Meet aaron a. abeyta | Writer, Poet, Educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with aaron a. abeyta and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi aaron a., do you have a favorite quote or affirmation?
I have a ton of favorite quotes, all of which are on “rotation” for certain circumstances. I do, however, have certain go to quotes, one of which is Quo Vadis…a very shortened version of the story of Peter fleeing Rome to escape persecution and certain death. On the Appian Way he encounters Christ walking toward Rome. Peter asks “Domine, Quo Vadis” My Lord where are you going?” Christ replies “to Rome to be crucified again.” Peter understood the implication and returned to Rome, for something which was greater than him and his own well-being. This is just my reminder that there are people, causes, places and human commitments that are more important than I am – which leads me to one of my other go to quotes, “I am third.” Anyway, I believe in the power of sacrifice, to the point of letting that sacrifice serve a greater good that may not – rarely – serve the person making the sacrifice.

This is why I “return to Rome.”

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
That’s way too much to answer, haha. I am most proud of the school that my wife and I started – The Justice & Heritage Academy. This has been a labor of love for youth, community and we hope future generations. We sincerely believe that we can teach resilience through the example of our educational hero, Paulo Freire. Here is our website if you care to delve a little deeper. https://www.justiceheritageacademy.org/

I have several personal accomplishments that I am proud of, books and works that represent my community, our history, our struggles and our power.

In short, accomplishment, in my opinion, is never (very rarely) easy. The challenge is the reason for the accomplishment and the strength to overcome hardship is the gift of our ancestors, both in action and legacy – they have fore-suffered and gone through more than we can imagine, their sacrifice and struggle making the road for us. How we invest, inherit and utilize that sacrifice is a matter of knowing our home, our people and our identity.

As for what I want people to know….that my home and community and my ancestors are beautiful. Put in an entirely different but related way, the relationship of knowledge to power is a liberating force.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would take them to a river, uncrowded but crowded with fish – hopefully fish eager for dry flies. The itinerary would be something like this…be still.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My wife, Michele and my daughter, Rut

Website: https://aaronabeytapoet.com/

Other: https://www.justiceheritageacademy.org/

Image Credits
Latino Community Foundation of Colorado