Author Archives: Ana Elisa Fuentes
Yourself in Others Shoes
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Imagine, if you can, unable to walk out of your home because your hard-earned wages will be stolen by people on the street; or you are of an age sought by actors of corruption within the police force or street-gangs, and sometimes you can’t tell the difference. So you walk for two-to-three months with only a dream to keep you going.
Meet Jorge Joyal. He is 29 years old, from Honduras, and a father to a six-year-old daughter. Mr. Joyal said that he walked for two-to-three months with the hope of coming to the United States. The above exercise in imagination is his life story. While his dream to come to the United States has taken a detour, Mr. Joyal has been offered support and assistance by the Mexican government. He has applied for permission to work in Mexico and hopes to have employment at one of the high-tech companies offering employment assistance to refugees and asylum seekers.
On Tuesday December 4th, 2018, DIF accounted for a total of 2,331 persons residing in the shelter designated for families with children.
On Thursday December 6, 2018 acting New York Attorney General Underwood: “13 AG’s are filing an amicus brief today to challenge the Trump administration’s efforts to restrict applications by immigrants seeking asylum. This is a de-facto denial of asylum. It is illegal, it is inhumane, and it must end.”
Attorney General Underwood goes on to write: “More than 6000 Central American immigrants, including over 1000 kids, are stranded outside California’s ports of entry waiting to present their asylum claims. They are living outside in extreme weather, without access to basic services, so that they can have a chance at a better life.”
The faces of mothers. 
(front) Julio Alberto unloads the DIF van with personal care items scheduled for the families with children. 
Jesús Landeros, of Santa Barbara, California is a volunteer with SBRN or the SantaBarbara Response Network; Landeros is also employed with Montecito Union school . “This was a learning experience for me too,” he said referring to El Barretal and his health, safety, and security responsibilities for students, faculty, and the school building itself during the grip of the Thomas fire and the subsequent mudslides. In this photo Landeros distributes personal health-care items donated by Direct Relief. 
The contents of care.
In support of the dream to have a better life, and in efforts to assuage the delay of dreams to a better life, a generous wave of individual community-minded people, in coordination with the Santa Barbara Response Network, DIF-Mexcio and Direct Relief of Santa Barbara, California delivered hygiene products – the basics of everyday life such as shampoo, body soap, antibiotic cream, first-aid, toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss.. Remember how you felt after not brushing or flossing 24-hours? Imagine for months.
In this newly sprouted village at our southern border at Tijuana, amid lives stranded, one can see signs of former life ritual in children and teens playing soccer, in adding color to hopes and dreams in large scale graphics, and in the power of listening in the peer-to-peer conversations.
Mariana Caña and Maritza Escobedo are doing such work – listening. They are listeners, rendering the power of the compassionate ear. Both Caña and Escobedo are students in Psychology at the UABC (The Autonomous University of Baja California ) Both Caña and Escobedo are student volunteers, conducting health questionnaires of the refugees in affiliation with the NYU School of Medicine, under the direction of Dr. Allen Keller. According to his bio: “Dr. Allen Keller is Associate Professor of Medicine at New York University School of Medicine, Director of the Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture (PSOT) and Director of the NYU School of Medicine Center for Health and Human Rights.
”Caña writes that she hopes “to start giving psychological attention to those who need it most at the shelter.” 
Perched overlooking El Barretal, Caña and Escobedo, listen and conduct their health questionnaires as volunteers for NYU school of medicine.
Words and photographs copyright ©AnaElisaFuentes
more photos or for contact info please go to the Visura Platform.
Many heart felt congratulations to our Dreamers. Long May your dreams prevail.
Originally posted on December 18th, 2019
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From my archive, a two-minute portrait of attorney Sarah Weddington, during a fundraiser for Planned Parenthood, in Orange County, California. Sarah Weddington is the attorney who argued the landmark case Roe v. Wade.
