Toni DeAztlan
When I introduce myself to a new person, the first question they ask me is "how do you pronounce your name?" Its a great question because 1. people are making sure to pronounce my name correctly and 2. its always a memorable meeting. As my mom likes to say, my father named me. It was his effort as reclaiming our indigenous heritage that makes up the personal history of virtually all Mexican-Americans. He says he was inspired by Malcolm X. 28 years later, I found myself interviewing one of the leaders of the Nation of Islam, the muslim group Malcolm X belonged to, at their signature mosque in Chicago. Looking back, I see that this rare opportunity is part of a circle that began with my name. These circles are what influence my stories. As a video journalist, I strive to capture a lived experience that begins, sometimes without my realizing, with my own past, culture, and inherited knowledge. This self-born path has led me all over the world: to Denmark and China, and all over this country from coast to coast and everything in-between. I look forward to continuing on this path, now as a News21 Fellow reporting on religion. By the way, the second question people ask when I first meet them is, "Do you have a nickname?"
