‘Our stories matter': Mother's Day play gives voice to immigrant, indigenous women

San Francisco Chronicle​

10-05-2025

When Ana Salgado walked up onto the rickety stage in the Arlene Francis Center, a small brick building in downtown Santa Rosa where the sound of the Amtrak can be heard as it rolled by, the room fell silent.
'The last time I hugged my mother was in December 1996,' recited Salgado, a member of Teatro ALMAS Libres, during rehearsal just days before the ensemble's Mother's Day premiere of 'La Madre Patria (Motherland).' 'I have been through several strong experiences over the years without being able to receive a hug from her. And finally, on February 14, 2025, we looked at each other again and hugged each other in such a strong way that our heartbeats became one.'
Salgado's story is just one shared in the hour-long play, directed by Jackie Katz. Anel Aparicio, María Medoza, Alma Arroyo, Anastacia Cruz, Ofelia (Lía) Ramirez, Eloisa Lopez, Sandra de León and Luisa Isidro — all members of ALMAS, which stands for Alianza de Mujeres Activas y Solidarias (Women's Action and Solidarity Alliance) — complete the cast.
Composed of immigrant and indigenous women who live and work in Sonoma County, the ensemble delves into the idea of 'mother' through personal stories, historical analysis, and deep, heartfelt conversations.
'Motherland is built day by day,' Arroyo says in the play. 'Like love, it is suffered and enjoyed.'
In spite of — or perhaps because of — these heavy emotions, there is a feeling of strength that fills the room.
'This performance is an ode and a tribute to all of the women who are in any way suffering as a result of oppression," Katz told the Chronicle.
The play, which has been in development for the past six months, is defiant in the face of heightened political division — we as women, as mothers, as immigrants are important, it declares.
'Despite the difficulties we are experiencing these days with the current administration,' de León says during her monologue in the last scene in the play, 'we must continue to celebrate our mothers today.'
Though only a one-day performance, Katz hopes to secure funding to bring 'La Madre Patria' to San Francisco in the future.
Lizzy Montana Myers is a freelance photographer and writer.