We had the good fortune of connecting with Miriam Damaris Maldonado and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Miriam Damaris, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
In 2019, the performance of a “Rapist in Your Path” became a worldwide event that brought women together to protest against violence toward women. The performance was presented throughout Latin America and succeeded in raising awareness and bringing people together to secure spaces for individuals who had been victims of this (https://www.lifegate.com/the-rapist-is-you-un-violador-en-tu-camino). However, such performance had not yet been presented in the United States, and Houston seemed a very likely place for it being that we have documented a high incidence of sex trafficking and violence against women.

In late 2019, a group of Latinx women and non-binary people, many Spanish speakers, community leaders, academics, students, survivors of domestic violence, and recent immigrants to the US and Houston area came together to perform the song at the Houston Women’s March On Event and begin cementing the foundation of the Colectiva Feminista Colibrí. Among the leaders of this group of women were Miriam Damaris, a Puerto Rican community leader, social worker, and poet in Houston called Rosaly Acosta, a filmmaker, and photographer from the Dominican Republic,  and Natalia Giraldo a Puerto Rican Social Worker and group of friends/women.  Together, they held meetings to plan the performance, to launch a media campaign to call for participants, to practice for the event, and to raise awareness on domestic violence in the Houston community. This call led to a massive group of supporters and the performance was successfully presented at the Houston City Hall and widely covered by press, radio, television, and social media.

In the outreach for this event, a Whatsapp group chat was created to organize participants and this group rapidly grew to over a 100 in just a few weeks. The makeup of the group was and is diverse. The group is still very active and now functions as a “safe space” known as “Colibrí Red de Apoyo” (Colibrí Support Network). The group works as a platform where participants can communicate in Spanish or English the needs, resources and opportunities for Latinx women, families, children, youth and other ethnic minorities in the community. Moreover, the group has allowed the Colectiva Colibrí to remain in touch with each other and to promote and advocate for the wellbeing of women.

Moreover, after the Women’s March, the group that had been convening to plan the performance decided to establish itself as the organization known as the Colectiva Feminista Colibrí and to apply for nonprofit status. This was achieved in August 2021. The organization determined that it would stay away from having one person as the leader and voted on establishing a nucleus as the administrator for all activities. The nucleus is represented by individuals from diverse backgrounds who are committed to advancing the vision and mission of the Colectiva. The members of the nucleus are: Gabriela Baeza, Carolina Villaroel, Ethel Myr Olivares, Vanessa Torres and Miriam Damaris Maldonado.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a poet and social worker. I’m currently the project manager of the Proyecto de Literatura Puertorriqueña. My studies are in Social Work, gender, and feminism. On the other hand, I have studied Creative Writing, which has allowed me to process my professional experiences and take them to write. Being a poet and a feminist may sound solid, but many doors were closed to me for many years because of my social position and my activism. I just got my first book published, but I also think I wasn’t ready. The story comes out when it’s ready. One of the biggest challenges is to converge these two worlds and link them. Feminism began to feed on poetry and vice versa. Having been a main part of the Colibri Feminist Collective is something that fills me with great pride, as well as when I serve a woman who is looking for individual service. I have been in activism since I was 18 years old and since I have the use of reason attached to books, one thing led me to another. I also feel that there is a lot to deconstruct within feminism, we have to stop competing with each other, and use the word sorority as a healing tool, really sisterhood, of the sacred feminine. I also want to provide a better world for my daughter, a fearless world, for Damie and Juniel, that is the main reason that I’m an activist.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
There are several places in Houston that are magical to me, but I must highlight two refuges. Cafe Brasil, because it is where I have met the magical people who accompany me and it is full of stories to tell and not tell. Besides Cafe Agora, sometimes I sit in a corner and read, write or take out the tarot cards in case someone is interested in reading them. The tarot for me has been a way to communicate with others and establish new relationships. Also, it is one of the tools that we use to unblock when we want to say something that is not so easy to express with my children. I like to walk along the Menill, meditate in the Rothko Chapell and lay a blanket on the grass, and read my books or just be. If you accompany this with wine and cheese, we’re done. Also, being in Houston it is impossible not to enjoy all the gastronomy, there is everything, from a good brisket to Thai food, I like everything. This is why I decided to live in the Montrose area, I feel safe and it also brings me closer to the art and music that I need on a daily basis.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Dra. Gabriela Baeza (because she had been a great supporter and is a mentor for me. Myr (because she is very dedicated to education )Ethel (she is the new member of the nucleus and she has been very consistently working with the media. She has great skills. Every member of the group deserve recognition, even the ones that are not longer with us.

 

Website: https://www.miriamdamaris.com/

Instagram: @miriamcitafemme

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MiriamDamarisM4

Facebook: Miriam Damaris Maldonado

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPWOBjtHsAbGWJWx_osx0zQ Miriam Damaris Maldonado

Image Credits
Houston Chronicle, Damie Cotto, Rosaly Acosta, and Dianny Henriquez

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