Comic: Tienes art?

Illustration of a man holding a newspaper and smiling

By Julio Salgado

Oct. 3, 2023 5:21 PM PT

Every artist has a different journey. Artist Julio Salgado reflects on how being undocumented and queer shaped his own journey.

In 1996 the doodle adoration I would get from my classmates was the only thing that stopped them from bullying me.

Creativity became a vehicle to find my voice in a country that hasn't always been friendly to people who were not born here.

In high school, I was always the classmate in charge of making any group project pop with drawings.

Luckily for me, my parents were always supportive of my artistic ambitions. "Just remember you don't have your papers!"

In 2001 I enrolled in my first college art course. It wasn't what I expected. I was uninspired.

Being an editorial cartoonist revived my love for art. The opinion pages of my college's newspaper were my training ground.

I eventually got my B.A. in 2010. Undocumented students had to skip every other semester to save money.

The rise of radical undocumented student activism of 2010 inspired me! I put my experience as a cartoonist to work.

My parents were worried. "Your art is so public, what if they deport you?"

My art is still the only thing I have total control over in this strange place we call Los Estados Unidos.

Julio Salgado (@juliosalgado83) is a digital illustrator based in Long Beach.

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