Brainstorm #5

Senorita Extraviada challenges representations of young women as disposable by focusing in on the grief of mothers and families, the corruption of police and factories, and the ways that mothers and families have taken on the role of investigator in discovering the details of the murdered and missing women. In witnessing the stories and grief of families the young women are “humanized.”

Lisa Cacho and the film help us to see the violence against women as sanctioned by the state, as something that is allowed to continue and in the families and black crosses we see how the families refuse to be complicit by telling the stories of the missing women, through art, and through continued efforts to hold those in power accountable. Art functions as witness to the deaths and as an acknowledgment of the injustices. 

4/29 Questions - Clarissa Lunday

1) Martha Gonzalez's article on the song "Sobreviviendo" and the NPR special on music in response to the Border Crisis. These are all examples of art forms to bring awareness to the immigration crisis. With the COVID-19 pandemic, what types of art forms do you think will bring awareness to the undocumented workers here?

2) According to Monica Campbell of Reveal News, Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Calif., is working to make economic relief more inclusive, including to farmworkers. What would you like to see that the economic relief offer to undocumented farmworkers?

3) Anneken Tappe of CNN Business writes, "Black and Hispanic families earn between 71 cents and 74 cents for each dollar earned by the median white family..." While this information was in a JPMorgan Chase report, would it be possible that these numbers include undocumented workers?

4) Martha Gonzalez writes about the two main goals of the Entire Mujeres project. How can we, as a class, uses some of these goals to help us in our altar/ofrenda midterm project?

Brainstorm #5 - Clarissa Lunday

The documentary Señorita Extraviada and "Toward a Planetary Civil Society" show compelling evidence that the state dismissed the killings of women by claiming they were promiscuous. In Señorita Extraviada, the attorney general of Mexico recommended that women followed a curfew and didn't dress promiscuously (11:00). Rosa Linda Fregoso also notes in "Toward a Planetary Civil Society" that the state blamed the victims because of their assumed sexual behavior. In Lisa Cacho's interview on the Office Hours podcast. She explains that "social death" deals a lot with status crime, which she explains is when people are criminalized due to their race, class, gender, and/or profession. The women who were murdered in Ciudad Juarez were assumed, by the state, to have committed as status crime and therefore had a "social death."

What the documentary and article shows is that families participated in protests. For example, Fregoso writes about March 2002 where protesters marched 370 kilometers from Chihuahua City to the Juarez-El Paso border in the Exodus for Life campaign. Both also note the paintings of crosses on pink backgrounds on electric poles with the Voices without Echo campaign. This art witnesses the state's ignorance when it comes to the deaths since nothing was done.

4/29 Draft Questions

1. Do you think that art and song as a resilience practice is more or less relevant (or the same) as it was before technology?

2. How is reclaiming traditional music styles fighting against social death and a resilience practice?

3. A lot of our readings have been based around music and art as a resilience practice, created by and for those who are experiencing a form of oppression. How can this translate into real change happening to stop and prevent future inequity?

4. What was the creators goal for the song "Sobreviviendo", and how did they go about executing the song and production to convey the message?

4/29 Questions - Sadie Van den Bogaerde

1. I think that an extremely valuable part of music in a political context is the power it holds to uplift and connect people in a very meaningful and lasting way. How do you see this translating into real political change?
2. “For women, then, poetry is not a luxury. It is a vital necessity of our existence. It forms the quality of the light within which we predicate our hopes and dreams toward survival and change, first made into language, then into idea, then into more tangible action. Poetry is the way we help give name to the nameless so it can be thought.” - Audre Lorde

I think this is a beautiful quote included at the beginning of Martha Gonzalez’s Sobreviviendo. Does this sentiment apply only to women and poetry? If not, what other groups of people and artforms take on similar roles as described by Audre Lorde?

3. I loved reading about the examples of the versatility of song described in the NPR article. Music that had been written decades ago is being repurposed or rewritten and applied to new contexts, for example the songs used in protest during the Chicano movement of the 70s. While I think it’s a beautiful thing that these songs are being brought back to social movements now, specifically in protest against the Trump administration’s border policies, does this represent a falling back to past challenges? In other words, does the fact that songs from social movements in the 70s being used now represent a lack of progress? Why or why not?
4. What are some works that you felt have connected you across borders to other people and their experiences? Whether that’s national or state borders, or across different times. 

4/29 draft questions

1. The song, Sobreviviendo, was written to capture the feeling of "a traveler with a divided heart" and the effect of this uprooting on the traveler and the people they left behind (Santos Quote, “Sobreviviendo”: Immigration Stories and Testimonio in Song p.135). How is this theme of physical separating and belonging similar to Maya Jupiter who described a lack of cultural belonging?  

2. In Sobreviviendo, "Santos weaves migrant testimonios into lyrical prose that reflect their exodus from their homeland and the daily hardships they face" (Sobreviviendo:ISTS, p. 137).  How does utilizing and highlighting testimonio help to de-center subjective Western knowledge of the migrant experience?

3. Musician, Gaby Moreno in collaboration with others, "released the single "The Immigrants" on the Fourth of July to condemn the family separation policy" (Contras, 
Protesting Trump's Immigration Policy Through Song). Do you think that this mainstream music adds or subtracts from the legitimacy of the protest and the movement as a whole?

4. During the current COVID-19 epidemic, farmworkers, though deemed essential, have not received proper precautionary measures against infection. One poll found that "more than three-quarters had received no guidance from their employer on safer ways to work" (Campbell, Farmworkers are now deemed essential. But are they protected?). How do these practices escape scrutiny within the US in this day and age? 

