live blog 2- Khani Priest

I think this point in the unconference was important for me watch and mostly listen to. The time mark was about 1:44:00 and the woman was speaking about integrating and experience another culture's beliefs, systems, and "way of life" in a sense. I think it is important to respect different cultures no matter who they belong to and no matter what they believe. It's about mutual respect. I also think it is important to learn about other cultures because it can only deepen your understanding about it and maybe even about your own culture. There is also the fact that it would widen your perspective in a lot of aspects of life including personal knowledge and social interactions. It was hearing this concept being explained in a different and even more understanding way.
Also, sorry about the low quality image, the sunlight was too bright.

live blog post 1- Khani Priest

Being unable to attend the unconference live has done me a great injustice. I missed out on a lot, but being able to watch it nonetheless was a blessing. One part that stood out to me was when Ofelia mentioned ancestors and the importance of them in aspects of the present life. I was always taught that my ancestors are always around and are always there for guidance and just watching over us. A lot of people nowadays don't understand this because they were not taught about their past family members or the importance of them. I absolutely loved that Ofelia explained upon this topic more.

Altar - Kimia Preston

I chose to create an altar to honor and represent the women who lost their lives from femicide in Juarez with the themes of memory, justice, and dignity. Because for the topic that I have chosen, it is centered around the lives of the missing women, the most important aspect is to illustrate the faces of those that have been harmed. I included images of both the lost women and their families because these crimes have a ripple-effect of trauma and to celebrate their memory and impact. In this altar, I intend to use many candles of all shapes and sizes to demonstrate the uniqueness of women to convey that the existences of these women will burn in our memories forever and will guide society towards a state of justice. Because each candle is a different size, shape, or color, it shows that women cannot be understood in one context, but rather they take on many different forms and roles in society. To represent earth, I want to honor their earthly presence and impact that these women have had on their communities through a series of linked chains/bracelets. These pieces of jewelry are traditionally worn by women, but by linking them together it shows that women will stand together in the face of injustice and it redefines female strength. I included a bottle of perfume to remind viewers that these women were dignified and should be treated with respect. The element of water in the altar is traditionally used to quench the souls of the departed on their long journey. Because these women were abused or murdered inhumanely, the water will be placed in an extravagant glass chalice to illustrate the worth of these women despite the tragedies that they have endured. I included bright orange flowers to contrast to the rest of the altar to demonstrate the bright lives these women have lived and will never be lost or forgotten.

thursday draft question

Why did the United States allow dreamers to have “their illegality fade into the background” as youth. What is the benefit of this? How does it connect to Martha Gonzalezes comments on the importance of community?

The article missed connections talks about the power of corporations to buy their way up search results, how does this current dynamic interact with feedback loops? 

If we changed the dynamic and took the power back from corporations to make search results more equitable how would the interaction with feedback loops change? 

Running with the idea of Kin referenced in “MONSTROUS CHILDREN OF PREGNANT ANDROIDS: Latinx Futures after Orlando” and how it can be used to fight back against deportation and thus colonial structures. Why is community, convivencia, kinship, family, seemingly in opposition to the power structures that exist today as forces of decolonization?

Brainstorm Week 10 - Chloe Rabinowitz

The film about the Ovarian Psycos struck me as a total embodiment of the material we’ve gone through during the entire quarter. These women come together deliberately, convivencia, and create a space for them to be empowered, a resilience practice. The act of being with each other and riding together is so powerful in uniting the community and creating a forum to spur open dialogue between Chicanas which was never available before. I think this is truly beautiful because it emphasizes the resourcefulness of women and how through convivencia, they can create a decolonial power structure that is oppositional to the traditional structure society provides them with. Not only does this allow individuals of these communities to come together, but it also acts as a remedio, a form of healing, for them against the pain and hardships they endured and continue to endure.

Chicas Rockeras does something similar. Chicas Rockeras was formed because of the lack of opportunity and resources available to young girls in Southeast LA. This collective creates a safe space for young women to define their own roles in society and just be themselves. In doing this, it brings together women from all over and creates a sense of community. Thus, these feministas in the borderlands organize community in the present by providing outlets for convivencia that engage the younger generations in modes of empowerment and resilience to the patriarchal power structure present in today’s society. By planting these seeds in the younger generations, they envision and help to create a future where women have the power to be themselves, without being told they’re too loud, too assertive, etc. In the article “Chicas Rockeras: Empowering girls in Southeast Los Angeles”, Marin, the founder of Chicas Rockeras describes what it’s like for a young girl to attend these camps, “imagine being ten, coming into camp, and being told ‘yes you can’ over and over again, being celebrated for your mistakes, given a high-five, or even being encouraged to yell into a mic.” Allowing young women to be themselves without the values that society imposes on them early-on creates a sense of empowerment and resilience in them that propels them forward in life and deconstructs the impact of traditional societal modes of oppression.

These young feministas who have experienced these communal spaces of empowerment create a sustainable path to emancipation by connecting with others of all ethnicities, races, backgrounds, etc. Essentially, because these young women have had opportunities to connect with each other and discover themselves, they take these core values with them into their future endeavors. This creates a sustainable model of emancipation because it encourages young feministas to create community that transcends societal boundaries, promoting the emancipation of all people, not just individual groups.

6/1 Monday Draft Questions

1. In Programas Sin Verguenza, La Torre says, “Emergent digital platforms Can Be Imagined as new methods of collecting and preserving Community radio’s recording, namely through tools that assist in the digitization and preservation of aural artifacts, images, program guides, institutional documents, and other station ephemera. " (177) How have the technological advancements of the 21st century allowed for the support and empowerment of marginalized communities?

2. In Programas Sin Verguenza, La Torre says, “When KDNA invited a clinical counselor to discuss incest within the Chicano Community, the topic created an unprecedented response from the audience, primarily comprised of women, who began to share their experiences not only with incest but also other forms of abuse and harassment” (182) How does representation of a community in a public forum foster and maintain a dialogue within that community? Is this a resilience practice for marginalized communities?

3. In the article "Undocumented workers fend for themselves with little Covid-19 help", the author states that, “While state and federal programs are helping millions of unemployed Americans pay their bills during the covid-19 pandemic, undocumented immigrants like Inocencio do not benefit from that assistance, even if they've been paying taxes in this country for many years” Is the idea of ‘social death’ sustained in the underrepresentation/lack of representation undocumented immigrants have in economic assistance programs?

4. In the article "Why Covid-19 is hitting Washington Latinos especially hard", the author states that, “Communities of color, meanwhile, now account for a larger share of positive tests. Black people make up 7% of all cases, despite representing just 4% of the population. Among Hispanic or Latino people, confirmed cases jumped by nearly ten percentage points since mid-april, to 31%, compared with their 13% share of the overall population” How have the disparities in the living situations, citizen status, healthcare, and economic assistance between marginalized communities and white people caused this pandemic to be disastrous for the marginalized communities?

