern California). Carlos was the first to respond, "Any of our neighbors are welcome to use our Green Bins if there is space." As I approach Carlos' house, he's there spiffing his front yard, and we start chatting. He's outraged about a specific ICE abuse in his father's neighborhood in Southern California. He says, "I'm just sorry I wasn't as outraged at other injustices as they were happening to other people. I wish I'd been more active around Black Lives Matter or the attack on Ukraine. I remind him that what matters most is what we do moving forward. We agree on the importance of speaking up against outrages and keeping each other informed of the goings-on. At my request, he sends me the video of the incident near his father's home in SoCal. Have a look for yourself by clicking here . Fortunately, the resident of the house and her two young children were not injured. Such excessive use of force is definitely intended to terrorize our community.     Carlos says the words I hear so often, "I feel so helpless, like there is nothing I can do."   "I imagine that this is what was happening in Germany and Poland," a Jewish friend tells me the previous day. "I used to think, why didn't people resist and fight back? Maybe the Holocaust wouldn't have happened. I'm beginning to understand that when people are so overwhelmed, they might want to keep their heads down and decide that there's nothing they can do. What can I do? I'm just one person?"   She shrugs her shoulders.   "There is always something we can do," I tell my friend. There were protests in Nazi Germany, both by individuals and groups.  Those who were caught were fined and/or imprisoned, and in some cases, executed. In the end, not enough people stood up and said “no” to the cruelty and injustice forced on them. My little red Muji notebook "There is one thing I will not concede: that it might be meaningless to strive for a good cause." ~Vaclav Havel I've been carrying this Vaclav Havel quote in a little red notebook where I write random things I want to remember. This morning, I transferred the quote into a new notebook.   Even small things are not meaningless. Carlos sharing that story with me allows me to forward it to you. We bear witness to what is unfolding in our country. Podcasters and Substack writers offer various suggestions on things we can do. Speak Up Stand Up Show Up Speak Up. You hear lies or disparaging remarks about gays, Latinos, African Americans, trans kids, Muslims (the list is nearly endless). Speak up, don't stay quiet; you can respectfully tell your uncle, neighbor, or grandfather that some things they have heard are not true. No one is out there eating their neighbors' dogs and cats. Public schools aren't offering surgeries to make kids trans or indoctrinating children to become gay. No one is proposing we adopt Sharia law. Refute the lies.   Staying informed allows us to speak up. There is no significant shortage of great writers out there with newsletters or Substacks. Here are a few I follow: The Contrarian, Carlos Eduardo Espina, Heather Cox Richardson, Katie Phang, Jorge Ramos, and Anand Giridharadas of The Ink. Many on-the-ground journalists and community activists are reporting from around the country on Instagram, Facebook, BlueSky, and TikTok. Carlos Eduardo Espina is a true standout, but there are many others. Ask trusted friends who they recommend you read and follow.   Caution: Limit the amount of media you consume; it can overwhelm you.   Stand Up. We have and will continue to do so. More than five million people took to the streets to protest this Administration on No Kings Day last month. Red and Blue states, small towns, big cities, people in rural communities lined up on farm-to-market roads. Hundreds of people have been showing up at town meetings all over the country, often to protest their elected officials, who do NOT come to the town halls. Onerous and repressive laws, primarily in the form of Executive Orders, are being imposed at a rapid pace. The Supreme Court is enabling much of the worst actions of the Trump regime -- more reason to take to the streets. We continue to make our views heard, and eventually, we will turn this ship around.   BLM Banner Hybrid Flag I protest in front of my house once a week, on Monday evenings at 6 pm. Sometimes it's three or four people; other times it's ten. I've made new friends in my community. We receive supportive honks and waves from drivers, nods from folks on bikes, and thank-yous from pedestrians. We occasionally receive a thumbs down or a middle finger salute, but we have a 99% support rate. There are protests in your future. Standing up in protest has made a difference and will continue to make a difference: that's how the people secured major civil rights laws and ended the Vietnam War. I recognize that many vulnerable people are not able to protest; they are rightly afraid, and some may have health limitations. So, those of us who are willing and able to speak out make our voices heard by standing up. Please feel no guilt if you can't attend every protest; go when and if you can. There are July 4th Free America events around the country, and July 17th is a Good Trouble Lives on Day of Action. Learn more about future protests here . Protesting in front of my home   Show Up. Fostering a sense of community is an essential step in showing up for one another. Some folks volunteer at food banks; others give money to civil rights organizations. If you belong to a community of faith, attend services at your local church, mosque, or synagogue, and check in on members of your congregation who may be ill or elderly, suffering from depression, mourning the loss of a loved one, or unemployed. Invite neighbors over for a meal or gather to experience the connection. Read books together. There are numerous ways to engage with people in our neighborhood and broader communities.   