Salomon Center erupted into overwhelming applause as Diane Guerrero stepped on stage. The acclaimed actress and activist addressed the audience in a talk sponsored by the Brown Lecture Board Tuesday evening, delivering a speech that elicited a palpable sense of excited emotion from the crowd.
鈥淚t was so hard for me to boil down, into just a few words, why I was so incredibly lucky to have Diane with us tonight,鈥� said Daniella Balarezo 鈥�18, as she introduced Guerrero to the audience.
鈥淔or starters 鈥� we love seeing her as Maritza in Orange is the New Black or as Lina in Jane the Virgin. Diane鈥檚 work reminds us of how beautiful it is to see ourselves represented on screen,鈥� Balarezo said. But Guerrero鈥檚 contribution to society extends far beyond 鈥渁dding desperately needed melanin in Hollywood,鈥� she added.
The U.S.-born child of immigrant parents who were deported to Colombia when she was only 14 years old, Guerrero has become a vocal activist. Her memoir, 鈥淚n the Country We Love,鈥� retells the story of Guerrero鈥檚 childhood and her family鈥檚 struggles with being undocumented.
鈥淚t takes a brave soul not only to follow (one鈥檚) dreams of being an actress, but (to break) into a whitewashed industry and then, political and painful as it may be, 鈥� (to share one鈥檚) story,鈥� Balarezo said. 鈥淭rue to her last name, which means 鈥榳arrior鈥� in Spanish,鈥� Guerrero has been successful in doing exactly that, she added.
Though punctuated with wit and humor,听Guerrero鈥檚 speech addressed profound issues. 鈥淭oday, I want to have a conversation about the importance of telling our stories, about bringing awareness to Latinx history鈥� and the importance of voting and participating, Guerrero said as she launched into a powerful account of her personal struggles with the immigration system.
Guerrero described how her parents tried to become U.S. citizens and how they were scammed and then deported in the process. 鈥淭his experience was so damaging for my family and so traumatizing that later on I experienced a lot of hardship,鈥� Guerrero said, referring to the range of mental health issues she faced.
鈥淢y story is just one of millions, and (it) shows the need to update our immigration system,鈥� Guerrero said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e fighting to keep our families together. We鈥檙e fighting to preserve our American lives. We鈥檙e fighting to be treated with respect and dignity. We have to speak up. 鈥� We have to do everything in our power to stop the injustices going on around us, even though they seem so hard to stop.鈥�
Evoking raw emotion, Guerrero reflected on how, for a long time, she was ashamed of her background and her story. 鈥淏ut after I started talking about my experiences, writing about my experiences and letting a little bit of that shame go, I started feeling happy that this was the way that my life went because I wouldn鈥檛 be who I am today (otherwise),鈥� she said. 鈥淢y experiences don鈥檛 define me, but they certainly have shaped who I am,鈥� she added.
Guerrero discussed her desire to be both an actor and an agent of social change, and how she has always felt as though she needed to pick one of the two. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 until later that I realized that the best way for me to help my community was for me to follow my dreams and my desire to be an actor,鈥� she said. Guerrero added that she sees her role in the entertainment industry as a way of telling the stories of those who are underrepresented and being a voice for those who go unheard.
Guerrero鈥檚 talk was followed by a moderated discussion led by Balarezo and questions from audience members. Guerrero addressed questions regarding the challenges she continues to face as a woman of color and as an immigrant, and the ways in which she breaks stereotypes.
鈥淪ocietal constructs mean nothing,鈥� Guerrero said. 鈥淵ou have to acknowledge that you matter. 鈥� It鈥檚 (your) duty to knock the walls (of societal constructs) down. It鈥檚 (your) duty to rip those ceilings apart.鈥�
When asked by a student to describe her dreams for Latina women, Guerrero responded that she 鈥渨ants to see (Latina women) writing more. I just want to see more stories written by women for women,鈥� Guerrero said, adding that 鈥渆very story is unique 鈥� and deserves to be told.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 also the girl next door,鈥� Guerrero finished, with a flourish and a laugh. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of girls next door, so let鈥檚 start telling those stories,鈥� she said.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misspelled Daniella Balarezo's name. An earlier version of this story also stated that Diane Guerrero played Selena in Jane the Virgin. In fact,听Guerrero played Lina in Jane the Virgin. The Herald regrets the errors.听
