December 10, 2018 (from Around the O)\u2014<\/em><\/strong>Ernesto Javier Mart\u00ednez, an associate professor of ethnic studies at the UO, is a scholar of queer ethnic literature and the author of \u201cWhen We Love Someone We Sing to Them.\u201d It\u2019s a children\u2019s book about a young Mexican-American boy who is learning from his musician father why serenading is such an important tradition in their family.<\/p>\n \u201cThe boy asks his father if there\u2019s a song to sing for a boy who loves another boy, and the story follows their journey of finding a song and having the courage to express affection publicly,\u201d Martinez said.<\/p>\n Ernesto Mart\u00ednez<\/p><\/div>\n Mart\u00ednez, who identifies as a queer Chicano Puerto Rican man, said he grew up singing in a trio with his father and brother, so from a very early age he understood the important role music played for Latinx immigrant families in sharing history, providing comfort and reinforcing community. <\/p>\n \u201cBut very quickly I started to feel a little bit alienated from it because there weren\u2019t songs for boys who loved boys, and at one point I even stopped singing,\u201d Mart\u00ednez said. He added that he felt a bit of trauma in being a part of a musical tradition that applauded his singing voice but remained uninterested in his queer experiences and desires. <\/p>\n In the book, when the son asks his father to help him find such a song, the father thinks about his answer and decides to create a new song with his son. The book also inspired Martinez to write a short film called \u201cLa Serenata,\u201d which is told differently but also includes that plot line.<\/p>\n Laura Pulido, professor of ethnic studies, said she was impressed with both the book and the film.<\/p>\n Mart\u00ednez said he sees an oversaturation of representations that show Latinx families as more patriarchal or homophobic than others, and he thinks there\u2019s a need to show more healthy representations of Latinx families. He said the book talks about love within the Mexican tradition.<\/p>\n Mart\u00ednez also incorporated a Mesoamerican tradition by referring to the deity Xochipilli, the \u201cPrince of Flowers,\u201d who represents creativity, songs, dance and writing. He said he thought of the feeling of love as a creative moment, so the father character refers to the feeling of love as \u201cfeeling the Xochipilli way.\u201d <\/p>\n Mart\u00ednez came up with the idea for the book during a workshop he organized with San Francisco-based artist Maya Gonzalez for the Association for Joter\u00eda Arts, Activism, and Scholarship. The association\u2019s mission is to \u201cnurture queer Latinx, Chicanx and ndigenous individuals and communities through practices that recognize the importance of linking art, activism, and scholarship.\u201d<\/p>\n He said queer people of color often have experienced a sense of hurt as young people, particularly in negotiating racism and homophobia in the context of various other intersecting forms of injustice and oppression. <\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of work there to do for healing ourselves and our communities, so we thought of a storytelling project that would allow this amazing group of people to use storytelling as a form of personal introspection and community engagement,\u201d Mart\u00ednez said.<\/p>\n With funding from the University of Oregon\u2019s Department of Ethnic Studies and the Center for the Study of Women in Society, Mart\u00ednez and Gonzalez guided the workshop participants in identifying parts of their younger selves that needed healing and asking themselves what stories they would tell to young people now.<\/p>\n Mart\u00ednez started writing \u201cWhen We Love Someone We Sing to Them\u201d in this workshop, and his mentor through the process, Gonzalez, eventually became the illustrator of the book.<\/p>\n Pulido said she was blown away by the artwork.<\/p>\n \u201cThe artist does an amazing job of bringing out the themes in the book in ways I wouldn\u2019t have ever imagined, for example how she references parts of Mexican history and culture in the background of the images,\u201d Pulido said.<\/p>\n Mart\u00ednez had the idea to turn the book into a film when he heard about a Sesame Street workshop in New York City. Though he wasn\u2019t chosen for the workshop, he eventually connected with director Adelina Anthony, who ended up directing \u201cLa Serenata.\u201d<\/p>\n Mart\u00ednez launched the children\u2019s book and film at a community screening in October.<\/p>\n Pulido said she thinks the book and film are wonderful ways for Martinez to teach the public about an important topic.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s taking scholarly ideas from years of work and translating them in a way that\u2019s understandable by the larger public, and in this case for children as well,\u201d Pulido said. \u201cIf our goal is to transform society, we need to be doing this type of work.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen We Love Someone We Sing to Them\u201d is available on Amazon or www.reflectionpress.com<\/a>. For more information about the author, visit ernestojaviermartinez.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2014By Emily Hoard, University Communications<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Editor\u2019s note: CSWS is one of several UO units that awarded research funds to Prof. Ernesto Javier Mart\u00ednez in support of this creative work. A new book and film have a University of Oregon professor singing a happy tune. December…<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/csws-archive.uoregon.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/martinez_portrait-350x457-230x300.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/csws-archive.uoregon.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/martinez_photo_5.0-300x169.png\")
\u201cIt was a very powerful film,\u201d Pulido said. \u201cI appreciate the fact that the father struggles but works through it and in the end is able to support his son in a beautiful way.\u201d<\/p>\n