Brainstorm 10

The Ovarian Psycho is “tapping into a long legacy of women of color. Organizing that links intimate forms of violence that does not just happen in their homes, but in the streets,” (Ovarian Psychos, 31:07). They work in response to post-colonial Latino households that suppress and abuse women and girls. The group wears bandanas around their faces proudly displaying an image of the uterus, “they are also Co-opting gang culture there. Co-opting cultural signs and signals and reworking them to be a form of empowerment” and “often the victims of violence over they, you know, claim it as their own and put it up front,” (Ovarian Psychos, 31:20). This is a form of resilience practice by reclaiming and proudly displaying what society hates about them, early criticisms called them a gang due to their race, so they reclaimed these  symbols.

The older women in the community question this gathering, saying that they should be more feminine, men criticize it saying that it’s sexist and not a legitimate feminist movement. But how can they say that when there is rampant violence against Chicana women? Are they meant to stay docile and agreeable in the face of this? It truly exemplifies how ignoring this violence is what is truly “psycho” and that these women are healing their community through Convivencia and celebration of true, traditional culture. Ovarian Psychos provide a space for Chicana women to connect and feel safe, in a world where they are harmed, secluded, and forgotten. It is a true form of resilience through celebration, community, and love.

In the Chicas Rockeras camp they started the conversation, “Are we embarrassed of where we live?  If so, why?” “Having that conversation, by the end, they were crying, and they were just like, ‘I love where I’m from,’” (Wolfe, Chicas Rockeras). It exemplifies the inaccessibility of music in Southeast LA that contributes to the divide created by colonialist thinking. But this group provides a space for your girls to feel empowered and to know that they have a place and future beyond the roles imposed by society. This is a form of Chicanafuturism through art, girls get to be loud and proud, carving out a place for them in the future.

Brainstorm Week 10

The Ovarian Psycos movie illustrated a powerful movement of women standing up for years of oppression that created a safe space for those in need. By creating and owning this unique space, they open up conversations and hope for a better future where movements such as this are normalized and accepted by society. Because members of this community can find "convivencia" in the partnership and embrace of this space, they are able to open more dialogues of change and celebrate their similarities and differences. Cycling serves as an important resilience practice for these women because it enables them to find their own strength and the strength of their community. Reclaiming cycling in their own unique way serves as an important progression of society to normalize and renew women's roles in the world. 

This group is just one group that utilizes Chicana feminist practices of resiliency and convivencia to create a stronger movement towards equality and recognition. Moreover, these women represent Chicanafuturism because they want to use feminist practices to create a better future for themselves and for all of society. The Chicas Rockeras Group is also a group that supports Chicanafuturism because they serve to empower women through the use of rock music and self-exploration. They push women in their community to find self-empowerment and a greater self esteem. 

Brainstorm Week 10

Feministas in the borderlands organize community in the present as they plant seeds for the future by empowering communities and increasing education and driving action and two examples of this are the Ovarian Psycos and Chicas Rockeras. These communities were centered on healing and standing with mother earth in order to enter the future with the proper mindset. The Ovarian Psycos didn't want to be controlled by fear but instead channel that energy into this new community and as a result they bike around their city together while speaking out about the forces that unjustly oppress them. This film was powerful in the fact that it showed personal stories of these women, putting a face and life to the movement and organization. They have also formed many collaborations as highlighted on their webiste to "build alliances" which highlights the ideas presented early in the corner to combat neoliberalism: small communities must rise and support each other in order to make the effective change we seek.
The Chicas Rockeras Rock Camp for Girls is a form of chicanafuturism because as Alison Wolfe says, it is "“encouraging self-esteem and self-empowerment in young girls through a medium of music". It utilizes unconventional mediums like rock music as a form of expression for young girls and allows them to build themselves up and validate their own existence. This camp is primarily for teens which is the perfect time to start considering and challening identity and societal norms for these are the formative years where morals and ethics begin forming.This crossover of genres, where women take the lead where they wouldn't be "classically" seen to  is empowering and provides the catalyst to regain control space which are all foundational to the values of chicanafuturism and I find this to be incredibly inspiring.
Through music and through physical biking, these two organizations are taking unorthodox approaches to practicing resillience and creating a more hopeful and inspiring future for generations to come. By practicing resillience together, it makes the message all the more stronger and helps the healing process for every individual, a theme we've seen throughout the quarter from community altars, to other music created by chicanafeminist leaders and more. I am hopeful that these continued actions will break down barriers and create the necessary conversations surrounding these topics.

Brainstorm 10- Khani Priest

Feministas in the present organize community through a multitude of diverse organizations including but not limited to Chicas Rockeras SELA, O.V.A.S., Womxn Who Rock, and so many others we learned about this quarter. A lot of the community is built through the use of music and dance and sharing the moment with one another. Feministas in the borderlands are organized in such a way that one can't but to feel instantly welcomed and accepted which only proves how truly resilient they are. This also goes on to show how the young feministas will create a sustainable path towards emancipation. These young feministas are highlighting affinities within difference which is vital towards that sustainable path. One can only feel welcomed if they don't feel left out, or the "black sheep" (for lack of a better metaphor). Everyone is different whether it's family, friends, siblings or strangers. Each and every one of us has a unique personality, but feministas recognize some shared thoughts, experiences, etc. despite the differences. Without accepting the fact that there are differences and similarities between people, we cannot move toward emancipation which requires this type of thought. The young feministas incorporate the resiliency practices we learned over the quarter and integrate them into teaching the young, the middle age and even the old. They use the practices to educate and inspire, to endure and to live. For example, the Chicas Rockeras SELA incorporate the resiliency practice of music into their camp for the kids. These kids are taught all forms of music and instruments. The camp focuses on the spiritual and inner aspect of the music rather than how to navigate the music industry. The music at this camp is used as a mechanism to endure, and use to speak your voice. The resiliency practices we learned this quarter are intelligently used by the feministas in order to prepare for the future. 

Brainstorm Week 10 - Teresa Bonilla

Ovarian Psychos/Cycles is a group that was created to form a community for women and to reclaim the spaces from which they have been excluded. It is about riding bikes and convivencia, but it is also about fighting back. At 21:27 they recite, what seems to be their mission statement or their creed, and express that themes that were presented through out the beginning of the film, that they are cycling to heal, their communities physically and emotionally. Part of it is that physical meeting with other women and the planning of events to bring them together. Additionally within that they are working to help better themselves, each other and their communities by creating strong women with a sense of community, and idea that once again brings me back to the idea of commoning and post capitalist thinking in our everyday life with the small ways that we reject it and return to the past.

