DC History Book Talk: Avocado Dreams

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Avocado Dreams Remaking Salvadoran Life and Art in the Washington, D.C. Metro Area
For more than four generations, Salvadorans have made themselves at home in the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and have transformed the region, contributing their labor, ingenuity, and culture to the making of a thriving but highly neglected and overlooked community.

In Avocado Dreams, Ana Patricia Rodríguez draws from her own positionality as a Salvadoran transplant to examine the construction of the unique Salvadoran cultural imaginary made in the greater D.C. area. Through a careful reading of the creative works of local writers, performers, artists, and artivists, Rodríguez demonstrates how the people have remade themselves in relation to the cultural, ethnoracial, and sociolinguistic diversity of the area. She discusses how Salvadoran people have developed unique, intergenerational Salvadoreñidades, manifested in particular speech and symbolic acts, ethnoracial embodiments, and local identity formations in relation to the diverse communities, most notably Black Washingtonians, who co-inhabit the region.

This timely and relevant work not only enriches our understanding of Salvadoran diasporic experiences but also contributes significantly to broader discussions on migration, identity, and cultural production in the United States.

Ana Patricia Rodríguez is a Professor in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese and U.S. Latina/o Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park, where she teaches courses in Latin American, Central American, and U.S. Latina/o literatures and cultures. She received her M.A. and Ph.D. in Literature from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Her research interests include Central American and U.S. Latina/o literatures and cultures; Central American cultural production in the U.S.; transnational migration and cultural production; diaspora studies; violence and postwar/trauma studies; gender studies; U.S. Latina/o popular culture; community-based research; and Latina/o education (K-16).

Kristy Li Puma is a DC-based cultural worker, community-based researcher, and American Studies PhD candidate at the University of Maryland. A lifelong DMV local, her current research focuses on the history, politics, and world-making practices of Washington, DC’s Black and Latinx cultural communities from 1970 to 2000. She collaborates closely with local culture bearers to co-curate public conversations, exhibitions, and creative gatherings that center living history. Her recent work includes an essay “Precarious Systems” in TDR’s special issue on queer nightlife, and oral history interviews for the hometown DC public history exhibition and digital project, on view at libraries across DC through October.

• Registration is free, and walk-ins are welcome.
• Seating is first come, first served.
• All books must be purchased through registration.
• If you require accommodation for a disability, please email the DC History Center at programs@dchistory.org with your request as soon as possible.
• We are committed to making events accessible for all participants.

Founded in 1894, the DC History Center deepens understanding of our city’s past to connect, empower, and inspire. As the only community-based nonprofit focused on the District’s history, our vision is to engage with neighborhoods across DC and elevate the stories of Washington’s diverse people, communities, and institutions. The DC History Center’s collection is focused on local DC as opposed to federal Washington but encompasses the city limits and areas that have a direct relationship to individuals, locations, and events within the District, including historical connections with Maryland and Virginia. We are the caretakers of these materials, donated by families, organizations, businesses, neighborhoods, and other communities that comprise Washington, DC.

The People’s Archive at DC Public Library is home to the dynamic collections that preserve and share the stories, histories, and voices of Washington, D.C.’s diverse communities, as well as the Black experience in the Unites States. It features materials—such as photographs, oral histories, documents, and more—that highlight the vibrant local, national and international history of DMV residents, grassroots movements, and cultural milestones, making it a valuable resource for researchers, historians, and anyone interested in learning more about the city’s past and present.