“ One of the most salient things I learned through the interview process is that everybody ’ s story is worth something , and should be acknowledged as such .”
walking to class , he saw an on-campus rally against Proposition 187 , a bill aimed at excluding illegal immigrants from California state services . The rally was led by fellow alum Harry Simon , ’ 95 , M . A . ’ 09 , at the time a member of the political organization Union Del Barrio and editor of the UC San Diego Chicano-oriented and student-run publication , Voz Fronteriza .
Flores witnessed Simon speaking passionately on the problems Proposition 187 would bring about for Latino immigrants : racism , economic scapegoating , deportation , segregation and oppression . “ I felt immediately emotional and angry ,” Flores says . “ I wanted to get active .” That ’ s exactly what he did . Flores took action , joining other university students as well as Latino community activists to hold demonstrations at the San Ysidro Border against migrant deaths . From then on , his passion for social activism erupted , coupled with his first spoken-word performance on campus . “ I became a spoken word poet , an artist and Latino community leader while at UCSD . Twenty years later , this is who I am today — in San Francisco and all over the world .”
FLORES HAS PRODUCED a handful of dynamic plays in addition to PLACAS , yet none so far have made such an impact on the culture they depict . Titled after barrio slang for “ body tattoos ,” PLACAS addresses the hazards of gangs through the obstacles that arise in one man ’ s struggle to reunite his family following many hardships , including the civil war in El Salvador , immigration , deportation , prison and street violence . Throughout the course of his research , Flores interviewed more than 100 gang members , including those who sat him down for questioning in El Salvador .
“ One of the most salient things I learned through that process is that everybody ’ s story is worth something , and should be acknowledged as such . Humility is important . When you ’ re working with these types of vulnerable communities , you really have to respect the subject that you ’ re working with . Just because you ’ re in the position of artist , you can never think you ’ re better than anyone .”
This was especially the case given the play ’ s primary inspiration , Alex Sanchez , executive director of the non-profit organization Homies Unidos and model for the play ’ s protagonist , Fausto , a . k . a . “ Placas .” In April 2015 , artist and subject alike visited campus when Flores
and Sanchez appeared at UC San Diego ’ s Cesar Chavez Celebration to perform a reading of the play . “ Bringing my play to UCSD 20 years after I graduated was such a joy , and a little surreal ,” Flores says . “ When Professor Elana Zilberg was able to secure funding to sponsor and present three events around PLACAS , I was so proud of my alma mater . I felt like the school cared about its alumni in the arts . I felt like the stories I told about Latinos struggling to thrive in the U . S . were validated at a whole different level .”
In many of the discussions surrounding the play , Flores discussed how cultural identity can be an asset in community organizing , and offered his story as an example of how UC San Diego can prepare graduates to lead community transformation and social justice campaigns . Many audience members who attended the reading expressed how grateful they were that a piece about Salvadorian culture had finally been written . Flores too believes in the power of culture as connection . “ I want to use culture as a means of healing ,” he says , noting the unique capacity of theater to effect change on a one-to-one basis with audience members .
“ This play is not going to stop gang violence ,” says Flores , acknowledging the limits of his medium . “ But it could get some people in the audience to think about what ’ s at stake .”
Flores plans on presenting PLACAS in California from January through March . For more information , visit : PAULSFLORES . COM
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