Vanessa Libertad Garcia <\/span><\/h1>\nDies at Age 29<\/span><\/h1>\n\n![\"Vanessa](\"http:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Vanessa_Libertad_Garcia.jpg\")
<\/a>Vanessa Libertad Garcia Photo: BRIT LAUR\u00c9N MANOR<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\nby\u00a0Von Diaz<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nA promising young filmmaker and author, Vanessa Libertad Garcia\u2019s untimely death is just coming to light for many in the entertainment industry. She took her life on August 17, and in\u00a0what seems a growing trend posted her\u00a0suicide note<\/span><\/a>\u00a0online, saying goodbye to her family and friends on her personal website. Citing a lifetime struggle with depression and self-hate, her\u00a0heartbreaking final letter suggests other factors that drove her to take her life such as body image, family relations, sexuality, substance abuse, and pressure to succeed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe daughter of Cuban immigrants, Garcia was born and raised in Los Angeles. She was an out lesbian, and her queer Latina identity\u00a0inspired<\/span><\/a>\u00a0much of her work. Already she had amassed an impressive portfolio, including being an associate producer for the award-winning PBS series \u201cMaid in America<\/span><\/a>\u201d about women domestic workers and\u00a0self-publishing a book of poems and short-stories titled\u00a0\u201dThe Voting Booth After Dark: Despicable, Embarrassing, Repulsive<\/span><\/a>.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThere has been an outpouring of\u00a0condolences and support from\u00a0friends<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0colleagues<\/span><\/a>\u00a0over the past week. Garcia left a number of projects behind, including an upcoming book of poetry called \u201cBloody Fucking Hell<\/span><\/a>\u201d\u00a0<\/em>and the film \u201cGood Mourning Lucille<\/span><\/a>\u201d set for screening in January 2014, as well as a script for a new project titled \u201cDear Dios<\/span><\/a>.\u201d Garcia\u2019s tragically short life speaks to the experiences of many young queer people and immigrants, who so often struggle with\u00a0identity\u00a0and mental health.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
<\/a>Vanessa Libertad Garcia Photo: BRIT LAUR\u00c9N MANOR<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n A promising young filmmaker and author, Vanessa Libertad Garcia\u2019s untimely death is just coming to light for many in the entertainment industry. She took her life on August 17, and in\u00a0what seems a growing trend posted her\u00a0suicide note<\/span><\/a>\u00a0online, saying goodbye to her family and friends on her personal website. Citing a lifetime struggle with depression and self-hate, her\u00a0heartbreaking final letter suggests other factors that drove her to take her life such as body image, family relations, sexuality, substance abuse, and pressure to succeed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The daughter of Cuban immigrants, Garcia was born and raised in Los Angeles. She was an out lesbian, and her queer Latina identity\u00a0inspired<\/span><\/a>\u00a0much of her work. Already she had amassed an impressive portfolio, including being an associate producer for the award-winning PBS series \u201cMaid in America<\/span><\/a>\u201d about women domestic workers and\u00a0self-publishing a book of poems and short-stories titled\u00a0\u201dThe Voting Booth After Dark: Despicable, Embarrassing, Repulsive<\/span><\/a>.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n There has been an outpouring of\u00a0condolences and support from\u00a0friends<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0colleagues<\/span><\/a>\u00a0over the past week. Garcia left a number of projects behind, including an upcoming book of poetry called \u201cBloody Fucking Hell<\/span><\/a>\u201d\u00a0<\/em>and the film \u201cGood Mourning Lucille<\/span><\/a>\u201d set for screening in January 2014, as well as a script for a new project titled \u201cDear Dios<\/span><\/a>.\u201d Garcia\u2019s tragically short life speaks to the experiences of many young queer people and immigrants, who so often struggle with\u00a0identity\u00a0and mental health.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n