From Prayer to Protest: How Danza Azteca became Washington’s dance of defiance

SEATTLE — As fear and uncertainty grow for many immigrant communities, one group in Washington is using culture as a form of resistance.

For Esmael Xiutecpatl Lopez, growing up in Skagit County was challenging.

"Coming up in a community where it was very divided between, you know, farm worker children and farm owner children... I felt a lot of racism, a lot of not-belonging," Lopez said.

Lopez worked to help his family before going to school, his hands stained from picking strawberries and raspberries. Despite a large Mexican population in Mount Vernon, he wasn't allowed to speak Spanish at school.

"Being made fun of, I could remember," Lopez said. "You take away somebody's identity, you don't appreciate them as a person. It's hard for a child to understand."

Lopez first learned about