Looking at Girls rock we see chicanafuturism as we see women empowering themselves through art. Women working together and like the Ovarian Psychos finding a community of other women with which to move through the world.

Brainstorm 10

The ovarian psychos was a great example of resilience practice in action. Based in LA, they are an organization of almost all women and are dedicated to empowering other women to stand up to oppression and stigma as well as create a safe community to be a part of. They focus a lot on the idea of biking and often organize women-only rides, like the luna ride for example, which allows them to go out into the community where they might not have felt safe or at home and conquer it as a group. This idea of biking being a key part of their message I think is really interesting as it represents a lot of independence. With a bike, you don't have to rely on getting a ride from someone or waiting for a bus or some other form of public transportation, instead, you are in control of where you want to go. That message is very empowering in its ability to destroy gender roles and traditional beliefs about what women can and can't do. By creating this massive community of women to get together and retake a sense of dignity is amazing. It is a great model for other resilience practices where traditional ways of empowerment may have failed, they can find their own way to create community and find empowerment through it.

Brainstorm week 10

Feministas in the borderlands organize community in the present as a way to plant seeds for the future in many ways. Through many art groups like fandango groups and altar-making, through social media communities like the queer undocumented series we watched, through connecting with Mexicans on the Mexican side of the border to create collaborative projects, and many more, Feministas organize communities. The concept of animating affinities within difference I think is super important in moving everyone towards emancipation because it takes large groups and united people to make change. For example, feminista movements across races and nations should see their similarities over their differences and work together to make change. A large problem we often see in history of social movements is that differences are highlighted, which creates hostility and makes it harder for important work to get done. For example in Ovarian Psychos, Claudia, a member of the group, says: "Historically, brown women, if they were working with white women on women's issues, they were seen as betraying our brown brothers. But then when we step into that space, and try to work on issues of oppression based on race, that space is overly patriarchal, where women's issues are put aside" (Ovarian Psychos 30:30). This quote shows a history where affinities are not animated within difference and that leads to the opposite of progress. If young feministas can work to include feminists of all races and if men in racial social movements can include women and their issues, a lot more progress can be made towards emancipation. Taking practices of resilience we've learned during the quarter will be crucial in the present to prepare for the well-being of the future. Keeping in mind living well, convivencia, and buildling communities through the arts will be crucial for the liberation of Chicanas in the U.S. and their future well-being. From looking at communities across the board of artists, writers, activists, and students, it's clear that there are many groups doing the good work that needs to be done for Chicana futurism. If it continues and grows in scale, I'm confident the seeds are there to create a fair future for Chicanas.

Brainstorm 10 - Karen Velderrain-Lopez

The Ovarian Psycos organization helps to bring together healing and cycling as a form of resilience because they foster a community that recognizes certain injustices and they are able to use cycling as a means of release and a way to find strength amid these injustices. From their website, they talk about their 13 Principles of Struggle section where they have recognition of the struggles that they continue to face and how in their mission, they are able to practice resilience by acknowledging these pains and by including that they “will learn tactics, build strategy and in the process find [their] purpose..accepting that [they] may or may not ever heal” (OVAS). This goes to show that they are being strong in their resilience methods and are able to communicate that and demonstrate their resilience in part through their cycling. As mentioned in the film, these women are able to find solace and exhibit resilience through riding their bikes. They can show this resilience as taking back their bodies and acknowledging the hardships that they have had to face. As mentioned on their website under the Herstory section, they mention that they “choose the bicycle not only because it allows [them] to exercise [their] bodies...but also because [they’re] broke inner-city oppressed peoples and cycling is [their] only means of transportation (OVAS). They are recognizing that they are vulnerable and mistreated by society and are being resilient in their ways of empowering women with their bikes.

The Chicas Rockeras Rock Camp for Girls is a form of Chicanafuturism. They are able to use these different methods of self-exploration and resilience to express different forms of Chicana feminism and find empowerment through rock. As expressed in the Chicas Rockeras website, the camp is an experience that aims to “promote healing, growth, and confidence for girls through music education while building self-esteem” (Chicas Rockeras SELA). Music education is used as a way to encourage Chicanafuturism and allow these young girls to practice Chicana feminism with how they learn to express themselves, encourage healing, collaborate, and find resilience in groups, as well as find their voices and use them for the goal of empowerment.

brainstorm 10 - emilia garcia-bompadre

As we've seen in many of the readings and documentaries we've watched, I think that feministas in the borderlands organize community by creating a safe space for those who need it. For example, in ovarian psycos, the women claim a space for themselves that is not "traditionally" for them, and by doing so create a space of empowerment and support with each other. These shared spaces, although they may not be permanent, create a dialogue and a vision for the future. By making these spaces and calling attention to them as movements, they can become normalized and widespread, instead of small and separate ones. The spaces are for people who are in need of a community and place to share, a minority of the population, an oppressed group. It allows for conversations so happen and connections to be made, all within a safe place. This helps create a structure for animating affinities within difference as well. The women participating in ovarian psycos have not all had the same experiences, but they come together and use their different backgrounds and strengths to animate that space with their communal power. At one point in the documentary, Xela comments how much stronger she feels when riding with a group of women than alone. 

Feministas in the borderlands utilize practices of resistance we've seen a lot. chicanafeminism stems from not having a voice in many large activist groups: white feminist groups often ignored racial discrminiation that strongly affected Chicanx people, while other Chicano and Mexican movements often didn't create a space of feminism. As such, chicanafeminism is an act of resilience in and of itself. By focusing on creating spaces of support for Chicanas, and embracing femininity in all forms, Chicanafeminism expands the definition of what activism can be. It can be in the form of making music, creating home altares, or biking with a group of women. I think this is particularly powerful because in this way borderlands feministas are able to make their voice heard everywhere, and without bounds. 

Brainstorm week 10 - Noah Krohngold

Feministas in the borderlands successfully plant seeds for the future of their communities through their consideration of policies that affect underrepresented people and the planet. Instead of only focusing on receiving justice in the present, it is equally important to understand how to prevent injustices from occurring in the future to protect the future generations. By highlighting the aspects of each other we find different because we don’t have them in common, we can better understand the societal chains that limit various groups’ potential. Far too often, we look to the present as an indicator of how to deal with our woes today, but young feministas and anyone else looking to inspire change must also analyze the events of our past to understand how activist groups promoted and enacted change within their own communities. The O.V.A.S. notes the impact of such recognition, stating that they “will learn tactics, build strategy and in the process find [their] purpose.. accepting that we may or may not ever heal” (Ovarian Psycos). Even when facing a stagnant society repulsed by social change, the Ovarian Psycos have dedicated themselves towards building a community through shared hardships and fighting their oppressors, even if that means biding their time until society is ready to hear their message.