Another way we show up is by donating to causes that are near and dear to us. Our contributions make a difference. I'm listing several organizations where you might consider donating if your resources permit. All these Immigrant Rights Organizations are doing great work, and I can personally vouch for them. There are many others (including the ACLU) that are at the forefront of defending immigrant communities around the United States. All these groups need our support; click to visit their websites.   Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) https://www.ilrc.org/community-resources Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) https://www.chirla.org/get-involved/donate-support/ Center for Gender and Refugee Studies https://cgrs.uclawsf.edu/ East Bay Sanctuary Covenant https://eastbaysanctuary.org   And we show up by living as authentically and joyfully as we can. No one can rob us of our joy. Last weekend, I attended a dance party in Berkeley that drew a broad cross-section of the Bay Area's civil rights community. These events (there have been others) are called Shut Up and Dance Parties and feature live music. The Cooperators is a collection of talented musicians that includes judges, law professors, civil rights leaders, and distinguished practitioners in the legal community. Gathering to enjoy each other's company, with good music and dancing, refuels our tanks. We are in for the long haul, fighting the good fight, and opportunities to celebrate friendship and solidarity are joyous occasions. Shut Up and Dance Party  Recently, I saw Dolores Huerta, an icon in the Chicano community, being interviewed by Diego Luna, who was hosting the Jimmy Kimmel show. Dolores is still out there protesting and speaking against injustice at 95 years young. I was inspired to watch this conversation. Click here to see.   During the interview, she dropped many pearls of wisdom:   "You can cut all the flowers, But you can't hold back the Spring."   ~ Pablo Neruda No matter how challenging things are, keep the faith. Dolores Huerta reminds us that it is us -- WE the people  -- who will make change happen. Si Se Puede.

Picture and explanation of the resistance of Native Communities to American Indian Boarding Schools Earlier this year, I visited the Heard Museum in Phoenix. I saw Away From Home: American Indian Boarding School Stories , an exhibit that documents the actions of the United States Government to strip our Indigenous brothers and sisters of their culture, language, names, and the land that is their home and ours too.   The photos and the ample sampling of testimonial videos of students at these boarding schools depicted various forms of abuse the children endured. However, it also highlighted the power of resistance and the drive to survive, maintain their agency, and preserve their sense of self. Boarding schools were also a place where artists flourished and leaders were formed. Take a look at this short video I took. One image that I have flashed on repeatedly since seeing the exhibit was the lone barber’s chair surrounded by locks of long black hair, with the following words etched on the glass casing:   “The next day the torture began. The first thing they did was cut our hair while we were bathing our breechclouts were taken and we were forced to put on trousers. We’d lost our hair and we’d lost our clothes, with the two we’d lost our identity as Indians.”   Picture of a glass-encased Barber's Chair and long strands of black hair on the floor, with a Boarding School student's quote about their hair being cut upon arrival.  I flashed back to this image when I saw the masked guards in El Salvador's CECOT Prison shaving the heads of the men that ICE had rounded up and forcibly flown to the notorious facility. In the high-quality video footage released by the Trump Administration, men are on their knees, forcibly held down while their heads are shaved; some men are crying. This act of domination and humiliation intends to strip them of agency over their bodies. Another picture from CECOT, men shoulder to shoulder dressed identically, reminded me of this image I saw at the exhibit. Boys and girls in boarding school photo, standing shoulder to shoulder. The girls are dressed in identical black garments, and the boys are similarly attired in military-style uniforms. As I walked through the various rooms of the exhibit, I felt the sadness I saw on the faces of these children. According to the Heard Museum, the exhibition draws on "first-person recollections, memorabilia, and the writings and art of four generations of Indian school alumni to examine the commonality of the boarding school experience. Exploring an important and untold era of American history, the exhibition incorporated historic images, music, sound, oral histories, memorabilia, and video to immerse visitors in the story being told by the people who lived it.”   