"Ability is not a necessity...Passion Is!"
by Benilda Pacheco Beretta

Growing up during the 1950’s and 60’s, in New York City, gave me the opportunity to experience the pulsating rhythms of a city in the midst of transforming political and sociological ideologies. It was during this time that I began to question everything around me, especially my ethnicity. As a Latina, I wasn’t sure where I belonged. I didn’t know whether to embrace my Puerto Rican heritage or discard it in order to assimilate into the “American Way of Life.” Thirty years later I realized that this still is a daunting task for me. I have lived this dilemma for over forty years, and still I ask myself, “How will I make sense of this? How will I use what I have learned to inspire others?”

My first creative endeavor, at 47 years old, was a photo essay on a single parent attending Grand Valley State University. I presented my project at Grand Valley’s Student Scholarship Day in April 2001, combining my writing with images to articulate an insightful and passionate portrayal of what it was like to be a single mother, a student, and a part-time nurse. From that day forward I was hooked. I devoured anything I could find on social and documentary photography. Communicating ideas through images and words was an epiphany for me. There was no going back for this South Bronx woman.

In the summer of 2001 I studied at Parsons School of Design in Paris. It was such an exhilarating experience that I dedicated more than five days a week to darkroom activities! The wealth of diversity that is Paris’ urban culture was particularly exciting for me to photograph. Upon returning from Paris, I was accepted into the McNair Scholars Program at Grand Valley State University. I began my proposed research in the summer of 2003. “A Nuyorican Looks Back: Reflections in Words and Images”, was the beginning of my photographic and academic pursuit of the Latino/American duality.

I went back to my old New York City neighborhoods and photographed every bit of nostalgia that stirred something inside of me. I was soaking in the sounds of intermingling melodic rhythms and the clattering of metal, horns blowing, sirens screeching. I watched people going nowhere, not looking at what was ahead. I became one of them again. I stared but did not see. I listened but did not hear. I closed my eyes and took it all in, and exhaled. Experiencing these feelings again helped me realize what my destiny and ethnicity means in terms of finding the motives behind my pilgrimage. I decided then and there that it was my destiny to go beyond. I had decided to go to graduate school before being accepted into the McNair Program, and this was the turning point where I realized that it is the right decision, and life without grad school would be incomplete.

In July 2003, Yale University invited me to present my project to the Latin American Summer Institute. What I was sharing with the audience was not unique to me as a Nuyorican, but it transcended to other cultures. We all connected. We were able to laugh, cry, and remember. It was the satisfaction that I was able to communicate through art that made it worthwhile. In October 2003, I presented my piece at Grand Valley State University’s Latin American Conference. These opportunities to present my work ensure that, like my life, my project will continue to evolve.

My attempt to capture the heartbeat of the people gives voice to the multiculturalness that is permeating the urban landscape throughout our world. Through my craft, I want to connect to this rich, multicultural arena. Destiny has brought me to this time and place where I hope to continue to learn, grow, and share the fruits of my experiences and knowledge and in turn learn from others like myself.

Benilda Pacheco Beretta is an ImageMaker, Performance Artist, and Digital Storyteller. Benilda is available for speaking engagements and presentaions to contact her please write to: berettab@siu.edu at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. for additional information visit these links:


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