Articles by Jean Melesaine

As part of a multimedia series called "Arriving and Becoming: The Silicon Valley Story as Told by Immigrant Elders", San Jose Spoken Word Artist, Yosimar Reyes writes about his grandfather in this piece "Mi Viejito" teaming up with Jean Melesaine with visuals of his words.

San Jose Poet Yosimar Reyes brings to you another episode of queer conversations with artist/activistundocuqueer Julio Salgado, the mastermind of DreamersAdrift.com.

Tree City Legends is a multidisciplinary theater work that melds post-hip hop aesthetics, urban folklore, Korean traditional tales, live music, legend, and parable.

I always knew I was queer. And when I learned what my church thought of people like me, I started making trouble.

"Dreamers Adrift" comes out with episodes of everyday awkward situations that undocumented folks go through everyday. Yosimar Reyes plays in this episode of when dating goes wrong because of being undocumented.

Lorenz Mazon Dumuk is a San Jose writer and community organizer. He performs his poem "Fat" from his book Ay Nako;Writing Through The Struggle, which deals with the reality of being a man and dealing with body issues but more or so, self love issues. A poem he hesitated to share, but as he says during his interview, "if you write it, you should share it".

At UC Berkeley's Mua O Conference organized by Pacific Islanders at Cal(PAC), Sefa Aina talks to young Pacific Islanders about the importance of their narratives in America as Pacific Islanders.

The Reyes sisters were among many Hyatt employees whose faces were pasted atop bikini-clad cartoon images on the company’s bulletin board. Humiliated, Martha Reyes tore down the photographs of her and her sister. Both sisters were later fired by the hotel.

Jean Melesaine reviews the film "Pariah" directed by Dee Rees. The film is based on a Brooklyn teenager who juggles conflicting identities and risks friendship, heartbreak, and family in a desperate search for sexual expression.

This video was produced for New America Media's "Growing Up Poor In The Bay Area" forum. 24 year old Moaseni Jr. Leasiolagi and his fiance Christina have 2 children, currently live in a 10x10 studio with his father and younger brother. They have been on welfare since their son was born and have been looking for jobs which has been hard since they both have criminal backgrounds.