As I reflect on the visit, it was as if I were looking into the future, given the current state of our country. The Trump Administration is pushing hard (and illegally, as judged by the number of cases where the courts have blocked their actions) to erase our nation’s history and to replace it with a so-called “patriotic education curriculum.”   The attacks on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), and the banning of books written by authors from marginalized communities, including beloved and respected authors I know, are part of the effort to erase the many ways in which people of various racial and ethnic backgrounds built and shaped the United States of America. The Trump Executive Order banning DEI in education is currently halted by court action.   In 2019, The New York Times published the 1619 Project, commemorating the 400-year anniversary of the arrival of enslaved African people in the colonies that later became the United States. Nikole Hannah-Jones, the creator of the 1619 Project, won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary for the opening essay that set the stage for the numerous pieces by eminent scholars examining the role of race in American history. The 1619 Project sparked significant interest in American history among the broader American public as we collectively examined the factors that have contributed to the inequality that currently exists in the United States.   The response from conservative factions to counteract the 1619 Project (in addition to demonizing DEI) was the creation of the so-called Patriotic Education Initiative (which later became another Executive Order signed by Donald Trump upon taking office). This initiative seeks to present a false narrative of American history, where white Christian men are glorified as the heroes who brought civilization and have engaged in noble acts that made America great, a state we need to return to by implementing Project 2025. The Administration seeks to defund schools that teach so-called “gender ideology” or “discrimination equity ideology,” terms so vague that teachers and administrators can’t determine what’s permissible. For example, an Idaho middle school teacher was instructed to remove the above poster from her classrooms with the words, "Everyone Is Welcome Here," on the grounds that it expressed a personal political belief that she was not permitted to share in her classroom. This incident led to protests by parents, students, and community members. Ultimately, the teacher resigned, not wishing to work in an environment that would penalize a message of inclusion. At the heart of the Patriotic Education Initiative is the push to use public funding, in the form of parental choice and vouchers, to promote religious education paid for by taxpayer dollars. This theme of religious indoctrination was also part of the Indian Boarding School experience as reflected in this photo and quote. Another image that deeply affected me was a pair of handcuffs, with the opening not much larger than an egg. These were used to restrain elementary school children. These handcuffs reminded me that the first Trump Administration separated more than 5000 children, some as young as toddlers, from their families and warehoused them in large empty buildings in temporary cages built from fencing material. Several hundred of those children are still separated from their families. And of course, ICE has now shown up at several public schools. The deportation of parents has resulted in U.S. citizen children, including some in cancer treatment, being deported along with the adults in their lives. You can learn more about this exhibit on the Heard Museum website , and if you are ever in Phoenix, be sure to visit. I highly recommend seeing this. If the Trump Administration succeeds, and we must stop this from happening, exhibits like this one at the Heard Museum will not be allowed. President Trump repeatedly states that protests or criticism of the US Government are unlawful attacks by people who “hate this country,” and will be met with harsh (and unconstitutional) state violence against protesters.   Criticism does not equal hatred.   Think of all the ways we criticize our spouses, partners, children, and parents. We point out their shortcomings, their errors (and to be sure they do it right back at us), not because we hate them, but because we love them and want them to think about their actions and whether they are helping or hindering their relationships with their family, friends, classmates, and workplaces.  Peaceful protest is not insurrection, and it is not un-American. It is as American as apple pie, and is protected by the United States Constitution. Protesters have been out in the streets for days, in Los Angeles and many other cities, and we will be out en masse this Saturday, June 14. Ordinary folks, like you and me, will be out peacefully demonstrating in major cities and small towns all around the country. DJ T is celebrating his birthday with a military parade expected to cost the U.S. taxpayers between $25 and $ 45 million. I hope you can join a demonstration in a community near you, standing with like-minded neighbors who object to the abuses of this government. For more information about protests in your area, click here . We, the people, have the power to change the course of history, and protest is a powerful means to do so. Let our elected leaders know that we won’t go back to a time when blatant discrimination and violence against targeted groups are everyday occurrences. And we will not allow them to perpetuate lies and rewrite American history.

