Growing up in a tumultuous home in a poor neighborhood of Guatemala, Karina Barillas says there was always something deep inside telling her she didn’t belong in that place.
During an interview for last year’s Portraits of Faith exhibit, Karina shared: “I would go to the top of the house where we hung clothing after we washed them and I’d look at the horizon and think, ‘You know? This is not my place. My place is somewhere out there beyond the horizon.’ And I would always dream, literally I would have dreams of flying, dreams of belonging somewhere else.”
Eventually, she followed those dreams and made it out — winning a Fulbright scholarship that led her to the University of Louisville, where she earned a master’s degree in education with a concentration in counseling psychology. Karina has dedicated her life to advocating for those in need, and her career includes supporting Latina survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault at The Center for Women and Families, and founding La Casita Center, where she serves as executive director. La Casita is both a cultural community center and advocacy organization, offering counseling for Latina women, as well as immigration legal support.
According to a 2020 Courier-Journal article, Karina has also been “a public voice for immigration issues facing Louisville’s Latinx community, including family separation at the border — and she’s stood proudly at Louisville churches offering sanctuary to immigrants under the threat of deportation.”
Karina will be at the 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗵𝘀, where she’ll participate in our Saturday, Nov. 15, 𝙁𝙖𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙄𝙣: 𝘾𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝙒𝙚𝙡𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙇𝙤𝙪𝙞𝙨𝙫𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙄𝙢𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙨. This particular festival session is FREE, but you must register. Learn more about this year’s festival, which explores the theme of Sacred Belonging, and consider getting an all-access festival pass — and lean into the concept of radical inclusion.