In a studio in Oakland’s Fruitvale neighborhood, Sen Mendez readies themself, gracefully poised above a piece of linoleum. Carving knife in hand, they will cut images into the linoleum in practice known as block printing. Later Sen will cover these carvings in ink and press them into paper or cloth
I think about this frequently: the way she embodied the definition of feminism, just not for herself. I think about how, in spite of my grandfather’s escapades amongst the intelligentsia; in spite of the lifelong respect he earned for being an activist for Korean independence during the Japanese occupation, it was my grandmother who ensured that he remained alive to fight another day …
