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I love research studies, especially those examining bias and discrimination. This episode references the 2003 National Bureau of Economic Research study titled Are Emily and Greg More Employable than Lakisha and Jamal? This study sent out 5,000 identical resumes concerning education and experience for jobs advertised in the Boston and Chicago areas. The only difference in the resumes was the names of the applicants. Applicants with Black-sounding names were less likely to be invited to interview for jobs than applicants with White-sounding names. Read the study here. As I mentioned in this Stairwell Episode, these studies have also been done in other countries, reaching the same conclusion. Applicants are perceived as “more qualified” or are of greater interest to employers if their names suggest they are members of the dominant (ruling) group in that country. Name discrimination expands well beyond the employment arena. It could deny access to an apartment or home, or it may keep your child from being admitted into a preschool, as was reported in this article for Wired (UK), where British parents with Muslim-identified names were told there was no space in a preschool, but persons with White-sounding names who inquired about openings were offered spaces. The Wired (UK) article also references the GEMM Study (GEMM stands for Growth, Equal Opportunities, Migration, and Markets), which is a comparative analysis of hiring discrimination across 53 ethnic groups in five European countries: Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, Norway, and the Netherlands. The data analyzes cultural differences, religion, phenotype, and soft and hard skills of job applicants. Read the GEMM study here. The results are consistent with studies from the United States, and the GEMM Study found that ethnic minorities needed to send 60 percent more applications to get as many callbacks as the white majority. Countries with a longer history of immigration from former colonies seemed to have higher rates of discrimination, according to this study. British employers were the most discriminatory compared to Norway, Germany, Spain, and the Netherlands. “We were a bit surprised by that,” says Valentina di Stasio, an assistant professor at Utrecht University who worked on the research. “In Britain (name discrimination) is very high by international standards.” And if this topic interests you, and you share my nerdy tendencies, here is another interesting article here. Heading to Phoenix in December Know someone in the Phoenix area? Maybe you even live there yourself. If so, I hope to see you on December 10th when I perform my final live show this year at Arizona State University’s Kerr Cultural Center in Scottsdale, AZ. Spread the word to friends or family in the Phoenix area. I promise you the best show I’ve got. Click here for tickets. You can watch the previous eight episodes of my Stairwell Teatro in under 30 minutes since individual stories are typically around two minutes. Click here for the playlist.

I love that some of you send me emails, texts, and call to share your name stories. I summarize or rephrase because I’m seeking to tell a story in two minutes. Hopefully, I present a “good-enough” shortened version of what you've told me. In my writing I can provide a bit more about the stories you share. When my friend Maria got high praise for her good Spanish, she told her friends the following: "I'm blessed to be bi-lingual, but trust me, I know what you mean. In learning to speak English, I knew pronouncing English words correctly was crucial - why wouldn't I? And English is exponentially much more difficult to learn than Spanish, so few words are phonetic, like in Spanish. It just takes practice and a commitment to respecting language - any language." "Crickets.” Yep, there was complete silence; no one said anything in response to Maria's comments. Awkward. Maria concludes her email by saying, “if an English speaker can pronounce the following words correctly, a Spanish R or double L should be easy/peasy: Au contraire Bon appétit Bourgeois C’est la vie Cliché Entrée Faux pas Nouveau Potpourri Touché Questions to my friends who are not native speakers of English. Do you make an effort to pronounce French words correctly? Does it feel embarrassing if you don’t get them quite right? Do Spanish words feel more intimidating than French words? Do you find yourselves offering explanations (to self or others) about why you might struggle with Spanish words? Asking for a friend. Know someone in the Phoenix area? Maybe you even live there yourself. If so, I hope to see you on December 10th when I perform my final live show this year at Arizona State University’s Kerr Cultural Center in Scottsdale, AZ. Spread the word to friends or family in the Phoenix area. I promise you the best show I’ve got. Click here for tickets. When I was in San Antonio, I enjoyed recording a podcast with Dr. Elena Foulis at Texas A&M University, San Antonio. Latin@ Stories is a podcast born out of the oral history project about Latin@s in Ohio, Oral Narratives of Latin@s in Ohio (ONLO). It seeks to amplify the Latin@ experience with interviews in Spanish, English and Spanglish. The podcast has stories about Latin@s that live all over the US. Have a listen at this link. You can watch the previous seven episodes of my Stairwell Teatro in under 20 minutes, since individual stories are typically around two minutes. Click here for the playlist. Finally, please join me in sending thoughts of loving kindness into the universe. Many of us feel hopeless and despair with the world in such a crisis. Let us choose empathy and compassion for all our brothers and sisters experiencing this unimaginable trauma. And remember, spread hope and love. No te cuesta nada, an expression I grew up hearing about many things, and one that certainly applies to spreading hope and love.