Wed. Draft Questions - Chloe Rabinowitz

In Sobreviviendo, the idea of songwriting meetings is brought up in terms of how they “offer invaluable interaction, convivencia, and dialogue” (Gonzalez 133). How does providing space for communities to gather/come together facilitate growing unity between community members? Can this unity be seen in other contexts besides songwriting, like community centers?

In the article about farmworkers in America during the coronavirus crisis, the CARES relief act is deemed often inaccessible to many essential farmworkers who are documented, “the legislation blocks many farmworkers from seeking federal help” (revealnews.org). How does the juxtaposition of deeming these farmworkers essential to America’s food systems while also excluding them from the coronavirus relief funds created to protect struggling workers promote the sentiment that undocumented people in this country are disposable?

Also in the article about undocumented farmworkers in America, the article highlights America’s response to coronavirus towards undocumented workers as a function of deeper mistreatment of undocumented people as a whole. How does the coronavirus crisis expose underlying sentiments of misjustice and mistreatment of undocumented immigrants within American society?

The NPR article describes a variety of musicians playing music at rallies and protests against the current administration’s border policies. How does music and shared outward expression help to bridge the gap between cultures, transcending social justice movements beyond the confines of ethnic or cultural heritage?

Wednesday Questions - Karen Velderrain-Lopez

1. In Sobreviviendo, the song has the lyrics "People live and struggle / without knowing what is to come." How does this song relate to the current situations that farm workers, and other undocumented essential workers are facing due to COVID-19?

2. Reflecting on the protests discussed in the NPR article and the push for more exclusive legislation regarding the stimulus checks, how are we fighting against social death that undocumented workers and other essential workers face in society right now? How does this benefit society as a whole?

3. After reading the NPR protesting article and Sobreviviendo, especially with the quote from Garza from the NPR article, "People just wanted to hear songs that make them feel like they are part of the fight," how else do we currently use as resilience and protest methods for other current issues? How do we reflect on the past to inspire these practices today?

Wednesday's Questions, Haleh Mawson

1. Gonzalez talks about the "healing process of testimonio" in relation to both migrants' own stories and to the songs that emerge secondhand from those stories. Is the act of listening to these songs similar to that process as well? I was thinking about it in reference to the California farmworkers described in Campbell's article.

2. How do the farmworkers' efforts to stay healthy and stay at work relate to the idea of resilience?

3. The NPR segment describes musicians of various backgrounds playing music from a wide range of genres to protest the treatment of detained children at the border. "Sobreviviendo," the article by Gonzalez, describes the act of creating a song that would fit in well with those named by NPR, but its creation was far more intentional. What difference does the origin or creation of a piece of music make to its ultimate meaning? Is "Sobreviviendo" a more powerful piece than, say, "I Won't Back Down" because of its origin?

4. The articles about essential workers make it pretty clear that social death is just a few steps away from literal death. Are the two always this closely related?

- Haleh

Rough Draft Questions

1. When protesting current immigration policies, how do songs like "Yo Soy Chicano" and "Besame Mucho" create an environment where more than just the affected community is fighting for justice? How does this tie into the idea of art being a unifying force in terms of creating a movement?

2. With it becoming evident how important immigrant farmworkers are especially in a time of crisis, how do you think the public view of these people will change? Do you think it will have a lasting effect on the fight for undocumented workers?

3. With the current pandemic making it even more clear the economic difference for lower-income demographics, how should policymakers address this gap that is causing these demographics to bear the worst of the coronavirus currently?

Wednesday Draft Questions- Khani Priest

1. With the adaptation of Angela Davis's description of the "feminist consciousness" in the blues tradition to the fandango project (Gonzalez, paragraph 10), were there differences other than culture and races? Were there similarities?
2. Considering the research done on the impacts of this virus on Black and Hispanic communities, why is there no "cushioning" for these people to fall onto compared to other communities? Will there be changes in the future to prevent this from happening?
3. Can music and poetry truly be used as a resiliency practice in times of crisis?
4. The lack of assistance to non-documented immigrants and the lack of instructions and safety practices in the agricultural industry is truly insane. Without this industry, many Americans would starve. Are these companies already practicing parts of neo-liberalism? With the lack of resources and support for undocumented immigrants, will the food industry take a huge hit in employment?

Wednesday Draft Questions

1) In the article, Farmworkers are now deemed essential. But are they protected?, Monica Campbell gathers " 'So when the government says they're essential workers,' he said, 'the workers are responding, saying, 'Now we're essential?' " (Campbell, 2020) Is there a better way to resolve this issue of needing a constant food supply while protecting essential workers from COVID-19? How should the federal or state government get involved and lend support?
2) What do you think inspired the song, Sobreviviendo, to be composed and released? Do you find any similarities with music you have heard before?
3) In the article, Sobreviviendo: Immigration Stories and Testimonio in Song, Martha Gonzalez mentions "It became a space from which to discuss and create collective ideas among women, which simultaneously created a sense of community among all mujeres involved" (Gonzalez, 137). What do you think Gonzalez means by this statement? Can you think of any similarities to readings we have read or videos we have seen in the past?
4) In the article, Farmworkers are now deemed essential. But are they protected?, Monica Campbell states, "Weeks before the state imposed the shelter-in-place order, she said she began washing her hands more at work and encouraging her co-workers to do the same" (Campbell, 2020). It is interesting to see workers preparing for the COVID-19 crisis far in advance of government restrictions. Why was the government so slow at responding and how did that impact workers such as the ones discussed in the article?

