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On the Limits of Goodwill, the Golden Rule, and Deontological Ethics: A Social Justice Activist’s Reflections

by Julián Esteban Torres López in Deconstructing Dominant Cultures Series

As we approach Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, I’ve been journaling on the limits of goodwill, the Golden Rule, and deontological ethics. The reflections below are consistent conversations I have with myself as I decolonize my own ethics, because, just like you, I am a product of a culture and a society where these limiting frameworks are prevalent. Some of the biggest obstacles in our quest toward achieving social justice are ideologies and people (which includes innumerable progressive folx) that only equate “real” harm (harm that should be taken seriously and acted upon to find a remedy to reduce the harm) with harm caused by malicious intent. These frameworks and ethical systems directly invalidate, devalue, and gaslight the concerns of those who’ve been harmed, which contribute to and perpetuate oppressive status quos. […]

What Does It Mean to be Colombian?

December 22, 2021

Can we really sit down and agree on a set of characteristics to essentialize what it means to be a Colombian? Once challenged to unpack what it means, most will recognize inherent limitations to this endeavor as there are any time one tries to essentialize anything. In the process of constructing an identity, one always leaves something out when trying to include something else. […]

Libraries Answer Your Burning Questions, Part 1

December 22, 2021

In this 2-part series, we asked libraries across the United States to answer some of your burning questions. In Part 1, we asked them: Do you have a book-buying budget? If so, does it fluctuate from year to year? Is it based on department/type of book? How do you find and choose which books to buy? […]

Libraries Answer Your Burning Questions, Part 2

December 22, 2021

In this 2-part series, we asked libraries across the United States to answer some of your burning questions. In Part 2, we asked them: How can authors collaborate with you to spread the word about their book to potential readers? Are you open to circulating self and small-published books by local authors? If you can’t buy the book, do you accept donations? […]

How can authors get their book on your shelves?

December 19, 2021

In this six-part series, we asked bookstores across the United States to answer some of your burning questions. Here, Part 1 gives you an inside glimpse to how authors can get their books on the shelves of 49 bookstores across the country. […]

Do you accept self-published authors? In what situations would you consider this?

December 19, 2021

In this six-part series, we asked bookstores across the United States to answer some of your burning questions. Here, Part 2 gives you an inside glimpse into whether or not bookstores accept books from self-published authors, and what goes through their minds when they consider putting such books on the shelves of 48 bookstores across the country. […]

What’s your processing for vetting books?

December 19, 2021

In this six-part series, we asked bookstores across the United States to answer some of your burning questions. Here, Part 3 gives you an inside glimpse into the book vetting process of 49 bookstores across the country. […]

How can local authors develop a relationship with you?

December 19, 2021

In this six-part series, we asked bookstores across the United States to answer some of your burning questions. Here, Part 4 gives you an inside glimpse into how local authors can develop a relationship with 55 bookstores across the country. […]

Do you host author/book signing events/readings?

December 19, 2021

In this six-part series, we asked bookstores across the United States to answer some of your burning questions. Here, Part 5 gives you an inside glimpse into whether or not 53 bookstores across the country host author/book signing events/readings. […]

Is there anything you would recommend to authors/publishers about how to best position their books in the market?

December 19, 2021

In this six-part series, we asked bookstores across the United States to answer some of your burning questions. Here, Part 6 gives you an inside glimpse into the recommendations of 52 bookstores across the country on how authors/publishers can better position their books in the market. […]

Books on Deconstructing Oppressive Systems and Cultures of Domination

December 16, 2021

As The Nasiona’s creator, I thought I’d start an annual series of the books I’ve read (or reread) throughout the year that focus specifically on deconstructing oppressive systems and cultures of domination. By doing so, I hope to give you a glimpse into what goes on behind the scenes to better prepare to serve our communities. Enjoy this list of 44 books. Hopefully some of these titles make it onto your to-be-read pile for 2022. […]

Episode 65 – Blue Blood: Challenging the Rhetoric that Trans People are ‘Unnatural’

December 15, 2021

We all begin in water and are called back to water. Blue Blood challenges the rhetoric that trans people are “unnatural” through captivating verses about metamorphosis and meditations on the concept of home. Robin Gow invites readers to celebrate identity; to question what their own body means to them. […]

