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Abuelita's Hands = Justice, Jaelyn Demaria

Chamisa: A Journal of Literary, Performance, and Visual Arts of the Greater Southwest

Justice occupies space, mentally and physically and is the result of multiple, constantly evolving struggles for balance in Xicanx communities. It is not a one-dimensional conceptual theory of law, but, rather, it is visible, tangible, and experiential movement. To me justice resides is my grandmother’s hands. The seeds that were given to us by our ancestors, who developed a relationship with them over time, allows us to put those seeds in the ground and watch them grow. However, the muddy handprints on the walls of the abandoned adobe in the Sangre de Cristo Land Grant in New Mexico clearly communicate …