Social movements are forms of expression, exposing injustices in current systems in place. Unity through adversity is ever-present in social movements, at the core of Chicana feminism. Art-making practices are critical to movements because they provide outlets where unique perspectives can be shared. The power of art is the power of expression, being able to share ideas, perspectives, and stories that’d be silenced otherwise. Alice Bag’s “White Justice” call for including all perspectives in the line “White justice doesn’t work for me” (1:44) emphasizes the importance of having the ability to share perspectives, to fight against the whitewashing of society. Further, as described in Chicana Power, Anna NietoGomez argued that each Chicana practiced feminism in their homes, emphasizing that, “the experiences and backgrounds of Chicanas are not monolithic” (Chapter 2, page 51). The ability to share and relate to others’ diverse experiences through art is what cultivated solidarity early-on within the Chicana community. An example of this is Alice Bag’s description of the march she attended where she first became conscious of racism against her culture. Exposing the oppression she observed serves as an experience that many marginalized people can relate to. As the movement grew, art took different forms, like redefining the history that Chicanas were raised on. In Chicana Power, NietoGomez discussed how hard it would’ve been to continue the movement “if we hadn’t read that we had sisters before us” (Chapter 3, page 104). Expressing the hidden history of women’s rights activists gave the movement a momentum that was essential to its survival.
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