Somos Nevada by Somos Nevada

A product of Noticiero Mรณvil

This project is administered by the Online News Association with support from Excellence and Ethics in Journalism Foundation, the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, Knight Foundation, the Democracy Fund, and the Rita Allen Foundation.

Table of Contents 01

Letter from the Editor

How a Record Swapping Hobby Became a Wells Avenue Store

De Cómo un Pasatiempo Intercambiando Discos

Photo by David Calvert

se Convirtió en Una Tienda

Letter from the Editor

Washoe County Question 1 Passed, Now What?

We as humans all share a common desire - connection. It transcends party politics, race, gender and socioeconomic status. For some, social media provides a meaningful sense of community. Others, like me, feel most connected when we gather in person.

¡Basta! Violence Against Women Across the Americas

El Tapatío Market en Reno: Su Destino para Hechizos

Paul Rodriguez on the Lack of Latinos on Television

The New Normal: Growing Up Biracial in America

The Workers of La Piedra

Connecting with each other is key to empowerment and knowledge. It was that realization that drove this bilingual media project, Noticiero Móvil. It’s also what inspired the publication you hold in your hands. Northern Nevada has experienced an incredible evolution. From the rebirth of neighborhoods to a surge in bright entrepreneurs, this is a community of unique individuals who are looking to invest in a bright future. In early 2015, we at the Reynolds School of Journalism noticed a significant gap in local news coverage, notably for our bilingual residents. According to the most recent U.S. Census projections, nearly 25 percent of the population in Washoe County is Latino. Slim options for Spanish-language media, however, do not reflect that. It merely skims the surface of a widely untapped community, and English-language media outlets only create a harsher divide with a lack of diversity. We received a grant from the Online News Association that afforded us the opportunity to experiment and develop Noticiero Móvil. Each semester, students produce multimedia content from within a community, not just about a community. This project is rooted in partnerships and meaningful reporting. We’ve built inroads by hosting unconventional media events like dinner parties and dance lessons. Everything we do is guided by our fundamental desire to create one, cohesive community linked by the desire to connect and learn with one another regardless of backgrounds. This is certainly the most exciting project I’ve ever been a part of, and my team is thrilled to see where we will go next. Somos Nevada is just another way we’re hoping to strengthen connections. We are constantly evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of our program and welcome your feedback and ideas. You can send me suggestions at vvancour@unr.edu, though I would prefer to meet with you over un cafecito.

Cover Photo by David Calvert Cover background photo by Levi Saunders https://unsplash.com/@levisaunders

noticieromovil.com

As his record collection grew, he realized in 2013 his job at News 10 was no longer a good fit for his lifestyle. “Television news never provided the creative outlet I hoped for and the move towards automation in broadcast production made the job less fun and more stressful.” He also wanted to be his own boss.

been open since December of 2015. Previously, Spectre Records was located on Center Street. He and his wife chose to move in order to be closer to the Midtown District and the Holland Project, a venue dedicated to young people passionate about music and art.

His solution was to open his own record store in Reno, solving two dilemmas at once.

Torres and his wife hope to provide a high quality music selection so that someday they can hire employees, offer more new release records, and add an art gallery to the store.

Torres is currently focusing his efforts on establishing his store’s reputation in its Wells Avenue location, which has only

De Cómo un Pasatiempo Intercambiando Discos se Convirtió en Una Tienda Gabriella De Leon @gabofthelion Nuestro equipo de traducción: Gabriella De Leon, Mauricio Rojas Durand y Andrea Linardi de Minten.

Reno, NV - March 1, 2016: Gabriel Torres, owner of Spectre Records on Wells Avenue, prides himself in his smaller, select music collection. Spectre Records moved in December of 2015 from Center Street to its current location on Wells Avenue. Photo credit: Natalie Van Hoozer for Noticiero Móvil.

