El criminal
Daniel Cuevas-Coria
Grade: 12
Card Number: 29
Refran: none
Card Description: For my Loteria Card I wanted to share my thoughts on racism and harassment against Hispanic street vendors and the Hispanic community. I chose racism and harassment as a subject matter because it is a big problem in today’s society and it’s something that should be brought to the light and changed. The colors in the piece which are red, green, and white because it represents the Mexican flag colors. The images in the piece represent a Mexican street vendor who was being harassed by a cop and getting a ticket and having to give up his money. For me personally, this card represents that we must stand together against injustice and work towards a future where everyone feels safe and respected. I want the audience to see that this is a major problem and that it is important to learn about it and make a change in the community for future generations.
Student Biography: My name is Daniel Cuevas-Coria and I am a senior at Santa Maria High School. I live in Santa Maria, California with my mother and father. My family is from Michoacan and Tijuana. In my Loteria card, I chose to represent discrimination against the Hispanic community. What inspired me to draw my Loteria card was seeing street vendors and members of the Hispanic community being harassed by police officers because they were simply just trying to make a living. It isn’t just police officers who harass the Hispanic community, ordinary people of other colors harass, neglect, hate, discriminate the Hispanic community on a daily basis. Hispanics face physical harassment, verbal harassment, threats, and many other acts of hatred. I haven’t had a personal experience with this subject because I live in a community with a heavy Hispanic presence, but I want to bring awareness for those who don’t and experience harassment daily. What I liked about the artist process was when I finally got to put my ideas and put it into an image. After high school I plan to attend college and earn my degree in criminal justice. I chose this major because I want to go into law enforcement and make a change in the system.