FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM JULY 16, 2020 • THE QUEENS COURIER 9
Taylor and Vanessa Guillén at Queens Museum
share their stories of sexual assault and
racism within the military system.
“I’m hoping that this will remind everyone
of their beauty and not just of the
tragedy of their murder, because they
were such beautiful women who had
amazing values and amazing plans for
their lives,” Agudelo said. “I want to let
them live on through our art.”
At the event, a QLP organizer asked
participants to take a knee as they read the
names of Black trans individuals who’ve
been murdered due to hate violence.
Demands for justice and a call for fundamental
change were reverberating messages
throughout the evening. Kids, teens
and families got to create their own artwork
with paint, color markers, canvases
and other supplies provided by QLP. Mark
Saldana, a proud Queens artist of Mexican
descent, donated most of those supplies.
“As an artist I really feel like I need
to refl ect what’s going on in the world,”
Saldana said. “Staying home aft er a while
and reading the things that were happening
with George Floyd, and all these cases,
I said, ‘I really need to use my voice and
create artwork for the people.’ I always
made art and I feel like now it’s more
powerful for me to use it for the movement,
and just not stay silent because se
me amarga la boca it leaves a bad taste in
my mouth.”
Later, 9-year-old Brianna was the fi rst
to read a poem, a sweet spoken word
about her and her family’s love and passion.
Brianna, who’s nine years old, read a
sweet poem about herself and her family:
“My skin is Brown like café con leche, just
like my mamita drinks every morning.”
Agudelo then introduced her mother, a
professional dancer, who gave participants
a socially distant salsa lesson. Masked participants
gathered in front of the Queens
Museum, following along her movements
as salsa music blasted from the speakers.
Organizers also collected donations for
a food and personal protective equipment
drive they’re organizing for Queensbridge
Houses. Jackson Heights State Assembly
candidate Jessica González-Rojas attended
the event, and was asked to speak
about reproductive rights — something
she’s been fi ghting for for years as the former
executive director of the National
Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice.
“Th e late, great Audre Lorde said,
‘Th ere’s no such thing as a single-issue
struggle because we do not live single-issue
lives,’ and that is in essence what
reproductive justice stands for,” González-
Rojas said.
She later paused for a moment of silence
for Sha-asia Washington, a 26-year-old
Brooklyn woman who died aft er giving
birth earlier this month. Her death, along
with the death of another Bronx woman,
has amplifi ed discussions about the treatment
disparities Black and Brown women
face in the health system.
Queens Museum’s Communication
Manager Heryte Tequame said they
learned the event was going to take place
near the museum aft er seeing the event
posting on Instagram. Th ey, in turn, let
attendees use their restrooms and their
sound system.
“We wanted to show up and support
the initiative, and be here to hand out
snacks, water and face masks,” Tequame
said, standing behind a table the museum
had set up.
Th e event included several performances
by Queens artists. Some sang, some
rapped, some danced, others gave powerful
spoken word performances, and there
was even a stand-up comedian.
Activities went on well aft er nightfall. As
the sun set, attendees grabbed some chalk
to leave their mark in front of the museum,
writing messages like “Black Lives
Matter,” “Las Vidas Negras Importan” and
“Queens, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx,
We fi ght. Period.”
/WWW.QNS.COM
