Wednesday 8AM

by ​Ciena Valenzuela-Peterson

Cienna says, "This painting is titled Temo, meaning "I fear" in Spanish. It is about how I feel being a 16-year-old Mexican-American in Trump's America. We have been made to feel as though those identities must be mutually exclusive, but the two flags as tears show that they are equally valid. The flowers (taking inspiration from Frida Kahlo, traditional ballet folklórico and Día de los Muertos dress, etc.) are a symbol of all that is beautiful about Mexican culture. The pain on the girl's face is what I and other Mexican-Americans feel because of the intense racism enabled and validated by the President-elect."