Jaklin Romine
Roses Easter Sunday on Display (Rosas Domingo de Pascua en exhibición), 2025
Serigraph
30 x 22 in.

Roses Easter Sunday on Display is an homage to the artist’s grandmother, Gloria Ernestine Romine Hernandez, a strong willed, no-nonsense, woman that shared her love with her family. Born in the 1930s and raised in Lincoln Heights, Los Angeles, Gloria lived in a household raised by a single mother and five siblings. Forced to become independent at an early age, Gloria and her siblings earned a living working in the orange fields in the summertime, and as a kid, she made her own clothes.

Growing up and into her older years, Gloria never identified as a Pachuca. White passing, she never experienced the racism that others in her community faced, therefore, navigated life by blending in and stirring the ground to the minimum.

However, her attitude as a passive observer changed witnessing her older sister’s abusive partners and more specifically, when she became a mother in her 20s, as she witnessed her children experience the racist banters because of their dark complexion. Her passivity shifted, becoming a protective force for her family, and through fashion, a passion she always carried, she created embellished suits that celebrated her cultural pride, deepening her connection to her roots.

Roses Easter Sunday on Display is a glimpse of Gloria’s royal grandeur as seen through the artist’s eyes, and memorializing women’s strength and perseverance.