It took a long time for COVID to get to me, and finally, it did. Like so many people, I got sick two days after my return flights from San Antonio. I did wear a mask at the airport and on the two flights, but hardly anyone is masked anymore. And who was I kidding? I did pull down my mask to drink a beverage. I had a 103.5 degree fever, and congestion. Felt lousy for three days. I started Paxlovid right away, and once the fever was gone, I felt much better. Finally tested negative on Day 7, and other than feeling a bit less energetic, I’m AOK. Please keep sending me your name stories; love reading them -- some make me mad, and others are so uplifting -- like the one in today’s Stairwell Teatro. The world is such a tough place; it is hard to watch the news, and I mostly keep up with world events through radio and print. Seeing images on TV and video is just too disturbing. So much destruction, pain, and suffering. Feeling the sadness and hoping all of us can hold on to our humanity.

Here is this week's installment of my Stairwell Teatro. I still shake my head when I think back to this incident with Shelly, the receptionist in the office. I mentioned what had happened to the senior partner I worked with, and he insisted on speaking to HR about this. I didn't want Shelly penalized; just informed that her comments were inappropriate. I had a good relationship with Shelly, and whether she got it or not, I don't know. The issue never came up again. Several of you have emailed or called me to share your name stories, and they are so good. Thanks so much, and by all means, keep them coming. I can be reached at irmadherrera@gmail.com. I'm finally home after almost two weeks away (Nashville and San Antonio). And I'm pleased to participate in a few Zoom events in October for the last two weeks of Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month. Typically, I perform two or three short scenes from my play, followed by a panel discussion with two or three employees within the organization. These events are open to all employees, and it's genuinely heartwarming to see how folks relate to the conversation regardless of their ethnic/racial identity or gender orientation. The issue of names and how we show respect is quite engaging, and these presentations play equally well at financial services firms, research institutions, and non-profits. My next live show will be at Arizona State University (ASU) on December 10th. Please help spread the word if you know people in the Phoenix area. Tickets and more info here. If you are on social media, you can follow me by clicking on the links below: Instagram YouTube LinkedIn Facebook TikTok Mil gracias.

Had so much fun with this cuentito. People say the craziest things. Keep sending me and telling me your name stories. My goal is to publish a Stairwell Teatro Episode each Thursday, but this past Thursday I was focused on getting my show ready, so this is coming to you a wee bit later than usual. Gracias, San Antonio After two days of some rough rehearsals, where I kept messing up important lines, we produced a show that I am proud of. Thanks to the tech team Dion and Catherine and everyone at St. Mary's who made this performance possible. We had a full house and an appreciative audience. It is especially wonderful for me to perform before bilingual Tejano audiences, since a good part of my story is about growing up in South Texas and explores the history of the Chicano community. I've met so many amazing community leaders in the world of arts, politics, and civil rights while in San Antonio, thanks to all of you for your Tejas-sized hospitality. I've also had the opportunity to catch up with extended family, many of whom I've not seen in decades. I look forward to returning. Super happy to tape a Latin@ Stories podcast at Texas A&M University, San Antonio. I'll link that when available. Hasta la proxima. In October I'm participating in several corporate and non-profit Employee Resource Group (ERG) roundtable conversations as part of Hispanic Heritage Month activities. Don't need to wait for Hispanic Heritage Month, I give speeches and make presentations all year round. My next performance will be at Arizona State University (ASU) on December 10th. Please help spread the word if you know people in the Phoenix area. Tickets and more info here. If you are on social media, please follow by clicking on the links below: Instagram YouTube LinkedIn Facebook TikTok Mil gracias.

