Where We All Belong

May 9
2 min read

In the spirit of The Human Library, in which we connect to the humanity of someone we might think of as “other,” we offer this interview with Santiago, an immigrant from Colombia. I have known Santiago for 20 years, as we first met when he was working at a Tibetan Buddhist retreat center in the Santa Cruz mountains. We had seen each other over the years, and then Santi contacted me recently for support. It was during the ICE occupation of Minneapolis and after the tragic murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, and during the weekend of the Super Bowl here in the Bay Area, with increased ICE presence. Santiago shared with me that recent events had retriggered trauma from his experiences growing up in Colombia when the country was in the middle of the decades-long conflict between government forces, left-wing guerilla groups and right-wing paramilitary groups.

We spoke a few times that week and then I invited Santiago to share his story on Voices of Love. The story of immigration and the wider narrative of who belongs is at the forefront of our national social and political conversation, and I wanted listeners to be able to hear directly from someone who came to this country fleeing violence, and with the wish to have a more peaceful, safe and prosperous life.

Photo Captions (from left to right)

Santiago’s mother at the age of four, with her mother behind her in the middle, and her aunts (her mother’s sisters) on either side of them.
4-year-old Santi: Santiago at the age of four in Bogotá
In Guatemala: Santiago in Guatemala with a local woman during an exchange program in which 15 students from Cabrillo College set up a rainwater catchment system in a mountainous rural village of 120 families.
Pyramids in Guatemala: Santiago and a friend in Guatemala visiting an ancient archeological site.
Hiking in Yosemite
Painting 1 and Painting 2: Santiago’s artwork

Note: this interview was recorded on Zoom, and there are times the audio quality is not so clear due to issues with the internet connection, our apologies!