My mother is a mujer of rain and love,
A mujer mixteca who has harvested almost her whole life,
A woman who knows survival like a twin.
A mother who picks the fruits of her labor for her children,
So what is a mother to do when the rain does not bring life back into the earth,
When her children look to the dry soil with no hope.
My mother is a descendant of survivors,
Survivors who migrate out of our lands, our homes, to carry the life that hopes to continue,
To begin a new life in hope that the rain harvests the seeds who hunger for comfort.
Migrating to a new home would take the savings her partner sends back from the states.
Migrating to a new home would take pain and loss.
Migrating to a new home would take a close call to death.
Migrating to a new home would take fifteen days.
My mother seen as an outcast from the other side of the wall now wonders what is to come,
Only knowing the language passed down to her and having hands that give birth to the land,
She along with so many indigenous mothers harvest the fields meant to feed a nation.
A nation that has built a wall on their continent,
A nation that has exploited their labor,
A nation that does not acknowledge them.
Indigenous mothers plant, weed and harvest the food that sits on our tables.
Indigenous mothers give life to seeds in hope to give back to their own.
Indigenous mothers feed us to feed their families.
Our roots just like a plant’s roots interconnect,
Growing despite the droughts, despite the falling ash,
Growing despite the push of our assimilation, despite the efforts meant to erase us.
One day, our home, our soil will return to us
For now we share the fruits our mother gives back to us, waiting for the rain to fall.
Last updated 9/10/20
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Beatriz Basurto migrated from Guerrero, Mexico (La mixteca region) at the age of three and grew up in Orange County, California (Tongva/Kizh land), now residing in Ventura County, California (Chumash land). Once arriving in Ventura County, Beatriz had the opportunity to organize with different non-profit organizations and create various local mutual aids that allowed her to amplify injustices that she, along with her family, have endured as Indigenous migrants. Being an Indigenous migrant in these spaces have allowed her to educate others in learning about the struggles of migrant communities and how to specifically support the local Indigenous community in Ventura County. She actively finds ways to advocate for her local community and will continue to pursue this in her career, as she hopes to become an environmental scientist, emphasizing the importance of amplifying Indigenous voices when protecting the environment.
