Christian Alfaro

For many transformation can be a result of trauma. My mother earned her physical therapy degree at the University of St. Thomas, but the promise of a good career in the Philippines was unlikely because of the country’s economic instability. She immigrated to Chicago in the late 80’s, leaving my dad and older sister in Manila, in pursuit of the “American Dream”.

In 1991 I was born in Chicago, The American Dream my mother claims the only one she received, my success and my family’s success is a dream of my mother’s. Finding/striving for success in the U.S has been stressful and Traumatic. I used to think that identity crisis only happened after college or during one’s midlife, but mine started when I was five in white heteronormative suburbia. Coming to terms with my Asian Americanness (Bicultural Identity) and my Queerness (Sexual/Political Identity) was/is a difficult process. Creating with my hands and making others laugh helps me through this process as forms of self-care.

“Forsake not your mother’s teachings for they are the graceful garland for you head…”

The Butterfly postcard campaign was developed by the UIC Latino Cultural Center in collaboration with student organizations Fearless Undocumented Alliance and Heritage Garden Student Group that highlights the parallels between the migration of people and Monarch butterflies across national borders.