ABSTRACT
This is a qualitative study focusing on the life narrative and photographic work of Zoraida, a young Afro-Latina artist. In this chapter, the author begins by discussing the writing of other Afro-Latinas on the work of forging a solid self-image in the face of murky and exclusive outside perceptions. Using these examples, the author analyzes Zoraida’s narrative with the questions: How does her negotiation of her racial and ethnic identities affirm and/or disaffirm dominant constructions of race and ethnicity in the U.S.? How much agency does she feel over her positioning in demographic “stories,” and what is lost/gained and what is resisted/accepted in this positioning? Employing thematic, dialogic/performative, and visual narrative analytical methods, the author finds that through her narrative, Zoraida provides a counternarrative to the tidy racial and ethnic categories that are so rigidly held in U.S. society. She is generous with this tool as an activist and photographer, helping other women create and assert their own self-image. The author is inspired by Zoraida to use her position as an educator to assist students in developing the critical tools to tell the world who they are.