How a Record Swapping Hobby Became a Wells Avenue Store by: Natalie VanHoozer @NatVanH Between the U.S. Bank and Marketon supermarket on Wells Avenue sits Spectre Records. The modest building has a classic neon sign which reads “open” and a myriad of concert posters in the window. Inside, aisles of records are neatly categorized and behind the counter stands Gabriel Torres, the 40-year-old owner of the store. His passion for music started when he was young. While his parents were not musicians or music collectors, Torres developed a love for music from what he heard on the radio, though his passion has not always paid the bills. Just after graduating high school, Torres started working as an audio engineer and camera operator at KOLO-TV in Reno. “I enjoyed music and video and wanted to find a way into working creatively with both of these,” he said.

“Television news never provided the creative outlet I hoped for and the move towards automation in broadcast production made the job less fun and more stressful.” Most recently, Torres worked at News 10 in Sacramento, California as a broadcast director and production engineer for more than seven years. In Sacramento, he and his wife Michelle attended record swaps to exchange their duplicate and unwanted records for new vinyl.

Entre el Banco U.S. y el supermercado Marketon en la avenida Wells se encuentra Spectre Records. El modesto edificio tiene un clásico letrero de neón que dice “Abierto e innumerables carteles de conciertos en la ventana.” En el interior, hay pasillos con discos que están claramente clasificados y detrás del mostrador se encuentra el dueño de la tienda, Gabriel Torres de 40 años de edad. Su pasión por la música comenzó cuando era joven. Aunque sus padres no eran músicos ni coleccionistas de música, Torres desarrolló un amor por la música a partir de lo que escuchaba en la radio, sin embargo su pasión no era lo suficiente como para pagar las cuentas. Después de graduarse de la escuela secundaria, Torres comenzó a trabajar en Reno como ingeniero de sonido y camarógrafo de KOLO-TV. “Me gustaba la música y la videograbación y quería encontrar una manera de trabajar en forma creativa con ambas,” dijo Torres. Más recientemente, Torres trabajó en News 10 en Sacramento, California, como director de difusión e ingeniero de producción durante más de siete años. En Sacramento, él y su esposa Michelle asistieron a sesiones de intercambios de discos para intercambiar los discos duplicados y los que ya no querían por vinilos nuevos. Mientras crecía su colección de discos, en el 2013 se dió cuenta que su trabajo en News 10 ya no se adecuaba a su estilo de vida.

que esperaba y el avance hacia la automatización en la producción de transmisiones hizo que el trabajo fuera menos divertido y más estresante.” Y además él quería ser su propio jefe. Su solución fue abrir su propia tienda de discos en Reno, resolviendo dos dilemas a la vez. En la actualidad, Torres centra sus esfuerzos en establecer la reputación de su tienda ubicada en la avenida Wells, que solo ha estado abierta desde diciembre de 2015. Anteriormente, Spectre Records se encontraba en la calle Center. Él y su esposa decidieron mudarse con el fin de estar más cerca de Midtown District y de Holland Project, un lugar dedicado a los jóvenes apasionados por la música y el arte. Torres y su esposa esperan tener una selección de música de alta calidad para que algún día puedan contratar algunos empleados, ofrecer más discos recién publicados, y añadir una galería de arte a la tienda.

“Las noticias televisivas nunca me proporcionaron la salida creativa 3

Church claimed he would appeal or file a new lawsuit upon finding out his lawsuit was struck down. Now that WC-1 has passed, Washoe County residents should expect an increase in the sales and use tax in Washoe County from the current rate of 7.725 to 8.265, according to a Fact Sheet on WC-1 by The Guinn Center. The tax increase is the highest rate of any county in Nevada. According to Washoe County School District Chief Operations Officer Pete Etchart, Washoe County residents will not see the tax increase until April 2017. The district will not see any of the revenue from the increase until June.

Students in a fourth grade classroom at Spanish Springs Elementary School receive an art lesson from Vickie Libby, a parent volunteer.

