Los Treinta: 30 Years of Salvadorans in D.C. through Music and Poetry

Michelle Banks (presenter); Quinque Aviles; DJ Mexa (Hugo Najera) ;Writer/poet Quique Avilés and DJ Mezkla reflect on the thirty-year history of Salvadorans in the Washington, D.C., area. The largest migrations of Salvadorans to the D.C. area started in the 1980s. Today many are second generation. Their performance presents the stories of Salvadorans across this period through verbal arts and music. As Salvadoran artists and educators, Avilés and DJ Mezkla have been engaged in social justice and community-building art and music events in the D.C. area for many years. Avilés has been writing, performing, and leading community arts projects for over three decades. DJ Mezkla uses music from cutting-edge non-Western voices as an expression of his transcultural backgrounds.