S11e16: James Bonilla – Seeing in Technicolor

“In the Process, I came to realize … how nature in my own life had been such a healing force.”
– James Bonilla

We wrap up season 11 with New York-born Puerto Rican writer and retired professor emeritus, James Bonilla.

James’s story is filled with transformation, healing, and wisdom. Born with congenital cataracts, at the age of nine, his right eye was injured in school by a fellow student’s actions. For over ten years, James was blind. At the age of 19, doctors removed the cataracts (although the childhood injury remained). On his way home from the hospital, he remembers seeing the world in Technicolor through his own eyes.

As a writer, James was comfortable writing about his identities as a Puerto Rican and a person with impaired sight. But it wasn’t until he did the Process that he could accept his family’s struggle with mental illness. He released patterns of shame that stemmed from his experiences of abandonment as a young child. In accepting his own mental illness, James found deeper healing of those issues through the power of nature. He realized that nature had been a constant source of healing throughout his life. Upon graduating, James felt called to share his experience healing mental illness with others. Because of his work at the Process, James emerged emboldened to share this experience in his new memoir, An Eye for An I.

We hope you enjoy this inspiring conversation with James and Drew. We’ll be back in early 2026 with season 12 of the Hoffman Podcast.

Content Warning: This episode mentions suicide and includes intense emotional content and targeted racism. Please use your discretion. If you or someone you know is suicidal, reach out to The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255), or message the Crisis Text Line at 741741.

More about James Bonilla

James Francisco Bonilla is a New York-born Puerto Rican writer and retired professor emeritus of cultural competence and leadership at Hamline University in St. Paul, MN. James was born with congenital cataracts and has never had sight in his left eye. Following a racially-motivated assault at age nine, he lost much of his remaining sight in the right eye. Ten years later, a medical breakthrough restored sight to his right eye. Seeking relief and inspiration, he found unexpected solace in the natural world. This discovery led him toward both personal healing and advocacy work. Due to his experiences, James was drawn into the early disability rights movement and community organizing. This helped shape his work as a nationally recognized social justice educator and environmentalist.

James received his doctoral degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, School of Education in Organizational Leadership. He is a former Chair of the Faculty Advisory Committee to the National Conference on Racial & Ethnic Diversity in American Higher Education. He has made hundreds of presentations to universities, conferences, and human service organizations in the area of diversity, including outdoor education and environmental programs.

His memoir, An Eye for An I: Growing Up With Blindness, Bigotry, and Family Mental Illness, was just released by the University of Minnesota Press. In it, he invites readers to empathize and consider their own potential to be of service in a broken, yet beautiful world. Read more about James’ memoir on Hamline University’s site.

Follow James on Facebook and LinkedIn. Learn more about James here.

Listen on Apple Podcasts

As mentioned in this episode:

Nuyorican:
“The Nuyorican movement is a cultural and intellectual movement involving poets, writers, musicians, and artists who are Puerto Rican or of Puerto Rican descent, who live in or near New York City, and either call themselves or are known as Nuyoricans.” Read more…

Congenital Cataracts

New York Association for the Blind

Lisa Wenger, Hoffman teacher and coach
•   Listen to Lisa on the Hoffman Podcast – The Sparkle in Her Eyes

Judy (Judith) Heumann
•   Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist
•   Judy Heumann interview on YouTube

Crip Camp Documentary
Barack and Michelle Obama were executive producers under Higher Ground Productions.

Jerry Brown, CA Governor

White Sulphur Springs – Hoffman’s old retreat site

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Hoffman Webclass Calendar

Quad-Check, and Appreciation and Gratitude Instagram Lives:
Join our virtual community, Quadrinity Check, at 8:00 am PT on Instagram. A Quad Check is a practice to support you in integrating and honoring all four parts of your Quadrinity: Spiritual Self, Intellect, Emotional Self, and your Body.

Be a part of our daily Appreciation and Gratitude practice at 6:00 pm PT on Instagram. You’ll find the Appreciation and Gratitude practice to be a beautiful way to reflect on your day. This practice will support your Spiritual Self’s natural desire to appreciate and give thanks for all that life brings you.