Brainstorm 5

Senorita Extraviada was a shocking look at the dehumanization of female victims. The documentary aims to change this perception by showing having family members speak on their horror at authorities blaming the female victims themselves and not finding legitimate suspects. The authorities  blame the horrible atrocities on these victims because they do not act in a docile manner, rather choosing a more independent, working lifestyle. They equate this independence to promiscuity and immorality, thus accusing the women themselves of being responsible for the violence against them. This represents the concept of "Social Death" by Lisa Cacho, as these working women are devalued by a patriarchal and capitalist society. Art acts as a witness in this situation by being an archive of the women and their families experience without the bias of the government narrative. The working mothers and families practice resilience through remembering their beloved dead and criticizing the narrative of the authority.

Wed Draft Questions - Sarah Yang

1. Martha Gonzalez wrote that she believed that “the strong, mujer-driven tradition on the tarima made it easier for Entre Mujeres participants to interact with one another” when creating their project together (132). What else do you think contributes to the impact that these women have when combining their forces to make art? How does it affect the final result and the significance of the art that they make? 
2. In NPR’s article, Bandleader Daniel Herrera said that “[they] wanted to be able to contribute any little piece of art that we have to this mosaic of social justice.” How/Is art enriched by hardship? How does it affect the viewers, Chicano and of all demographics? 
3. CNN’s article states that the racial gap in the US economy “is making minorities more susceptible to economic hardship during hard times, including the current outbreak”. How is the way the government is treating the minorities and at risk populations during this pandemic going to impact the future? What precedent is it setting? What could the government do to improve? 
4. It is clear that undocumented and unprotected “workers are the backbone of this country in terms of the food supply chain”, according to Reveal News. Is this situation mirrored in any other countries? Are there any examples of other countries dealing with this situation in a better way, and how have they done it?

Brainstorm #5

Brainstorm #5:

First of all, Senorita Extraviada and the whole story is probably the saddest story I've ever heard. It's heartbreaking to hear about the many tragedies and what the families have to go through and how even the authorities can't be trusted. Senorita Extraviada challenges the representation of these young women as disposable by giving face to their amazing personalities, presences in their communities, the impact on their families and communities, and more. The film reveals that these women were very important and loved in their communities and the outrage and protests after the injustice of their deaths and the lack of investigations shows it. Lisa Cacho's concept of "social death" that some people's lives are worthless because of their race or social class is very much related to this situation. The point of view of the government and most of the people with power in the situation had a view aligning with the concept of social death that these murdered young women's lives aren't very important, that they're disposable. The main practices of resilience that the working poor mothers and families use to confront these tragedies and hold authorities accountable is protesting and bringing awareness to the issue. By creating this documentary and marching in the streets, they make sure that the authorities know that the people are angry at the injustice and need more to be done. Art functions as witness by giving people an outlet to express their anger and sorrow and also show that the victims are loved and will always be remembered. The black crosses on pink paint on many telephone poles are an example of a powerful image that shows just that. Overall,
it is very clear that most of the authorities in Juarez believed these young women to be disposable, that somehow their lives were less important. And having the people in power part of this toxic ideology, there's not much poor victim's families can do. 

Week 5 Draft Questions - Olivia Brunner-Gaydos

1. What is the difference in playing for a protest and releasing politically engaging music?  
2. Who is the target audience of the song "Sobreviviendo" and what were the writers/creators trying to do with this song?
3. The CNN article by Anneken Tappe "America's black and Hispanic communities are bearing the brunt of the coronavirus crisis" states that "the government programs to help the country through the outbreak - including the expanded unemployment insurance and stimulus payments  - are particularly important for the black and Hispanic communities." Is this going to change the way our government provides aid in times like this?
4. In Monica Campbell's article "Farmworkers are now deemed essential. But are they protected?"     Armando Elenes "said it angers some farmworkers to be heralded now as essential after those who are undocumented have lived. with virulent anti-immigrant sentiment and threats of deportation from the Trump administration." How has our COVID crisis brought attention to essential immigrant farmworkers? And is this going to lead to a change in America's policy or treatment of these people? 

Brainstorm 5 - Karen Velderrain-Lopez

Senorita Extraviada challenges the representations that were attempting to present young women as disposable by the way that they negated the interpretations presented with the acts happening in Cuidad Juarez. They do this by presenting the harsh realities that the young women face and because of the justifications people like the governor made, it was the victims who were blamed. Having the victims and their families sharing what happened and how they were let down by those that should have been helping them show how they were represented as being disposable. However, when the families were marching and painting the crosses, they were showing that they matter and that every woman counts. The black crosses on a pink background, this art is functioning as a witness since it is marking down every woman that has been murdered. Along with the use of art, families also march and display pictures of the women as a form of resilience by showing that they matter and they are missed. Social death is experienced by these maquiladoras because they are forgotten by society and cast aside as being disposable.

