KNOWLEDGE & MEDICINE KEEPER.
MULTIMEDIA STORYTELLER. CHRONONAUT.
Mercedes Annaís
Estévez Cruz
Klk, I’m Mercedes Annaís (they/them).
I am a Dominican storyteller, activist, and spiritual worker committed to preserving and amplifying the afroindigenous wisdom, culture, and history of my island. My work spans a range of disciplines, from artistic research to community organizing, with a focus on challenging colonial narratives and revitalizing afroindigenous cultural practices. I have spent over a decade studying with Elders in the Dominican Republic, documenting and orally transmitting their rich stories of resistance, plant medicines, and cultural survival. I integrate these learnings into every project I undertake. Through all of my endeavors, I remain dedicated to building bridges between the past, present, and future. Learn more about me here.
November 2016 – Present
Communications Consultant | Bilingual (Spanish/English)
I am a results-driven Communications Consultant with expertise in content creation, digital marketing, and fundraising. Fluent in both Spanish and English, I bring strong design and project management skills, having successfully led website redesigns and developed visual media for various clients, including nonprofits and small businesses. Learn more about services.
Key Skills & Experience:
- Email Marketing & Campaigns: Develop and execute targeted email campaigns, including segmentation and automation, leading to increased open rates and decreased unsubscribes.
- Fundraising & Donor Engagement: Contributed to $30,000+ in online donations through strategically crafted fundraising campaigns and donor communications.
- Bilingual Content Creation: Write, edit, proofread, and translate newsletters, articles, social media posts and branded content in both Spanish and English
- Website Management & Design: Lead website redesign projects and manage updates, with hands-on experience using WordPress.
- Visual Design: Create compelling visual assets such as flyers, one-pagers, and infographics to support marketing and fundraising initiatives.
August 2015 – Present
Freelance Writer & Editor | Bilingual (Spanish/English)
I specialize in both creative writing and cultural translation, with a focus on preserving cultural narratives. My work spans fiction, poetry, and nonfiction, including the first-ever translation of a YA novel into Dominican Spanish. I provide line and developmental editing for authors in both Spanish and English and have worked on a wide range of projects, including Fodor’s Guidebook and fiction anthologies. I write and edit on topics including Afro-Indigenous Dominican culture and history, travel and tourism, and race and gender. Learn more about services.
Key Skills & Experience:
- Translation & Editing: Provide cultural translation and editing services
- Creative Editing: Offer line and developmental edits for fiction, poetry, and novels in both Spanish and English.
- Published Writing: Contribute articles and essays on Afro-Indigenous culture, race, gender, and travel, published by high-profile outlets including Fodor's, The Paris Review, and Remezcla. [See my writing here]
- SEO & Content Strategy: Write, edit, and proofread SEO-focused blog posts for clients such as the International Kiteboarding Organization.
- Content Placement & Outreach: Pitch, place, and write articles for a diverse set of publications
- Campaign Content: Created content for national campaigns, including work for companies like Buchanan’s Whisky.
2015 – 2021
Founder & Lead Instructor/Guide | Una Vaina Bien Spanish, Dominican Republic
As the Founder and Lead Instructor of Una Vaina Bien Spanish, I established the first language school dedicated to teaching Afro-Indigenous Dominican culture, history, and dialect. I developed an innovative curriculum that not only focused on language instruction but also seamlessly integrated local history and cultural narratives into every lesson. This unique approach offered tourists and heritage speakers an authentic, immersive learning experience.
Key Skills & Experience:
- Curriculum & Course Design: Created a specialized curriculum that integrated Dominican history, Afro-Indigenous culture, and the Dominican dialect into Spanish language instruction.
- Cultural Content Creation: Researched and incorporated historical and cultural narratives into lessons, blog posts, and social media, ensuring a deep and accurate portrayal of Dominican heritage.
- "Today in Dominican History" Posts: Curated and shared daily historical content on social media, highlighting key events and figures in Dominican history to engage students and followers.
- Website Design & SEO: Designed and maintained a WordPress website, writing SEO-optimized web copy to drive traffic and increase visibility for the school and its mission.
- Blog Writing & Editing: Wrote, edited, and proofread monthly blogs focused on Dominican culture, language, and history, establishing a strong online resource for learners and cultural enthusiasts.
- Personalized Spanish Lessons: Provided lessons in-person and online, customizing instruction to suit students' interests and proficiency levels.
2012 – Present
Community Organizer | Dominican Republic & New York City
As a Community Organizer, I work alongside community members and organizations to address critical social, environmental, and human rights issues in both the Dominican Republic and New York City. I have led and supported campaigns on issues ranging from environmental justice and anti-racist immigration policies to LGBTQ+ rights. My experience includes organizing community actions, fundraising, creating visual advocacy materials, and providing public education to empower marginalized communities. [Support the struggle here]
Key Skills & Experience:
- Campaign Leadership & Strategy: Co-led direct actions in both the Dominican Republic and New York City, addressing issues such as racist immigration policies and biodiversity protection.
