I was so excited for this week’s live because I got to chat with a longtime, regular viewer of the weekly lives- Jorge Vidal, whom I’ve mentioned on the live streams several times as “Armando” (based on his handle). I knew it would be special, but Jorge really shined! We got into some deep points about the myriad intersections of privilege and marginalization and how colorism can’t be extracted from experiences of gender, sexuality, ethnicity, nationality, masculinity, and more. Jorge also drops some gems about going beyond merely acknowledging privilege to being active in dismantling structures of domination.
A must watch. Scroll to the end of this post for the full conversation.
Jorge Vidal is a community builder, healer, and social justice practitioner/ally born in Peru who has made the US home for 32 years. Over the decades, as a front-line worker, Jorge has been a witness to many injustices and lack of celebration for BITQPOC folks. Leading with feminine energy as a Latino man was not always easy, but magic happened when Jorge found power in his intersections. He has been a strong advocate for cultural organizations and peers across the US as a cultural leader.
In all, Jorge has lived and worked with the Latino community in 5 different states including New York, Puerto Rico, DC, and Florida. Within the domestic violence and HIV/AIDS movement, Jorge has contributed to policy changes within organizations, race equity consultant, technical assistance provider, mentor to cultural leaders, and speaker in numerous conferences around and outside the United States. Jorge values and fights the undermining of heart-to-heart connection that often is overlooked in our work. He holds a master’s in social work from Fordham University.