Today, Thursday June 18th, 2020 we await a potential, pending decision from the Untied States Supreme Court regarding, a woman’s right to decide for herself, her most intimate and private rights over her body, and her access to health care services, independent of religious beliefs or constructs.
For so long legislation has imposed and seized a woman’s body to determine what rights, control and access she has or had over her own body – this has/had expressed itself through healthcare choices, pregnancy, birth control or contraception, fertility choices, a right to choose (abortion as an option), or significantly in the employment of Eugenics in the enforced sterilization of women.
For the love of (wo)mankind, it appears that the male driven paradigm has determined both sides of the coin for far too long. No longer. You cannot have it both ways. NO longer should this paradigm decide for women, especially women of color who is fit to give birth, who is mandated to be sterilized, when or if a woman gives birth or not. It seems to me that enforced sterilization is a method of birth control justified by racist and discriminatory policy. This white male paradigm has owned our bodies for too long, we are not you chattel.
Image copyright Ana Elisa Fuentes and licensed through Alamy.
Molecule Man
Molecule Man, is a series of aluminum sculptures, created by American artist Jonathan Borofsky. Installed in time for the summer Olympics, the sculpture is 32-feet high by 20-feet in diameter.
Mr. Borofsky says about the sculpture, “at the time I first conceived of this sculpture, I had been fascinated by the fact that the human body, though appearing quite solid, is mostly made up of water. In fact 97% of our body is made up of a water molecule which is ‘sea’ or salt water based, leading many scientists to hypothesize that the human species originated in the ocean.”
I had to smell the rain; six feet apart
Empty Streets
I never thought I’d see this, so I had to get out and see it with my own eyes, and, I had to get some food.
Empty streets, 15 minutes before noon, on Tuesday March 17th, 2020, downtown San Francisco. This was the first full day of the shelter in place order, issued by San Francisco Mayor London Breed. The order will remain in effect until April 7th, 2020. However, just a few days later California Governor Newsom issued an Executive Order, calling on all Californians, all 4o million of us, to shelter in place until further notice.
The Governor is quoted as saying:
We have the capacity to meet this moment — but only if we change our behaviors. We don’t want to look back with regrets — not when the data points to where this could be headed. Let’s bend the curve TOGETHER.
For more information and updates please visit the California Coronavirus (Covid-19) Response website.
If you are interested in the purchase and/or licensing of this image, please contact Alamy-Stockimo.
Thank you.
Throwback Thursday
Who says California doesn’t have culture?
Oh, heart be still. Nostalgia is in the air … It’s a blast from the past.. Is it a surfin’ safari that’s gone awry? No it’s a 1961 Mercury Meteor station wagon an, automobile manufactured in the United Stated and named for the Mercury space race from a mirrored era gone by.
This surfin’ safari machine, on a warm autumn day, parked under still Acacia trees depicts an era, stood still in time, hopefully an era that hasn’t left us?
An era of civility, peace, and goodness among neighbors.
Oh, heart be still.
Art Walk,Wild Art
Wild Art is a newspaper term that refers to found images that are unplanned, or unscheduled; a branch of street photography you might say. On this occasion I was on a walk with a friend, and noticed our shadows on the sidewalk.. Et Voilà, there you go, here we are!
Yo Creo: I/We Believe Her
“I Believe,” “Yo Creo,” is written on the hands of over 200 participants during the lunch hour demonstration of support for Dr. Christine Ford in the sexual misconduct allegations against the United States Supreme Court nominee, Judge Brett Kavanaugh; in Santa Barbara, California on Thursday September, 27th, 2018.
If you are interested in the purchase or license of the these images please contact:
Alamy or Stockimo photoagencies – Images copyright Ana Elisa Fuentes
Thank You.
Remember, Don’t Forget
The American flag drapes Los Angeles City Hall in commemoration of the 2001-9/11 terrorist attack. The flag is reflected in the windows of the Los Angeles Police Department, on September 11th, 2018.
Today, remembering the fallen and their lives given to protect others.
image copyright anaelisafuentes
AnaElisa 