Washoe County Question 1 Passed, Now What? by: Rachel Spacek @RachelSpacek The fight to help the Washoe County School District fund the construction of new schools and repair projects has come to a close as Washoe County Question One passed. The passage of WC-1 comes with high expectations from parent and teacher advocates as well as the community.

“Sixty-five thousand children are sitting in classrooms that are overcrowded, that have leaky roofs, some have no safety fencing around their schools and we’re saying to these kids, ‘We value education, education is everything and it is what will propel you in life,’” said Kristie Sheltra, a parent advocate for WC-1. Opponents to WC-1 raised concerns about the 0.54 percent increase in sales tax. A lawsuit questioning the tactics SOS Washoe used to develop the language on the 2016 ballot was dismissed. In the lawsuit filed in early September, Jeff Church, a Reno resident and member of the committee in charge of writing the argument in opposition to the tax increase of WC-1, accused the county of breaking the law regarding how the committees writing the arguments were organized.

WC-1 asked voters to allow the Board of County Commissioners of Washoe County to increase sales tax by 0.54 percent in order to fund the building of 15 new schools and to make repairs to older schools.

The law stated that each committee in charge of writing the opposing and in-favor arguments must be made up of three or less individuals, but no more than three. However, Church alleged the county appointed four members to the committee writing the pro argument.

According to Save Our Schools Washoe, the political action committee behind the campaign in favor of passing the ballot question, one in five Washoe County schools is severely overcrowded.

At the end of October, Deputy District Attorney Herbert Kaplan argued that the County’s mistake was based upon technicalities and is not probable cause to strike the measure from the ballot.

The Washoe County School District estimates that it will receive $781 million in bond revenue over the next nine years, totaling around $86.8 million a year.

“WC-1 is important to me because I think that schools and quality education is the most important aspect of a community,” said Hannah Jackson, a student at the University of Nevada, Reno and a volunteer and outreach coordinator for SOS Washoe campaign. “I am a product of Washoe County schools, and I want to be an educator in the future. The thought of future generations not being able to experience the kind of education that I got to experience is heartbreaking.” The district plans on building new classrooms at Damonte Ranch High School and designing new campuses for elementary and middle schools.

and building new schools,” Jackson said. “None of the money will go to operational needs like salaries, benefits, or programs. Additionally, there will be a new majority on the school board.” SOS Washoe and the Educators for Washoe Schools can breathe a sigh of relief after spending more than $886,000 to raise awareness about the measure. Interested in knowing what else became law? Visit our website at www.noticieromovil.com to learn about Nevada Question 2 and what’s next in the legalization of recreational marijuana.

“Many voters are distrusting of the school district and the board of trustees. It is important to note two things; Primarily, the funds acquired from WC-1 will only fund capital needs, which would be renovating current schools

¡Basta! Violence Against Women Across the Americas By Alexa Ard @Alexa_Ard Murdering women simply because of their gender has a name – femicide, and it isn’t uncommon in Latin America. The violent, horrific acts range from women being set on fire, raped, and attacked with acid. Fourteen of the 25 countries with the worst femicide rates are in the Americas, according to data from 2004 to 2009. A few specific cases include when Maria Eugenia Lanzetti’s estranged husband slit her throat in front of her kindergarten class in Argentina. Just one month later, in the same country, pregnant 14-year-old Chiara Paez was buried alive by her boyfriend. Rosa Elvira Cely was raped and murdered by a man in a park three years ago in Colombia. Many times, instances of femicide go ignored in Latin American countries. For instance, in Bolivia, from 2007 to 2011,

Emma Sepúlveda, director of the Latino Research Center at the University of Nevada, Reno, wrote one of the entries and is spearheading the next U.S. edition of ¡Basta!.

there were 442-thousand complaints of gender-based violence. Only 96 have been prosecuted, according to the Center of Information and Development of Women in La Paz.

And part of living with a violent father also meant that instead of him screaming at Sepúlveda when he lost his temper, he would slap her.

