Cicero Writer, Michelle Ramirez, Shares Her Story to Connect with Others

“Writing was just my way of pouring everything in my mind out.”

Image Description: A woman is wearing a long sleeved dark orange dress, black straight hair and half pinned up, brown skin, magenta lipstick. Behind her are houses and trees.

Michelle Ramirez is a long time resident of Cicero and poses at Warren Park on 16th street in Cicero, Ill. on March 20th, 2021 (Photo by April Alonso).

By April Alonso

*This has been edited for clarity and is part of a series of writer profiles. Check out Jose Quinones profile here.

Michelle Ramirez has lived in Cicero since she was 10 years old . One memory that stands out from living in Cicero is the sense of having a big community even though Cicero itself is small. Memories of going to the store with her mom as a kid and running into people she knew. Even in her college years, Ramirez would commute between Chicago and Cicero and would welcome each time she returned to her community.

This sense of community extends into Ramirez’s work as a case worker at a local Cicero non-profit organization where she helps families meet basic needs by connecting them to resources or assistance. She often goes to the store and runs into families she has worked with.

Last year, Ramirez, published Libérate: Moments of Strength and Perseverance, a collection of self-reflective blog entries. This very personal book has helped her connect with people around her even more, strengthening her ties to the community.

Cicero Independiente sat down with Ramirez to talk about what inspired the book.

As told to April Alonso

It was only for me and it wasn't public.

Cover of LIBÉRATE (Courtesy of Michelle Ramirez)

I didn’t grow up thinking, ‘let me be an author’, but [writing] was definitely a coping mechanism. I was actually in a relationship with someone, we were living together and it wasn't the healthiest at all.

I think [writing] was just my way of pouring everything in my mind out and it was how I was able to take a step back and figure out what steps I needed to take for myself.

At some point early on, I did know that it would be powerful to share [my blog entries].

What I share in these entries and the book is about mental health and Latina mental health. We don't really as a community talk about things. We're kind of expected to figure it out while holding us together and being that rock for everyone.

I think it’s really counterproductive to our own well being to pretend we don't get stuck sometimes or that we don't need that support for ourselves.

Being yourself in our full complexity, because we're not simple, is interesting. We are constructed out of our immediate family, our ancestors, and just everyone else. So there's going to be much more to us than just an immediate role of being a mom or a sister. You're more than that and you're all of that at once.

I have in my book some takeaways around self care and recognizing and knowing your worth. Knowing that it's okay to be a hot mess and figuring it out. No one has a perfect lifestyle but I think at the end of the day we can all create that life that we want.

Being unapologetic, bold and assertive, I think has been evident throughout the book and why it has had the power to connect with so many people.

It's been really cool to see [people] actually give me feedback about how they have connected with the book and how we don't really know each other 100% but they connect with certain things. It’s amazing and intriguing.

I think the book has been great in the sense that it’s guided other people. That it has been like a wake up call for a lot of people to just take care of themselves, do a few things that make them happy and live a purposeful life.

At first sharing this work was a bit odd, with professional connections. I think it did its purpose and is doing its purpose of making people be critical about themselves and their time, thinking if they are spending time how they want to spend it? Sharing this book with people, me dan esta confianza, that trust to share their life and things with me.

It goes back to human connection, especially right now with this pandemic. It has been a nice reminder to contextualize how we all have stuff that goes on. Though you might feel alone, you're really not. You also have to welcome healing people and healing energies, otherwise, it's just kind of like a repetitive cycle.

Overall, it's definitely been a very good experience and everyone has been very supportive from the start. It definitely means everything to me because community is just that, being with your community. This is not just my successes, it is all of our successes. Together is how you reach the life you want.

Ramirez is working on a Spanish translation of Liberate and will also be publishing a chapter in Today's Inspired Young Latina on May 27. You can register to join the book launch here.

You can grab a copy of Michelle Ramirez’s Libérate: Moments of Strength and Perseverance at the Cicero and Berwyn Public Library or by reaching out to Michelle here to order a copy from her.

April Alonso is a co-founder of Cicero Independiente.