Experiencing poverty and structural violence in my native country Bolivia has provided context to my life and has motivated me to dedicate my life to challenging the status quo when needed. I have never been satisfied with gender violence, political violence, racism and crimes committed against the most vulnerable. As a child, I used poetry and theater to tell stories of injustice. I used art to educate myself and to question the why of so many realities. Art allowed me to digest the various dimensions of my life and my environment. It gave me a voice when people told me to stay quiet. These childhood experiences combined with my life as an immigrant in the US have informed my role as a changemaker. I am a cultural activist dedicated to raising consciousness so that people can feel inspired to take action. Through Art for Change, a nonprofit organization I started, and Carlitos Cafe y Galeria, a social venture I opened, I have provided a space where people can digest social and political issues, find their own voice, engage in critical dialogue and ultimately discover and claim their role as changemakers.
I get goosebumps when I pass or climb mountains. The fact that my ancestors built their communities so high up in the mountains and that my people continue to walk miles up and down with large packages attached to their backs, has always impressed me. I have visions of "chaskis" carrying important messages back and forth by running effortless through the mountains.
Poverty is one of the major barriers to achieving social justice. Though I can go without the current formal economy that in many ways has been imposed globally, I realize that economic development comes with access to the very basic necessities that in reality should be equally available to all.
An immigrant, cultural activist, social entrepreneur and mother, Eliana Godoy developed her interest in social justice while growing up in Bolivia, where she experienced discrimination, poverty and violence. Her interests further solidified after migrating to this country and recognizing that structures of oppression are not limited to the developing world.
Experiencing the hardships endured by immigrant women of color made her aware of the inequities in opportunity and access prevalent in the United States.
Her experiences lead her to volunteer to work with young people at a community center, in Roxbury, MA, later helping them organize their first community job fair. The level of work and achievement of these young people demonstrated the power of organizing efforts, which, in this case, drew out their own substantial capabilities, while enlisting significant outside resources. The young people learned tangible skills, helped to carry out additional programs for their community, made decisions based on their realities and needs, and even generated income. The community calendar, which they created, included beautiful photographs of their community and helped to promote local businesses. It also helped to demystifying the one dimensional image of their community portrayed by the media. The job fair provided workshops on resume writing and interviewing skills, and attracted more than 15 companies from throughout the Metro Boston area. This type of grass roots organizing has been embraced by Eliana throughout her career.
After moving to East Harlem in New York City, Eliana created Art for Change, an award-winning organization dedicated to creating innovative art and media programs that inspire people to take an active role in social justice. In the face of urban gentrification, a large influx of undocumented immigrants and increased racial tensions, Art for Change provided a platform for artists and residents to address their own problems through projects that engaged the most marginalized members of the community. Programs such as English as a Second Language Through Theater, for undocumented immigrants, Art and Technology classes for young people, and monthly gatherings of artists, empowered participants to start their own efforts and initiatives. The women from the ESL program, after realizing that most of them experienced gender violence, started their own women’s support group, which during four consecutive years provided educational and emotional support for members. Some even received formal training from Connect, an organization that strives to end family violence, and become permanent advocates against gender violence. Art for Change also helped to advance the personal and professional development of many artists and activists, some of whom took leadership positions in other organizations. Others have furthered their education, while some are now leading Art for Change through a collective model that embraces horizontal leadership training.
To date, Art for Change has engaged more than 1,000 emerging and established artists in the production of multi-discipline art programs that critically explore social justice issues. Through numerous participatory programs, Eliana has created a platform where people from diverse backgrounds can come together to engage in social discourse and political analysis, learning through the arts and through each other. One of AFC’s programs, a youth empowerment exchange between Bolivia and the U.S. called "ExplorArte," has been replicated internationally.
Eliana also opened Carlitos Café y Galeria, which became an East Harlem cultural landmark and a laboratory for ideas. Despite its small size, this social venture was a home to many displaced New Yorkers from within and outside East Harlem. It was also a venue used by artists and activists to organize people and conduct a wide range of events. Through Carlitos, Art for Change and other groups presented cutting edge, community-driven cultural events, film screenings, performances and exhibitions. It inspired a number of community entrepreneurs to begin similar ventures around Harlem.
Eliana’s work has been featured and recognized in major Spanish language newspapers and television stations, and by awards such as the Union Square Awards and The Hope Community Leadership Award. She sits on numerous boards, funding panels and curatorial committees, including: Art for Change, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, New York State Council for the Arts, and La Casita at Lincoln Center.
Eliana strives to use her education at Wagner, facilitated by the Reynolds Fellowship, to address economic development, displacement and emigration. She plans to develop a network of small, locally-owned cooperatives joined together by collaborative practices and mutual sustenance, allowing people to stay and build within their communities. It will provide an alternative to the dominant mode of addressing economic development and job creation, which tends to focus on attracting corporations and people from outside communities. She is interested in exploring ventures that provide opportunities for youth, artists and women.