Brainstorm #5 - Kimia Preston

 Señorita Extraviada was a complete shock for me as I learned more about the deaths and tragedies occurring in the city of Juarez and how these were covered up. The documentary helps illustrate the atrocities to a greater audience to get closer to justice for those who were killed or harmed and their families. It is wild to know that even the highest levels of government have awareness of these types of happenings, and yet little is done to stop these crimes while women are dying. This documentary relates to Lisa Cacho’s idea of “social death” because the government, in effect, is telling the public that women are simply disposable and that it does not matter that innocent women are dying everywhere. Despite the government’s cover-ups, society and the families of the women who were killed stand together to honor those that they have lost through photos, art, items, and memories. As unfortunate and atrocious were these incidents, they brought people together to fight for a common cause—a strong theme of Chicana feminism. By creating altares for those that they had lost, they used a long-standing tradition and art form to bring social justice and spread a message to those who may not be directly impacted by these killings in an emotional and inclusive way. This art form is a resiliency practice that not only can promote self-healing and connectedness, it holds government accountable and presents the reality behind cloak.

Brainstorm #5

Emilia Garcia-Bompadre

Senorita Extraviada challenges the idea that young women are disposable by presenting the impact that their death and disappearance has on the city of Juarez. the documentary brings importance to the families of killed women and shares their pain with the audience, giving a voice to the killings that were covered up. It exposes how the killings have been ignored, demonstrating how the killers believe that the young women are disposable. This relates to Lisa Cacho’s concept of social death because by ignoring and covering up these women’s' deaths, the government and whoever else is responsible are in effect demonstrating that women are not important in society, that they are disposable: they are experiencing social death in Juarez. However, the mothers and family of these women killed do not let themselves fall into this facade that the government places, they create coping strategies for dealing with the disappearances. One of the images that was shown many times throughout the film and also mentioned in "Toward a Planetary Society" was a black cross with a pink background painted on telephone poles throughout the city as a sign of resilience, signifying that these women’s deaths are not to be brushed under the rug and forgotten. They combine religious and spiritual ideas with secular ones; the cross with the colors pink. the artwork and altares for these disappeared women are everywhere, highlighted in the documentary, reminding authorities that the women will not be forgotten. 

Brainstorm #5 - Sadie Van den Bogaerde

Señorita Extraviada broke my heart. The crimes described in the film make me sick, but the government’s blind eye to these atrocities is almost worse. It’s apparent that at the highest level of the government, those with power knew more than they let on about the femicides and did nothing with all their power to stop these crimes. They blame the victims for what they were wearing or the time they were walking home- not the rapists, the people who exploited vulnerable young women. This act is a devastatingly clear instance of the “social death” of a group of people. The victims- women, of dark skin and lower economic status- were betrayed by their government and deemed undeserving of protection and a sense of security, one of the most basic human rights undoubtedly because of their status. I was deeply moved to see the families of these women, many of them victims themselves, come together to try and fight for justice. When their government failed them and all the missing young women of the community, they grew stronger together. The community of families and victims in Juarez made altars and symbols of their murdered loved ones and were able to continue to bring light to these atrocities, even when the media didn’t. Even when forces as strong as the government seek to cause social death, continuing to honor the women who were failed by society is a practice that makes it impossible for them to be lost and forgotten. 

Brainstorm #5- Khani Priest

Senorita Extraviada challenges representations of the young women through the depiction of the whole story and information from the people closest to them. This film sheds a different kind of light on these young women. Not a light of blame or denial, but a light of truth and compassion. We got to perceive these women as human beings first and victims second which directly challenges the perception that these young women are disposable. The families and mothers who experience these great tragedies use art, altars, and persistence as resiliency practices to confront the tragedies and to hold authorities accountable. They relentlessly ask about the cases and how these cases are going along with taking matters into their own hands by asking around and even going as far as searching for bodies. Art is used through the Voces sin Eco movement in their public displays of black crosses on pink backgrounds which signifies a strong image. This piece of graffiti art represents the missing and murdered women along with hope and persistence in recognizing the violence. Lisa Cacho's concept of "social death" is relevant to these readings because these women were subjugated to "social death" in the context of their specific society. They were the outcasts because of class, race, gender and place of residence. They lived in the borderlands which was/is considered some of the poorest regions in Mexico. This concept also comes up in the explanation the state gives to these deaths. According to the state, these women were at fault because of their lifestyles and "double lives" which is literally de-socializing these women from society and looking down upon them. This is obviously not what is true nor even remotely correct, but it helped the government establish reason. This is a problem that requires more than wrongful blame and reasoning; it requires justice for the women involved and future generations.

Brainstorm 5 - Haleh Mawson

I was not really prepared for Señorita Extraviada. I knew about the killings in Juarez, but distantly, mixed in with the din of all the other massacres that occur worldwide and far from my home. This is my first thought.

In the film, the families of the missing girls are shown holding photos of the deceased. Their stance at times resembles a family portrait, like they're all together in some way still. But then, too, there are photos taken with them as models, the ones that are described as a possible way for the killers to pick their victims. And there is the photo Charles Bowden keeps in his desk, "a wooden mask" that he apparently likes to gawk over (Fregoso 16). For those who love and remember the dead, photos are a way to cherish their memory and stay strong against a culture of violence. For others, the photos and the young women are essentially similar, pretty and interesting and all too easy to burn up and throw away.

Fregoso lays the blame for these killings not on the state or global capitalism, but on all those individuals and institutions who exploit and exterminate those without power. This can include the state and the structures of global capitalism, but she argues that an overemphasis on any one cause can erase the humanity of the deceased and render them twice-over commodified, used, and discarded.

