Con Fuerza y Dignidad
Con Fuerza y Dignidad
BY Miriam Arroyo
Inspired by an album cover, I called on my Apa y mis Tios for a photoshoot. Initially, it was to show gratitude and capture them as some of the outstanding fathers of their generation. What started as confusion, unfamiliarity with having professional pictures taken of them, turned out to be one of the most fun and memorable days of my life, Con Ellos.
Lo and behold, the results captured not just images of four inspiring men, but also the stories each one held.
While society typically counts blessings through material objects (house, car, career), others count blessings by acknowledging the resilience and dignity in our lived experiences. We have gone through trial after trial, and still, Amor and healing are what we most honor and desire. While our people are being hunted like animals, and our communities are being terrorized, we still walk with Fuerza y Dignidad. Humble but not weak, we will never give up, for we were given the freedom to speak.
This is the story of four honorable men, my Apa y mis Tios
Four young boys
on a journey across a border
on the train, on foot, in the back of a truck.
A journey to find a better life with not a single buck
Four young men are ready for work,
to learn a new language,
and figure out life on unfamiliar dirt
Four men taking with them the lineage of our ancestors,
building a legacy for future generations to come
Four sons, four fathers, four grandfathers,
Cuatro Hermanos, who never gave up
who carried the medicine of both Mama and Papa
sent away with a blessing or simply luck
Rich in life and in heart.
They taught us to have Honor y Dignidad
because they knew what it felt like to live in the dark
Breaking barriers and generational trauma
yet still coming together to carry a tune,
bringing joy and laughter into every room
Cuatro Hermanos con Fuerza y Dignidad,
who, through trials and tribulations
continue to hold their head up high.
From the 50’s and 60’s until today, from Mexico to San Jose
Le doy gracias a Dios por ellos, recognizing them with dignity and respect every day.
Photo Credit: Agustin Ray @agustin.ray_