In this week's installment of my Stairwell Teatro, my friend Kathy is given a new name by her 7th-grade teacher, and she has to use it the entire school year. Although this happened decades ago, Kathy still feels the sting of the experience. I'm so grateful to all of you who generously share your name stories with me. Keep them coming. NASHVILLE Greetings from Nashville. I love this place and am so glad I was invited to present at two different venues in this great city. AllianceBernstein's Latino ERG asked me to be part of the Hispanic Heritage Month activities. I gave an excerpt of my play and had a roundtable conversation with two Alliance Bernstein staff members, Kristen Junco and Levis Padron. A diverse audience attended and shared their name stories as part of the program. We were fortunate to be in the top-floor conference room with smashing views of the Nashville skyline. And check out Nashville's famous Batman Building, the nickname of the ATT Headquarters. In the late afternoon, I was at the Nashville Public Library at TN Justice For Our Neighbors annual event, Oye Vecino, which was also being recorded for an upcoming podcast. In addition to performing some scenes from my play, Two TNJFON staff members, Aineth Murgia, Alvaro Manrique Barranchea, and I talked about the organization's work and my career in law, journalism, and now as a playwright addressing social justice issues. TNJFON represents immigrants from many different countries, the Americas, Asia, Middle East, Africa, and educates the greater Nashville community about immigrant rights. It is led by Tessa Lemos Del Pino, Executive Director. Shout out to the TNJFON staff and board for their dedication and hard work. Thank you so much, AllianceBernstein and TNJFON, such an honor to join you today, and I'll say it again, I LOVE visiting Nashville and hope to be back. Would love to return to the Tennessee Performing Arts Center on some future occasion (just 'sayin). NEXT STOP - San Antonio I will be at St. Mary's University's beautiful Guadalupe Chapel at Treadaway Hall next week, on Thursday, September 28th @ 7:30 pm. The St. Mary's show is open to anyone and is a free community service -- no charge, GRATIS. I love the materials prepared by St. Mary's for my show. Chulo, verdad? If you enjoy my newsletter and the cuentitos in my Stairwell Teatro, please share with your friends and colleagues. And if you wish to follow me on social media, click below to be connected. Instagram YouTube LinkedIn Facebook TikTok Mil gracias.

Although I say my name using the Spanish, French, and Italian pronunciations, it's not the only way to say, Irma. For those who don't know any Romance languages, it sounds kinda- like Ear-ma (well close enough), rather than URma. And, it's pronounced like that in Nordic languages, too. When I first visited Denmark, I learned that the largest grocery store chain in Denmark is named Irma . . . and guess what? It's pronounced like my name. And to celebrate that, I've treated myself to all sorts of Irma store swag: a wine tote, candy and mints, and Irma mustard. If you're ever in Copenhagen, check out the Irma store. It's pretty nice, and I love that friends send me pictures of themselves in front of the store. And how do they say Irma in Russia, you wonder? One day, a blond, blue-eyed gent called out my name perfectly when his Uber pulled over to pick me up in San Francisco. In our conversation, I learned from Aleksandr (originally from St. Petersburg) that Irma is pronounced like Irina (a common Russian name), and he was baffled that anyone would have difficulty saying it the way I do. But I digress. In Episode 3 of my Stairwell Teatro, I share a story about someone using the URma pronunciation and why it amused me. It happens, and it is best not to get worked up about it in these situations. Next week, I'm heading to Nashville, where I'm the guest speaker at TN Justice for Our Neighbors (TNJFON) Oye Vecino Live event at the historic Nashville Library on Thursday, 9/21, at 5 pm. Tickets are still available and start at $50. Your donation supports a great cause. Click here to register. I'll perform some excerpts from my play and then participate in a discussion with Aineth Murgia and Alvaro Manrique Barrenchea, TNJFON's legal team members. I'd be so thrilled to see my Nashville friends there. From Nashville, I fly to San Antonio, where my show will be presented at St. Mary's University at the beautiful Guadalupe Chapel at Treadaway Hall. While in San Antonio, I'll be meeting with students and members of the St. Mary's community, and I'll be at Texas A&M San Antonio taping a Latin@ Stories podcast. I am also looking forward to seeing my many Tejano relatives and friends. The St. Mary's show is open to anyone and is a free community service -- no charge, GRATIS. I love the materials prepared by St. Mary's for my show. Chulo, verdad? If you enjoy my newsletter and the cuentitos in my Stairwell Teatro, please share with your friends and colleagues. Mil gracias.