Shocking, but not surprising when you realize most of these countries waited until the 1990s to enact laws to protect women from violence.

“Children view that violence and often are victims of that violence too, because it’s somebody out of control, somebody that doesn’t have a limit of what it needs to have,” she said.

It’s history like this that inspired Chilean author Pía Barros to start a book series called ¡Basta!: 100 mujeres contra la violencia de género, which translates to “Enough!: 100 women against gender violence”. The book contains 100 mini-fiction stories about violence against women.

When she grew older and saw that her father had changed, she tried to ask him why he was abusive in the past, but his answer was always contradicting. He tried to blame it on the way he was raised.

Emma Sepúlveda, director of the Latino Research Center at the University of Nevada, Reno, wrote one of the entries and is spearheading the next U.S. edition of ¡Basta!. This latest version calls for 100 Latinas to write and submit 150-word short stories. “I wanted the project to be connected to the initial project in Latin America,” Sepúlveda said. But more importantly, she wants to analyze if the submissions from Latinas in the U.S. would differ from those in Latin America. “When women come in pursuit of the American dream, do they free themselves from many terrible things, one of them being domestic violence?” Sepúlveda said. “If you come to the land of the free, where a woman supposedly has more rights in this country, where you can announce the abuses easier than in the third world, I thought it’d be different.”

“And when I asked him if his father was violent, he says, ‘no, my mother would have never allowed that to happen.’ So, it was like telling me, ‘well your mother was too nice,’” Sepúlveda said.

A Story Inspired by Reality Alicia Kozameh, once a political prisoner in Argentina, a U.S. refugee, and today, a professor at Chapman University, experienced abuse in her home, the latter of which inspired her submission to the U.S. version of ¡Basta! For the short story, she drew on one specific incident when her father slapped her mother.

He gets close to his wife’s desperation, keeps walking, turns back: Whore. Your masterpiece. And his hand flies –these poor men- and flattens that cheekbone against the rough wall: She’s all yours. Take charge. You go bury her. Whore. It’s important to remember her piece is fiction first, though inspired by actual events. Kozameh doesn’t actually remember the words he said in that particular incident, but she does recall her father’s hand whipping across her mother’s face. In response, her mother would simply cry. She never left him and was never allowed to work, because to Kozameh’s father, that meant giving her freedom. Only when Kozameh’s father died in 1988 of emphysema, did her mother say she felt free.

A Macho Culture

She too experienced domestic abuse while growing up in Chile, a memory she has only shared in this interview.

Kozameh’s older sister died at the age of 21. Growing up, her sister received most of the attention because she was ill her whole life, and her father was especially close to her.

She explained that her father blamed her mother for giving birth to a sick child.

A Double Life Outside of her family’s home in Chile, Sepúlveda’s father was well liked and loved. He was a politician and a successful businessman, wealthy and highly educated. But inside the home, the reality was grim.

¡Basta! accepts stories in English and Spanish. Linardi, who is from Argentina like Sepúlveda and Kozameh, is more comfortable writing in her native tongue. Linardi didn’t want to give away too much about the story, but she did say there’s a point where the husband throws the cup at his wife. Here is an excerpt from Lindari de Minten’s piece:

Have something you’d like to contribute to our blog? Email us at noticiero.movil15@gmail.com.

It’s about a husband who physically and verbally abuses his wife. Alicia Kozameh was once a political prisoner in Argentina and included a story in the U.S. version of Basta!

“I treat you as a queen and that’s how you pay me when I asked you to make me a coffee,” Linardi translates from Spanish to English, as she reads it aloud off of the computer screen in her office.

