Zeniya’s Story

On one of those beautiful moments when timing and people meld together, I experienced this last week at Lilo Allen’s shop when she introduced me to her Goddaughter. Her Goddaughter happens to be no other than the lovely Zeniya L. Verdin-Williams, a proud 20-year-old Mexican and Black native of Milwaukee.

I immediately had to ask Zeniya to be interviewed for my series, considering that she is the very person I am talking about as I write my series, Celebrating Our Afro-Latino Sisters and Brothers During Black History Month. Zeniya smiled and said, “Yes, that would be great.”

Zeniya was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Pansy Williams, who is African-American, and her father, Gideon Verdin, who is Afro-Hispanic, Mexican, as well. If Zeniya’s last name sounds familiar, it is because she is the deeply loved granddaughter of one of Milwaukee’s most famous activists, Brian Vasquez-Verdin. Naturally, I had to include Brian’s upbringing and how he feels about Zeniya.

Brian was born in 1952 and identified as Mexican and Mexican American. Later on in his life, Brian became a part of the UFW, Brown Berets, La Raza & Aztlan movements, and proudly declares, “I love being Chicano! Being Chicano was their way of claiming Mexico and their own unique experience here in the U.S.

“My grandmother was born in Crystal City, TX, and my grandfather in Jalisco, México. The expression, “We didn’t cross the border, the border crossed us,” has a special meaning for me. At first, I was raised in the very integrated 53206 zip code. I am eternally grateful that my family never moved because of the influx of Black people. I attribute my fighting spirit to being raised in a union family & being a Mexican!”

Brian, who is the proud father of Shawn, Fidel, Langston, Julian, and Gideon, says that his son and Zz (as he fondly calls Zeniya) are just alike and even look alike. Zeniya, he says, is very thoughtful and caring, has a deep passion for justice, is very creative, and is a great poet with a very funny sense of humor. Most of all, Brian admits that Zz’s Spanish is better than her grandfather’s or father’s.

Zeniya culturally identifies as Black and Hispanic, mixed with other cultures as well. However, she says that those two (being Black and Hispanic) have impacted her life the most.

“The reason why they’re so significant to me is that growing up, my mother wanted to make sure I didn’t lose any part of myself,” Zeniya expressed. “This is so I wouldn’t grow up wondering what could’ve been, who I could’ve been. It’s because of that push to keep learning Spanish and to keep advocating for that cultural heritage that I feel whole,” Zeniya shared.

For Zeniya, being Afro-Latino is an up-and-down one.

Zeniya writes: “I Have these moments of strong recognition among other Hispanics and other Black people. Whether it’s learning, African dance, or making a folklórico skirt, learning how to do a re-twist, and making tamales. These are things that build a skill, but also a need for community, and then they’re these moments of isolation where you feel like you don’t fit in with either side, not solely because of the way the communities treat you but the way you view yourself.”

En el otro lado, on the other side of life, Zeniya says, “I’ve really come to love who I am, and whatever I don’t learn from my family, I learn from my friends. Growing up was definitely a bit of a challenge. It is going to Spanish-speaking schools, but even by the teacher is not being seen as a “Spanish-speaking” child, despite my grades. Going up to teachers speaking to them in Spanish, then responding to me in English, but let it be any other “Hispanic-looking” child coming up to them, speaking in English, mind you, they respond in Spanish.”  Zeniya goes on to say, “It was really frustrating, and it was also tough trying to explain that to my friends who were fully Hispanic so they didn’t really understand my point of view, which is why now I struggle with speaking despite being able to understand, write, read, comprehend, even dream sometimes in Spanish, but I’m working on it.  I’m always working on it,” she laughs.

For Zeniya, carrying both cultures in her heart is her entire world, and that is a beautiful thing she can be proud of.