Here it is, Episode 2 of my Stairwell Teatro. This episode is about a story that caught my eye several years ago. When a newly hired Latina news anchor at a Phoenix television station pronounced Spanish words correctly, some people did not like it and were quite vocal in their criticisms. This caused such a stir that the New York Times covered the controversy. It's here should you care to read it. If you have a name story you'd like to share, send it to me in an email at irmadherrera@gmail.com. I love hearing about your experiences with names. And, if you enjoy my Stairwell Teatro 2023, please share it with friends. I've got two shows coming. One later this month, on Thursday, September 28th, at 7:30 pm, I'll be at St. Mary's University in San Antonio, my alma mater, at the beautiful Guadalupe Chapel at Treadaway Hall. It's open to anyone and is a free community service -- no charge, GRATIS, so come check it out. St. Mary's is located at: One Camino Santa Maria San Antonio, Texas Treadaway Hall is Building 18 at the top of this map, by Parking Lot C. And on December 10th at 2 pm, I'll perform at Arizona State University's Kerr Cultural Center. Tickets are now on sale at this link. The yellow "Buy tickets" below isn't an actual link; the photo is a screenshot from the theater's website. I look forward to seeing my friends in Texas and Arizona soon. Thanks for your warm and supportive comments on Episode 01, the Namaste cuentito, sent via email and social media.

I am having so much fun, creating episodes of my Stairwell Teatro, and my mind is exploding with ideas. The current plan is to release a weekly episode. Hopefully, I can maintain that pace. This first episode is one of my all-time favorite stories of a conversation with a yogini at a Bikkram Studio. If you have a name story you'd like to share, send it to me in an email at irmadherrera@gmail.com. I love hearing about your experiences with names. And, if you enjoy what you see, share it with friends. I'm excited about my two live shows later this year. On Thursday, September 28th, at 7:30 pm, I'll be at St. Mary's University in San Antonio, my alma mater, at the beautiful Guadalupe Chapel at Treadaway Hall. It's open to anyone and is a free community service -- no charge, GRATIS, so come check it out. St. Mary's is located at: One Camino Santa Maria San Antonio, Texas Treadaway Hall is Building 18 at the top of this map, by Parking Lot C. And on December 10th at 2 pm, I'll perform at Arizona State University's Kerr Cultural Center. Tickets are now on sale at this link. The yellow "Buy tickets" below isn't a true link, as the photo is a screenshot from the theater's website. Aztlan, here I come, very happy to be in the Southwest.

It's been a busy spring and summer filled with travel. Lucky to have the opportunity to visit South Africa, Botswana, and Zambia. We also took several Northern and Southern California road trips to visit friends. The final summer travel is a weekend trip to Seattle to celebrate our friends' wedding. I also have been recording some small vignettes to bring back my Stairwell Teatro series. I started the Stairwell Teatro in 2020 during the early part of the pandemic, but quit doing it for various reasons; Stairwell Teatro 2023 will be back very soon with two small monthly episodes -- bite-size stories about names. Stay tuned. At the end of our Africa trip in May, I caught a bug and returned with an upper respiratory infection followed by asthma which waylaid me for several weeks. Fortunately, it was not COVID, which often appears at the end of many trips, especially if a trip involves international travel. No sooner was I recovered than I broke a toe; nothing exciting, just banged my foot on a bedpost. I finally visited The Cheech -- Riverside Art Museum in Riverside, California. Cheech Marin became famous in the Cheech and Chong stoner movies. He is the foremost collector of Chicano artists, and finally, a museum was built befitting his collection. It was a thrill to visit. Check out their website. Become a member; I just did. My friend Maria from Tucson, told me she was a member of The Cheech. And until she said that it never crossed my mind that I could become a museum member of a museum that's located outside of where I live. Maria is spot-on; it's important that we support cultural institutions that reflect and celebrate our community. Another highlight was visiting Chicano Park in San Diego, with many murals underneath the massive freeway concrete structures. Among my favorites was the tribute to educators, which included a painting of our friend Gus Chavez, whom I always admired, and whose daughter cared for our son Tony, when he was in pre-school, and she was an undergraduate student at UC Berkeley. We love and admire the Chavez family and their commitment to social justice. I've also been doing some public speaking, which I enjoy and find rewarding. Thrilled to be the keynote speaker at Northern California's Princeton Prize for Race Relation Award Ceremony. This program recognizes outstanding high school students working to advance racial equity in their communities. If you know high school students working for racial equity in your community, encourage them to apply. More info on their website. In June, I traveled to Oceanside, California – my foot still in a special shoe for my broken toe. There, I gave the closing keynote