I’m often asked when’s my next performance. I’ve been on hiatus with Why Would I Mispronounce My Own Name? while writing my new play, Class Migrant: de Aquí y de Allá. Happy to report I’m performing a new ( never seen before) 20-minute segment that is part of that play. An effective way of getting my writing done is by enrolling in David Ford’s classes at the Marsh. 10 weeks during which we get to develop and workshop small pieces of our work in the presence of David Ford and other students. Being in the presence of other folks developing their work is a source of great inspiration. Thanks David Ford and the Marsh, for giving us a space to share our truths. I’m delighted to invite you to my upcoming performance at The Marsh Berkeley in San Francisco , on Tuesday 5/6 at 7:30pm . This piece is part of a showcase by students of David Ford’s performance class—an inspiring workshop where writers and performers create original solo work. David Ford is a master teacher who has guided generations of solo artists in developing deeply personal, often humorous, and always thought-provoking pieces. His classes are more than just instruction—they’re a creative incubator, a community, and a practice in storytelling that is raw, vulnerable, and real. Over the past several weeks, I’ve been shaping new material and revisiting old threads of story with his thoughtful direction and the generous feedback of my fellow performers. If you’ve been curious about what I’ve been working on—or if you just want to support a night of brave, bold, and honest theater—I’d love to see you there! 📍 Where:   The Marsh Berkeley 🗓️ When:  5/6 at 7:30pm - 2120 Allston Way (between Shattuck and Oxford) 🎟️ Tickets & Info: Find your tickets HERE starting at 13$ Tickets ALSO available at the door. Thank you, as always, for your support of my creative journey. It means the world. Hope my new work receives the same warm reception that has been generously given to my first one woman show. " A s I sat in the audience, I couldn't help but feel that Irma had looked into my life-- a brown child traipsing through the finest universities and forging a professional life. In one hour, she conveys the joys and pains of living a bicultural/bilingual life, particularly in today's political climate. Gracias, Irma Herrera for telling our stories.” - Ernestina " A beautiful and powerful performance! Combining humor and personal experience and childhood memories into a rich narrative about racial prejudice.  Insightful and also highly entertaining. You will not want it to end.”  - Bruce   Warmly, Irma

It’s been four decades since I stood next to Judge Alex Saldomando, then on the San Francisco Superior Court, before a group of friends and colleagues. I repeated this oath and proudly joined the ranks of California lawyers.  "I solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California, and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of an attorney and counselor at law to the best of my knowledge and ability." ​ May 1, 2025 is National Law Day of Action, I will be standing with hundreds of other lawyers at the Federal Courthouse in San Francisco reciting the updated attorney oath, which was amended 11 years ago, with this sentence added, “as an officer of the court, I will strive to conduct myself at all times with dignity, courtesy, and integrity." When we take the attorney oath, we make a covenant to uphold the rule of law.  At the US Supreme Court with client, Betty Dukes, center, and her niece. Betty was the named plaintiff in the Dukes v. Walmart case. As a civil rights lawyer, I spent several decades working to enforce existing laws and advocating for new ones, so that marginalized communities would have the equal protection of the laws and the due process the Constitution guarantees everyone in the United States. I represented people from different ethnic and racial backgrounds, women – white, Black, Latinas, Asians, Natives - members of the LGBTQ community, and immigrants. Never for one second did it cross my mind that I would lie to a court or misrepresent a court’s decision when speaking to the press or addressing a community group. Today, lawyers entrusted with the highest leadership roles, from Cabinet-level appointees such as Attorney General and the Secretary of State, as well as elected leaders in Congress, are engaged in a full-on legal gaslighting project that distorts what our courts are ordering them to do or stop doing, as they shield corruption and subvert democracy. They are bending the law to serve their ambitions and those of Donald Trump’s cruel and unconstitutional directives. They are engaging in equally bad (and sometimes worse) conduct than Trump acolytes who have ended up disbarred, suspended, or subject to disciplinary actions, such as Rudy Giuliani, Jenna Ellis, John Eastman, and Jeffrey Clark, to name a few. Judges at every level – District Court, Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court have issued rulings that Executive Orders are violating the Constitution. And they, along with lawyers and people of all backgrounds, are growing increasingly impatient and angry at the obfuscation and unfounded claims and defenses the government presents.  Earlier this month, US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein rebuked the Trump Administration's use of the Alien Enemies Act (AEA) to deport alleged migrant gang members without due process. In criticizing the government's actions, he emphasized that individuals were being deported based solely on associations, such as having certain tattoos, without adequate legal proceedings. He underscored the importance of due process, stating: “This is not the Inquisition, it’s not medieval times. This is the United States of America.”  To protect our rights and freedoms, lawyers across the country are coming together on Law Day to recite the oath of office for the legal profession. We object to the escalating attacks on the independence of the judiciary, and we recommit our support for the rule of law.  Big law firms, which have been under direct attack by the Trump Administration, are fighting back (sadly, not all of them). Click here to read this excellent letter  from Lawyers Defending Democracy explaining why the Administration's actions must be resisted and defeated. For more information and to sign up for May First Law Day of Action near you (or online) go to: https://lawdayofaction.org/  Please join attorneys, law students, and judges in opposition to lawlessness.

