Pedro Martinez-Pinto
About myself:
I was born in 2004 in Seattle, Washington (Go Sounders!!) and I’m still growing up here now. Since I was younger (about 7) I’ve been playing soccer at the professional and semi-professional youth levels, I’ve been attending school, participating in summer science programs (which I love), and I’ve developed my passion for photography at the same time; photography is probably the main culprit- I’d say- in my interest in volunteering with MAS (Movimiento Afro-Latino Seattle).
So how’d I get involved:
Well, when I started high school I was made aware of the fact that I’d need to complete a multitude of volunteer hours in order to graduate. I looked for an organization to volunteer with which (1) needed volunteers (2) had a mission which I was interested in exploring and (3) was able to provide me with something which I enjoyed doing; I didn’t just want to put in long hours of work on something which I wouldn’t enjoy, benefit, or become inspired from. MAS was a perfect fit, I could practice my art, get my volunteer hours, and do amazing work in the community. That’s what it comes down to.
My Identity: Afro-Latino / American
I identify as Afro-Latino and American. A little bit of background on that: my mother and father are from Venezuela and Ecuador, respectively. My dad- as far as I know is mixed (as many people in America are), he is part Spanish and part Kanari (pronounced Canyari); colonization by the Spanish like in many places, took part in Ecuador as well and so I feel that part of my identity is Spanish as well as American. For me, being part Latino means having that European mix in me… Much like my father, my mother is also mixed but she (as far as I know) has Afro-descendants in her family as well as her bit of Spanish influence. My identity as American (a term which I consider to be synonymous with Indigenous//Hispanic/etc) and Afro-Latino stems from my parents background; American for me is an umbrella term which describes my identity of being part Venezuelan, Ecuadorian, and US born (Seattle); the term American is generally used to refer to someone born in the US, which is completely ignorant and somewhat troublesome for me. Part of my identity is acknowledging that… To sum up my identity, I am Afro/Latino, American.
