Mercado de Cambio
PO Sto-Indigenous Holiday Art Market

By Joshua Baltodano
December 20, 2024

On Sunday, December 15th, POOR Magazine hosted their first Mercado de Cambio at 1830 MacArthur in Oakland, CA. It was a beautiful occasion that had over a dozen vendors selling clothing, weavings, knowledge Xchange, prayer, literature, as well as art and medicine. There were also performing artists, poets, and even a dance montage celebrating the occasion. 

The event kicked off with a prayer to commemorate and celebrate all the beautiful warriors who are still with us today, as well as honor those who have passed on as ancestors. POOR Magazine’s very own Tiny Garcia, better known as Poverty Scholar, also honored and celebrated MamaDee (Dee Garcia), the founder of POOR Magazine, who passed away in 2006 due to gentrifukation, living through horrendous conditions on the streets for so many years. 

Every vendor had something to sell, but in spirit of the event, every vendor also had something to part with for free as mutual aid. This included a prayer table to name ancestors and ongoing struggles, a Defend the Sacred table that handed out screen printing postcards to make folx feel welcomed, food, and hot chocolate.

Mercado de Cambio was hosted at POOR Magazine’s home for the houseless, Homefulness. After a decade of fundraising, promoting, and constructing, the house opened up in 2020 and now shelters 20 elders, youth, and families. The home also provides community services including a school, newsroom, radio station, library, and even a cafe with a sliding scale pricing. 

POOR Magazine is still raising funds for four other homefulness locations if you’d like to contribute to their movement. Homefulness is rent free to all 20 members and youth with on-site indigenous support, art, and education. They also practice prayer protocol from 1st nations people known as ComeUnity on occupied Turtle Island. 

I end the piece on this recording from Poverty Scholar speaking to the injustice that poor people deal with daily. POOR Magazine continues to hold a safe space for those who have been neglected by all sides of whatever spectrum you need to label.