The Chicas Rockeras Rock Camp for Girls exemplifies Chicanafuturism because it takes into account the preconceived notion that rock and roll or music in general is meant for boys, and challenges this notion by giving girls the platform to express themselves through a medium that many wouldn’t automatically relate with girls. The program “promotes healing, growth, and confidence for girls through music education while building self-esteem and encouraging group collaboration” (Chicas Rockeras SELA). Instead of giving up in the face of exclusion, this program advocates for introducing an artform to a younger generation, preparing for a future where gender roles are consistently rebuked in the name of self-expression and happiness. Rock has long been considered a white, male art form, but breaking down these barriers in order for underrepresented communities to finally have a seat at the table is key for setting up a future where everyone can pursue their hopes and dreams without fear of exclusion or mockery at the hands of the group in power.

Brainstorm 10 - Haleh Mawson

First off, it's rather inspiring how many of these projects arise from the communities. Ovarian Psycos and Chicas Rockeras were created by ordinary individuals who saw a need in their community and wanted to help. They are maintained by people who love the project and want to make the world better. I suppose one could argue that having these gaps in the first place is a sign that our government is failing us or something, but I'm inclined to see them as examples of mutual aid in practice. You support them when you can, and you can trust them to carry on when you cannot be there, like how Xela was able to leave to spend more time with her daughter, safe in the knowledge that the Psycos would continue.

Another thing you hear a lot is this underlying assumption that things cannot change. Current states are phrased as intrinsic, rather than as products of the time and place. Gender essentialism is one manifestation of this, but the same view is often taken towards poverty or oppression, this sneaking belief that a whole community could be "broken beyond repair," without hope of change or healing (Schwartz 60). But that's not true, of course. The work of Chicas Rockeras and Ovarian Psycos is to reconceptualize the present and, in so doing, reimagine the future. It's strange, because it's not merely an act of creation but something intergenerational, a future built on bicycles and music and the line of "cool tia[s]" who "kept that spark alive" (Schwartz 60).

Thanks for a swell quarter, folks, and hope you all have a lovely summer. Remember to wash your hands and water your plants.

- Haleh

Brainstorm Week 10

Feministas in the borderlands organize community in the present through the formation of groups such as Ovarian Psychos. This is a group that formed in Eastern Los Angeles and consists of women that support each other as a community by riding bikes. In Ovarian Psycos: Film about Women of Color Bike Brigade, Joanna Sokolowski and Kate Trumbull-LaValle discuss how the Ovarian Psychos Cycle Brigade aims to bring together women experiencing trauma and difficulties (Sokolowski and Trumbull-LaValle, 2016). The use of bicycles to bring women together is powerful and provides a space for individuals to connect and relay their emotions. This space offers the "community" centered concept that many women struggling with trauma need. In addition, on the Overthrowing Vendidx, Authority, and the State (OVAS) website, the author mentions "We will learn tactics, build strategy and in the process find our purpose... accepting that we may or may not ever heal" (OVAS, 2020). This demonstrates how these women create a sustainable path while recognizing and embracing differences. It is important to have an understanding and connected community of women that also takes differences into consideration. In Chicas Rockeras: Empowering Girls in Southeast Los Angeles, Allison Wolfe says"With a goal of encouraging self-esteem and self-empowerment in young girls through a medium of music, the first non-profit girl rock camp sprouted in Portland, Oregon" (Wolfe, 2016). The introduction and exposure of young girls to music is critical assists with the various resilience practices discussed this quarter. This is another method of Chicanxfuturism that allows individuals to express their voices and opinions in an engaging manner and empowers young girls to go out of their comfort zones. The goal of the camp is to encourage girls to transgress boundaries by being loud and speaking up. In Chicas Rockeras: SELA, the website mentions "Our camp experience promotes healing, growth, and confidence for girls through music education while building self-esteem and encouraging group collaboration" (Chicas Rockeras, 2020). This further elaborates on how the camp is imperative in strengthening the voices and expression of young girls as they mature into women. These readings are important in supporting many of the various resilience practices we talked about this quarter.

Brainstorm Week 10

How to they take practices of resilience we’ve learned throughout the quarter and take them into the present as they prepare for the health and well-being of the future? 


For my Week 10 Brainstorm, I'm going to answer the above with my biggest take-home from the entirety of my participation in this class.

Above all, I have learned that Chicana feminism and futurism is about embracing "mestize" and being committed to a collective healing and social justice for La Raza. This take-home was repeatedly shown in the readings, altar making processes, and scheduled speakers. We were not acquainted with a one size fits all answer, but rather with a collection of issues and the myriad of ways that people respond in their unique place with their unique gifts. Humans offering what they have in pursuit of a more just world. I think this is most important because it does not teach us that we need exceptionally skillful or educated (in the ways most respected by Western civilization/savagery), but rather that we can offer whatever it is we have to the pursuit of healing and justice. In doing this we can heal and create a future full of possibilities for ourselves and others. 

Monday Draft Week 10

1. In the age of gofundme, in which individuals support communities and people as a third space that sometimes fills in for government lack? Whose responsiblity is it to take care of people?

2. Though the news articles addressed disparities and some of the contributing factors, can anyone speak to what is being done to combat these disparities?

3. Now that so much is happening in the real of civil rights, are the dissproprtionate effects of COVID-19 in latinx communities still being addressed?

5/27 Draft Questions

1. In reading the Jenkins article, I found myself wondering why anti-mining women activists have been so invisible in scholarly work? Does anyone know why this might be or what factors come into play in the erasure of these voices?

2. What role does narrative control and issues of representation play in the "increasing tendency towards the criminalization and violent, repression of protestors (Jenkins, 443)?"

3. I thought Jenkins assertion of the necessity of a narrative that is not gender-blind interesting, does anyone have thoughts on the role this gender-blindness plays?

4. In Maria de la Torre Amaguana's chapter on contemporary indigenous identity, I was most struck by "In this way, we have tried to live a meritorious life, free from violence and discrimination,  free of poverty, exclusion, racism, and everything that has truncated our personal, familial, communitarian spiritual and social spheres.. (83). I guess my question is, is it possible? and how does a people heal from the effects of those oppressions?

Brainstorm Week 10 - Sadie Van den Bogaerde

The Ovarian Psycos and Chicas Rockeras are two incredible examples of communities built with the intent of healing so that their members can move into the future that they imagine. Both groups bring together women and girls of different backgrounds but give them space to collaborate and heal themselves and those around them, all while building confidence and independence that women too often lack because of the pressures of this patriarchal society.