For parochial school kids, Lent and Easter marked a period of reflection and sacrifice, reinforcing our sense of community. The experiences of people who observe Ramadan or Passover are similar. We gather to reinforce our faith, to remember the sacrifices and struggles of our communities, to reflect on fairness and justice, and to show gratitude for all who speak up against injustice.   Folks have been asking when I'll be performing  Why Would I Mispronounce My Own Name?   It’s currently on pause while I’m working on a new play. I will be revising some scenes of my old play to reflect what we are witnessing in our country right now: the rewriting of history, the suppression of dissent, the tearing down of government agencies that provide services WE the taxpayers support, efforts to further enrich the wealthiest, and the abduction and disappearing of immigrants from our communities. Fortunately, many people and institutions are standing firm, we are resisting and saying, Not in OUR Name. Countless court decisions, including an emergency order issued by the US Supreme Court, have told the Trump Administration to cease various activities (at least temporarily) until the courts can evaluate the legality of their MAGA regime’s actions. This Sunday, being Easter, I am sharing the story of an unfortunate situation I experienced many years ago. I never cease to marvel at how someone can be so misguided about the meaning of Easter and the traditions around this holiday/holyday. I told this story on stage at Solo Sundays, a beloved storytelling program in San Francisco, which sadly no longer exists. As many of you know, many theaters have shut down over the past several years and did not survive the ravages of the COVID Pandemic. When you can, support theaters that are still offering live performances, because the closest distance between two people is a story.   Our sense of fairness is innate. Even as toddlers and young children, we know when something isn't right, "he got two cookies and I only got one." That's not fairness. Many things we experience as individuals and a groups are unfair, and it's important we speak up against injustices. Everyone can do something, and most of you already are. Thank you for your commitment to making a difference. It really matters. Pleased to report that I will be the Keynote Speaker at this year’s ILRC (Immigrant Legal Resource Center) Phillip Burton Immigration & Civil Rights Awards Event on May 22, 2025 in San Francisco. ILRC is one of the nation’s most effective organizations, “working with and educating immigrants, community organizations, and the legal sector to help build a democratic society that values diversity and the rights of all people.” They will be honoring NY Congressman Adriano Espaillat ( https://espaillat.house.gov ) and the California Padilla Defenders for their steadfast advocacy of immigrant communities. I hope to see you there, tickets available at https://www.ilrc.org/burton25   Thank you for reading. If you have 20 minutes, I invite you to watch the video of my performance on Solo Sundays from several years ago. Based on past comments from those who attended or have watched this, it will both entertain and outrage you. Sending my best wishes to you and your loved one.

