Esteban Gaspar Silva
1. A Biography of Sorts
I was born out of the smog and dreams of a new life in Mexico City, El Distrito Federal at the time. My father a Marxist, my mother a liberal Catholic—both seeking something better when they crossed into Texas with two papers in hand and a newborn daughter. I became what some would call "an immigrant child, political threat," navigating a world where being bilingual meant being placed in remedial classes, where my accent marked me before I could speak for myself.
Growing up, I learned early that identity is something you fight for, not something given freely. I embraced marginalization—spent years playing accordion in a DIY punk band, traveling across basements and living rooms throughout the country and continent, singing songs of social justice and identity. It was in these spaces, among the weirdos and outcasts, that I found my education. I met people who introduced me to the radical rejection of the ways of the world. The personal became political!