Statement of Intent

On March 5th, 1960, photographer Alberto Korda snapped his iconic photograph of Che Guevara for a Cuban newspaper, never knowing the capitalist power it would one day wield1.  Today, one sees images of Che Guevara everywhere- on t-shirts, dorm room posters, even underwear- despite the fact that virtually none of those wearing his image have any notion of his politics or actions.  The same is true for other radical Latinos and Latinas. Drug lord Pablo Escobar even has an entire clothing line dedicated to him.  The radical Latinos and Latinas who make it into popular culture and onto shirts all seem to be associated with revolution or violence of some form, giving them a "Hollywood" aspect that makes them provocative and edgy. This of course sells to teens and others who desire to be perceived as rebellious, though not too rebellious for fear of being ostracized. The t-shirt lends all of the rebellion that they desire. Emma Tenayuca was doubtless a rebellious figure, so why is it that she never made an entry into popular culture?

Labor reform is far from glamourous in the eyes of modern society. This form of rebellion might even mean you are a communist, which Emma Tenayuca happened to be.  Despite the lack of the "Hollywood" element in Tenayuca's life, I find her a fascinating figure, and one who has unfortunately been neglected in history.

To pay tribute to her life and work, I plan to paint a mural of Emma Tenayuca memorializing her activism in San Antonio. This blog will serve as a log of the research I do in preparation for the mural, as well as the preparation I do for the design of the mural. My purpose in creating this mural is double. First, I want to pay homage to someone who I consider an inspirational and sadly forgotten historical figure. Second, I would like this mural to serve as public education as it is an effort to bring her actions back into the public eye.

Over the next week or so, I will examine Tenayuca's life and activism through the lens of this project, covering the issues she worked on and their relevancy today, why she interested me, and how I have incorporated all these elements of her life into my mural.

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1. Chevolution. Directed by Lopez, Luis and Trisha Ziff. 2008. Los Angeles, CA: Magnolia Home Entertainment, 2010. DVD.