I am performing the latest version of my solo show, Why Would I Mispronounce My Own Name? , on Saturday, September 28, 2024, at 7:30 pm and Sunday, October 6, at 2:00 pm at Central Stage in Richmond, California. These are the only San Francisco Bay Area shows I'll have in 2024. Click here to learn how I pronounce my name (in case you don't know). Ear-ma is close enough. My show explores the relationship between  identity, names, and our assumptions about people different from us. I promise you an evening filled with laughter and reflection, and you'll leave knowing a tad bit more about American history. In the post-show talkback, you will also be able to share your own experiences about these themes. A Personal Exploration of Identity and Culture I play  20+ characters  in this solo show  — my parents, teachers, classmates, colleagues, and me at various ages. As I share these stories, I tackle the ever-persistent question that those of us considered not real Americans often face:  “No, but where are you really from?” As someone with deep multi-generational family roots in South Texas, I take pride in the rich cultural heritage of Mexican Americans. And I have first-hand experience with the prejudice and discrimination that has been directed towards my community, not just in Texas but throughout the Southwestern United States. Knowing more about the fraught history of US-Mexico relations over the past two centuries allows us to put the current scapegoating of Mexicans and other Latinos into perspective. Many folks are not aware that the entire Southwestern part of what is now the United States was Mexico until 1848, the year before the Gold Rush. You've heard the expression, we didn't cross the border; the border crossed us. Mexicans became part of the United States through empire-building, and Mejicanos, whether born on this side of the border (or el otro lado), have historically been treated like colonized people. Efforts to strip us of our native language and culture were still commonplace in my youth. However, the porous 2000-mile border between the two countries and the abundance of binational families kept our language and culture alive. For decades, children were forced into segregated, inferior schools, and adults were denied the right to vote, the right to serve on juries, and be tried by a jury of their peers. State-sanctioned brutality of Mexican-Americans at the hands of the police, Texas Rangers, and other state officials was common. Developing My Play Classes at the Berkeley Marsh Theater with David Ford sparked my entry into oral storytelling. Then, I was fortunate enough to participate in a seven-day workshop with Anna Deavere Smith and her creative team, including dialect designer Amy Stoller, with whom I've stayed in touch over the past decade. Working with these folks fueled my confidence and creativity, allowing me to shape this personal story with the universal themes of othering and belonging. You might ask what othering and belonging are. When we feel excluded, marginalized, and treated as if we don't belong in a particular setting, we feel "othered." By contrast, when we feel included, welcomed, and respected, we experience a sense of belonging. These are universal experiences, and we have all been in both situations. There is ample social science research about the social dimensions of othering and belonging, and an institute at UC Berkeley is devoted to research and training on this topic. Click here to visit the Othering and Belonging Institute. I regularly update Why Would I Mispronounce My Own Name? to weave in current events and help us connect the dots about how bias and prejudice demean us all. We all need to be reminded that having been at the receiving end of bigotry and mistreatment does not insulate us against mistreating other people. You will see new material in these two shows even if you've been to previous performances. My Wonderful Support Team I am grateful to have the support of David Ford, with whom I developed this work, and Rebecca Fisher, who has directed my play for the past several years. I am working on a new play, Class Migrant, and David and Rebecca are part of that process. I also sincerely appreciate the No Name Creatives group, which meets regularly to share our work—a handful of women storytellers with much to say. The support of my spouse, our son, and my friends is invaluable. Engaging Beyond the Performance I love the community engagement that follows each show, where audience members share their experiences with prejudice and bias related to names and beyond. I learn so much in these conversations, and some of your stories (with your permission) end up in later versions of my show and in newsletters I write. I Hope You Can Join Me! This performance is not just about my experiences navigating prejudice based on ethnicity, skin color, gender, and socio-economic class; it’s about creating a space to connect, learn from each other, and celebrate our diverse backgrounds and cultures. It's also an opportunity to showcase our resilience and explore how we use our education, access, and all forms of social capital to pay it forward and advance justice for all. I hope to see you in the audience and hear your thoughts after the shows! I'll perform at Central Stage at 5221 Central Avenue, Richmond, CA. Saturday, September 28 · 7:30 - 9pm PDT Sunday, October 6 · 2 - 3:30pm PDT General admission: $28.52 incl. $3.52 Fee Student discount: $17.85 incl. $2.85 Fee

