Writing as a Recapture on Memory and the Search for Justice

How writing is a catharsis process that allows us to reclaim our voices, seek justice long denied, reclaim memories, and affirm the validity of our female experiences.

Araci Matos
Araci’s life

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Created with canva.com and written with my tears

My paternal grandparents’ house was never truly theirs. I only learned about this fact later in life. As a child, I believed the land belonged to everyone. But I grew to understand how the concept of property — what men own and who falls far short of ever achieving ownership — defines the lines between wealth and poverty.

For my grandparents, who spent their lives as farm laborers, their relationship with the land was one of survival, not ownership.

The house—where they lived the last years—stood on the border between two small villages and was built by my uncle—crooked and haphazard, like much of his life. His obsession with my aunt kept her confined inside its walls, while his temper tore at the fragile relationships around him, especially with my father.

The house itself reflected all the dysfunction with leaking roofs, uneven floors, and walls as crooked as the lives lived inside it. Somehow, my father ended up owning it, buying it to give his parents shelter despite the years of neglect…

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