speech at WomanUp! Retreat a gathering of women leaders in the real estate industry, mostly from California, and a few from other states. This annual conference attracts many industry leaders -- women of color (Latinas, African American, and Asian Americans) and white women. The presentations reflected WomanUp!'s commitment to furthering women's leadership and addressing issues of equity and social justice in the real estate sector. It was an honor to be the closing speaker, and I'm glad I could be there for two days of inspirational presentations. This past weekend I was a keynote speaker at Take Charge, the Lean In Latinas Northern California conference. It was the group's first in-person gathering in three-plus years, and the event was sold-out!! Few things are more rewarding than speaking to a gathering of Latinas. It was a day filled with learning and so many personal connections. WOW, can't wait for next year's Lean In Latinas conference. On September 21st, I'll be the featured guest at Oye Vecinos, the annual fundraising event for TN Justice for Our Neighbors, an immigrant rights organization whose offices I visited while my show was in Nashville earlier this year. I am eager to see the many wonderful folks I met on my two previous trips to Nashville. NASHVILLE PEEPS, yes, I'm talking to you: come on out to support TNJFON and say hello. I'd love to see you at Nashville's historic public library on September 21st. From Nashville, I'll go to my beloved San Antonio, where I'll present my play at St. Mary's University, my alma mater. Looking forward to seeing family and friends from South Texas who live in the San Antonio area or are willing and able to travel. I'm still thinking about the changes I'll make to the play to address the refusal to teach about the history and contributions of Mexican Americans, African Americans, and other marginalized groups, including women and our LGBTQ brothers and sisters. Our stories are being excluded from lesson plans, textbooks, and all types of supplemental reading that should be available to all students. Because my play is only one-hour, I can't cover all the topics worthy of consideration: women's reproductive freedom, cruelty and abuses of immigrants, and using them as political pawns and fodder. Stay tuned. Finally, I'll perform at Arizona State University's Kerr Performing Arts Center on December 10th, a 2 pm matinée in Scottsdale, Arizona. One of my top goals this year was to perform in Arizona, and I'm so pleased to be there in December rather than now, given the record-breaking heat in Arizona. If you have friends in Nashville, San Antonio, or the Phoenix area, please tell them I'll be in these cities. Thanks for reading my newsletter. If you enjoy it, pass it along to friends. Love and peace to all y'all.

The two hours before a performance are filled with jitters. I set up my props on stage, including a pink bakery box with two Mexican pastries, un marranito y una empanada. I walk into the empty theater and check that everything looks OK from the audience's perspective. The tech running the show and I check sound levels, play the video clips and project the images on the screen. I then go backstage to the Green Room and spend the last hour warming up, doing some vocal exercises and physical movement. I dance off my nervous energy to Little Joe y La Familia, Etta James, Flaco Jimenez, and others. Last month I presented my show at TAMUK (Texas A&M Kingsville), and on the morning of the show, Vicente, the tech (theatrical technician), and I rehearsed in the Performance Hall. We have the space until noon when the University orchestra uses it for an afternoon class. I move my table and props into the Green Room, which Vicente locks. No one knows how the Green Room got its name, but having been in quite a few now, they are never green. TAMUK's Performance Hall is the most beautiful space I've ever performed in. Wow. We are allowed back into the theater at 6 pm, just one hour before the show’s 7 pm start time. I enter the Green Room, gather my props, and set them up on stage. Lighting, good: mic check, good; video and images, all good. Before heading backstage to warm up I opened the pink bakery box, and no marranito! Just one lonely empanada. By then, it was 6:15 pm, and the theater doors were to open in 15 minutes. In a panic, I called my sister to ask if she could stop by a bakery and get a marranito. What did I want? She was then driving the 28 miles from Alice (our hometown where she still lives) to Kingsville. I then called Perla, my childhood friend, who had arranged the invitation for me to perform at TAMUK. “Perla, someone took my marranito, it’s missing, gone, and I need to get one NOW. And the panaderias are probably closed?” It took a minute for her to make sense of what I was telling her. She calmed me down. “It’s OK; we’re serving pastries at the post-show reception, including marranitos.” She assures me that Adelita, who is bringing the pastries, will arrive before the start of the show. “Gracias a Dios. Please call me as soon as Adelita gets here.” The minutes are ticking away, and the doors to the theater are now open, and still no marranito. About 15 minutes before showtime, Adelita arrives. My job now is to coordinate with Vicente in the tech booth so that he can find Adelita among the 200 people in the lobby and now entering the theater. He finds