-Haleh

Brainstorm #5 - Chloe Rabinowitz

Senorita Extraviada is a film that aims to hold the Mexican government responsible and accountable for the atrocities that occur under their not only negligence but encouragement of misogynistic gender roles and narratives. By highlighting the injustices allowed by the governing body of Ciudad Juarez, Senorita Extraviada challenges the dangerous narratives of blaming the victims of these disappearances and murders due to their participation in “non-normative female practices” which are often untrue mischaracterizations (even if they were true - this doesn’t put their lives at lower values than those of women not partaking in these activities). These victim-blaming strategies encouraged by the government cause institutionalized characterizations of young women often in the labor force in Ciudad Juarez as disposable, which this film counters through representation and activism. Lisa Cacho’s concept of “social death” is seen throughout this documentary and in the reality of Ciudad Juarez as the young women who are victims of these crimes are already viewed as ‘dead’ by their society and families because of their independence and nontraditional choices. To confront these tragedies and hold authorities accountable, working poor mothers and families speak out against the institutionalized misogyny that promotes acts of violence against these women. They also utilize art to pay tribute and breathe life into the legacies of the women who have fallen victim to these atrocities, often by creating black crosses with pink backgrounds to show representation and recognition of these murders and disappearances in their communities.

Week 5 Draft Questions- Linda Barragan

1.In the Sobreveviviendo article, it states, "Poetry and other creative expressions are not luxuries but rather important factors in the lives of women and, I would argue, in the lives of all people". I find it odd that she had to emphasize that they are luxuries for women. Why is that?
2. In the NPR article, what are the differences by protesting with music than with marching and chanting?
3.For the Sobreviviendo song, who is the intended audience for this piece? Why was this audience chosen?
4. In the Reveal News article, it states '“So when the government says they’re essential workers,” he said, “the workers are responding, saying, ‘Now we’re essential?’ ”' What does this mean for America's future views on these farmworkers.

Brainstorm #5

In the documentary, Senorita Extraviada: Crimes Against Women in Juarez, Lourdes Portillo showcases how poorly women are treated in Juarez as some 250 women are raped and murdered. The authorities don't seem to make an effort to resolve the crimes allowing for the mistreatment of women to persist. This has resulted in the undermining of the value of women in that society making them seem like they're not important. However, Portillo challenges this notion of women being disposable by speaking to the relatives of the victims and sharing the stories of the individuals. Her hope is to fight for social reform and for individuals to see these women as actual people that suffered greatly. Lisa Cacho's concept of "social death" can be seen in this documentary in that the women who are mistreated like this are already socially considered dead by their families and society. Nonetheless, the relatives of these women are continuously practicing resilience and fighting for justice by confronting the authorities. They urge the police to go one step further and grant them the minimal justice they deserve. This entire film illustrates how art can be used as a platform to showcase the tragedies of the women and advocate for social justice. This form of art allows a wide range of viewers to better understand the stories of these women so that we can collectively fight against the oppression of these women.

Brainstorm #5 - Olivia Brunner-Gaydos

The documentary Senorita Extraviada looks into the hundreds of deaths and missing women in Ciudad Juarez. These are women and girls of all ages who have gone missing and seemingly leaving behind no explanation or evidence of what has happened to them. Along with the murders and disappearances, there seems to be little to no investigation into where they went. The police found bodies but the crime scenes were contaminated and evidence would go. missing. The murders gave off this idea that women are disposable and the lack of effort to find them by the government and police enforced this idea. The documentary even shows exploitation and corruption in the Juarez police. 
Thankfully,  the missing girls have their families and friends who are continuing to fight for them. These people left faking this tragedy haven't given up on their missing loved ones.  There are protests calling for action and more effort into the investigations. They continue to ask questions and are trying to fill in where the police are constantly falling short. The families have organized search parties in the desert to look for the girls are determined to stop whoever or whatever is taking. 

Brainstorm #5 Nick Roberts

In Senorita Extraviada, Portillo Portillo documents the deaths of hundreds of women who have gone missing in and around Juarez over a ten year period. The frequency of these attacks seems to have led to a certain desensitization of these crimes for the people who live it every day and as a result, it has created this idea that the women are not important and their stories do not need to be heard. Through Portillo's documentary, she challenges this portrayal of the women who are the victims of these crimes as disposable. By telling the stories of these women who were lost and killed, and the corruption and inaction of the police and government, Portillo pushes for justice and forces people to stop thinking of these women as statistics and more as people again. 

This ties into the idea of the social death we read about earlier in the sense that when these women are treated as disposable they are essentially already socially dead and forgotten by all but their families. Portillo in a sense revives them from social death by bringing their stories to the forefront of people's thoughts and demanding justice for them. This is a great example of how art can be a center point for social reform. By creating this documentary Portillo was able to reach a larger audience and revive these women's social lives which will hopefully one day lead to justice and arrests for those responsible for these crimes.

