Week 2 Blog Response

I see art-making practices and social movements not only as deeply interconnected, but in many cases inseparable. The primary similarities that I see between art making practices and social movements is in the story telling nature of each. Both are the product of personal histories, and in the case of Chicana feminism, the personal experiences of oppression on many levels. In Chicana Power (chapter 2, page 80), Anna NietoGomez describes the intense backlash of some of the male members in MEChA after she was elected president and how she had to “continually numb [herself] as a way to cope.” The emotional investment of her involvement in this movement is another similarity I see between art and social movements. Alice Bag’s “White Justice” is another perfect example of this. As she described in the chapter “Chicano Power” of Violence Girl, her experience at the march put on by the National Chicano Moratorium Committee was life changing. Alice recalls that she had “never before realized that she was part of a minority group and felt good about being part of something as powerful as the Chicano Movement” and that “this group had enemies who weren’t afraid to throw bottles at [them] or shoot at [them.]” In addition to the music video depicting footage from that day in 1970, I watched a video of Alice performing “White Justice” at a Women’s March in 2017, which was a really clear, full-circle way of showing the way that art and social movements can be some of the most personal, defining moments of many people’s lives.