Telling to Heal: Mending Our Fractured Mindbodyspirit

Abstract

Informed by our subjectivities and experiences at a Hispanic serving institution (HSI), as scholars from the margins of society—working-class, im/migrant Mexicana and Jewish—as mujeres and first-generation academics, playing it safe was not, and never will be, an option for us. In this article, we share our acts of resistance, informed by knowledge and experiences that spring from the body and are not separate from collective experiences, our testimonios. We divulge the value of solidarity and acknowledging our common struggles. Through our testimonios, we show the importance of knowing how to enact resistance and when not to remain silent, even as those in power, supported by institutional policies, threaten us. Most importantly, as we theorize our testimonios and the critical action they help us to enact, we share our pathway toward mending and healing our fractured mindbodyspirit.