They have never been my presidents, but they have always ruled my history | 2016
Studying in New York in November 2016 I
witnessed the traumatic response of that city, mostly
liberal and progressive, after the election of Trump. The
reactions were widespread, but what became evident was
that a group of privileged citizens felt threatened by the
new political reality and decided to demonstrate publicly
against it. Almost immediately after the election, the
protests in the city then changed. From an almost
exclusive context of minority groups they switched to a
more "universalized" form, taking advantage of the
massively increased visibility brought by these new
protesters.
People began to use a "Not my president" pin badge. My
first thought on seeing the pin’s message —originating in
the historical consciousness of Latin America’s colonial
relationship with the United States— was "They have never
been my presidents, but they have always ruled my
history." I decided to respond to the portable statement
that is a pin badge with a similar action. After the first
wave of almost daily demonstrations in the city, the
initial energy vanished, and I began to carry a sentence
with me all the time: a protest sign —a typical one, a
white rectangle held up on a wooden stick— reading: “ellos
nunca han sido mis presidentes” (Spanish for “they have
never been my presidents”). During the space of a week I
carried it everywhere: walking down the street, in the
subway, at the university, at the market, in public
bathrooms, and in restaurants. The object entered into the
common narrative that existed in the city at that time but
distanced itself from the majority by connecting only with
those who understood its language and the specific context
of Latin America.