I grew up with Tony. We went to the community center together. Tony was like a big brother. He was kind and funny, he was a skateboarder and basketball player, and he liked to dance. He was murdered by the police.  He was killed on the street we grew up on - the street I live on. They put seven bullets in his body. That’s too much. His death really impacted me. I don’t want Tony to ever be forgotten.

When we talk about Black Lives Matter, it’s important to realize we are talking about peoples’ lives. I used the graduation photo because I wanted to capture something significant in his life. I wanted to highlight his life, not his death. 

Our existence is our resistance. I used the word “our” to emphasize unity. We need a mass movement, not an individualistic one. The police, the justice system, improper care and neglect from doctors - these are all ways my life is devalued. I’m trying to stay strong and healthy. As people of color, we wake up everyday and have to fight for our rights. Our existence - going out and being fully who we are - is resistance.

I painted the monarchs because I’m Afro-Latina. I’m Black and Mexican. Monarchs and their migration are a powerful symbol of Latinx, Chicano, and Black people. In our communities, people have had to migrate due to white supremacy and resource extraction. Slavery was forced migration. This country was built on migration.

-@sirenatheflower