her, takes several marranitos, and puts them in the pastry box on stage. The stars were aligned in my favor that evening. What became of the marranito remains a mystery, but clearly, someone in the orchestra class entered the “locked” Green Room and availed themselves of a snack. They probably wouldn’t have taken it if they’d known I’d had my hands all over the pastry the past two days at every rehearsal. A marranito and a pumpkin empanada have been props in my show since I first wrote it, and I’d been using the same items for years, eliminating any temptation to eat stale old pastries. Before heading to South Texas, I decided to trash my now almost-petrified items with the plan of replacing them there. When I arrived in Alice, Texas, on a Sunday afternoon (my show was set for Tuesday), I asked my sister if she’d go to the bakery to buy these two items. She returned and reported that the marranitos were sold out. Sold OUT? How is that possible? That was bad news as I needed my props the following morning for the tech rehearsal, where I needed to be in full performance mode. A photographer was going to be taking pictures during that rehearsal. Early the next morning, Perla, with whom I was staying, went to the panaderia in Kingsville and got my replacement marranito. All was right with the world ‘til that same marranito went missing. But thankfully, Perla and Adelita saved the day! How My Show Got to TAMUK My engagement at TAMUK was the brainchild of Perla Franco Wheeler, my classmate and dear friend, since we were both elementary school students at St. Joseph’s Parochial School in Alice, Texas. Perla and her sister, Diana, had seen an earlier version of my play at The Guadalupe Theater in San Antonio in 2017, and Perla was eager to have me as a guest speaker at TAMUK’s University Women’s Club and maybe even perform my play on campus. Then COVID happened, and no further discussion occurred. Some months back, Perla asked whether I’d come to do my show for her group. Of course, I would. As the organization was searching for space within the university, TAMUK’s administration asked if my performance could be opened to students, which it was, and they made available the best venue, The Performance Hall in the Music Building. And, as per Perla’s original wish, I was the guest speaker at the University Women’s Club Annual International Women’s Day Celebration the day after my show. Seeing friends that I’ve known since elementary school was an absolute joy. And loved seeing others I met in high school and college. I appreciated that they came from as far as Houston (240 miles), San Antonio (120 miles), the Rio Grande Valley (95+ miles), and the nearby towns of Corpus Christi, Robstown, and our very own pueblito, Alice, Texas. It was akin to a high school reunion. While my show appeals to folks from all ethnic and racial backgrounds, most of the audiences where I have performed are overwhelmingly white. The TAMUK audience was 98% Raza, and it was nothing short of thrilling to present this work to people who have lived many of the same childhood experiences I recount in my show. Knowing that almost everyone there is bilingual, I found myself using way more Spanish in this show. About TAMUK Texas A&M Kingsville, with an enrollment of 6,400 students, is located in Kingsville, Texas, a town of 25,000 people which is home to the 850,000 acres legendary King Ranch, the largest ranch in the United States. The campus reflects South Texas's population with an enrollment of almost 70% Hispanic students (principally Mexican-Americans from families like my own that have roots in that part of South Texas for generations), 15% white, and 4 % black. Internationa Students are 7% and 4% (?). I imagine Asian Americans and Indigenous Americans aren't listed separately because the number is too small. TAMUK’s President, Dr. Robert Vela, is from Alice, Texas, my hometown, as is other leadership at the University. TAMUK’s most famous graduate is Eva Longoria, a native of South Texas. A friend tracked down this picture (17-years old) in a Texas A&I yearbook (TAMUK's previous name). Although Texas A&I had many Chicano students, it was by no means 70% of the enrollment in the late 1960s and early 70s. I attended this university for two years after high school but transferred to St. Mary's University in San Antonio, fulfilling my dream of moving to a big city. The warmth and hospitality of so many people touched my heart. I especially want to thank the following folks for their role in making my play and the reception that followed a very memorable experience. Muchismias Gracias: Perla Franco Wheeler, The University Women’s Club, Vicente Barrera, Dr. Rito Silva, VP Student Affairs & Melissa Silva, Randy Hughes, TAMUK CEO, Erin McClure, Assistant Dean of Students, Belinda Hughes, Elenita Barrera, Ida Herrera, Cynthia Cantu Rangel, Norma Cano Wright, Rosalinda San Miguel, Mary Nutt, Diana Luna, Nilda Maples, Adelita Munoz, and Raul Aguirre. Mi agradecimiento especial a Belinda Silva, a fellow Alician who took many of these pictures. Thanks to each of you who helped spread the word and got an enthusiastic audience of 200+ folks to the theater. And most of all, thank you for making my time in Kingsville so special. I look forward to seeing my South Texas friends and family at future performances in the year ahead. Adelante. And sharing a few more pictures.

