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Giovanna "Gio"

10/31/2015

 
“Our family had a housekeeper in Peru as I was growing up. Both of my parents treated her with love and respect and considered her part of the family. Sometimes I went home with her on weekends to play with her children. She and I walked part of the way, took two buses, and crossed a river to get there. In the housekeeper’s community, entire families lived in a single room. The children were very interested in the toys I brought along because they didn’t have those sorts of things. I enjoyed being there and recall many happy times playing with them in the creek, but it was on those weekends when I first began to realize that not everyone lived the way our family did. I think that’s one reason my mom let me go. She’s always been a very compassionate person who expresses a lot of solidarity with others, and she wanted to teach me how to care about other people.
 
“I never really reflected on my race, ethnicity, or social status until I came to this country ten years ago. I didn’t speak English then and encountered some pretty concrete discrimination, which really hurt. But it also helped me become aware of the assumptions and stereotypes people had. I remember thinking: I’m documented and have a college degree; I can only imagine what other people who don’t have those advantages are facing. The turning point for me was when I realized I could use my privilege to combat the oppressive systems I live in. That’s what’s behind my passion for the work I do now as Training Director for the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center. I use my experiences and my bilingual skills to reach across cultural lines and support people in finding the resources they need to succeed.”
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As part of Playback Memphis:
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Giovanna "Gio" Lopez
  • Training Director for the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center
  • Cofounder & board member of Cazateatro
  • Board member of Workers Interfaith Network
  • Member of Comunidades Unidas en Una Voz (Communities United in One Voice: grassroots group working for immigration reform)
  • Member since 2010 of the organizing group for the Spanish version of The Vagina Monologues
  • Actress with Playback Memphis
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