A Turning Point: The Future is Written by Us

I had originally written the following the day Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were sworn in as President and Vice President of the United States of America. This was written on January 20, 2021:

Relief is what I currently feel. Relief and a cautious hope. These past few years have been exhausting for many of us. Sometimes to the point where we became numb, and tired, and hopeless. Every day was a story more outrageous and horrendous than the last. Every day I was desperately trying to make sense of things that made absolutely no sense.

Today, many people are hurting, many people are facing racial, health, economic, and environmental emergencies. Realities that needed to be addressed years ago, and that today, can no longer be ignored.

This past year has made me reflect on myself like never before. Reflect on what is important, and how I would like the world to look like. I am not perfect by any means, and have made my fair share of mistakes, but I am willing to learn, to listen, and to hold myself accountable. I have come to realize that change is inevitable, and that change is done collectively - as a community. That not one single person can do it by themselves - although, the willingness to change does have to come from the individual first.

At the end of the day, what is right is right. Always. We get to decide wether or not we choose that path. To choose the way that will move us forward - together - in a country, and in a world, that is becoming more and more interconnected.

Today, and every day, we have a choice. We have the power to decide what direction our lives, and the lives of the people around us, will take. Now, the question is, do we have the courage to continue?

The Venezuelan Crisis: What You Need to Know

With so much happening around the world today, things can get a little confusing. In the next couple of weeks I will try to summarize different events at the best of my ability. My goal is to make complex events easier for an individual to comprehend. Not everything will be included, but I believe the overall key events will be. This is only intended for this purpose.

How did it start?

Venezuela, once the richest country in Latin America and owner of the largest oil reserves, continues to be in economic and social collapse. Some factors behind this reason are: mismanagement, corruption, and the deep dependence on oil. But how did the downfall begin, and what is the state of the country today?

In order to understand the present turmoil, we need to look into its former charismatic leader: Hugo Chávez, who became president in 1999. Prior to his presidency, the Venezuelan people were deeply dissatisfied with the state of the country, its government, and the widening gap between the rich and the poor. Chávez won on a promise to end corruption, eliminate poverty, and change the political system.

Under his rule, Chávez introduced a set of socialist policies, where at the start, along with strong global oil prices, Venezuela witnessed an economic boom. He nationalized companies and funneled oil revenues into welfare programs and food imports. The unemployment rate halved, education improved, income per capita more than doubled, and the poverty rate fell dramatically.

The daily life for Venezuelans improved under this new system, and the government continued to aggressively spend money to fund the country’s social programs. In 2008, oil prices took a hit due to the financial crisis, but Chávez continued the spending as if things were the same.

After the death of Chávez in 2013, Nicolás Maduro, the Vice President and hand-picked successor, took over. It was under his presidency that things became a lot worse. Maduro doubled down on his predecessors policies, refusing to cut spending even as oil revenues continued to fall. The crisis intensified by his denial of the events happening, violently repressing opposition, shortages of food and medicine, unemployment, human rights violations, US sanctions, and hyperinflation. Many store owners began weighing money instead of counting it because of how worthless the Venezuelan bolívar had become.

According to the UN, more than 4 million people have left the country thus far.

Where are we today?

Today, the debate of ‘who is the legitimate Venezuelan president’ continues. But why?

Two men: Nicolás Maduro and a man by the name of Juan Guaidó, who serves as the leader of the Venezuelan National Assembly, are at a standoff to take on the highest office.

This dispute began when Maduro ran and won a highly controversial second term in 2018. Numerous cases of fraud, coercion, and rigged elections have been reported.   

In January 2019, Guaidó, invoking the country’s constitution, has declared himself the interim president of Venezuela, claiming Maduro is not the legitimate president.

On November 16, Guaidó called for the return of national protests. He held rallies calling for Maduro’s removal and has pressed his supporters to continue the fight until he is removed from office. The recent protests have not had the same power that earlier ones did. There has been a lower turnout. Many Venezuelans claim to be exhausted by the problems they still face on their daily lives, such as: lack of food and medicine, public transportation, and hyperinflation. Many are disappointed Maduro continues to be in power.

