‘My Abuela and Abuelo Can’t Be Scared Anymore’: the Story Behind the Brave Girl Who Stood Up for Her Grandparents
Sophia is only four years old, but when she learned about the number of deportations happening under the Trump administration and the fear amongst members of her own family, she had something to say.
Sophia’s mom, Erika Reyes, was on social media when she read there would be a May Day march happening in downtown Los Angeles earlier this month. Erika had never been to a march, but this was something she and her daughter could experience together, she thought.
“I started explaining to her about the march and how our people were getting arrested and taken back to Mexico,” Reyes told us. It was then that Sophia began to ask questions.
“Mom, si se llevan a mi Lola y mi Roque, can we go with them?,” Sophia asked her mother.
“My parents mean the world to Sophia and imagining our life without them was just too hard for me to answer, Reyes said.” “I was a teenage mom. As Sophia grew older, my parents were like her parents as well. This is why the question she asked hurt my heart,” she added.
Although it may have been painful to explain to a child the harsh reality of having family members live in fear of deportation, it was Sophia who didn’t hesitate in speaking up for her grandparents.
“I asked if she wanted to make a sign for her grandma and grandpa. She said, ‘Yes, because my abuela Lola and abuelo Roque can’t be scared anymore,’” Reyes recalled.
Sophia’s big heart was evident as photographer Erik Omar-Campos walked through the crowd in front of Los Angeles City Hall at the end of the march.
“As I was walking towards the stage, I was struck by what I witnessed: a young girl, holding a sign up high, standing poised and strong a few feet in front of her mom,” Campos told us. “Sophia engaged the camera directly with a fierce conviction as if to say, ‘I know why I’m here, what I’m here for and who I’m here for.’ “Immediately, I was overcome with a sense of immense gratitude for having the privilege of bearing witness to this young sage and her potent message. She brought to mind all the reasons and people for whom I was present for. Thank you, Sophia.”
And thank you Erik for having captured this image and for allowing us to share it with the world.
Sophia will be starting Pre-K next year. She’s interested in art and is learning to read. From cooking to writing to skating, she loves learning new things. Her favorite activities are going to the park and talking to her dad on the phone. Her family is from Torreón, Coahuila and Guadalajara, Jalisco. They reside in South Central Los Angeles.
Photographer Erik Omar-Campos was born in the Boyle Heights section of Los Angeles. As a Nicaragüense, documenting the story of his family’s journey and of those fighting for justice is very important to him. He’s a cook by day and began photographing during an action at the South Central Farm in 2006.