I was really moved by the “Ovarian Psycos” movie, for a number of reasons. As a female cyclist, I was so excited to see such a strong, badass group of women getting together to ride and support one another. I always rode in a group of boys and never had that sense of sisterhood, only that I had to be able to fit in with the guys. I was inspired that the women who organized this group had the intentionality of healing themselves as a community. This alone set the group apart from just any ride club. Of course the male bike mechanic couldn’t understand why they “say no to boys,” because he’d never experienced the collective trauma that most of the ‘Ovas’ had. Even through their different life experiences, the women came together to celebrate themselves, as women, and call back to their ancient ancestry even though through colonialism and patriarchy they were a group “without roots.” This resilience practice of bringing together their shared, ancient past, while adopting a modern, punk, anti-establishment energy gives the group an incredibly unique bond and image, and allows the women a space to heal one another.

Chicas Rockeras Rock Camp similarly felt so close to my personal interests and involvements as a kid who was always in band and playing instruments, but was formed with key differences than any of the groups I’ve taken part in. I really resonated with the young girl who was described as being “too scared to actually hit the snare drum.” To be told to defy all that society tells you as a young girl by being loud for once is powerful. Chicas Rockeras is a Chicanafuturism because it is preparing young girls to grow into a new generation of powerful, loud women. Chicas Rockeras is forming a future for young girls by leading them to discover their own power. 

Tues Draft Copy

1. Due to "strong socialist ideals" "and a healthy distrust of what we call Gringo Politics, [Ecuador] don’t have a big privileged class of white feminists," (Amor, What Ecuador's Feminst...). How did Ecuador overthrow colonialist ideals of classism and racism when many those ideas remain entrenched in many of their neighbors?

2. Concerning keeping the title of feminist, which is inherently European, "we wonder if it would have been better if we had chosen another name for our struggle and in turn not play into eurocentrism" (Paredes, 123). What are the benefits and downsides of changing their title to better reflect the uniquely Chicana movement?

3. "The proletarians of the large companies in developed countries do not live and work in the same conditions as the proletarians in so-called third world countries," (Paredes, Dissidence and Communitarian Feminism). As the patriarchy allows for constant revolutions that center on and improve the lives of men, how does history ignore the plight of women? Why are feminist revolutions seen rather as gifts of rights from the generosity of men?

Brainstorm Week 9

Indigenous values do not only focus on the rights of people or a specific group of people, "non-human entities are accounted for in the governing formations of people" (Indiginous Matters, 100). This culture helps form the basis of inclusivity in feminist convivencia. However, the values of good living is not only due to ancestral culture and egalitarianism. Mexican American writers showed that, "the experience of dispossession helps them to understand the destructiveness of racial hierarchy and, importance for alliance with the natural environment," (Writing the Good Life, 5). In the same piece, egalitarianism was strongly attributed to Latino/a people which was linked to a stronger concern for climate change. This shows how Buen Vivir is also a form of resilience against the destructive nature of colonialism and capitalism. Mother earth and this respect for femininity extends to interpersonal relationships, emphasizing the value of all parts of a community and ecosystem. Buen Vivir is expressed as valuing more than just the individual's health, but the health of the environment and the society.

Brainstorm Week 10 6/1- Olivia Brunner-Gaydos

The organization O.V.A.S stands for Overthrowing Vendidxs, Authority & the State formerly known as Ovarian Psychos Crew or Brigade. The group is a mixture of indigenous women and women of color who are standing together to empower women as well as show their support for Mother Earth. The group combines this activism with cycling. They choose to ride bikes not only because it is often the only mode of transportation broke people have, but it is also environmentally friendly and empowers women to "take. back the streets with an understanding that sisters have our back." It fills me with hope knowing that groups like this exist. It is horrible what some of these women have had to go through, but the fact that they can come together and fight for change motivates me to do the same. These women have also been standing up during the current protests that are taking place. I only hope that I can stand in solidarity with these women, knowing I can never experience or feel the way they feel, but still standing with them and fighting for their rights. 

Allison Wolfe's article "Chicas Rockeras: Empowering Girls In Southeast Los Angeles" explains how the rock camps have not only helped spread confidence in girls but is also a form of Chicanafuturism; "People want and need to see positive images of themselves mirrored back in order to imagine and activate their own potential." This camp isn't just about teaching girls music, it is about promotive confidence in pride in who they are and empowering them to stand up for themselves. This camp promotes the fact that they are for girls as well as gender-expansive youth which isn't something I have ever seen before. Being a child who is gender-expansive can already be tough enough, but not having a set place at summer camps makes it even harder. Chicas Rockeras is inclusive and supportive of all races and nationalities along with youth who don't just identify as one of the binary genders. It is inspiring to see a camp like this and I can only hope more will follow along in both their inclusiveness and message of support. 
  

Brainstorm Week 10 - Paul Druta

In the Ovarian Psycos video, we can see feministas coming together to flip the narratives that mainstream society has labeled them with. Growing up, many of the feministas in the Ovarian Psycos were discouraged from leaving their homes at night for fear of the dangers of the streets of their neighborhood. Rather than giving in to fear or to the demands of their parents, the Psycos decided to band together to form a group of feministas that can back each other up. The movement provides a way for women and girls to not only enjoy biking around their city in safety, but also provides a platform for speaking out on the social issues that women of color face in their communities. Like many other feminista movements, the Ovarian Psycos have faced criticism, but they continue to fight to make their histories heard. One of the leaders describes this need for forming their community as a resilience practice for the injustices their cultures have faced: "We're the remnants of 500 years of colonization. A lot of our history isn't even in the history books. We haven't addressed the rape and the slaughter of our people, and the burning of our books. So we're people without roots" (around minute 32 of the movie). We can see the bike collective not only as a resilience practice for each individual member, but also as a way of expressing Chela Sandoval's idea of affinities within difference. Each member of Ovarian Psycos has a different story, but they have come together around a common goal of providing a voice and a place for women of color, and this common goal enables them to touch upon many different issues with their Luna rides (addressing racism, domestic violence, etc). By providing alternative futures for the next generations, the Ovarian Psycos are an example of Chicanafuturism: they show young Chicanas that they don't have to be what society expects them to be. On this same note, we can see the Chicas Rockeras Camp as being another example of Chicanafuturism by giving young girls the tools and the confidence they need to express themselves through Rock/Punk music (a genre typically associated with men). The organizer of the camp, Marin, describes this empowerment perfectly: “Girls are often made to feel small, to not be loud, to not take up space, so imagine being ten, coming into camp, and being told ‘Yes you can’ over and over again, being celebrated for your mistakes, given a high-five, or even being encouraged to yell into a mic. Some girls, they have a breakdown, but they also have a breakthrough.” (Wolfe).