Questions for Alice Bag -Linda Barragan

1. Because the industry you are in is heavily racist and sexist, what were your outlets when you felt discouraged?
2. How are the strong messages in your music conveyed by people high up in the music industry?
-Linda Barragan

Brainstorm #5 -Linda Barragan

In the documentary, Senorita Extraviada, it focuses on the mistreatment of women in Mexico.  The government of Juarez, Mexico sees their women as less than men and treats them as such. The women simply do not have a voice and the documentary gives these victims to have their voices heard. Many women in Mexico fall as victims in very violent crimes that often times leaves them lifeless and very often, no justice is served for them and their families. This can be seen as "social death". there is a part in the documentary where worker for the government tries to justify the murders by saying "people who work, follow a clear path and dress a certain way" (10:45), pretty much implying that it the woman's own fault for their killing because they chose certain decisions. Women live in fear and therefore feel the need to be silent to not have any tragic occurrences happen to them. That is where art comes to play to tell their stories. Art acts as a witness for these women because art can tell their story and bring light to those that are unaware. Art can be put anywhere the eye can see and by telling these women's stories, it will show the mistreatment, unfairness, and oppression of women that is being done by the government and make a fight against it. -Linda Barragan

Week 5 Draft Questions

By: YuYu Madigan

1) The CNN article highlights the financial inequality in our nation predominately for black and Hispanic families, will there be any actionable steps after this crisis to combat the inequality? Why or why not and what will they be? 

2) In the NPR article, Marc Ribot connects this his situation to his Jewish faith by saying, "You must know the heart of the stranger, for you were a stranger once yourself in the land of Egypt". In your culture, faith, religion, what have you, do you see the same sentiment expressed? How has that guided your actions?

3) As immigrant farmworkers are essential yet lack access to government assistance during this time, what is another example of when our government has failed to support the ones they rely on most and was it for similar reasons?

4) I really liked the Soreviviendo song as it's very upbeat and multi-dimensional and would have loved to see an accompanying visualization/music video to the song ~ if you were the creative director to a music video for this, what would you overall vision be for it and how could you incorporate elements of Cacho's Social Death into it?

4/29 Wednesday Draft Questions - Angie Lai

1. In the article, "'Sobreviviendo': Immigration Stories and Testimonio in Song", Gonzalez concludes by saying, "songs and the theories imbedded in them can inform across time, disciplines, borders, generations, and other ways of knowing, but most importantly, songs can register the hope and resilience that inspired their creation" (137). Can you think of an example or two of songs that do some of these things for you too? What about that songs (or songs) registers hope and resilience?

2. In the NPR article, "Protesting Trump's Immigration Policy Through Song", non-Latino musical artist Radney Foster who grew up near the U.S.-Mexico border said that his "father was adamant that every one of his children learn to speak Spanish, because he believed you couldn't make a living there if you didn't." What do you think of this logic? Is it practical? Problematic? Neither or both?

3. From what I hear on the news and after reading the article, "Farmworkers are now deemed essential. But are they protected?", I find the term "essential worker" to be ironic and deeply upsetting. How is Lisa Cacho's concept of "social death" exemplified in this reading?
4. In the CNN article, "America's black and Hispanic communities are bearing the brunt of the coronavirus crisis”, the author points out that black and Latinx communities are at "higher risk of infections" and have "lower savings". This article doesn't do much other than provide statistics and reinforce the inequalities we're already aware of, so given this information, what can the government do to address this inequality problem? What can we do to address this?

Brainstorm #5

By: YuYu Madigan

Senorita Extraviada was a very powerful documentary sharing the crimes against young women and an expose on a society that failed to seek any justice for them. This video depicts the women as strong and independent as they fight against an oppressive and dangerous world. It shows that woman are not disposable and even though they tried to suppress the truth and hide the crimes, it will come out even if through a documentary such as this. These were very real woman who had very real lives, family, goals, and dreams and shows that they were more than a statistic. We can bring Lisa Cacho's concept of social death into bear here because as people tried to take these crimes into light, they were instead silenced and these crimes were "justified" as they deemed the victims not fully human because they were woman. Furthermore these crimes were considered "crimes against the honors of the family, rather than crimes against the personal, physical integrity and human rights of the woman victim" p18 which goes to show how woman were seen as a part of their family as someone else rather than their own standalone individual. The government nor the police will take significant action here to help the victims and it was up to the family to find closure themselves. This highlights their incredible resilience as they attempt to hold authorities accountable and constantly seek truth. At one point, they would attempt to find the bodies of the victims themselves in desserts and other landscapes often to no avail but they continued to fight the fight no matter how tough it got and no matter the set backs they faced. They had to work against being told by state officials that entering the workforce tore apart families (p4). Finally, art functions as a witness as it tells the story and can be shared in public spaces, similar to how a community altar can function. It is a place tho grieve for the girls and  highlight the crimes and faces of the individuals for all to see.

Brainstorm 5 Teresa Bonilla

Art as a resilience practice is present through out the film Senorita Extraviada, it is highlighted towards the end of the film. The black crosses with the pink background, it is explained in Mexicana Enounters is meant to represent and call to mind both the the religious aspect of the women's death (cross) and their identity as a woman (pink). There is also an image shown of the woman's face filling the space of a cross on a black background. In Mexicana Enounters  the question "did the cross deface the face?" is asked. I thought this was really interesting because in adding the facial aspect to this poster they are bringing the attention back to the women. Attention that the Mexican government was taking away. Mexican officials used the death of these women -- symbolized by the cross -- to erase their humanity. They ignored the issue and claimed that the women had done something, been somewhere, looked a certain way to provoke what happened to them. They repeatedly erased the true death of the women in Jalisco. In doing this the Mexican government acts as though the women are disposable. They were poor women,of darker skin color.Though race might not be at play in mexico in the same way it is in the united stated, colorism sure is. Point is that these women belonged to a number of 'social groups' that made their lives 'less valuble' to the government. These were not people whose deaths they were concerned with. This is social death.