- Fundraising & Mutual Aid: Raised over $10,000 in mutual aid funds to support emergency medical, legal, housing, and disaster relief efforts.
- Visual Advocacy: Designed impactful graphic materials such as "Know Your Rights" infographics to educate and mobilize community members.
- Community Education & Empowerment: Coordinated grassroots campaigns and provided free public education to raise awareness on legal rights, healthcare access, and social justice issues.
- Event Planning & Outreach: Conceived, organized, and led logistics, outreach, and fundraising for the first-ever Pride event in Cabarete (2016), benefiting three local LGBTQ+ organizations.
- Environmental & Social Justice: Organized against the construction of a power plant in Las Galeras, Samaná, engaging in fundraising, graphic design, and external communications to rally support.
2012 – Present
Independent Researcher
I specialize in documenting and sharing the untold histories of Afro-Indigenous communities in the Dominican Republic. My research includes collecting oral testimonies from Elders on topics such as colonial resistance, climate change, occupation, and cultural erasure. I research family histories, having traced parts of my own family tree back to 1655.
I share findings through bilingual tours and community talks that focus on Afro-Indigenous history, plant medicines, and social issues such as machismo, queerphobia, anti-Blackness, and Indigenous erasure. I also collaborate with AfroHistoriaRD on bilingual research, grant writing, and document translation.
Key Skills & Experience:
- Genealogy & Archival Research: Skilled in early modern archival research in Latin, English, Spanish, and French, focusing on Indigenous American and African perspectives.
- Oral Histories & Testimonies: Collected oral testimonies from Elders on topics such as resistance to colonialism, climate change, and the erasure of Afro-Indigenous history.
- Cultural & Social Issues Research: Conducted extensive research on issues like machismo, queerphobia, anti-Blackness, and Indigenous erasure, incorporating them into public education and community talks.
- Bilingual Research & Tours: Provide bilingual tours in English and Spanish, sharing hidden Afro-Indigenous Dominican history and offering a deeper understanding of local heritage.
- Grant Writing & Document Translation: Collaborate with organizations to write grant proposals and translate essential documents
- Community Engagement & Education: Offer educational workshops and public talks, disseminating research and promoting cultural preservation in local communities and among tourists.
Honors & Awards
Long-term Artistic Research Fellow, Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, DC
July 2024 – June 2025
Education
200-Hour YTT Training, Integral Yoga
2022
12 years of ethno-spiritual study with Elders in the Dominican Republic
2013 - Present
B.A. English, cum laude, Macaulay Honor’s College at CUNY Hunter
2007-2011
CLIPS
TRANSLATION: La formación de Yolanda la bruja” (Levine Querido)
This first-of-its-kind translation attempts to capture the spoken Dominican dialect through the written word. Purchase the book.
ARTICLE: One Local Guide Tells us 7 Things Every Traveler Should Avoid Saying (Fodor's)
A listicle highlighting 7 things every traveler should avoid saying, based on real-life examples of oppressive, racist, and problematic comments I've overheard from tourists. Read More.
COLLABORATIVE ARTICLE: Sing, Together, as Long as We’re Alive (The Paris Review)
A collaborative article discussing the reimagined opera ¡Figaro! 90210, blending Mozart’s work with contemporary issues like immigration, racism, and power dynamics in modern America. Read More.
ARTICLE: How ‘OITNB’ Season Four Failed the Dominican Community (Remezcla)
An opinion piece critiquing Orange Is the New Black season four’s portrayal of Dominican characters, focusing on missed opportunities to explore cultural nuances and avoid stereotypes. Read More.
TRAVEL GUIDE: Dominican Republic Guidebook 2022 (Fodor's)
Primary writer, researcher, and editor for Fodor's 2022 Dominican Republic Guidebook, with a focus on correcting stereotypes and excluding businesses known for mistreating locals.
ARTICLE: What I learned about the Diaspora since I’ve Moved to RD (La Galería Mag)
This personal essay reflects on the early years of my experience returning to the Dominican Republic, grappling with identity, privilege, and the complexities of grassroots work as diaspora. Read More.
ARTICLE: When Tourism Erases Instead of Elevating (La Galería Mag)
An early critique of the erasure of Dominican people in tourism narratives, advocating for socially responsible travel that centers local voices, cultures, and sovereignty. Read More.
PODCAST: Mechi Annaís Estévez Cruz on Dominican History and Resisting White Supremacy (The Movements: A Podcast History of the Masses)
On The Movements podcast, I discuss Rafael Trujillo's legacy, anti-fascist struggles, liberation movements, and Lil Wayne—an early example of my oral history dissemination. Listen Here.