Thirty-six percent of women in the Americas reported Andrea Linardi de Minten’s submission is among the minority that are entirely fiction. either physical and/or sexual intimate partner “Our culture, it’s a little bit more of a macho culture, where violence or non-partner sexual violence in 2010 – with the maybe the men feels more entitled,” said Andrea Linardi de highest percentage happening in Africa at 46 percent. Precise Minten, outreach coordinator at the Latino Research Center. worldwide statistics can be hard to trace because there are 30 countries that have not passed legislation to prohibit domestic She described it as a culture where women are expected to stay violence. Twenty-eight haven’t even passed laws to prohibit at home and take care of the children. Linardi de Minten also sexual harassment (UN Women, 37, source OECD Stats). submitted a short story to Sepúlveda for ¡Basta! However, her piece, titled Un Café Por Favor, is among the minority of submissions that are entirely fictional.

“My father will lose his temper, and he will hit my mother,” Sepúlveda said of his violent behavior she witnessed as a young girl.

The plot escalates to the husband calling his wife names, including idiot and stupid.

Suddenly, Hector throws the coffee cup towards Susana, the cup falling to the floor and hurting one of Susana’s legs, while he yells, “Now make me a coffee and it better be hot or else you’ll find out what will happen to you.”

“My mother was the target, because my mother was the mother of that child,” said Kozameh, who was 17 at the time of her sister’s passing.

Below is an excerpt from Kozameh’s short story for the U.S. version of ¡Basta!:

“The way he asked her to make the coffee, he just treats her with very little respect, insults her, and he thinks he’s entitled to that.”

De repente, Héctor tira la taza de café hacia la dirección de Susana, la taza cae al piso y hiere una de las piernas de Susana mientras Héctor le grita: “Ahora hazme un café y más te vale que esté caliente sino ya vas a ver lo que te va a pasar”.

After she passed, her father became violent towards her mother. Instead, Sepúlveda said she found that some women “find a nightmare.” Of the 85 submissions she has received over the last two years, Sepúlveda said about 70 percent of the writers disclosed they had experienced or witnessed abuse against women in real life.

for what he provides to the house,” Linardi said.

“He thinks that because she doesn’t have to work outside the house, she has a good life, and she should be able to be thankful

El Tapatío Market en Reno: Su Destino Para Hechizos entrevistas por: Monica Gomez @_gomezmoni producido por: Stephanie Serrano @stephh__aniee Durante años, María Ramírez y su esposo, José Luis Solorio, tenían más de un trabajo, uno de ellos vendía productos en “El Rancho Flea Market” los fines de semana para mantener a su familia. Todo el tiempo Solorio soñaba con ser dueño de una tienda y hace cuatro años su sueño se hizo realidad.

Antes de comprar la tienda, Ramirez no creía en la magia, pero conoció dichos productos luego de comprarla.

“Mucha gente te enseña,” dijo Ramirez. “’Me das la manteca de corojo, me das el perfume de cumbia de amor, me das un agua florida. Y así es como uno va aprendiendo.” El Tapatio market se ha convertido en la tienda de confianza para personas y santeros del norte de Nevada que invierten en el mundo de la magia y sanación espiritual. Ramírez proporciona productos difíciles de encontrar a una comunidad de gente que los necesita. ¿Qué es lo más raro que le han pedido sus clientes? “En cuatro años desde que puse la tienda una vez me pidieron un vampiro. ¿Tú crees que voy a traer tres para tenerlos allí? No,” dijo Ramírez.

Concha le muestra a nuestra reportera Mónica Gomez todos los productos de la tienda. Algunos productos son naturales y pueden ayudar para los problemas de riñón y de úlceras. Photo by: Vanessa Vancour

Maria Ramirez,conocida por sus clientes como Concha, trabaja seis días a la semana en su tienda El Tapatio, ubicada en la avenida Wells en Reno. Allí se venden una variedad de productos, pero dicha tienda es más popular por sus productos esotéricos. Según Ramírez, El Tapatío es una de las cinco tiendas en el norte de Nevada que vende productos para hechizos. Originaria de Colima, México, Ramírez se mudó a las Estados Unidos en 1998 para reunirse con su esposo quien vivía aquí desde hace tiempo. La pareja tiene tres hijos, gemelos de veinte años que estudia en dos universidades en California y una niña de doce años que ayuda en la tienda.