Brainstorm #5 - Sarah Yang

Senorita Extravida and Mexicana Encounters both detail the horrific situation of the more than 350 young women of Juarez, Mexico and shed light on the mistreatment of women there. When society has “[shifted] the blame toward the victims’ moral character [that] in effect naturalizes violence against women”, it becomes easy and acceptable to let awful acts fade away (5). However, even in the absolute worst of environments, Lourdes Portillo and Rosalinda Fregoso are able to highlight the power that the resilient women had and have to fight against the acts done against them. When the police and powers in authorities refuse to justly go after the attackers, women take charge - one strong woman stated “if there are no leads...I’ll bring them to you” to the police (42:23). Families and women had to protect and help themselves. They believed that “by remaining silent, we were compliant” (1:11:30). Banding together, working to bring justice themselves, and supporting each other aids the community in staying strong. By protecting their own families and watching out for each other, women continue to survive in a place that does not respect them. As Fregoso penned, “women are the protagonists of this grassroots movement” (21). This is evident in the public art that women put up of Voces sin Eco, which “forged a new public identity for women, claiming public space for them as citizens of the nation” (21). Public art is a firm statement of mourning for the lost girls, defiance against the system and abuse, and resilience in the face of the situation and the people who participate or bystand in the situation.  

Brainstorm 5: Grace Grotz

In Senorita Extraviada, the victims’ families are given a voice. By presenting the stories of the women who were taken through the perspectives of close families and friends, the wide-ranging impact of these atrocious crimes is revealed. In the documentary, the narrowmindedness of Juarez’s law enforcement officers and top officials was emphasized. A government official was quoted saying, “people who work follow a clear path and dress a certain way” (10:45), implying that the women who disappeared (many of whom worked late to support their families) were murdered as a result of their own poor choices. Rosalinda Fregoso’s “Toward a Planetary Society” notes how the lack of attention paid to these disappearances by government officials stems from the masculine belief that “those women who do not conform to the mother/wife model of womanhood...are suitably punished” (5). The women of Juarez were suffering from a social death imposed on them by the leaders who were paid to protect them. Because it was easier to blame the women in poverty who died rather than eradicating the deep roots of violence and sexism in society, the leaders decided these women were of “lesser value”. To counteract this social death, the network of families and citizens affected by these crimes began speaking out. Their voices, working together, were heard by organizations on both sides of the border. Art, such as altars, can honor the women who were taken for generations after they have died. If they are remembered, these tragedies cannot be forgotten.

Brainstorm #5 - Caroline Johnson

In Senorita Extraviada the concept of “social death” is seen here as the government and the police think of these women as disposable. This is seen through their lack of action to find the culprits of these horrible murders and crimes and also their contribution to it which can be seen through the testimony of the one woman who was raped while in jail. The families and mothers practice resilience as they continue to live their life and protect their own family. They paint the crosses and paint their cars and hold protests. They also try and go search for bodies in the desert. This video shows how these women are not disposable and explains how every single woman who has gone missing is just as worthy of living a life as any other woman is. They negate the explanation that the women lived a double life or that they wore promiscuous clothes by saying that the people who are committing these crimes must be held accountable. Art is a witness to this as it is a way to paint the crosses to be in solidarity with the woman who have died and also as a way to explain what is going on.

In “Toward a Planetary Civil Society” it fully discusses what the feminicide was, in that “Feminicide in Juárez makes evident the reality of overlapping power relations on gendered and racialized bodies as much as it clarifies the degree to which violence against women has been naturalized as a method of social control” (3). They said the feminicide was due to the nonnormative activities and loss of social norms. Feminicide and globalization are described as a way to ‘“eliminate a part of that population; erase them from the face of the earth,”’(10). This is how you can connect Cacho’s concept of social death. As she explained it, social death is the people who through neoliberalism and capitalism are not considered as worthy, which is clearly shown in the feminicide in this article. This article explains how crosses were placed and “As a political and discursive strategy, religiosity gives voice to a new consciousness, one that recognizes the contradictions in the interface between woman’s visibility as abject subject (murder victim) and the invisibility of woman in the public sphere (citizen)” (21).

Week 5 Draft Questions - Elena Orlando

1. Gonzalez writes that “Testimonio has been an important intervention in an effort to de-center subjective knowledge and Western research paradigms that often ‘other’ communities of color” (136). How does the partial and subjective knowledge produced in academia contribute to the processes that go into social death?
2.  Gonzalez quotes Indigenous scholar Shawn Wilson who writes about relationality and its essence that “ we are the relationships that we hold and are a part of ” (136). How does relationality signify a transformation of U.S society? How would relationality change how farmworkers are being treated during COVID?
3. Within the song Sobreviviendo, the lyrics “The roots are what matters/for all humanity” were really powerful to me (Gonzalez, 134).  Why is honoring one’s roots essential to fighting practices of social death?
4. The racial wealth gap in the U.S. has a myriad of implications in COVID’s disparate impact on communities of color. How do the direct outcomes of the wealth gap on one’s vulnerability to premature death relate to Cacho’s concept of social death? 

Questions for Alice Bag- Teresa

1. I wanted to know what you thought about the connection between activism and music (or art more generally). What do you think comes first, are activists, activist first or are they artists who engage in activism. How do you think you that this dynamic worked for you, with your music?

2. In the piece we read you talked about how you unconsciously brought the influence of Mexican music aesthetic to punk. Do you think that this was because it was what you grew up around or additionally because it helped you to express something that punk would not allow you to do on it's own?

