Dignidad Rebelde is a graphic arts collaboration between San Leandro-based artists Jesus Barraza and Melanie Cervantes. We believe that art can be an empowering reflection of community struggles, dreams and visions. Following principles of Xicanisma and Zapatismo, we create work that amplifies people’s stories and to create art that can be put back into the hands of the communities who inspire it.
We recognize that the history of the majority of people worldwide is a history of colonialism, genocide, and exploitation. Our art is grounded in Third World and indigenous movements that build people’s power to transform the conditions of fragmentation, displacement and loss of culture that result from this history. Representing these movements through visual art means connecting struggles through our work and seeking to inspire solidarity among communities of struggle worldwide.
Dignidad Rebelde’s graphic art is of the highest quality and versatility – our art is for museums, collectors’ exhibitions, community and cultural centers, individual homes, political rallies and more. We are committed to advancing the acceptance of people’s art as quality art, and to nurturing a model of art-making grounded in collaboration with community organizations and other networks of artists.
In this spirit of collaboration among artists, we are also members of the Justseeds Artists’ Cooperative, and the Consejo Gráfico.
The many community organizations and institutions we collaborate with include:
- Alto Arizona!
- The American Cultures Center at UC Berkeley
- AFL-CIO
- Akonadi Foundation
- Arab Resource & Organizing Center
- Applied Research Center
- Bay Area Justice Funders Network
- Berkeley Law, National Lawyer’s Guild
- Cal State East Bay, Department of Ethnic Studies
- California Environmental Justice Alliance
- California Institute of Integral Studies
- Causa Justa::Just Cause (Formerly St. Peter’s Housing Committee)
- Center for Young Women’s Development
- Certain Days:Freedom for Political Prisoners Calendar
- Chinese Progressive Association
- Chiapas Support Committee
- Coalition on Homelessness
- Coalición Derechos Humanos
- Communication Workes of America
- Critical Resistance
- CURB-Communities United for a Responsible Budget
- Detention Watch Network
- EastSide Arts Alliance
- El Tecolote
- Enlace International
- Equal Justice Society
- Forward Together
- Hayward Day Laborer Center
- Howard Zinn Bookfair
- Grassroots Global Justice Alliance
- Indig-nación
- Inner City Struggle
- International Indian Treaty Council
- Intertribal Friendship House
- La Red Xicana Indigena
- Lipan Apache Women Defense
- Liberation Ink
- Macehualli
- MeCha de Stanford
- Movement Generation Justice and Ecology Project
- The Multicultural Center, UC Berkeley
- Mujeres Unidas y Activas
- National Domestic Workers Alliance
- No More Deaths
- Oakland Museum of California
- Occupy Oakland
- OMID Advocates for Human Rights
- Opportunity Agenda
- Peace and Dignity Journeys
- People’s Climate Movement
- People Organizing to Demand Environmental & Economic Rights
- People Organized to Win Employment Rights
- Poor Magazine/PNN
- Protect Glen Cove
- Puente Arizona
- Richard Oakes Multicultural Library, San Francisco State
- RYSE
- San Francisco Dyke March
- San Leandro High School Social Justice Academy
- San Francisco State University, Race and Resistance Studies
- SEVA Foundation
- School of the Americas Watch
- Sisters of Color United for Education
- SNAG Magazine
- Somos Georgia
- Spanish Speaking Citizens Foundation
- Stop the Injunctions Coalition
Tides - Tierra y Libertad Organization
- University of California, Berkeley Chicana/o Latina/o Alumni Association
- U.S. Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel
- We Belong Together
- Xicana Moratorium Coalition
- Xinaxtli, UC Berkeley
- Youth Justice Institute
- Youth Together