Brainstorm Week 10 - Emily Eckey

The groups from this week’s readings take the practices of resilience we’ve learned throughout the quarter to establish practices of health and well-being in the future. Ovarian Psycos: Film about Women of Color Bike Brigade is about a new generation of fierce women of color who confront injustice, build community, and redefine identity through their bicycle crew. The film follows many personal stories of these feminist women and traces how The Ovarian Psycos Cycle Brigade sprung from the diverse neighborhoods of Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles. Participating in cycling together allows for women to be a part of a smaller community and builds the concept of convivencia. This organization brings together healing and cycling as resilience practices by strengthening the confidence of these women and empowering them to overcome the oppression of society. The O.V.A.S. website also aims to accomplish this goal. The website states that O.V.A.S. “will learn tactics, build strategy and in the process find our purpose.. accepting that we may or may not ever heal” (O.V.A.S.). In this way, the organization works for a world where recognizing and embracing differences moves everyone toward emancipation. 

In “Chicas Rockeras: Empowering Girls in Southeast Los Angeles” Allison Wolfe discusses how people need a positive environment in order to imagine and activate their own potential. This Chicas Rockeras Rock Camp for Girls is a form of Chicanxfuturism, as demonstrated by the goal of “encouraging self-esteem and self-empowerment in young girls through a medium of music” (Wolfe). The camp in Southeast Los Angeles is customized to confront and embrace the realities of girls growing up in Southeast LA. As discussed by Jessica Schwartz in “Si se puede!: Chicas Rockeras and punk music education in South East Los Angeles,” Chicas Rockeras practices a punk feminist method of teaching that advances institutional and social change through classroom activities and community-based activism. It promotes healing, growth, and confidence by giving young girls an outlet to discover themselves through music education. The Ovarian Psychos and the Chicas Rockeras Rock Camp use the resilience practices of biking and creating music to help build a better, more inclusive, and hopeful future.

Brainstorm Week 10 - Eric Fong

Feministas in the borderlands organize the community in the present through forms of group activities and missions such as the Ovarian Psychos. The Ovarian Psycos Cycle Brigade is a new group of feminist women of color that seek to congregate the "the fuckups. They seek to congregate those with trauma in their lives" (3:08 Ovarian Psycos). Ovarian Psychos use bicycles as a manifestation of shared identity. The community creates opportunities for family among those that are left behind. "building community" "sense of older women looking after my daughter" (5:16). They take ownership of a masculine symbol (bikes) to reject the oppression of society.
Chicas Rockeras Rock Camp for Girls is a form of Chicanafuturism by utilizing rock and more importantly utilizing rock as a new form of individual expression and attention gathering of one's existence. There are goals "encouraging self-esteem and self-empowerment in young girls through a medium of music" (amerpsandla.com) Marin is doing a great service that provides opportunities for young girls to develop their voice through typically male forms of music. This form of education serves as both education and as a community. Overtime, introducing more and more young girls into "male" forms of music will help build resilience and community in this sector.
"Chicas Rockeras SELA provides a unique Summer Camp experience where campers explore the joys and challenges of collaborative music-making while being guided by inspirational female mentors" This is a great opportunity for Chicanas to reclaim masculine spaces for their own self-expression. It is a new form of Chicana awareness and opportunity hence a form of Chicana Futurism.
I believe the most sustainable path for feministas to move everyone towards emancipation is to involve everyone. First, much like the examples given with Ovarian Psychos, creating smaller groups of communities are vital building blocks for security for feministas to feel a connection to a community and establish their own identity. The next step for a sustainable revolution is work towards congregating the blocks of different communities together under the shared banner of freedom of expression and community. Building a community among communities, is vital for the proliferation of universal emancipation.

Brainstorm Week 10- Linda Barragan

The Ovarian Psycos is a group that originated in East L.A. California. This group is made up of supportive women that use the riding of bikes as a way to support one another and create a community. They ride together to keep each other safe as they ride through dangerous streets of California. Alice Bag describes the educational system as a system that reshapes students " into the appropriate model of what an American student should be” (47). She continues by saying that she felt that she had to conform to society's norms in order to be part of society. But due to that, she felt as if she was losing her culture. That is why groups like The Ovarian Psycos and Chicas Rockeras are important because they allow individuals to be themselves and not pertain to a certain norm. Chicana Rockeras is also a perfect representation for chicanxfuturism because it lets Chicanas express themselves. They encourage culture and tradition in their group and they allow individuality. Especially with music, it allows people's views and opinions to shine through without any judgment. This group has a "goal of encouraging self-esteem and self-empowerment in young girls through a medium of music" (Wolfe 4). This group also makes it a point that it is bilingual. They make sure to educate these women about how important it is to be bilingual and that both Spanish and English are vital for their lives as Americans. It shows them to be proud of being able to speak both languages and to never underappreciate one of them. Both groups are great ways to bring women together with activities that they love to do such as biking and making music in order to embrace what is actually important; individuality and culture. These women are allowed to be themselves and express their traditions with women just like themselves. Whilst being in these groups, they learn more about themselves, their traditions and more importantly, they learn they have a supportive community in a society that may make them feel that they are not part of. These groups are important in changing society.

Brainstorm Week 10 - Angie Lai

Ovarian Psycos and Chicas Rockeras exemplify how feministas in the borderlands organize communities in the present as they plant seeds for the future by fostering community and support for the youth, as well as themselves. In the film, Ovarian Pyscos: Film about Women of Color Bike Brigade, Xela said that an at-risk youth becomes an "at-risk adult", and posed the question, "Where are the spaces for us?" (2:20). In order to have effective leaders for the next generation, there needs to be positive spaces and communities for today's Chicanas. On their website, Ovarian Pyscos say they "are connecting dots, becoming aware of community agencies, spaces and movimientos in an effort to solidify [their] local networks making everything and everyone more accessible for and to each other". This statement supports Chela Sandoval's theory of animating affinities within difference, moving everyone towards emancipation. By being inclusive, affinities within difference are acknowledged and supported. Chicas Rockeras also creates positive spaces and communities, moving everyone towards emancipation with a focus on youth. In Alison Wolfe's article, "Chicas Rockeras: Empowering Girls in Southeast Los Angeles'', she mentions that the camp provides a sliding scale tuition, making it accessible and affordable, and emphasizes that these girls take these skills and this energy "from camp home to their own lives and communities". When these girls feel empowered and practice resilience, they're able to create change within their homes and communities which works towards the health and wellness of the future. The Chicas Rockeras website says their campers are between the ages of 8-17, which is a critical age range that really informs your identity and self-image. It is vital to instill self-confidence and self-worth in young womxn within this age range, so they can grow up to be confident and informed leaders. In Jessica Schwartz's article, "Si se puede!: Chicas Rockeras and punk music education in South East Los Angeles", she states that the camp "utilizes punk feminist pedagogy, with a mestiza consciousness, to remind students of their past and present power, and also give them a space for their affective empowerment musically" (45). This connects the resilience practices we've learned throughout the quarter, touching on music, pedagogy, consciousness, and recognition of the past and present, to help campers create the needed social change.

