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  • Issue 22 Fall 2021
    • Issue #22 Art Fall 2021 >
      • Bonnie Severien Fall 2021
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  • Issue 23 Spring 2022
    • Issue #23 Art Spring 2022 >
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Daisy Bucio Velazquez

Chicana Cumbialera


          Cumbia is a dance that can have the saddest lyrics, but the most inspiring, uplifting beat. Rarely does anyone listen to the meaning of the song because everyone is focusing on masking their emotions with the crescendo of the joyous rhythm. As I am getting up to express myself out on the dance floor, I am stopped. Stopped by the strangers I call family. Stopped by the strangers that make this society. These strangers keep stepping on my right and my left foot vigorously. They bump into me as I am trying to find myself. They dominate the dance floor. That is when I realize that they want me to be part of the audience. Tired of being the lost soul on the dance floor, I start observing and know that I need to break myself down, step by step.
          One: I bring my right foot over my left. It must be done with confidence so I won’t lose my balance. It is difficult at first because when I see myself succeed, my family sees me fail. When I tell them my dreams, they say, “You should lower your expectations.” They want me to stop immediately; they do not believe I am capable of thinking on my own and exceeding. I start stepping into confidence. I will believe that what my heart says is true. I begin to believe that I do know what is best for me. I am capable of accomplishing my goals. Those strangers should not thrust me into their close-minded box. Their words are irrelevant. I learn that I need to have confidence in my own dreams to turn them into reality. Step one: I need to believe in myself.
          Two: I bring my left foot beside my right. I bring my left foot beside my right because I need to stand my ground. I need to stand my ground between society and my dreams. I always listen to the comments and questions that these random strangers have to ask.“You are a Latina woman, so your dreams are to be a housewife, right?” “Oh you’re from the South Side, so you are like those gangster Latinas we see in the movies.” “You’re a Chicana? That means you’re a chola, right?” In order for me to keep moving forward I need to listen and pay attention to every stereotypical thing they have to say about Latinas and prove them wrong. They will not oppress me; they are my motivation. Two: Defeat the stereotype imposed upon me.
          Three: As I bring my left foot over my right, my right foot goes back. Then it repeats itself all over again. Once I step out with my left, I release the negativity. I am not going to carry the resentment on my shoulders; I will be freed. As my right foot goes back, I still hold on to some of the comments said to me but this time around convert it into positivity. I am now at peace with my family and society, but most importantly, I am at peace with myself. I now know it is about me and my future.
          Now that I have learned the three basic steps of Cumbia, I know that is not enough to dominate the dance floor. This is where I push myself into challenging myself by learning more advanced techniques. I know that if I want to be known as someone, I will have to work harder. I am going to be someone who helps the minority prosper. I will be someone who makes a positive change towards society. I will be financially stable for my family and myself. I will become a forensic scientist, writer, or an English teacher. I will be successful.  I will not just mix in with the crowd. I will dominate the dance floor. I will not be seen as an ordinary girl, but extraordinary. My rhythm will be a representation of a Chicana (Mexican-American) defeating oppression from her family and society.
          The moment I press play the rhythm starts streaming through my body. I no longer have blood flowing through my veins, instead it is stories of where I come from and where I am heading. I may have a sad or harsh past, but it is the way I choose to interpret it that matters. I will not let my past define me, instead I find the inspiring, uplifting beat to help guide me in my future. I know that one who comes from nothing knows exactly want they want to accomplish in life. I will now be the one guiding. Grabbing hold of my younger sister’s hands and guiding her to the dance floor. She will never be part of the audience because I will teach her every step scrupulously. I will be her mentor because she looks up to me, and I will do everything in my power to not let her fail. Even if she does, I will be there to pick her up and continue to encourage her. We will dominate the dance floor and the spotlight will be just on us.
          Cumbia is my body’s music. My heart is the lyrics, while my blood is the beat. I am a Chicana Cumbialera. One. Confidence. Two. Motivation. Three. Release. Ambition. Advance.



--
Daisy Bucio Velazquez is a senior at Phoenix Military Academy. She is from the far
SouthWest side of Chicago. Daisy is a woman activist and believes in representing Xicanismo, Mexican-American culture. Her goal is to bring awareness and defeat the stereotypes imposed upon her by these two societies.

