MEMyra Estrada

1. Article · Aug 17, 2026 · Myra Estrada | Staff

   The ballads in my blood (opens the original)

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   I come from a long line of rhythmic men and women who vocalized their pain and pleasures through music. I inherited a fierce, unwavering confidence to express myself through melodic riffs and runs — a gift passed down to me by generations of my Black ancestors. Singing has always meant so much to me. It’s deeper than catchy choruses and pretty runs — it’s part of my history as a daughter of a Patton woman. It’s the legacy that I intend to pass on to the children after me. I can’t rem

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2. Article · Jul 10, 2026 · Myra Estrada | Staff

   What they don’t tell you about growing up poor (opens the original)

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   There is no better feeling than the rush of pulling cushions out of your couch, scrounging for enough quarters to ask the ice cream man for an Oreo bar. My sister and I scurried around the house barefoot, searching for change high and low, hoping to find enough before he turned the block. On a good day, we’d find two dollars and have enough for a Coke and a bag of chips. I can go on and on about the adventures of growing up poor in a crowded, rodent-infested home, or I can tell you the truth:

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