Concha dice que tiene una variedad de clientes Latinos y americanos que creen en los poderes de estos productos. Algunos viajan más de 300 millas para comprarlos. Y lo que más piden son veladoras para el amor, la buena suerte, dinero, y también para unir matrimonios. Concha aun no dice si cree por completo en todos los hechizos, pero en lo que sí cree es en sus fieles clientes. Está en Reno hace 19 años con planes de mantener la tienda por muchos años más y así poder apoyar a sus hijos en sus estudios. “Seguiré con la tienda pero descansaré un poco,” declaró Ramirez. “Yo sé que el sacrificio vale tanto para mi como para ellos.” Escuche la entrevista en nuestra página web: www.espanol.noticieromovil.com

Paul Rodriguez on the Lack of Latinos on Television by: Alexa Ard @Alexa_Ard Mexican-American comedian and actor Paul Rodriguez had a three-year run of delivering the same sitcom pitch to networks, which he wrote and wished to star in alongside his son Paul Rodriguez Jr. and longtime friend and actor Edward James Olmos. The recurring real-life scene for Rodriguez went like this. Starting in 2013, he would walk into a network’s office where he said at first, they treated him kindly, making sure he was comfortable, offering him a glass of water. They even complimented the sitcom’s video pitch, “We saw the sizzle reel, and we thought it’s wonderful.” But the interaction would quickly transition into a question and answer session. “Now, what did you plan to do with this?” a network executive would ask. “Well, we plan to do a television series on your network,” Rodriguez said. “Yes…and how would you go about this? What kind of things would be funny?” Rodriguez, who has more than 30 years of experience in comedy, rattled off the series of questions the networks would ask him as if he had them memorized. The premise of his show was three generations of Latino men living under the same roof, all related by blood, but who didn’t really know each other. Rodriguez also made it clear he wanted creative control of the show because he’d seen several series fail when he relinquished it. Even though Hulu was interested in picking up the show, Rodriguez said he declined because they didn’t want to give him complete creative direction. “So, we sit there and explain to them, and they look at you like you’re [speaking] Chinese,” Rodriguez said. The networks, Netflix being one of them, never tell him no, but when they say, “We’ll get back to you,” that’s typically what they mean. His son, a professional skateboarder and actor, has a deal with Nike and Olmos has recently signed a deal with Fox. For Rodriguez, he saw this as his last chance for returning to television.

Photo by Alexa Ard

Upon encouragement from his friend William Virchis, Rodriguez ultimately took this experience to the stage in a play he wrote called ‘The Pitch”, a production about pitching Latino programming to American networks. “The real issue is not getting on,” said Virchis, who directed “The Pitch”. “The industry [has a] negative position on Latino TV, which is irrational.” A 2013 study by Columbia University found that despite Hispanics making up 17 percent of the U.S. population, no lead actors among the top ten movies and networked scripted TV shows were Latino. Rodriguez feels Spanish TV is partially to blame. “These executives (say), ‘Oh you have your Spanish television,’ but I try to explain to them that Spanish television to many native born, certainly second generation Latinos, is as foreign to us as Japanese television is to Chinese people,” he said. “We function in English.” ‘The Pitch” was performed in 2015 at Teatro Máscara Mágica in San Diego where Virchis is the producing artistic director and co-founder of the TMM, which strives to increase production of multicultural theater.

“Hispanics have not learned the fundamental rule of America, and that is, in this country, the squeaky wheel get[s] the grease,” Rodriguez said. His advice for the younger generations: “To not be placid, to march, to get out there and complain, because nobody is going to volunteer to give you the things you deserve unless you say ‘hey, I’m here, and I’m not going to take it anymore’. Listen to a short clip of our interview with Paul Rodriguez on our website www.noticieromovil.com

The Pew report also indicated that the dominant race, or the race by which the person feels more accepted, is often dominated by one rather than an equal distribution of the two.