Brainstorm Week 9

Million provides an understanding of indigenous viewpoints that emphasizes the interconnectedness of humans and non-humans while rejecting western binaries and origin stories of domination. This paired with Ybarra's article on Latinx people valuing the earth and sustainable environmental practices based in relationality with environment support Ecuador's decision to provide constitutional rights to the earth. In that giving rights the earth removes the colonial hierarchy in which man dominates the earth, while also acknowledging the relationship of people to earth.

Brainstorm Week 10 - Carter Rowell

The Ovarian Psychos group brings together cycling with healing by forming a small community where women do not have to be afraid and where they can show people that they are as prevalent a part of society as anyone else. Participating in cycling together allowed for women to "not [be] scared of riding [their] bicycles" and gave them the opportunity of "claiming space in very dangerous zones" (Sokolowski and Trumbull-LaValle 10:45). This is a perfect example of how feministas in the borderlands plant seeds to show society that they can do whatever men can do; cycling is stereotypically seen as a man's hobby, but the Ovarian Psychos show otherwise.
The Chicas Rockeras Rock Camp is a perfect example of Chicanxfuturism in the way that it provides a place for Chicanas express themselves and build confidence using the music and technologies of today. They have a "goal of encouraging self-esteem and self-empowerment in young girls through a medium of music," which allows them to have the opportunity to be loud and "take up space" (Wolfe 4-5). The changing of mindsets is one of the most important elements required for emancipation and social justice. The Chicas Rockeras Rock Camp achieves this in multiple facets: not only does the group allow women to find self-empowerment, but it also shows society that women are not limited in the ways that they have been throughout history. Women can be loud and participate in rock music just as much as men can.
These two groups take the resilience practices of expressing themselves, showing society their diversity, and community-building and translate them into the present. We have learned about these resilience practices throughout the quarter; for example, the altar making of Chicanas such as Ofelia Esparza allows for the expression of oneself while also making a statement about society. On the other hand, groups such as Women Who Rock organize communities where women can express themselves and practice resilience together. The Ovarian Psychos and the Chicas Rockeras Rock Camp allow for the practice of resilience in similar ways, and all the steps that these groups take prepare society for a more just and inclusive future.

Brainstorm Week 10 - Sarah Yang

One of the most important aspects of feministas in the borderlands is the community that is built around them. Only through relationships, friendships, and connections can change really begin. Finding not only other people who have been through similar situations or experienced the same struggles but also individuals who create art and music and celebrate the same culture and values is uplifting and necessary. Through this strong community, feministas are able to spread their message of love and strength even farther and include more communities. Furthermore, inclusion has been a mainstay of the Chicana and feminista movement, with them being relatively quick to include other groups of color such as the black and Asian communities, as well as the queer community. 

The Ovarian Psycos are a group of women who have created an organization in East LA, California, that brings together strong women who not only ride their bikes together, but support each other and spread messages of empowerment to their greater community. The documentary Ovarian Psycos follows their journey into the making of the group and shares some of the stories of the women. Founder Xela de la X says that they “are just that safe space for each other, to bring comfort, to bring a sense of family” (3:02). “The Ovarian Psycos are drawing upon do-it-yourself, kind of riot girl tradition, and then they are also co-opting gang culture, they are co-opting cultural signs and signals, and reworking them to be a form of empowerment” (31:20).

One great example of feministas taking resilience practices and using them to uplift future generations is the organization Chicas Rockeras. Chicas Rockeras is a non-profit girl rock group led by women that has a goal of “encouraging self-esteem and self-empowerment in young girls through a medium of music” (Wolfe). From the Chicas Rockeras podcast, these women want to teach these young girls that they can and should work with other women to accomplish goals. They find it “exciting to watch girls find their voice and their power”, and want to encourage them by celebrating their mistakes and letting them be loud and messy (2:27). Both of these organizations are using resilience practices, biking and creating music, to create comfort for themselves and their current community, as well as guiding the future communities in the right direction. 

Brainstorm Week 10: Grace Grotz

From the readings, there is a clear correlation between female community and activism. In Ovarian Psycos, women bike together to face the dangerous streets they likely would not face alone. In the girls’ camp, Chicas Rockeras, young girls can come together to create music and find confidence. In Schwartz’s “Si se puede!”, the musician and activist Alice Bag recalls how, early in her education, “the main purpose was to roll me up like a misshapen clay sculpture and reshape me into the appropriate model of what an American student should be” (47). Bag realized as she was forced to conform to American “norms”, she was losing both her culture and herself. At Chicas Rockeras, the camp leaders stress that the process of learning the music and embracing each girl’s individual interpretation of rock is most important. Through this, the community can celebrate culture rather than erasing it. 

In the article, “Chicas Rockeras” by Alison Wolfe, one camp organizer, Marin, observes how, “Girls are often made to feel small, to not be loud, to not take up space... some girls, they have a breakdown, but they also have a breakthrough” (4). Through the building of community, women are empowered. This convivencia and building of confidence allows women to make strides in areas where they are often overlooked as individuals. Male-dominated arenas like the rock industry, or biking, can be changed through large movements of women. Throughout this quarter, we have studied the often overlooked female catalysts of movements. Before taking this class, I had never heard of the Chicano Civil Rights Movement. Now, after studying it, I realize this was yet another aspect of history where the female role was ignored. It is the duty of women today to band together, speak out, and be empowered by the women of the past. On the OVAS mission statement, it states, “We will learn tactics, build strategy and in the process find our purpose...accepting that we may or may not ever heal” (5). Attaining a perfect world of equality often seems impossible, and it may be, but we can never stop searching and striving for that one goal.

Monday Draft Questions - Karen Velderrain-Lopez

1. In one of Crosscut's article, it talks about the disparity and representation gap regarding COVID infections in Washington State. What are situations that have allowed this to happen, and how can it be helped?

2. In all the sources, it is discussed how Latinx communities have struggled the most in Washington state. How can practices of resilience and other methods help bring hope and help to these communities today?

3. Last week, we saw how there are different attitudes from different communities regarding the environment, such as a more collective and communal attitude from Latinx communities compared to a more individualistic attitude from white ones. How can this topic relate to how we are currently combatting the coronavirus and how undocumented Latinx communities are fighting through this tough time?

