This mural was born in my home in Las Terrenas, during a time when I was reclaiming my sense of self after an unexpected moment of homelessness. I had spent a year trying to make a home within a community that only wanted me if I stripped away my heritage. It was racism at its peak. I was forced into a 'voting' process to decide if I belonged, while white people were simply allowed to walk in.

I arrived in the Dominican Republic broken and at my lowest low, pulled there by a deep place of surrender. I had stopped trying to force anything, and that’s when the magic happened. I heard about Las Terrenas on my last day in that old community from a dancer who passed the name to me. I decided to give it three months and ended up staying for two years. I needed to paint; I needed the movement to go somewhere, and the walls were the only space I could. I let my designs merge with the palm trees right in front of me.

During this reset, I realized how much of a privilege it is to be welcomed into my world of Color. I never had conversations with those people about their racism because it is not on me to explain it to them or anyone. That conversation is an investment, and they weren’t worth it. As a Queer Non-Binary Person of Color, I don’t need to explain myself to exist. If my existence causes chaos for you because you aren't ready to let go of your perspective to welcome mine, then you aren't worth being close to me. I can love you still, and have a boundary.