Orange-vested protector
by Marcelina Gonzales
"The work I make exploits my intimate female experience while growing up in Brownsville, a border-town located at the southernmost tip of Texas. Its mixture of Mexican and American culture and traditions make it a beautifully unique town. Yet, like any other place it can be ugly.
Religion is a large part of Latino identity. Orange-vested protector highlights the stigma that Latina women face when trying to make decisions about their own reproductive health. Women here are often judged and shamed in the name of faith when seeking basic care such as birth control, emergency contraction, and abortions. Despite this, comfort can be found in those who volunteer their time to provide strength to those who are unjustly humiliated, harassed, and persecuted for seeking safe care over their own bodies."
Marcelina Gonzales
Marcelina Gonzales received a Bachelor of Arts in Visual Art from the University of Texas at Brownsville in 2013. Having been born and raised along the Mexican American border her entire life, Gonzales, through her work, personally seeks to destroy the local, national, and widespread cultural and societal preconceptions of what it means to be a Hispanic female in today’s America.