Hever (they/them)
Hever Bustos is an artist and cultural organizer from Hidalgo, Mexico, with ancestral roots in the Mayangna, Matagalpa, and Chorotega peoples, and Afro-descendant lineage from Congo. Raised between Acapulco and Iztapalapa, their early life was shaped by migration, survival, and the constant threat of violence. At age 13, after losing three close friends to gang-related violence, they were forced to leave their neighborhood and move to Pachuca in search of safety.
Hever discovered their gift for music as a teenager, but it wasn’t until age 17, through freestyle rap battles introduced by a close friend, that they began to take their voice seriously. They co-founded Doble Zero Crew, a group that performed at local “sonidero” parties, using hip hop to tell stories of grief, abandonment, and community struggle. Later, Hever began a solo project, distributing their music on micro SD cards in a local album known as El Periódico Lírico, filled with verses about life in the barrio, family, love, and survival. True to old-school values, they never uploaded it to streaming platforms, choosing authenticity and community over visibility.
At 19, the birth of their daughter shifted their focus toward family and survival. After falling ill due to economic stress and limited opportunities, they moved to Seattle to work in construction. There, healing began again, this time through community. Alongside other organizers, Hever co-founded SanArte, a youth-led, abolitionist healing project that supports undocumented and Indigenous youth through art, music, land-based practices, and cultural memory.
Rosario (they/them)
Rosario Lopez is an indigenous community organizer from Nezahualcoyotl, Mexico. Their family moved to Durham, NC when Rosario was 13 years old. In North Carolina, Rosario studied in Alamance Community college and graduated with a technical degree in Biotechnology. After graduating from community college they transferred to UNC Chapel Hill, where they graduated with a bachelor’s in Arts in Biology. In North Carolina, Rosario started their journey as an immigrant rights’ organizer. They helped lead marches, protests, hunger strikes and other direct actions.
In the fall of 2010, Rosario moved to Seattle, Washington, where they worked as a medical interpreter from 2011 - 2016. From 2017 - 2021, Rosario worked as an immigration paralegal. During the pandemic Rosario organized with covid-19 mutual aid to support folks who were facing food insecurity. In 2021, Rosario and Jose Ventura, co-funded Super Familia. In 2022, Hever, Rosario and other immigrant youth co-funded SanArte and in 2023, they obtained nonprofit status for SanArte.
Rosario dreams of a world where our Indigenous communities are not displaced from their lands. Where our communities are not forced to abandon their home country in order to survive. A world where our communities can heal the traumas caused colonization, white supremacy and forced migration with community care, art, music and culture.
Cristina
Cristina is passionate about building community and holding space for individuals who are learning to embrace their passions. Born in Aguascalientes, Mexico, Cristina moved to Federal Way, Washington at the age of three, where she has lived for over 28 years. Her organizing began at a young age after being directly affected as an undocumented student. In 2010, she participated in phone banking and pushing for the Dream Act to pass. After it did not, she accepted that her journey would have to take a different turn. She initiated conversations with her entire high school staff about how undocumented students needed extra support and at that point, it was the first time many educators around her became aware of the challenges as well.
Cristina attended Washington State University where she graduated in 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts in Women Studies with a minor in Comparative Ethnic Studies. It was through the writing of Queer individuals that she began to make sense of her own sexuality and the importance of expressing it in her daily life. Once she graduated, she knew that the knowledge she gained from the university needed to be accessible to her direct community.
Cristina worked in the non-profit world from 2015-2021. She found joy in helping families advocate for themselves and their children. She currently works at a restaurant, after having rediscovered the comfort and familiarity she finds in food. The shift has given her the ability to find more time to do what she loves and be connected with others.
Cristina loves to write and read. She shares her writing freely on social media, always using her authentic voice. Encouraging others to learn what their own voice is, whether formal or informal, allowing for personal reflection to lead the way. Cristina’s passion is working with youth and capacitating them in opportunities she wishes would’ve been granted to her when she was younger. She strives to embody la sangre livianita, living with a light spirit, free to experience joy and laughter.