What 848 Means

I grew up around farm labor and construction when we first arrived to the United States in the 90s. My father and the men in my family worked in fields, the trades, and concrete wasn’t just work. It was a hard work and providing for our family. It was also dignity.

That world remained around me as I reached my teen years and I engaged in community organizing. I eventually graduated with my Masters and worked in community spaces and I thought that my path would eventually be in a research hub advocating for social changes. But that changed over time.

I came back to construction in 2021 after a realization. I was now enrolled in a PhD program but I knew deep down I wanted to be closer to an area that raised me. Sidewalks, housing, schools, public spaces, they are not just projects. They shape who gets to feel safe, who gets access, and who gets to stay in their neighborhood. Construction is political.

January 2023 comes around and my body forced me to slow down, I mean really slow down. The first week of this year I began feeling symptoms in my heart, breathing, and movement. My heart felt like I was running a sprint 24 hours a day. At night, my heart pounded so fast I worried I was going to get a heart attack. At one point, I thought I was another statistic of asthma that is common in the Central Valley of California but I was in for a crazy awakening. By February I was diagnosed with Graves Disease. I am now living with Hashimoto’s and it has taught me how I understand body, movement, and labor. Energy is not unlimited and strength is not just physical. Balance is survival.

848 is a reminder that cycles happen but a foundation will always be needed to return to yourself over and over again. The body is home.

This space is about construction, taking care of families, and green materials.

848 is the strength and softness and all in-between.

-Karina