I left my heart in Nashville. As I write this, I can hear Tony Bennett belting out these words with reference to my beloved San Francisco. Click here and have a listen. It is such a beautiful song. I loved Nashville from the moment I set foot in the airport last September. My first trip was to meet folks from The Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC) and to see a one-person show in the space where I would be performing several months later. It was also an opportunity to learn about Nashville’s Latino community and to meet folks. And was I ever lucky to be connected to so many leaders in business, law, journalism, education, the non-profit sector. Everyone I met was so generous with their time and introductions. Special shout-out to Jessie Garcia Knowles, who opened so many doors for me, and whose friendship I so value. Jessie, the Executive Director of the Tennessee Latin American Chamber of Commerce, was previously the Director of the YMCA Latino Achievers Program and served as the Assistant Dean of Students at Lipscomb University. She is also the pro bono director of the ELLA Program (Entrepreneurship Latina Leaders of America), and her energy appears boundless. I had three shows at TPAC and also participated in a sold-out pre-show preview sponsored by Vanderbilt University. This was a conversation about identity, othering and belonging, and the importance of our cultural ties, with Jermaine Soto, Director of Faculty Development, and Dr. Hilario Lomeli, Mellon Assistant Professor of Latinx Studies at Vanderbilt. All were wonderful events, with lots of audience engagement. I loved that several friends came from elsewhere (Portsmouth, VA, Lexington, KY, and Atlanta) to see my show and that relatives of Bay Area friends, and my director’s best friend from childhood, also attended. I got to connect with new Nashville resident, Theresa, whom I have known severeal decades from our days at MALDEF where we were both lawyers. She and her spouse recently moved from San Francisco to Nashville. The feedback in the post-show talkbacks is always illuminating, and I appreciate hearing from folks about how my play has touched them. I’ve received invitations from teachers to speak to their students via zoom, which will be happening soon, and I’ll be recording an episode with a Nashville podcaster who was in the audience. In addition to my shows, I had the opportunity to meet with the staff and invited guests of the Rose Immigration Law firm for a lunchtime conversation. In my meeting with law students at Vanderbilt, I heard how students of color experience microaggressions from professors and fellow students. I got a tour of Casa Azafrán, a beautiful event space and home to nonprofits that offer services in education, legal, health care, and the arts to immigrants, refugees, and the general community. There I met folks from Conexion Americas and spent a wonderful hour with the staff of Tennessee Justice For Our Neighbors (TNJFON) a legal organization. Love that Casa Azafrán’s signage is in English, Spanish, and Arabic, reflecting the communities it serves. Casa Azafrán also has a beautiful industrial kitchen for use by small food-based community businesses. Learned a lot about Nashville’s important role in the civil rights movement, and am eager to know more. I plan to return in September for TNJFON annual fundraiser, and I look forward to connecting with my new Nashville friends at that time. In closing, I’d like to share two emails I received this past week. “I deeply appreciate your stories, perspectives, and experiences (they) have given me great food for thought. What you had to say relates so much to situations we encounter almost daily in our work, and it’s so important for us to be reminded of the seemingly small things we can do to make our clients feel more valued and comfortable.” ~Emily "Your show inspires individuals to stop for a moment and soul-search their own view of the race debate (and biases, in general). I admire your commitment to shifting our conversations to one of learning rather than blaming.” ~Patricia Thanks so much, Nashvillians. Deep gratitude to TPAC’s Kiera Lytle, Danielle Allen, and the tech staff whose professionalism and skill gave me great confidence at every rehearsal and show. This was the Southern debut of my play, and I felt so very welcomed by the community. This, I am certain, is due to the various journalists (English and Spanish media) who took the time to interview me and introduced my work to Nashville. Thank you. Muchisimas gracias. Next up, I’ll be at Texas A&M University in Kingsville, Texas, 28 miles from my hometown Alice, Texas, where I still have family and lots of childhood friends. That performance is on Tuesday, March 7, 2023. One show only and it’s FREE and open to students and community members. Just show up.