Story and photo by ALISON TANNER

What began as a safe space for youth to discuss different topics and concerns, has become an engaging and creative platform for young students to take action in their community. In over a decade, the continuously blossoming program is impacting many in the Salt Lake Valley.

Mestizo Arts & Activism Collective (MAA) was co-founded in 2007 by Caitlin Cahill, David Quijada and the late Matt Bradley, remembered as a powerful force in the community for change. These activist researchers were working on several different documentary projects relating to race in schools, immigration issues, and in-state tuition for undocumented citizens.

Along the way, they met with various youth who were passionate about social issues and wanted to get more involved. With a little bit of funding and a big commitment to addressing these topics in a safe space, the MAA was born.

Over a decade later, Caitlin Cahill reflects on the collective’s progress. “It’s so beautiful to see the way it’s developed. I feel humbled and inspired.” Although Cahill has since moved from Utah, she often comes back to visit. “It’s a space of activism, which is a key part of healing in this crazy world we live in.”

So how does it work? Each year, a diverse and intergenerational collective of young activists, artists and researchers work together to address urgent issues in the community. Nearing the end of the school year they work on a final project, created by a specific student or students, showcasing what they’ve learned throughout the year. Students have created everything from documentaries to murals.

MAA is a community partner with University of Utah Neighborhood Partners. UNP’s mission brings the community together by connecting the university and people in west-side neighborhoods with resources in reciprocal learning, action and benefit. As UNP proactively helps historically unheard voices, it acts as a convener, contributing to the decrease of barriers to higher education.

Various MAA mentors mentioned that the collective also provides the opportunity to connect with others and discuss topics that aren’t necessarily taught at school or in their homes.

Artwork serves as a key focus of the collective. Painting. Filming. Drawing. Speaking. Dancing. These young people are allowing others to see that activism is powerful and necessary, displaying it through words, colors and sounds.

Over the last decade there have been significant losses in art education, due to the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002. UNP Director Jennifer Mayer-Glenn mentioned that when the focus shifted to helping students achieve higher skills at math and science, arts education fell to the wayside.

“Many communities relate so much to music, visual art and dance. It is hugely important,” Mayer-Glenn said. “Art is a way to express oppression and repression.”

Although it begins with high school-aged students, the MAA has created an impact with far-reaching effects. With an initiative to help youth find opportunities and remove barriers to higher education, many who began in MAA are giving back, sustaining a successful cycle of change.

MAA members pose for a photo at the Marmalade Branch of the Salt Lake City Library. Pictured from left to right is Caitlin Cahill, Yair Marin, Elizabeth Estrada-Murrillo, Jarred Martínez, Sharay Juarez, Itzél Nava, and Leticia Alvarez Guitérrez.

“MAA is a space where it’s developed and centered around high school-aged youth, but it’s where our leadership has come from. They have a different role, like myself, but we’re all still involved,” said Jarred Martínez, who serves as the MAA advisor with UNP in conjunction with the U. Martínez said that much of where he is today is due to his connection with MAA.

Itzél Nava is a student at the U and a former member of MAA. At a young age, she thought she’d never attend college. She now serves as an MAA mentor, regularly meeting with the students and providing her leadership to the collective.

“Whenever someone asks me to tell them about MAA, I tell them it’s a program that caters to west-side students.” Nava added, “You always hear about the east-side schools and their resources, but now we’re showing everybody what’s happening and what amazing things our students are doing here.”

Amazing things is right. In 2008 to 2010, an ethnically diverse group of student researchers began the “We Live Here” project. Calling attention to the complexity of multi-ethnic/cultural neighborhoods that are often overlooked, students engaged in oral history and research to document the value and contributions of their community. They wanted to challenge assumptions about the west side, creating a multi-layered interactive community history map.

Another student mentor, Yair Marin, has been involved with the program since his sophomore year of high school in Salt Lake City. Of MAA, he said, “It’s especially rewarding because it’s intergenerational. You could call it a second family.”

Marin also said that there have been various instances where students came to the leaders for personal help. Being a mentor allows them to create meaningful bonds that continue long after students have graduated from the program.

Leticia Alvarez Gutiérrez, MAA faculty advisor, said students who participate in MAA while in high school receive university credit for attending 85% of the program. This serves as yet another way that Mestizo Arts & Activism removes barriers for students of minority backgrounds to receive higher education.

“I think for me the most important thing is getting to know who these young people are. It’s a sacred space. We all hold very strong relationships,” Gutiérrez said.

The collective meets every Monday and Wednesday at Mary W. Jackson Elementary school. A full archive of its projects is included on the website. Though MAA is a small organization, the colorful tapestry of its impact is larger than life, as it reaches many in Salt Lake City and beyond.

“Activism is more than protesting. We all want to live in a better world,” said Cahill, MAA co-founder. “This space is creating the world that we all want to live in.”

Filed under: Arts, Entertainment, Culture, Education, Hispanics & Latinos(as), Immigrants & Refugees, Nonprofits, Organizations, SLC's West Side |