Arizona has been called "America's Meth Lab of Democracy". Many hot button issues were tried here first and have since gone national-- on steroids. One of them is Nativism. Back in 2013, I did a painting called, Navidad Baja Arizona - A Christmas Story. It was my response to the dehumanization of immigrants dying in our desert, and how women were accused of coming here to have "anchor babies" and game our system. Fear and victim-blaming is a highly successful weapon as old as time and in Arizona, each generation breeds eager ears and new wrestless trigger fingers. Enter the Trump brand of Nativism and by 2019, it's a whole new ballgame. This Christmas, I didn't need to reinvent the wheel. I merely deported the Holy Couple, placing them in a Mexican border camp surveilled by ruthless realities. I want to offer up the idea that the Nativity is really about the persistence of the Human Spirit. Regimes come and go. Although ephemeral, the human spirit finds a way. Always. - Linda Magdalena Victoria Comments are closed.
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