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The only thing more painful than growing up as an undocumented immigrant, was finding myself — my true self — as a mixed girl with nurturing of only one of those elements. It’s not lost on me that as a child, being in public places with a white woman by my side allowed me to… Continue reading My Self/Black Girl Magic
When I first arrived in the United States in the summer of 1998, my mother and I lived in my uncle's house in Berkeley, California. He had sponsored our tourist visa. After picking us up from LAX, he took us to Disneyland and Universal Studios, before we made the six hour drive to his home.… Continue reading My Childhood in Rio
I thought that I had nothing to lose when I left Brazil, but I did have dear intangible things which America stole from me. I had hope and dignity. If you ever went to Brazil, you would see nothing but smiles in people’s faces, and feel joy emanating from the caring way they interact with… Continue reading What America Stole From Me
You have probably heard the expression “decolonize your mind”, and in various contexts. The way I think about this concept changes from day to day. It can be applied to so many issues because it encompasses so many facets of our society. It affects different aspects of our lives. Internalized racism colonizes our mind. European… Continue reading Decolonize Your Mind
I don’t know who needs to hear this, but I hope that you have had the chance to discover who you are beyond your immigration story or politicized label. And if you haven’t, I encourage you to look deep inside yourself and try to imagine what kind of person you might have become organically, had… Continue reading The Power in Reclaiming Your Culture
When thinking about immigration, it’s easy to focus on the plight of undocumented and dacamented people, as if they were the only ones affected by America’s immigration policy and climate of hate towards immigrants. I am guilty of viewing the citizen children of immigrants as lucky and carefree Americans. That started to change the day… Continue reading Paz Ellis on the plight of Citizen Children of Immigrants
One of the most memorable moments that I experienced during the trip to my homeland, Brazil earlier this year, was unexpectedly stumbling upon a ceremony known as Festival of Lemanja. It was at a locals’ beach adjacent to Pão de Açúcar (Sugarloaf Mountain) that I saw a large group of mostly Afro-Brazilians gathered under a… Continue reading Candomblé (Part I)
It’s a crazy, surreal, indescribable feeling when you realize that life is not random -- that it has purpose. When you realize that there are signs everywhere of choices you should make, directions to take, validations of your gut instincts, it can feel overwhelming. It can be confusing, but I’ve found that the more you… Continue reading Following Divine Signs
(image courtesy of Shutterstock) I don’t think there has been a louder anti-racism revolt since the Civil Rights Movement. The Black Lives Matter revolution that we are witnessing right now is opening the eyes of America-- including white Americans -- to the violent systemic racism that exists in the United States. It is inspiring protests… Continue reading Black Lives Matter in Brazil, Too. #VidasNegrasImportam
On May 31st, I had the pleasure of discussing the mental health of immigrant children with an expert, Safi Lynch on Instagram Live. A Therapist and Certified Licensed Social Worker who specializes in treating immigrants, she piqued my interest because I was not aware that this type of therapist existed. Delving into her website, I… Continue reading Introducing Safi Lynch & Culture and Identity Sensitive Therapy
