Consuelo Do you ever get the feeling like something is missing? Maybe you don’t quite fit into your surroundings or the vibe doesn’t resonate with you? The answer to those questions lies within you, beyond where you were born and how you were raised. Discovering true identity deep within takes learning the history and culture of your ancestors added to the modern theory of today’s world.
Episode 80, ‘Discovering True Identity Deep Within’, with featured guest, Damaly Gonzalez’ answers that age old question, “Who am I?”. Damaly shares her own personal journey of discovery from growing up in Williamsburg, New York to searching for her mother’s childhood home in Puerto Rico and ultimately, calling Madrid home. Throughout her journey, Damaly recognizes bits and pieces of herself in the communities she explores. Her intuition mapped out her lineage long before any DNA test could prove.
Beyond actual DNA though, Damaly exemplifies traits of her ancestors that may never be known; her Life Lnxx. She speaks passionately about the people in Puerto Rico suffering the aftermath of Hurricanes Maria and Fiona with little to no help from the U.S. Her passion for social justice resonates in her published work, ‘Lo Que Es Pasado Nunca Vuelve: A Journey Back to Puerto Rico Before Maria’, that describes the gentrification of the Isla and the threat to native communities.
Damaly encourages respect for the communities by lending our time and energy to help them rebuild rather than taking advantage of their situation. Respect is key to Damaly, whether it’s for women living free from a misogynistic past or people living free to be themselves. She offers ‘ Caliban and the Witch: Women, the Body and Primitive Accumulation‘ as a way to learn feminist theory for self-empowerment.
Learn more about Damaly in her episode and follow her on Instagram.
BIO:
Damaly Gonzalez is a Brooklynite, Williamsburg-native of Puerto Rican descent that goes by she/her/hers. She is an identity and culture writer who writes opinion, analytical, and idea pieces through stories about everyday life experiences in order to stimulate deep conversations and give rise to conscious minds. Damaly has been published in The Latinx Project at NYU, NBC Latino, and others. She holds a master’s degree in History and Urban Sociology from The Graduate Center, CUNY.
