Jesús Nazario

I am a Nahua transnational queer feminist scholar interested in indigenous sovereignty, communal empowerment, and women’s reclamation of memory. I am a child of the diaspora, born to two rural indigenous farmers and the first from their community to be studying towards a PhD in a U.S. university. My achievements are rooted in my parent’s and my communities’ diverse survival and support. Growing up in Houston, Texas, I experienced multi-faceted poverty during my childhood, which gave me a perspective that connects with my parent’s struggles: We are racialized peoples who speak both Spanish and Nahuatl; We are survivors of systemic acculturation and settler-colonialism; We are bridging new possible futures with our families and other relations. Through my work I wish to honor ancestral resilience and teach others the vigor of agency through sovereignty using community-building and mentorship as my guides.