My last show of 2024 is in the stomping grounds of my young adult life: San Antonio. A city I love con todo mi corazon. I’m pleased to close out my 2024 performances at Trinity University's Ruth Taylor Recital Hall on Wednesday, November 13th, at 6:30 pm. It is free to the public, and free parking is available at Alamo Stadium. Did I say it was Free/Gratis? Yes, I did, but I want to bring that point home. The show is an hour long, followed by a half-hour Q&A session with the audience. This performance is part of Trinity’s Festival of the Arts. Thanks so much to Dr. Norma Elia Cantú, a preeminent Chicana Scholar and Author, the Norine R. and T. Frank Murchison Distinguished Professor of the Humanities at Trinity, who proposed my play for the Festival. If you live in San Antonio, please bring your friends/family. If you live elsewhere but know folks in San Antonio, would you be so kind as to forward this and encourage people to see the show? Audience members tell me they laugh, and some report shedding a few tears. Often, they comment on how much they learned about the experiences of Latinos and other groups who have been marginalized and treated poorly in this country. It causes them to think long and hard about prejudice and bias and how important it is to show respect to others. The play is also about how our country has changed to expand opportunities and fulfill the ideals foundational to the founding of the United States. We can love our country while at the same time criticizing its shortcomings, past and present. Although the show's name remains the same, several scenes in Why Would I Mispronounce My Own Name? change in response to current events. One small section of the play isn’t yet written and awaits the election results. Folks who have seen my play four and five times over the years report they leave with a new experience of each performance because of the new material. Even if you’ve seen the show before, have another look. Sharing a few comments: “As I sat in the audience, I couldn't help but feel that Irma had looked into my life -- a brown child traipsing through the finest universities and forging a professional life. In one hour, she conveys the joys and pains of living a bicultural/bilingual life, particularly in today's political climate. Gracias, Irma Herrera for telling our stories.” ~Ernestina "At a time in which the very definition of a real American is hotly contested, Irma Herrera brings intelligence, humor, and grace to the race debate. Many people will see bits of their own experience in her struggle not just to belong, but to thrive in a society that is so often ambivalent about including her. A must-see for anyone who wonders what it will take for us to all get along.”       ~ Rinku Sen, Former Editor, Colorlines Creative, clever, and critical . . . addresses themes of identity, courage, and prejudice in ways that are relevant to America today.”        ~ Sam Pasco, KXSF Radio "A beautiful and powerful performance! Combining humor, personal experience, and childhood memories into a rich narrative about racial prejudice.  Insightful and highly entertaining.   You will not want it to end.”              ~Bruce Wednesday, November 13th @ 6:30 pm Trinity University Ruth Taylor Recital Hall Free parking at Alamo Stadium More information about the show is at Trinity University’s Event Page. Click here . You can learn more about my show and how it was created in Professor Elena Foulis’ Latine Stories Podcast . La Doctora Foulis, Texas A&M University-San Antonio, invited me to her podcast when I last performed at St. Mary's University in San Antonio in late September 2023.   I will be so pleased to see you there. Allí nos vemos. November 5th is election day. Exercise your right to vote. People have died to secure our voting rights. We cannot take our right to vote for granted; we could someday lose it. Gracias Rafael Gonzalez, artista y poeta, who created this graphic and permitted me to use it.

Hearing audience members’ stories during the post-show Q&A portion is one of the most significant rewards of performing. This was certainly the case at Trinity University in San Antonio earlier this month.   This story, shared by one of my tocayas is most memorable. What is a tocaya, you ask? A tocayo or tocaya is someone who has the same name as you, your namesake. In Spanish, the word carries a sense of affection for one's tocaya or tocayo. Tocayo comes from tocaitl, in the indigenous Náhuatl language from Mexico. It means name, honor, or fame. “I have the same first name as you," the woman said when handed the roving microphone. "Except everyone calls me Er-ma Richardson (I changed her last name). For decades, I’ve let everyone call me that, and it's also how I’ve said my name. It was just easier than correcting people.”   I am quoting her based on memory. She continued.   “My husband told me that after hearing your interview on Texas Public Radio, he understood for the first time the importance of saying someone’s name correctly. From now on," he told me, "I will do my best to say Irma the way you want me to say it.”   