La Galeria Magazine
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In the Dominican Republic, la galería is the front porch of a house, where people can be found playing dominoes, chatting with neighbors, and engaging in fierce debate on hot political issues. La Galería is also the name of the magazine celebrating Dominican culture and generating thought-provoking conversations on the Dominican experience.
“La Galería is about liberation and really analyzing and talking about the stuff that no one wants to talk about,” says Amanda Alcantara, co-founder of the publication.
La Galería delves deep into topics such as machismo, anti-blackness, Dominican-American stereotypes, community healing, and more, while elevating underrepresented voices in the community, such as that of Afro-Dominican women and queer Dominicans. Co-founded by Alcantara, Isabel Cristina, and Carmen Mojia in 2015, the publication continues to be led by Dominican women.
After building a community of followers online, La Galería released its first print issue this year, showcasing powerful visuals of the Dominican diaspora, including archival photographs of the Dominican Day Parade from the ’70s and ’80s and reported stories and personal essays. For Alcantara, who grew up without a reflection of herself in the media, seeing the magazine in person “felt like a dream come true.”
“I really didn’t even realize all the emotions it was going to create in me,” Alcantara continues. “I thought, ‘Wow, what a difference it would have made to see something like this as a kid.’”