Representation Matters
Representation Matters
BY Daniel Arias
Meaningful representation is seized through collective action and collaboration. The magazine you hold in your hands represents an impactful shift in our community. It amplifies our collective voice to represent the Eastside’s past, present, and future con dignidad.
Working with EASTSIDE Magazine as a publishing intern this past summer filled me with pure excitement and pride. You see, like many of the contributors featured in these pages, I was born and raised in East San José. “Sal si puedes” is what history called this neighborhood, but my family chose to set their roots here, so I call it home. I commuted to three different colleges and universities while living here, starting as a community college student at De Anza College, eventually transferring to UC Berkeley to earn my BA, and currently pursuing my Ph.D. at UC Santa Cruz. The Eastside has been my foundation through it all, and I carry it everywhere I go.
Considering all of this, I am highly protective of the Eastside and of who gets to tell our stories. It takes a determined group to authentically showcase what makes this community so special. As the publishing intern, I got an intimate look at how the magazine is crafted and nurtured. I also had the opportunity to interview the EASTSIDE team to learn about their love and passion for the magazine.
As the Managing Editor since 2022, Sendy Tapia is highly personable and ambitious. She became my mentor in the magazine's editorial processes, consistently offering me patience and wisdom as I learned the ropes. She shares my belief in storytelling and art as radical acts of liberation.
“It's such a powerful tool to resist oppression…to stake your claim in the dirt and say, I was here, I existed, this was my story, this is what I experienced, and this is how I will continue to lead my legacy,” she tells me confidently. She carries this optimism into her editorial role, reviewing hundreds of submissions over the course of a year.
“It’s such a powerful tool to resist oppression…to stake your claim in the dirt and say, I was here, I existed, this was my story, this is what I experienced, and this is how I will continue to lead my legacy”
Sendy is also aware of the significance and importance of publishing a physical version of the magazine, “because all in all, when you pick it up, you're starting to read history. You're making history. You planted the seed already, to pass it on to somebody else, to keep it for yourself, or to start reflecting on–how do I fit into all of this?”
Indeed, how do we fit into all of this was a crucial question the Co-Founders had to grapple with as they set out to represent the day-to-day experience of living in East San José. “That's where it started–it leaned on wanting to highlight the cultural vibrancy, the history, and the stories of the neighborhood,” Omar Rodriguez, Co-Founder of the magazine, tells me. His office is filled with
EASTSIDE Magazine and Kooltura Marketing art, and he beams with pride as I ask him what the magazine does so well. “I think what it will continue to do well is value the platform for what it is. I always liked the idea of a shared platform where anyone can contribute, whether it's through poetry, art, or a story.” Omar shares that the magazine inspired him to write his own story and hopes it does the same for others, “I feel like the stories people share within the magazine inspire others, help them see themselves through those stories, and they inspire them to tell their own story. That's been transformative, that's been powerful, and that's why I continue to do this work.” He enthusiastically defines the Eastside as something more than a physical place: “to me it's culture, to me it's history, to me it's legacy, to me it's the heart of San José.”
I can’t help but agree with him. The Eastside has always been the heart of San José, and this magazine reminds us of that deeply rooted history.
Rosanna Alvarez, Co-Founder of the magazine, Poeta and Profe, unabashedly represents the strength of the Eastside through her writing and voice, “I define the Eastside as home, so I feel very strongly about some things that I know other people could find unsettling…it's more than the magazine, right? It's community for sure, it's collective care, and it's a culture of place more than it is the place itself.” I approached Rosanna about my partnership with the magazine last Spring, and she has since shared her academic, professional, and personal knowledge with me as a generous mentor. She constantly reminds me of the Eastside’s potential: “I hope people continue to see themselves reflected in the spirit of the magazine, whatever iteration it takes on. I hope they keep seeing that their stories matter, that their lives matter, and that we are worth the time and, beyond that, all of us have the capacity to tell our stories.”
When I ask Rosanna about the magazine’s success and impact, she modestly replies, “Its existence is already such an abundant blessing. More than seeds, it feels like it's those little clippings of succulents that are just out there, and they're sprouting, even in the wild, and some of those we might not see them sprout anything until years from now.”
As a social activist, Rosanna always has her ear to the ground. Her influence is evident in the magazine's responsiveness to our community’s current issues and needs. “There is something about the urgency of the times right now, with all this misinformation and the narratives being told about our particular communities, that I hope the magazine continues to remind us of our humanity and remind us of our beautiful differences so that we can work together, because that's what the Eastside has been good at–finding those moments of solidarity and collective action.”
I share my story and the team’s words of wisdom because they reflect the power and dignity of our community. As a literary scholar and proud Eastsider, I know that representation is power, especially in these pages, so make sure to claim yours.