Isthmus Roots: A Celebration of Central American Creativity & Storytelling
Central American Art & Beauty, Dichos de un bicho, Radio No Jodás, & Yeiry.com present:
Isthmus Roots: A Celebration of Central American Creativity & Storytelling
Saturday, May 26th, 2018
5PM – 8PM
Eastside Cafe
5469 Huntington Dr N,
Los Angeles, CA 90032
(El Sereno)
Attention L.A.! Come and meet talented Central American creatives & storytellers! Utilizing a wide variety of media–ranging from music, comics, zines, art curation, and academic research–each featured panelist utilizes their platform(s) to speak and amplify the stories of their respective communities. Moreover, they represent the strength, resilience, and diverse beauty of the Central American isthmus.
Featuring:
A. Sarr
A. Sarr is a Nicaraguan musician from NYC. His work is a painfully intimate portrait of growing up latinx in a city where no one knows your country’s name. He’s worked with Vice Media, Mass Appeal, http://Waxx.fm and various other brands to promote togetherness through swinging hips. He is a dear friend to anyone willing to dance themselves clean.
Website: www.asarr.com
Instagram: @A_Sarr
Twitter: @A_Sarr
Breena Nuñez
Breena Nuñez is a cartoonist and youth art educator based in Oakland, California. She has self-published zines since 2013 along with homegirls from SFSU and has been inspired to create more content based on her personal experiences of being a socially awkward Central American from the Bay Area.
Website: www.etsy.com/shop/breenache
Instagram: @breenache
Brigitte Lugo
Brigette Lugo is a journalism major at Mt. San Antonio College. She is the creator SomosGenteLA, a Latinx features section in her college’s digital publication, SAC.Media. Seeking inclusiveness of all Latinx cultures within L.A. County, Lugo keeps the community up to date on local events and features storytelling. As a survivor of domestic violence, Lugo shares her personal story of resilience to connect as well. Both Panamania and Nicaraguan, Lugo is aware the significance of her role as a Central American in L.A.
Website: www.medium.com/@aLatinAmericanInLA
Instagram: @SomosGenteLA
Twitter: @SomosGenteLA
Nicole Ramsey
Nicole Ramsey is a PhD student in the department of African American & African Diaspora Studies at UC Berkeley. Originally from Los Angeles, California, she holds an MA in African American Studies from UCLA and a BA in American Studies from UC Santa Cruz. Her primary research interests are transnationalism, migration, cultural production and identity formations in Afro Central America. Her proposed research dissertation project will investigate the ways in which conceptions of blackness and black identity are represented and performed in Belize and among Black Belizean communities in California.
Website: www.africam.berkeley.edu/people/nicole-ramsey/
Instagram: @hereisnicky
Twitter: @Nicole_D_Ram
Tamika Burgess
Tamika Burgess is a writer, thinker, and storyteller. She produces a monthly Afro-Latina focused newsletter titled Es Mi Cultura. Tamika also creates raw personal essays at her blog, Authentic Intentions. Her work has been featured in various podcasts and publications including Young Panamanians Around the Globe.
Website: www.esmicultura.com
Instagram: @EsMiCultura
Twitter: @EsMiCultura
Yeiry Guevara 
Yeiry Guevara is a writer, translator and multimedia artist whose work in deeply rooted in representation, Salvadoran diaspora, and healing. Her work has appeared in Bust Magazine, Remezcla, i-D Vice, New Latin Wave and her photography has been exhibited in galleries in New York and Texas. Yeiry received her Bachelor’s of Science from Ithaca College in Ithaca, NY. Originally from Houston, Texas, Yeiry lives in New York City where she is recognized for bringing contemporary Latinx creativity into focus.
Website: www.yeiry.com
Instagram: @yeirybird
Twitter: @yeirybird
Zaira Miluska 
Zaira Miluska is Salvadoran-American from San Pedro, California and the creator of Central American Art & Beauty. Inspired by her Salvadoran culture and lack of positive representation in the media, Zaira created a digital platform to share Central American culture and identity. Her social media curation has been featured in Remezcla, #IAMENOUGH, Yahoo! Lifestyle, and HelloGiggles.
Instagram: @CentAm_Beauty
Twitter: @CentAm_Beauty
Moderated by:
Gloria Figueroa
Gloria Figueroa is a native of SoCal with Salvadoran roots. Gloria runs a podcast titled Radio No Jodas with her co-host Henry Nicia. In Radio No Jodas, Gloria and Henry host conversations dedicated to exploring Central American identity and creating positive media representation.
Henry Nicia 
Henry Nicia is a Salvadoran-American raised in Orange County, California. Henry is the podcast co-host of Radio No Jodas alongside Gloria Figueroa. The goal of Radio No Jodas is to create a space for Central American culture and to inspire dynamic conversations.
Website: www.www.radionojodas.com
Instagram: @RadioNoJodas
Twitter: @RadioNoJodas
Special thanks to Angela Flores and the Collective from Eastside Cafe for generously providing the space to host this event. Also, much gratitude to Zaira Miluska, Wendy Rodriguez, Yeiry Guevara, Brigitte Lugo, Gloria Figueroa, and Victor Interiano for working together to organize this event.