Usando la cabeza: Using your head By Jasmine D. Rodriguez Bathing in sweat, "¡Buen trabajo, muchacho!" As they praise my bionic legs. Head, shoulders, knees, and toes. "But it’s the knees and everything here." They are pointing at their whole body. “El Polaco massage will uncurl the bones for veinte pesos, here’s his card.” “I need to return to work. Or else I will forget how to –” “I could not work on Saturdays. But now, I can. Finally! I have overtime.” “Ay! My legs are numb. I can’t feel them, When I stand up for too long now. I just need to sit down.” “My hands were swollen for weeks, but now I don’t feel any pain.” “¿Oíste eso? Listen, did you hear that clicking sound? They crack now. They didn’t do that before.” “They will pay triple if I work on a holiday. So I will trabajar,” And work, And work, And work, Because they forgot to use their heads when it comes to working. Because se olvidaron de usar la cabeza, and forgot the rest of themselves too.

From 1979 to 1988, Mexican photographer Graciela Iturbide stayed in the remote Southern town of Juchitan, Mexico; in which she captured the Zapotec’s “powerful matriarchal aspects of the Juchitan culture” (Fine Art Publicity). This image is one of the photo series titled Juchitán of the Women. Iturbide focuses on the dominant Zapotec women that govern “all aspects of social life from the economy to religious rituals” (Brooklyn Museum). I picked this photo as my piece of art that inspires me to become my own personhood. Iturbide combines Catholic imagery with the pre-Columbian culture that inspires me to embrace my race, ethnicity, and culture. The photograph of Our Lady of the Iguanas shows a Zapotec woman wearing a crown made of live iguanas. This artwork represents the powerful individuality of the pre-Hispanic culture of the Zapotec. The Zapotec woman is gracefully staring into the distance, she is not fearful of the future. Iturbide depicts the Juchitan culture with a confident woman opposite to the fragile posture of the Catholic Lady of Guadalupe. While in the Juchitan region, the main religion is Roman Catholic, the Zapotec woman has chosen to carry their traditions, culture, and beliefs into the future, where colonization continues to chip away their identity. Iturbide explains her photographs are “a pretext to know the culture, its people, and the way of life” (Fine Art Publicity). While I was researching and learning about the Zapotec people, I carry the determination of the Zapotec into every aspect of my life. “Fifty-Year of Remarkable Photographs by Graciela Iturbide at Throckmorton Fine Art in New York.” Fine Art Publicity, 18 Mar. 2019, http://fineartpublicity.com/2019/03/18/fifty-years-of-remarkable-photographs-by-graciela-iturbide-at-throckmorton-fine-art-in-new-york/. Iturbide, Graciela “Nuestra Señora De Las Iguanas (Our Lady of the Iguanas), Juchitán, Oaxaca.” Brooklyn Museum, www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/124456.

I am passionate about receiving my education because education is the only space to receive constructive feedback and not feel judged for not knowing "how to" write an essay analyzing the complexes of "Romeo and Juliet" or solve a quadratic problem using the quadratic formula, etc. Of course, we are graded for these assignments, quizzes, and tests. But at least I can communicate with my professors during class or office hours about my concerns and questions. The best papers that I have written are because of my professors' feedback. I was able to detect my mistakes and guide myself during the writing process. Overall, I was able to improve my writing. Education has allowed me to grow in my critical thinking and communication skills.