“Yo tambien tengo sueños”

This drawing is a celebration and honoring of *all* forms of labor that I created for International Workers' Day. By “honoring,” I mean that we must advocate for laws and policies that allow us to work with dignity and safety. On October 12, 2019, the Hard Rock construction project collapsed in New Orleans, killing three workers and injuring many more. Workers had been warning management for time that labor conditions were unsafe. One worker who spoke out about the collapse to news media was deported to Honduras recently. His name is Delmer Joel Ramirez Palma and he has lived in the United States for almost 20 years. He has a family here. He has a life here. He has dreams too. Always, but especially now, we must fight for working conditions that allow us to realize our dreams and do not punish us for demanding just treatment.

Karla Rosas is KARLINCHE, a visual artist and “undocumented” immigrant originally from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. Grounded in the idea that the personal is political, most of her work is an existential — and oftentimes, humorous — reflection on how illegality and the border shape one's self-perception, spirituality, relationships, sense of history, and connection to language. She is influenced by her upbringing among multiple cultures from Nuevo Laredo to New Orleans.

Follow on Instagram: @karlinche_ o mi página web: maricosas.com