The Thing of It Is, Mija

“The Thing of It is, Mija” 2020
Krista Wright
Acrylic on Multimedia paper
Apx 46.5inx36in (framed)

About this Work

In many stories about my great grandma Margret she would start her sentences with “The Thing of it is Mija…” Grandma Margret was born in Southern California after her parents migrated from San Juan de los Lagos, Jalisco in the late 1800’s. The 1920s and 30s was a time of segregation and racism against Mexian people.Although Margret was a lighter skinned person ,growing up she saw how Mexican culture was looked down upon and never wanted her children to go through the same bullying and ridiculing that she endured.Her children-my grandma Rainy and 3 siblings-were not allowed to speak Spanish in the home and Margret worked her butt off to buy a house in the “good” part of town. She was able to assimilate into the hegemony of whiteness in ways others could not. When I talked to my grandma Rainy about this she said that grandma Margret later regretted not passing down more of her mexican culture to her children and grandchildren.

The destruction of this past year has further emphasized the loss and erasure of culture and life in non-white communities that has continued to today and began long before grandma margret was born.

Dia de los Muertos is a beautiful holiday honoring and grieving for loved ones who have passed. In this year of immense loss and pain I paint this ofrenda for anyone to mourn and celebrate their friends, family members, and cultures that were taken too soon.

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