Power Street Theatre’s Comunidades Conectadas discusses the meaning of “home”

BY KIANNI FIGUEREO ON SEPTEMBER 5, 2023

“Home smells like arroz con pollo.”

“Home feels like a warm hug.”

“Home sounds like Las Chicas del Can.”

These were some of the responses from attendees at Power Street Theatre’s Comunidades Conectadas when asked to use their senses to describe home.

On August 15, and in collaboration with Esperanza Health Center, Power Street Theatre dedicated a space in Kensington to unite a diverse group of immigrants, first-generation Latines, and long-life Philadelphians to share their stories of immigration, migration, diaspora, and displacement. The ultimate goal was to connect the community around a central theme: home. 

The Philadelphia-based group promotes Comunidades Conectadas as part of its community engagement initiative. Each meeting thus far has held unique discussion topics such as well-being, anti violence, Afro-Latinidad, and more.

Power Street Theatre’s facilitator, Dr. Cindy Estremera Gauthier, challenged the attendees to think of home beyond a physical place and inquired about how one knows when they are home. Attendees later broke out into smaller groups to share their stories and experiences on how they came to their own meaning of home. 

One attendee, Rafael, who has French, New Yorkan, and Jewish ties, told ¡Presente! Media that the gathering was, “sort of like being reminded of what is home in terms of the feeling of being connected and feeling [that] a part of that is not necessarily a physical place.”

For others, they found a sense of home in their loved ones like friends and family. Others went in a different direction and associated home with sensory experiences – like the rhythm of their parents' music, the smell of “sofrito” or a “cozy blanket on their shoulders” – that link them to memories of their childhood or other nostalgic moments in their lives related to comfort, authenticity, culture, and safety.  

“I think that part of what is really awesome is when people are connecting about their own histories, their own concepts of home, and that everybody has different experiences… And so often it is literally a different story but similar experiences.” said Dr. Gauthier. 

As a self-proclaimed, “Philly Jawn” and someone who is “ni de aqui ni de alla” when referring to her feelings and approaches to the concept of home, co-artistic director of Power Street Theatre, Gabriela Sanchez, stands firm on the importance of having a dialogue like this in the community, for the community.

“So much about Power Street’s mission has been bringing arts access to the community. You don’t have to come downtown to experience the story that you may be able to see yourself reflected in,” said Sanchez. “We’re doing our art in the community, with the community and for the community and that’s what's so important about the work Power Street is doing.”

Power Street Theatre’s work points to a larger, much-needed attitude about the importance of making immigrants feel at home, connected, and like they belong in our city. Despite the many differences in culture, customs, and languages that distinguish us one from another, the experiences and feelings of home are shared by all of us.

“One of the most important things to make people feel welcome is to create a sense of community… where they can really connect with their vecinos so they can understand that they’re more than just themselves”, said Dr. Gauthier. “They’re not isolated, and that there is an amazing and vibrant community of people who will help them out.”