Scholars of Color- Edwin Soto Saucedo
What is Scholars of Color?
It is a platform in which scholars of color are purposefully celebrated. It’s a space where scholars of color are showcased front and center. It is a digital space where we feel empowered and resilient. Let us get to know each other. Let us cheer each other on AND show the world what we have to offer.
Let us now welcome Edwin Soto Saucedo to the Scholars of Color space!
Name: Edwin Soto Saucedo
Gender Pronouns: He/Him/His
What do you currently do for work and/or school?: I currently work at SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild- American Federation of Television and Radio Artists), the largest labor union within the entertainment industry. I am a Contact Center Representative, serving as one of the most common touch points for SAG-AFTRA with broad knowledge of the processes, policies, and operations of the entire organization. I am also a recent fist-generation college graduate from California State University, Los Angeles where I obtained my B.S. in Business Administration with a Pre-Law option. I also studied two years at Irvine University, College of Law towards a Juris Doctor, however, that’s currently on hold.
“Opinions expressed are solely my own and do not express the views or opinions of my employer.”
Without positions or titles, how would you describe yourself?: First and foremost, I am human- I am spirit, body, and soul. I am an undocumented, queer, brown man. I grew up and currently reside in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, occupied lands that originally belong to the indigenous Tongva people. I was raised in a low-income, single-mother household surrounded by all womxn. All these parts of my life have had an impact and shaped my life; therefore, it is important for me to honor and share these intersections and experiences of my life when I describe myself.
What are you passionate about?: My passion lies in the liberation of all people. Being a queer, undocumented, brown man who grew up in the hood, I understood at an early age what it is to be denied basic human rights. That is why it is important for me to fight for justice, decolonization, and the liberation of the communities that I am part of and those that I am not part of. It’s important for me to decolonize and disrupt all systems that continue to oppress minorities. I’m also very passionate and empowered by the arts. I grew up actively engaged in the arts and believe that the arts are a powerful and effective tool that oppressed communities can use to reach liberation. That is why any time I have the opportunity to support, uplift, share, and honor the artwork of artists of color, I do so passionately. I love seeing people live fearlessly and be their most authentic selves. It is why I am always looking for ways to disrupt and dismantle patriarchal and binary systems and create spaces where POC, immigrants, queer, and trans folx can feel liberated in the workforce and in educational institutions. In my legal studies I learned that our legal system and our educational system seek to erase POC voices and narratives by criminalizing minorities and keeping us from success. I often find myself calling out leaders of institutions and organizations who like to boast about their “diversity” and inclusion policies yet do nothing to fight for either. We must continue to fight until the legal system protects us all from all forms of injustice. We must also fight so that education is accessible to and inclusive of all communities by decolonizing our textbooks and systems of teachings.
Why is the representation of scholars of color important to you?: Scholars of Color is important to me because it is up to us to create and build bridges of inclusion in spaces where we are unwelcomed and/or haven’t been allowed to be part of due to our legal status and/or background. Those of us who have entered such spaces must disrupt and shift the culture, like that of the entertainment industry, by creating spaces of inclusion and representation for people of color, queer, trans, and immigrant folx. I hope to reclaim and create such spaces for our communities so that they can freely create, write, produce, and perform the stories that belong to us and are often untold or misleading in mainstream media. In doing so, those that come after us, won’t have to struggle as much to feel seen and represented in the institutions and spaces they enter. Furthermore, it is important to always ground ourselves and connect to our roots. For example, it is important for me as a POC who grew up in the hood that I do not displace myself from the hood. In doing so, I will always be able to reflect and stay in touch with the communities that saw me grow up; always remembering that it is because of the hood that I am who I am. I owe it to the hood for raising and giving me the skills that I need to survive in predominantly white spaces. Yes, you can be hood and professional at the same time. We do not have to feel any shame of our roots. Representation matters!
If people are interested in getting connected to you, how can they?: Instagram: @edwinsotos LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/edwin-soto-saucedo-224b9059
Anything else you would like us to know?: N/A
Thank you Edwin for sharing space with us!
Stay tuned everyone for more Scholars of Color profiles. Interested in being showcased yourself? Please email the Scholars of Color team at scholarsofcolor@reclaimingyourhappiness.com and we will get back to you shortly.