How is Maduro still in power while being highly unpopular?

Maduro remains in control of the country due to his predecessor’s debilitation of Venezuela’s main institutions.

During his 14 year rule, Hugo Chávez took systematic steps to assure that his party would remain in control, and that any opposition would find it incredibly difficult or impossible to change that. Institutions such as: the Venezuela’s supreme court, the judiciary, and the military, have all been placed under the control of the ruling party.

There is one institution that remains independent: the National Assembly, and Juan Guaidó is the leader. But due to Maduro’s influence over other institutions, there is little the Natonal Assembly can do.

So for many, the fight continues…

Work Cited, further readings:

https://www.cfr.org/timeline/venezuelas-chavez-era

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/08/venezuela-economic-woes-2017-explained/

https://www.osti.gov/biblio/7355575

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mark_Weisbrot2/publication/23528748_An_Empty_Research_Agenda_The_Creation_of_Myths_About_Contemporary_Venezuela/links/5446de120cf22b3c14e0b6cf.pdf

https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2017/05/10/why-is-venezuelas-nicolas-maduro-still-in-power

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-36319877

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/30/world/americas/venezuela-crisis.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/10/world/americas/venezuela-maduro-inauguration.html 

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-politics/after-venezuelan-opposition-call-for-mass-rallies-street-protests-underwhelm-idUSKBN1XW209?il=0

The Importance of Understanding Intersectionality

What is intersectionality? That is a question I have been asked quite often and it is probably one of the most important concepts to know.

Intersectionality is the intersections between forms or systems of oppression or privilege. In other words, intersectionality is the different identities a person holds and how those identities are interconnected and cannot be considered independently. Like I have mentioned, those identities can either be privileged or oppressed, and it is important we acknowledge the different identities we hold. But what exactly does that mean?

For example, some of the identities that belong to me are: I am a woman, I am a Latina, I am educated, I am able-bodied, I am cis-gendered (meaning that my gender identity matches the sex I was assigned at birth), etc. Although I hold oppressed identities as a woman and a Latina, I hold privileged identities such as being educated, being able-bodied, and being cis-gendered. All my identities cannot be looked at separately, and neither can the identities of anyone else.

A white woman might have the disadvantage of gender, but has the advantage of race. A black woman is disadvantaged by her gender AND her race, and a Hispanic, bisexual woman is disadvantaged by her gender, her ethnicity, AND her sexual orientation.

A black man has the advantage of gender, but has the disadvantage of race. A white man has the advantage of both gender and race, and so on.

Like I mentioned above, there might be other identities that give you privilege in society (ableism, being cis-gendered, heterosexual, educated, etc.) and identities that give you even more disadvantage (depending on your religion, social class (being low-incomed), having a disability, etc.)

I want to be clear: having privilege in certain identities is not a bad thing at all, but recognizing that privilege, and what you do with it, is what matters.

Other different identities are sex, religion, social class, age, (dis)ability, nation(s) of origin and/or citizenship, tribal or indigenous affiliation, and many others. Any identity that makes you, you.

In order to be a true ally for marginalized communities, one must acknowledge where they hold privilege and how to use it to listen, speak up, take accountability, and continue to push for true equity.

When Women Win, We all Win

When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful. - Malala Yousafzai

Imagine that your team qualified to play at the FIFA World Cup. An incredible opportunity to take home a big honor. Imagine that you get on the field and you see the other team. Eleven players getting ready to play you and your team for the winning title. They are all fit, well trained, and ready. As you step onto the field with your teammates the referee tells you that you cannot play with all eleven. You can only play with five people. You have to cut your team in half. Eleven on the other team vs five on your team. Who is more likely to win? 

That is how the world works. We are all interconnected, and helping just half of our population will have disastrous outcomes for all of us.

“Inequality for women not only affects women, but men as well. When men are unable to express their feelings or expected to act tough in order to ‘be manly’, it hurts us all.”

