“A woman-of-color who writes poetry or paints or dances or makes movies knows there is no escape from race or gender when she is writing or painting. She can’t take off her color and sex and leave them at the door or her study or studio. Nor can she leave behind her history. Art is about identity, among other things, and her creativity is political.” —
Gloria Anzaldúa, Making Face/Making Soul: Haciendo Caras — Creative and Cultural Perspectives by Women of Color (via jalwhite)
- S.
(via wellesleyriot)
(via wellesleyriot)
(Source: mujerrabia)
oh shit .
so my commentary on this is going to get weirdly personal- delving into feelings that I don’t even understand but here it goes…
Let me begin by saying I love this photo. My mother is not from Oaxaca, rather, she’s from Nayarit, a coastal state in Mexico. Nayarit is right under Sinaloa, which is now most famous for the Sinaloa drug cartel. CDS, or Cartel de Sinaloa, has been called the most powerful drug organization in the world, and they hold territories in both Nayarit and Oaxaca. In fact, the cartel and its subsequent corruption on the government holds much of Mexico.
I used to visit Nayarit every other summer. I have two aunts, two uncles, and about a dozen cousins still there. My best memories revolve around staying at my tia Cecy’s house, walking to the candy store, going to San Blas, and eating mariscos. But I haven’t been to Nayarit in six years because of the current condition. My cousins have told me stories about SWAT cars stationed on intersections, and they’ve recorded the grenade and gunfire from their back patios. I’ve wanted to go to Nayarit every summer, but I know that because of my financial status and the way things are in Mexico, summer trips couldn’t happen and probably won’t for a while. For the most part, I came to accept this resignation.
Resignation was all I felt until about ten days ago. Photos arose on my facebook feed, photos of students vacationing in none other than Cancun, Mexico. In their two-piece bikinis, they were laughing, swimming, partying, and drinking. And I still can’t entirely put to words how I feel towards this. For the record, I don’t want to blame or make these students feel guilty. I don’t hate them, this isn’t about them. And what I felt wasn’t just anger or sadness or jealousy (though I did feel those). It was this strange awakening. I had always held this poetic and sacred, yet completely naive idea that the Mexico of my childhood, the real Mexico, was just displaced at the moment. And I’m still coming to terms with the reality that this isn’t true. Mexico isn’t on a leave of absence just because my idea of Mexico is being fucked over by druglords, politicians, crooked cops, and rich, white college students. This is the reality and this is why people are angry, and are completely valid in their anger.
So what do I do? I guess this was the next logical step in my awakening, and again, this is what I’m still figuring out. I can’t solve the drug war, I can’t stop corruption. I’m just one person, and I think this is where a lot of humans feel that existential futility in fighting for larger causes.
I used to find the Spanish word “esperar” romantic in that it means both “to hope” and “to wait,” as if the two were the same thing. It was my favorite phrase. Pero no puedo seguir esperando. Regardless of my not knowing what specifically I’ll do, all I know now is that I don’t wanna wait anymore.
-E.C.
(Source: lazhuntiez)
[video]
Women in Africa and the Diaspora: “Finding The Third Root: Afro-Latinos”
Alicia Anabel Santos is a New York born Dominican Lesbian Writer who is passionate about writing works that empower and inspire women to find their voices. A self-identified Latina Writer, Performance Artist, Producer, Playwright, and Activist, who after reading one too many stories about women she could not wholly relate to, decided to write her own tales that would honor women throughout Latin America and at the same time represent the American-born Latina experience which led her to launch the New York City Latina Writers Group.
Alicia Anabel recently published her memoir, Finding Your Force: A Journey to Love and is currently completing a historical fiction novel titled, The Daughters of the Revolution. Her one-woman show, I WAS BORN, was selected as part of the ONE Festival in 2011, held in NYC. Santos has worked for renowned magazines BusinessWeek, Glamour and Domino, but it was an article published in Urban Latino Magazine, “Two Cultures Marching to One Drum,” that would change the direction of her life. In 2008, she joined Creador Pictures as Writer /Co-Producer of its first documentary, “Afro Latinos: La Historia Que Nunca Nos Contaron / AfroLatinos: The Untaught Story”, a project that will change the way the world sees color and race relations in Latin America.
“AfroLatinos: The Untaught Story” is a documentary that illustrates history and celebrates the rich culture of people of African descent. The documentary covers the story from how and when slaves were brought to Central and South America to the identity-related issues in the Hispanic community today.
Alician Anabel lives in Harlem, NYC with her daughter Courtniana. She is a freelance writer and activist against sexual and physical abuse towards women and children.
Rise Africa received the opportunity to interview Alicia Anabel. Here’s what she had to say… (read interview)
(via reclaimingthelatinatag)
I need for yall to understand and marvel at how poor poc the world over stay stylin on you. Its innate.
^
“No student of color should have to walk up to their bike and see this. I came to Oberlin for an education and I am getting this. There are a group of people on campus trying to put fear in our hearts. They are failing. Little do they know, they are sparking a revolution. They were bothered by a Black presence before? Well, they must not know. The movement has just started, Oberlin. ”
-Kara Mahon (Oberlin College student, class of 2015)
What’s going on at Oberlin College right now is crazy. Someone was spotted wearing a full KKK-style hood and robe just earlier today, walking around the school casually (apparently in a part of the campus heavily trafficked by POC, according to a friend of mine who went there), which prompted the administration to cancel classes. This is 2013, people, and both racism and white supremacy are alive and well.
bell hooks taught here. But then again Lena Dunham attended this place too.
(via shepherdsnotsheep)
“I like how dora can fit a drum set, vacuum cleaner, toys, snacks, and toiletries in that little ass purple mochila. Her ol lady game tight. Gotta teach em young.
She may be a 5 year old traversing the wilderness alone w nothin but a monkey and a backpack, and issues locating objects directly beside her,
But she brave as fuck and stay prepared, nahmean?
Little brown girls out here savin the whole damn world on a daily basis.
Thats real as fuck, b.”
— bad-dominicana (via reclaimingthelatinatag)
(via reclaimingthelatinatag)
Autumn (2008)
#AfriFemArtisticGenius Kara Walker
source: blackcurator
(via shepherdsnotsheep)
Wellesley Underground: From the Bubble: A letter on the state of Ethnic Studies -
Dear President Bottomly, Provost Shennan, Assistant Provost Chapman, and Deans Lynch and French,
On its website, Wellesley College boasts of our academic program as “discovery and creation…and the shared experience of intellectual and personal growth.” It is safe to say that Wellesley’s…