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  • Home
  • About
    • Our Story
    • Masthead
  • Submit
    • Submission Guidelines
    • Submit Here
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Book Reviews
  • Previous Issues
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Issue 22 Fall 2021
    • Issue #22 Art Fall 2021 >
      • Bonnie Severien Fall 2021
      • Camilla Taylor Fall 2021
      • Guilherme Bergamini Fall 2021
      • Emanuela Iorga Fall 2021
    • Issue #22 Poetry Fall 2021 >
      • Maureen Alsop Fall 2021
      • Annah Browning Fall 2021
      • Romana Iorga Fall 2021
      • Natalie Hampton Fall 2021
      • Sherine Gilmour Fall 2021
      • Adam Day Fall 2021
      • Amanda Auchter Fall 2021
      • Adam Tavel Fall 2021
      • Sara Moore Fall 2021
      • Karen Rigby Fall 2021
      • Daniel Zhang Fall 2021
      • Erika Lutzner Fall 2021
      • Kindall Fredricks Fall 2021
      • Cin Salach Fall 2021
      • Andrew Zawacki Fall 2021
      • Micah Ruelle Fall 2021
      • Rachel Stempel Fall 2021
      • Haley Wooning Fall 2021
      • Rikki Santer Fall 2021
      • Evy Shen Fall 2021
      • Suzanne Frischkorn Fall 2021
      • Danielle Rose Fall 2021
      • Eric Burgoyne Fall 2021
      • John Cullen Fall 2021
      • Maureen Seaton Fall 2021
      • Hannah Stephens Fall 2021
    • Issue #22 Nonfiction Fall 2021 >
      • Kevin Grauke Fall 2021
      • Courtney Justus Fall 2021
      • Amy Nicholson Fall 2021
    • Issue #22 Fiction Fall 2021 >
      • Tina Jenkins Bell Fall 2021
      • David Obuchowski Fall 2021
      • Thomas Misuraca Fall 2021
      • Aiden Baker Fall 2021
      • Jenny Magnus Fall 2021
  • Issue 23 Spring 2022
    • Issue #23 Art Spring 2022 >
      • Jonathan Kvassay Spring 2022
      • Karyna McGlynn Spring 2022
      • Andrea Kowch Spring 2022
      • Layla Garcia-Torres Spring 2022
    • Issue #23 Poetry Spring 2022 >
      • Robin Gow Spring 2022
      • T.D. Walker Spring 2022
      • Jen Schalliol Huang Spring 2022
      • Yvonne Zipter Spring 2022
      • Carrie McGath Spring 2022
      • Lupita Eyde-Tucker Spring 2022
      • Susan L. Leary Spring 2022
      • Kate Sweeney Spring 2022
      • Rita Mookerjee Spring 2022
      • Erin Carlyle Spring 2022
      • Cori Bratty-Rudd Spring 2022
      • Jen Karetnick Spring 2022
      • Meghan Sterling Spring 2022
      • Lorelei Bacht Spring 2022
      • Michael Passafiume Spring 2022
      • Jeannine Hall Gailey Spring 2022
      • Phil Goldstein Spring 2022
      • Michael Mingo Spring 2022
      • Angie Macri Spring 2022
      • Martha Silano Spring 2022
      • Vismai Rao Spring 2022
      • Anna Laura Reeve Spring 2022
      • Jenny Irish Spring 2022
      • Marek Kulig Spring 2022
      • Jami Macarty Spring 2022
      • Sarah A. Rae Spring 2022
      • Brittney Corrigan Spring 2022
      • Callista Buchen Spring 2022
      • Issam Zineh Spring 2022
      • MICHAEL CHANG Spring 2022
      • henry 7. reneau, jr. Spring 2022
      • Leah Umansky Spring 2022
      • Cody Beck Spring 2022
      • Danyal Kim Spring 2022
      • Rachel DeWoskin Spring 2022
    • Issue #23 Fiction Spring 2022 >
      • Melissa Boberg Spring 2022
    • Issue #23 Nonfiction Spring 2022 >
      • Srinaath Perangur Spring 2022
      • Audrey T. Carroll Spring 2022
  • Issue #24 Fall 2022
    • Issue #24 Art Fall 2022 >
      • Marsha Solomon Fall 2022
      • Edward Lee Fall 2022
      • Harryette Mullen Fall 2022
      • Jezzelle Kellam Fall 2022
      • Irina Greciuhina Fall 2022
      • Natalie Christensen Fall 2022
      • Mark Yale Harris Fall 2022
      • Amy Nelder Fall 2022
      • Bette Ridgeway Fall 2022
      • Ursula Sokolowska Fall 2022
    • Issue #24 Poetry Fall 2022 >
      • William Stobb Fall 2022
      • e Fall 2022
      • Stefanie Kirby Fall 2022
      • Lisa Ampleman Fall 2022
      • Will Cordeiro Fall 2022
      • Jesica Davis Fall 2022
      • Peter O'Donovan Fall 2022
      • Mackenzie Carignan Fall 2022
      • Jason Fraley Fall 2022
      • Barbara Saunier Fall 2022
      • Chad Weeden Fall 2022
      • Nick Rattner Fall 2022
      • Cynthia Schwartzberg Edlow Fall 2022
      • Summer J. Hart Fall 2022
      • Daniel Suá​rez Fall 2022
      • Sara Kearns Fall 2022
      • Millicent Borges Accardi Fall 2022
      • Liz Robbins Fall 2022
      • john compton Fall 2022
      • Esther Sadoff Fall 2022
      • Whitney Koo Fall 2022
      • W. J. Lofton Fall 2022
      • Rachel Reynolds Fall 2022
      • Kimberly Ann Priest Fall 2022
      • Annie Przypyszny Fall 2022
      • Konstantin Kulakov Fall 2022
      • Nellie Cox Fall 2022
      • Jennifer Martelli Fall 2022
      • SM Stubbs Fall 2022
      • Joshua Bird Fall 2022
    • Issue #24 Fiction Fall 2022 >
      • Otis Fuqua Fall 2022
      • Hannah Harlow Fall 2022
      • Natalia Nebel Fall 2022
      • Kate Maxwell Fall 2022
      • Helena Pantsis Fall 2022
    • Issue #24 Nonfiction Fall 2022 >
      • Courtney Ludwick Fall 2022
      • Anna Oberg Fall 2022
      • Acadia Currah Fall 2022