Nepantlah 2025-2026
ABOUT THE SESSION:
This workshop explores how ideas about masculinity have evolved from Indigenous societies in Latin America through colonization and into the present day. Participants will learn how many Indigenous cultures emphasized values such as community responsibility, humility, balance, and spiritual discipline rather than dominance or individual power. The session will examine how colonial systems introduced new gender expectations that shaped modern ideas of machismo. Through discussion and historical examples, participants will reflect on how masculinity has changed over time and how these ideas continue to influence our communities today. The workshop invites participants to think critically about masculinity and imagine healthier, more balanced models for the future.
Learning Objective 1
Understand historical perspectives on masculinity by examining how Indigenous societies in Latin America defined masculine roles and values before colonization.
Learning Objective 2
Analyze how colonization reshaped gender norms, including the development of modern concepts such as machismo and changing expectations of masculinity.
Learning Objective 3
Reflect critically on contemporary masculinity, exploring how historical influences continue to affect communities today and considering healthier, more balanced models for the future.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Rafael Vázquez Guzmán is a dedicated educator, advocate, and founder of Líderes del Futuro Avanzando, a nonprofit organization based in Sonoma County,California, committed to uplifting marginalized communities through social, educational, and cultural initiatives. With a deep understanding of the challenges faced by immigrant and system-impacted youth, Rafael develops impactful educational tools—such as complex case studies and presentations on immigration trauma, gang prevention, and mental health—to empower students and professionals alike. Grounded in ancestral knowledge and guided by a passion for justice, Rafael supports young people in reclaiming their identities and building futures rooted in healing. Whether advocating for undocumented families, exploring systemic oppression, or creating safe spaces through storytelling and media, Rafael's work reflects a commitment to transformation, equity, and community empowerment.
Rafael devotes a great deal of his own time and money volunteering with programs addressing the needs of troubled youth in our community. Rafael served in the board of directors of a non-profit organization that worked with troubled youth from 2004 to 2009. He provides many young men who are affiliated with gangs with resources to connect them with positive alternatives to gang life. Rafael worked for over ten years with a prison program that provided books to prisoners all throughout the United States.
Rafael earned his AA/AS from Santa Rosa Junior College, along with five certificates in law related fields and went onto earn his BA degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Psychology from Sonoma State University. In August of 2010, Rafael obtained his Masters degree from Sonoma State with an emphasis on Latinos and education. Rafael hosts a weekly radio show in Spanish that targeted first generation college students and parents to the educational opportunities and funding available to them in college. Rafael has taught at Sonoma State University’s Chicano and Latino Studies Department. He teaches in the Humanities Department at Santa Rosa Junior College full time. Rafael is the board president of Humanidad Therapy & Education Services that provides affordable and culturally appropriate therapeutic services to the Latinx community and other marginalized communities. Rafael is also the CEO/President of Lideres del Futuro Avanzando that provides services to migrant communities, which includes DACA recipients. Rafael has authored a book “Fulfilling the Dream: A Guide For Immigrant Parents and Allies Living in the U.S.” A Spanish version of the book is also available for immigrant parents.