Week 5 Draft Questions - Kimia Preston

1. In the NPR piece about protesting Trump's policies with music, they mention that "People just wanted to hear songs that make them feel like they are part of the fight". How does music help people feel like they are involved in the cause?

2. While farmworkers are now deemed "essential workers" in this time of COVID crisis, they are being blocked from receiving stimulus payments, unemployment insurance, or any other aid packages. How does the term "essential" differ between races/ethnicity during this time?

3. Latino families are disproportionately hit by the effects of the country-wide shutdowns as lay-offs are becoming increasingly common and savings accounts are being drained. What are some other ways that minority groups are being disproportionately affected? 

Questions for Alice Bag

1. How can you get around people like Mullen's perpetuating an environment where those affected by underlying racial and gendered discrimination have no voice by accusing them of using the race card? I loved your response to him about post-identity ideology, but with people like Mullins with power, what is the best way to overcome that and liberate those oppressed?

2. How do you deal with hecklers and people being disrespectful towards you during shows? That one example of you stepping on the guy's glasses was awesome, but what was the aftermath of that situation like?

3. Why did you choose "Bag" to be the last name of your stage name?

Questions for Alice Bag

1. Where do you draw your inspiration for songwriting and performing? Has it always been the same place of inspiration or has it changed over the years?

2. Was the music always political for you personally? Or did it become a platform from which you could express ideas that were bigger than yourself?

Thank you so much for joining our class today!

Questions for Alice Bag

1. Did the awareness of your use of “punk and ranchera in stage performance” further this usage or was it just helpful knowledge?
2. With the “under the table” racism of Hollywood punk, were you at all discouraged in your music making? If so, how did you push through this discouragement?

Questions for Alice Bag - Olivia Brunner-Gaydos

1. When you are writing your music is there a particular audience you have in mind? Do you think your music and videos actually end up reaching that audience?
2. What are some of the most difficult problems you have faced as a woman in rock? How have you approached these issues?

Questions for Alice Bag - Karen Velderrain-Lopez

1. We read about the connections of musical ranchera to punk rock. Have you consciously thought about it and how other aspects of Latinx or Mexican culture have influenced punk rock?

2. How has your identity continued to influence your work and what made you choose to go into this line of work?

Questions for Alice Bag - Kimia Preston

1. What are the some of the most difficult challenges that you have had to face in the music/entertainment industry and are these challenges still faced by women and artists today?

2. As your music has always been full of social justice messages that you are passionate about, have you dealt with criticism and how has it affected you and your music?

Week 5 Draft Questions

Natalie Stagnone





1. What was the intended audience of the songs that were created and sung for the separated immigrant children on the border (NPR)? Why were they targeting this audience?


2. Reveal stated that many farm workers are now considered essential, but previously had been threatened with deportment. How is Chicano music detailing their experience during COVID-19?


3. The Reveal Article told an example of one woman who had to cancel her carpool and of others that send money home to México. How does the community of Chicano individuals influence their decision to go to work each day?


4. CNN states that minority groups are the “most vulnerable to the aftershocks of the coronavirus crisis.” What other examples in modern culture have placed minority groups to be disproportionately affected?

3 Questions - Alice Bag

1. When reading "Death to Racism and Punk Revisionism," I found it particularly striking that Bag found that her early music carried "the influence of Mexican/Chicano musical culture" such as cancion ranchera without conscious intention. I'm curious to what that realization looked like and at what point it came?

2. In watching Alice Bag videos and reading about performances, there's a lot of reference to this "furious onstage power" that Bag's brings to the music. Im wondering what its like to stumble into so much internal power in the creation process and if there have ever been times when Bag's was surprised by the emotion of previously unexpressed rage or ferociousness?

3. Since we studied Dia De Muertos and the way cultures are socialized to fear death, I'm curious about the expression of anger and the way that can often feel as societally unacceptable as talking about and acknowledging the reality of death? Did the open expression of anger always feel natural and okay? or is it something you had to work toward?

Week 5 Draft Questions, Grace Burchett

1) In the article “Sobreviviendo”, the author states that “music can inform beyond borders”. Can you think of any music you have heard that may be an example of this? What aspects of the music contributed to this informing across borders?

2) Also in the article “Sobreviviendo”, the author states “rather than viewing ourselves as being in relationships with other people or things, we are the relationships that we hold and are a part of”. Why is this distinction important?

3) How do you think our shopping/buying habits as consumers can impact farmworkers? Do you believe our buying habits can make a major difference in working conditions, and why or why not?

4) We have talked a lot about how different forms of art can reach many different communities. Do you think that works of public art, such as murals, or songs such as those in the NPR article can reach a larger audience? Do you have any personal experience with this?

Monday Draft Questions (5/4/20) - Pavithra Prabhu

My name is Pavithra Prabhu.

 

1. How does having open workshops (Seattle Fandango Project, 1:57) spread the Mexican/ Latino cultures? 

2. Martha Gonzalez talks about that “convivencia, trust” and its testimonies (Entre Mujeres: Translocal Musical Dialogues). What is the importance of having this “trust” and what is the importance of having these testimonies?

3. Entre Mujeres was inspired by mothers and motherhood (Entre Mujeres: Translocal Musical Dialogues). Why should these topics be sung in the first place? What are the benefits by singing these topics? 

4. Martha Gonzalez felt that “UW was initially a very empty space for her” (Martha Gonzalez UW Aulumni Profile). How did she eventually make UW feel more comfortable and what lessons could be learned from the process?