Out of place and always questioned; the inability to find a place in either culture has left me with a full-blown identity crisis. In a recent Guardian article, Burning Man Founder Larry Harvey eloquently stated that, “… it’s the touch of the brush [which] brands you black anywhere.” I wish with all of my heart that Harvey’s sentiment, eerily reminiscent of the infamous “one-drop rule” were simply completely misguided. Unfortunately, it seems to speak to the greater truth of how biracial or multiracial people are perceived in their daily lives by the media, their employers and peers.

what they are. Though the biracial experience might be tainted by the bigotry and marginalization that often occurs, it is also filled with possibilities and opportunities for cultural diversity never before possible. The Pew study also noted that people who are biracial rarely cite it as being a detriment to their lives. Seventy-six percent of adults who responded said their heritage has not made a difference in the grand scheme of things and only four percent said it’s a disadvantage, though the study also noted that many biracial adults have experienced discrimination in some way. I have to agree with that. I have seen both the good parts of human nature and the very bad, but I wouldn’t trade who I am or what I am for a second. Let’s face it, how else would I be afforded the privilege to so fully embrace two different cultures and call them my own. Though I have been faced with many an identity crisis, there is no greater joy than to be a living, breathing example of progress. Have something you’d like to contribute to our blog? Email us at noticiero.movil15@gmail.com

Often the need to place someone in a group doesn’t line up with the actual cultural community in which they live. What do you do when you feel connected to two (or sometimes more) cultures when everyone else is telling you that you can only be one? Thus begins the quest for self-actualization. Enter an existential crisis or serious soul searching. You now have the American biracial experience. It begins at a far younger age than anyone might realize. When I began elementary school, all of my cohorts were absolutely certain that my father could not be my ‘real dad’ because we had different skin colors.

The Solis family.

The New Normal: Growing Up Biracial in America By Alexa Solis @thealexasolis “What are you?” This is the question that plagues me and the many who have grown up under the biracial moniker. Unsurprisingly, the answer being sought is not “a human being”. Often, it feels as though I’ve been reduced to a mere curiosity.

But I’m not a curiosity. In fact, the biracial population has exploded and is projected to continue at an unprecedented rate. According to a 2015 study by the Pew Research Center, 6.9 percent of all U.S. adults have more than two races in their background and 10 percent of babies under one in two parent households are multiracial as of data collected in 2013.

At that moment I had been branded as something separate, something different from either of my parents. The thing about being biracial is that you are told you need to self-identify as one or the other, and often, but not always, that is directly tied to your appearance. Therein lies the dilemma.

I am not Mexican enough for my Latino peers, nor am I white enough for my white compatriots. Instead you sit in limbo, waiting for someone to tell you that it’s quite all right to be many things at once, maybe even that there is a whole world out there of people just like you. People that have been mixed and muddled, and it no longer matters

“Sufres pero aprendes.”

The Workers of La Piedra

– You suffer but you learn. It takes Manuel an hour to walk to Galletti each day. Sometimes, those who employ

Photography by Natalie Van Hoozer, @NatVanH

him drop Manuel back off at Galletti forcing him to walk home again after a long day’s work.

The steady economic pace hasn’t been able to reverse the negative trend in labor poverty. Watch two videos and listen to a moving audio story on our website www.noticieromovil.com

Juan is injured and cannot work, but he comes to Galletti every day to socialize with the laborers.

Homeowner David (left) and day laborers Eric

Marcelino is one of the few workers who brings his own

Mario and other workers wait on Galletti Way

(middle) and Cesar (right) take a brief break to

car. This means he can follow his employer to the job.

seven days a week; they don’t take time off.

asses their work. Sergio waits on a large rock for someone to employ him.

“Anything you want in life, you have to work for it,” Eric said.