Julio Salgado

Salgado was born on September 1, 1983, in Ensenada, Mexico. When Salgado’s younger sister was diagnosed with a life-threatening kidney disease in 1995, Salgado and his family emigrated to the United States. After being advised by the doctor that a return to Mexico would result in his sister's death, Salgado’s family decided to remain in the United States. The Salgado family overstayed their visas and Salgado was left to live under an undocumented immigrant status in the United States. Salgado attended David Starr Jordan High School in Long Beach, California and graduated from the class of 2001. Because Salgado was an undocumented student, he did not qualify for federal financial aid. After high school Salgado took on various low-paying jobs in order to pay his way through college. In 2010 he obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from California State University, Long Beach. He began his artistic career as the editorial cartoonist for the Daily 49er newspaper of CSU, Long Beach.[2]

Salgado faced the challenges of being both undocumented and gay, forcing him to "come out" twice. Growing up in a traditional heterosexual family Salgado found being queer a much more difficult challenge than being undocumented.[3] During his high school and college years, afraid of insults and rejection, he maintained his queer identity hidden and only felt safe revealing his undocumented status since many of those around him faced the same struggle.[4] Salgado’s mother was the first person to know about his queer identity. In the 8th grade, he began documenting intimate sketches and writings in a personal journal, expressing his feelings for other boys. After his mother stumbled upon this journal and read his entries, he had no choice but to confess his queer identity. To Salgado’s surprise, his mother was very understanding and accepted him regardless. Salgado has made his queer identity and undocumented status public by speaking on the need to humanize both issues.

In 2010, a group of undocumented students protested in front of the Hart Senate Building in Washington, D.C., demanding the passage of the Federal DREAM Act. Julio’s activist role emerged after coming across the photograph in the Washington Post of Diana Yael Martinez, an undocumented student who was being arrested after refusing to leave the sit-in at the senate building.[5] His anger with such treatment ignited the illustrations that were later used in the DREAM Act movement. He states, “I channeled all that anger into my sketchpad and I began to draw.”. Although Julio's use of art began as a refuge that saved him from his hardships,[6] DREAM Act activists soon found themselves using them as weapons for rallies and campaigns.[4] Salgado links his undocumented and queer identity in most of his artwork in order to put a face to the issue. Salgado explains, “In the past, one could see articles or interviews with a hidden face or an anonymous name. That would dehumanize the issue and by us coming out and saying we’re undocumented and unafraid, we’re putting a face to it."[6] As a result, he has worked on multiple projects that give young undocumented and undocumented queers a chance to come out of the shadows and share their experiences. Salgado uses his art as a form of activism. He considers himself an "artivist".[7]