Join us for a powerful panel discussion, moderated by Tony Diaz, El Librotraficante, featuring leading voices in activism, archives, and journalism as they explore the intersections of immigration, storytelling, and cultural preservation. Presented as part of the Freeing DETAINED Texas Tour, this event is hosted by Nuestra Palabra: Latinos Having Their Say in collaboration with HPL's Hispanic Collections at the Houston History Research Center (HHRC). The program will include a reading by co-author, Gerardo Iván Morales, from his book Detained: A boy's journal of survival and resilience. 

Featured Panelists: 

Tony Diaz, El Librotraficante, Founder and Director of Nuestra Palabra: Latinos Having Their Say 

Cesar Espinosa, Founder and Director of FIEL (Familias Inmigrantes y Estudiantes en la Lucha) 

Raquel Natalicchio, Photojournalist, South Regional Chair of the National Press Photographers Association, and Founder of The Open Door Gallery 

Salima Bowaniya, Hispanic Collections Lead Archivist at HPL's Houston History Research Center (HHRC)

Gerardo Iván Morales, Co-author of Detained: A boy's journal of survival and resilience 

This event will take place at the Julia Ideson Building Auditorium on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at 2:00 pm. This event is free and open to the public.

Individuals interested in purchasing copies of the book may order online at: www.nuestrapalabra.org/products/detained

Copies of Detained have been generously donated by Nuestra Palabra to the Hispanic Collections at HHRC for public access. 

About Freeing DETAINED Texas Tour: 

Nuestra Palabra: Latinos Having Their Say is proud to present Detained: A boy's journal of survival and resilience by D. Esperanza and Gerardo Iván Morales, a powerful firsthand account of the immigrant detention experience. As a teenager, D. Esperanza was held at the infamous Tornillo Immigration Detention Camp near El Paso during the first Trump administration. In an act of quiet resistance, he smuggled in a journal to document his experience. He is all grown up now, and that notebook has become the foundation for this moving and urgent book. 

The Freeing DETAINED Texas Tour is a five-city journey from Austin to El Paso, just miles from where D. Esperanza was once held, bringing this story to audiences across the state. Follow the tour and attend events in Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, and El Paso.

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This public program is presented in support of Raquel Natalicchio's upcoming exhibit at HPL, Al Otro Lado | The Other Side. This exhibition will be on view June 14, 2025–February 28, 2026 at the Houston Public Library's Dr. James and Betty Key Map Room in the Julia Ideson Building and is free and open to the public during regular hours. 

Join us to celebrate the opening of the exhibition, with an artist talk by photojournalist Raquel Natalicchio on June 14, 12-2 pm.  To expand on the exhibition’s themes, a series of public programs is being developed by the Hispanic Collections Archivist Team—including documentary screenings, panel discussions, and a resource fair. Stay tuned for updates!