Episode 64 – Decolonizing & Indigenizing Storytelling, Part 2

December 13, 2021

This is Part 2 of a virtual public event Julián Esteban Torres López gave on what it means to decolonize and indigenize storytelling, hosted by Texas A&M University, San Antonio. He talks about the relationship between language and identity; how the concept of time can be used to challenge hegemonic epistemologies; the importance of centering and circulating thinking and art from the Global South; and more. Dr. Alexandra Rodriguez Sabogal interviews Julián, followed by a Q&A with the audience moderated by Dr. Katherine Gillen. […]

Ghost in a Black Girl’s Throat

December 9, 2021

The South will birth a new kind of haunting / in your black girl-ness, your black woman-ness. / Your body becomes a poached confection— / honeyed enigma pledging to be allegiant. / The muddied silk robe waving in their amber / grains of bigotry. / Your skin—a rhetorical question, / blood-stained equation no one wants to answer. […]

Episode 63 – On Healing, Transformation, & Reclaiming Authority of Your Authenticity

December 7, 2021

What does it mean to show up as you beyond the you you were told to be? Christine Cariño joins Julián Esteban Torres López to discuss the philosophy of authenticity, how getting over trauma often means finding your way back to that person you were before the trauma, and the transformative process of rerooting and replanting yourself and reclaiming deferred dreams. This episode is about healing, empowerment, and giving ourselves permission to say yes to ourselves, to allow ourselves to feel, and to create the conditions we need to fully become ourselves. […]

On Allyship

December 1, 2021

You want to be an ally? Here are some initial demands in order for you to demonstrate and enact love, care, and support beyond your personal feelings. […]

Episode 62 – Decolonizing & Indigenizing Storytelling, Part 1

November 26, 2021

What does it mean to decolonize and Indigenize storytelling? How do institutionalized Euro-centric storytelling frameworks limit creativity, understanding of stories and histories, and how we relate to others, our selves, our environment, and our art creations? In this episode, Julián Esteban Torres López addresses the importance of decolonizing storytelling, affirming Indigenous storytelling traditions, and creating safe and encouraging spaces for BIPOC stories. […]

Our Narratives Become Our Future: Designing a Story with the Traumatized at the Center

November 24, 2021

“We can sit in our corners mute forever while our sisters and ourselves are wasted, while our children are distorted and destroyed, while our earth is poisoned; we can sit in our safe corners mute as bottles, and we will still be no less afraid. […] People are taught to respect their fear of speaking more than silence, but ultimately, the silence will choke us anyway, so we might as well speak the truth.” – Audre Lorde […]

Episode 61 – Being Latina/e/o/x

November 16, 2021

A tour of what it means to be Latina/e/o/x through the voices of previous The Nasiona Podcast guests: Sylvia Salazar, Colette Ghunim, Alondra Adame, Eva Gonzalez, Diana Castellanos, Mireya S. Vela, Liza Ann Acosta, Alexandra Meda, Christina Igaraividez, J.L. Torres, Irma Herrera, Beezy Montaña, Ra Avis, Patrick A. Howell, Carlos Carrasco, and Deborah Taffa. Our stories are complex, nuanced, and deserve to be heard. In the show notes, you can find links to the previous guests’ episodes. […]

Episode 60 – Growing up Black and Brown in a White Town

October 2, 2021

What’s it like growing up Black and brown in a predominantly white town? Joe Sparkman and Julián Esteban Torres López share their experiences of growing up together in the 1990s as teenagers in Nashua, New Hampshire: Money magazine’s best place to live in the US in 1987 & 1997; where JFK announced he would run for president; and home to the first racially integrated US team in modern baseball. With this episode we glimpse into the kinds of situations that give rise to activists and social justice warriors. […]

We Are Nice Humans: An Interview with Fran Meneses (Frannerd)

September 29, 2021

As a Latina, a Chilean, an immigrant, feminist, and lesbian, Fran Meneses (Frannerd) has lived life under the patriarchal dictatorship of Pinochet, watched as family members struggle to make ends meet under widening wealth gaps, and recently witnessed the manifestations in her native country that have led to the rewriting of the Chilean constitution. All of these factors play into how she expresses herself. […]

Episode 59 – The Nuyorican Hallway: Belonging & Living Between Worlds

August 22, 2021

J.L. Torres is the author of Migrations, the inaugural winner of the Tomás Rivera Book Prize. His work focuses on the diasporican experience—living in the inbetweeness that forms and informs the Puerto Rican experience. We dissect the central themes of Migrations—a collection of stories deeply rooted in Puerto Rico’s history—where he elevates the experiences of Othered individuals. This is a far-ranging conversation that spans colonialism, Nuyorican identity, colorism, Critical Race Theory, and healing. […]