The audience appreciated her comment as much as I did and spontaneously applauded. Click here to listen to that half-hour interview on Texas Public Radio's Fronteras Program. Hearing her story reminded me of the importance of speaking our truths. Take a moment and read that again. Not everyone is comfortable speaking out; most of us are terrified to do so. I do lots of things that I find scary and uncomfortable. Usually, after calling up that helpful expression, "feel the fear, and do it anyway." I was also touched that a significant number of folks from the LGBTQ+ community were in the audience, and several shared their concerns about the acts of bigotry and discrimination they expect and are already experiencing following the election of Donald Trump. We must speak up on behalf of targeted groups whether or not we are members. When I had my first run of Why Would I Mispronounce My Own Name?   at The Marsh Theater in San Francisco in the Fall of 2018, Donald Trump and his anti-immigrant rhetoric had already gained enormous traction. The closing image of one of the scenes in my play was this famous poem by Reverend Martin Neimöller. Have you noticed how frequently this poem has been shared lately? I realized I knew very little about Rev. Martin Neimöller, so I put my research hat on. Here is some of what I learned. Martin Niemoeller was the son of a Lutheran Pastor in Germany, and he started his career as a Naval Officer in the Imperial German Navy. He received the highest honor, the Iron Guard First Class, for his role in sinking Allied Ships during World War I. He was a fervent nationalist and anti-communist who was devastated by the German defeat in that war and the collapse of the German Empire. As he strongly opposed the post-war German Government (Weimar Republic), he resigned from the Navy and followed his father’s footsteps; he became a Lutheran Pastor.   In the 1920s and early 30s, he sympathized with many Nazi ideas and supported radical right-wing political movements and antisemitic views. He voted for the Nazi party in the election that brought Adolf Hitler to power. His enthusiasm quickly waned when the Nazis began to interfere with church policy, wanting to portray Jesus as Aryan, denying he was Jewish. Neimöller became an outspoken critic of the Nazis' efforts to remove the “Jewish elements” from Christianity and, in general, objected to the state’s interference with the Protestant Church.   When he and other Protestant church leaders met with Adolf Hitler in early 1934 to discuss their concern about the relationship between church and state, it became clear to him that his phone was tapped and that he and others had been under close government surveillance. Hitler made clear to these church leaders that they had to compromise their faith on behalf of the state. Neimöller was unwilling to do so. After that, he became an outspoken critic of Nazi church policy.   He was arrested by the Gestapo and imprisoned for eight years, most of that time in a concentration camp. He was freed when American troops liberated Dachau in 1945.   Following the war, Neimöller became prominent for publicly acknowledging his own moral failures and those committed by the Protestant Church. He spoke often about the complicity of the German people who stood by quietly as atrocities were committed.   His famous poem has numerous versions because he sometimes named other targeted groups that had been targeted by the Nazis, depending on his audience. Sometimes, when reciting the verses, he included people with physical and mental disabilities, the Roma, homosexuals, political opponents, and Jehovah’s Witnesses.   At my performance at Trinity University, I urged us all to find the courage to act despite our fears. Only by having each other’s backs can we resist acts of oppression.   As mentioned in previous blogs, I am working on a new play. I will perform small segments (15 minutes) at The Berkeley Marsh Theater group shows in early December and late January. I will let you know the specifics in future blogs, and if you are in the Bay Area, I hope you can come. My first play was workshopped as short segments that later became a one-hour show. And that show keeps changing to adapt to current events.   May all of us join others in resisting hate and violence. I wish you good health and joy. I close with these words from Albert Camus. Thanks to all who attended my show at Trinity University. I was especially thrilled to see friends from my hometown and college days and meet many new folks. A few photos from the evening.

I’m working away on my new one-woman show, Class Migrant: de Aquí y de Allá , and I’ll be presenting a 20-minute excerpt as part of Tell It On Tuesday , the monthly program at The Berkeley Marsh Theater that features developing work. If you live in the SF Bay Area (esp. in the East Bay) join us on Tuesday 1/28 at 7 pm in Downtown Berkeley. Tickets are $10 (plus service fee). Available at this link , or you can buy tickets at the door. I am happy to report that  Tell It On Tuesday  is live-streamed on The Marsh’s YouTube channel, so those who live elsewhere (or can’t get to the theater) can watch it in the comfort of their home at this link .   Irma Herrera, Class Migrant: de Aquí y de Allá (Excerpt) Is it the grammar error, the less-than-perfect teeth, or the silence when the conversation turns to childhood summer vacations? What clues reveal whether we grew up poor, middle class, or downright rich? Class Migrant explores the joy and the sadness that come with class mobility. What can she do with all the rage she feels when people born on third base believe they’ve hit a triple every time? Are you a class migrant? Are your socio-economic circumstances much better than those of your family of origin? I would love to hear about your experiences on this topic.   As many of you are not on social media, you probably have not seen the short video clips created to promote my show. Have a look.   In future blogs, I’ll write about issues related to the Trump 2.0 Administration’s drastic rollback of programs created to advance opportunities. For now, my focus is on telling personal stories that highlight how our nation’s history of discrimination and segregation created the gross wealth inequities we see all around us and to explore how opportunity hoarding will impede the socio-economic mobility of ALL poor and working-class people.