For generations, women have been treated as inferiors. From not being able to vote less than a century ago in the United States, to having little to no say over what happens to their own bodies when it comes to healthcare or in the clothes they wear (different countries have introduced different laws, legislation, or proposals to limit the clothing women wear including countries like Saudi Arabia and France -- and more recently Morocco and Germany.) Control over women doesn't stop there. There are even life-threatening practices, like female genital mutilation, that can cause long-term health problems for women and girls.

In some places, it is more desirable to give birth to a boy than a girl, leading to sex-selective abortions and infanticides.

And, in other places, an even more impactful truth becomes the reality of tomorrow: education, one of the greatest gifts you can give a human being, is kept from many girls around the world.

Inequality for women not only affects women, but to a very large extent, it deeply affects men. When men are unable to express their feelings or expected to act tough in order to 'be manly', it hurts us all. When men are not expected to be responsible in taking care of their children or expected to be the breadwinners, we take away a lot of joy and freedom from their lives. 

Equality is not something that only helps women, it helps all of us.

“Culture does not make people. People make culture. If it is true that the full humanity of women is not our culture, then we can and must make it our culture.”

— Chimamanda Ngozi

The Modern Tsar: Why Russia Idolizes Vladimir Putin

This is an observation-essay I wrote in the summer of 2015 while I was studying abroad in the Russian Federation. My topic had to do with the president himself, Vladimir Putin. I asked many Russians why Putin had such high approval ratings and why so many Russians seemed to like his aggressive and firm leadership. Here is what I discovered:

For centuries, the Russian Federation has captivated the minds of scholars and intellectuals from all over the world. How to understand it? How to make sense of one of the most mysterious and fascinating nations in the world? Arguably, nothing has played a more vital role in the shaping of Russian history, and its future, than the leaders it has had over the centuries. These leaders have played a crucial role in the scars that have consumed Russian society – many ruthless, others revolutionary. There are two categories where most have taken their place in history: those who liked, and wanted, a more traditional state, and those who aimed for a more modern, Western-like Russia.

Vladimir Putin is one of the few that falls somewhere in between. As Russia’s “strongman,” he has managed to place Russia in the middle of modernity and its past. Putin is probably one of the most controversial leaders in the world, which begs the question: how can Russians, who live in a “democratic” country, support such a near-authoritarian power? And why does the President remain so popular?

These past five and a half weeks I could not help but notice the endless mugs, t-shirts, and toys with President Putin’s face adorning each artifact. As I asked many Russian natives “why do you support such a leader?” a different question was always directed at me – “America is not any better. Your system of government is actually quite weak. How can you support such a weak system?” At first, I did not understand the question, but the more I spoke with the locals, the more I realized what they meant. Russians value strength and action, and even with all his imperfections, and what seemed to me theatre-like propaganda, many Russians saw both qualities in their President.

I talked to a man named Alexander in St. Petersburg and I asked his views on the current Russian President, and to my surprise he gave me a little history lesson. He explained to me how difficult life was after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 and how “useless” Boris Yeltsin had been for Russia, but once Vladimir Putin took control all of his worries and nightmares seemed to vanish. During his fifteen-year rule, Putin has managed to keep order and a “tight grip” on the countries affairs. Wages rose, the standard of living went up, and after the chaos of the 1990s, many Russians see his strong and stable leadership very positively.

When I asked one of the Russian students about this same topic, I received a similar response. She told me that the United States’s government (including the President, and especially Congress) can’t get anything done. On the other hand, in Russia, Putin makes stuff happen. 

Not only is Putin strong, at least in the eyes of many Russians, but he also protects Russia’s views and interests. The recent increase in the size of the military, and the annexation of Crimea, has widely increased his popularity.

These bold acts have shown the “strength” of the Russian Federation, and showed the West of what Russia is capable of. It has made Russia one of the key players in the world, and has demonstrated the traditional view of Russians tending to believe in a national hero rather than in their own personal strength.

Vladimir Putin has greatly impacted the world we live in today and history has a place for him. Will he be considered a great leader, or a brutal one? Will Russians continue to stand by him in the years to come, or will his unshakable rule finally crack? As each year passes, his popularity only seems to increase, but something is undeniable: Vladimir Putin has solidified his place in history.