Monday 06.01 Draft Questions- Khani Priest

1. How important is it to start thinking about a reform to increase access to families regardless of immigration status?
2. Is the impact of Covid-19 on Latinos due to classism and racism that resides in the current economic structure?
3. Who benefits from denying basic human rights and access to valuable resources to undocumented people? Why is there so much stigma around this issue?

Monday Draft Questions

1. In a country where Latinx live in areas with less access to testing, are more likely to need to keep working, and lack health insurance and government financial benefits, of course Latinx are disproportionately affected by Covid-19. Efforts to increase care to those communities is a great thing, but the real problem is much broader. How can we as a state, or broader as a country, make changes that make it so these disparities don't occur in the first place?

2. I think the work KDNA does is super important, it's so important that organizations like them can reach out to the Latinx and undocumented communities and educate and inform them on things that can help them. through what other forms do you guys think we can reach those communities with education and information besides radio?

3. There are all these issues that undocumented people face during this pandemic, what do you guys think is the best solution for this? Giving citizenship and the aid that comes with it would be great but might undermine the legal process of immigration to the U.S.. Should temporary aid be provided? Community-organized groups? Easy pathways to citizenship?

Wed. Draft Questions - Clarissa Lunday

1) Refinery 29 visited a Kitchwa village where they interviewed an Indigenous woman who explained that feminism is defined differently depending on our global and social location (5:28). How do you define feminism based on your global and social location?

2) Katy Jenkins writes that Pachamama "recognizes the sense of an intimate connection to the land as an important part of the women's rationale for their involvement" (p. 451). How does la Pachamama relate to buen vivir and Goodlife writing?

3) Luz Maria de la Torre Amaguana writes, "Indigenous women have found a reason for social struggle, and hence our participation from whatever space, including the domestic, is the place from which we have opened up, embracing being Indigenous women and not allowing our rights to become vulnerable" (p. 90). How can we learn from Indigenous women in our fight for protecting the rights of women?

Monday Draft Questions

1. With coronavirus being such a massive part of the news today, why is it that the media focuses so little on the minority groups that are getting hit harder than the general population? How can this be adjusted to ensure that these communities get the support that they need?

2. How can other communication outlets learn from what KDNA is doing and use their own media to outreach to other underrepresented communities?

3. With minority groups being affected by coronavirus disproportionately and not getting any aid from the government due to their undocumented status, what can be done to help these people? How can we influence the government to allow these people access to aid? 

Monday Draft Questions - Kimia Preston

1. How effective do you think KDNA's media will be in enacting change for those living in the Yakima Valley and struggling with issues of "health, education, and civic participation"?

2. A huge part of the article regarding why COVID 19 is hitting communities of color so hard is that there is a lack of education on where to go to get tested and treated and on proper protocol for combatting the virus. Why do you think it is that despite media coverage on many of these topics that this information is not reaching the most vulnerable groups?

3. What are some important measures that could be taken to help protect these high-risk Latino groups, particularly at work which is where they are often exposed? What support could be provided that is not in place?

Monday Draft Questions- Linda Barragan

1. Does KDNA have any other ways of educating the community, such as community events or TV?

2. In "Why COVID-19 is hitting Washington Latinos especially hard" it states '“take care of the vulnerable communities right now, and do it right, or we’ll all suffer”'. What are people doing to take care of these communities?

3. Are undocumented families that have been heavily impacted by the virus still getting government assistance when they absolutely do not have anything else?

4. How are immigrant parents expected to care for their children (which are citizens) if they are not receiving help?

Brainstorm Week 10, Grace Burchett

Ovarian Psychos is a group that is engaged in really powerful resilience practices by building community that goes against the traditional quiet gender roles for women. At the beginning of the documentary, Xela de la X says that biking is taking up physical space and exploring an area that otherwise would not be a great environment for a woman or girl by herself. This is a physical representation of resistance, because the woman are coming together in a group to show that they aren’t afraid and that they have a right to be expressive within their community. In addition, I believe the resilience practices of Ovarian Psychos are highlighted in minutes 12:00-14:00, when they focus on the death of a young girl. They raised money and wrote powerful music to support the community, as well as reach a larger audience so their voices were heard. However, I believe the most powerful part was when the women asked “what led to this?”. They were looking into the past to create a better future, which I believe is an especially powerful way to be resilient in the face of oppression. 

            Chicas Rockeras Rock Camp for girls is a form of Chicanafuturism because it shows young Chicanas how to create a space for themselves and carry this confidence with them into the future. Alice bag says that it gives girls “room to spread their arms”, which shows how they are combatting the idea that girls need to be as small as possible. Also, the podcast stated that the camp is bilingual and plays music in both English and Spanish. This is showing the young campers that both languages are important in their life, and they can continue to celebrate their hybrid cultures throughout their life. Throughout the quarter, we have learned about resilience practices that have been inspired by older women in someone’s life. For example, some of the artists we have read about mention their mothers or other female figures who have inspired their creative art practices. Chicas Rockeras shows young girls many older female figures, and this empowerment by example is immensely important in showing young Chicanas all that they can achieve.  

Monday Draft Week 10, Grace Burchett

1) In “Programas sin Verguenza” the author states that “Rather than conducting them in private spheres, Chicanas were bringing these conversations to the public airwaves, giving women the knowledge that they may not have received elsewhere” (page 187). Do you think that social media today plays a similar role in bringing Chicana conversations to the public sphere? Or do you think these two platforms, radio and social media, are not comparable? Why or why not?

2) In “Programas sin Verguenza”, they said that “Current statistics show that people of color hold just over 7 percent of radio licenses while women hold less than 7 percent of all TV and radio station licenses” (page 189). This really surprised me, especially because they said these numbers were comparable to the 1970s. Did this number also surprise you? How do you think we can increase the number of people of color and women in radio today?

3) Reading #3 stated that we need to “take care of the vulnerable communities right now, and do it right, or we’ll all suffer,” Perez said. How do you think Washington State could have been proactive about taking care of vulnerable communities at the outbreak of the crisis, and what can the state government do going forward?

Week 10 Draft

1. "Community radio made it possible for Chicana/o broadcasters to access funds for technical training through women and minority training grants offered by the CPB," (De La Torre, Programas Sin Verguenza, 179). The CPB did not have commercials and valued community needs and interaction. How were they able to fund these trainings and and staff to continue broadcasting?

2. Describing the Chicana directed programming, Somos Chicanas, "what made this show "shameless" to some was how it questioned the idea of a woman's purity, piety, and submissiveness, particularly for those women who grew up in a traditional Mexican or Chicano household," (De La Torre, 183). How did radio provide a safe, intersectional space for Chicana women to express themselves and their needs without direct fear of repercussion?

3. "Experts say another reason the virus has hit Latinos hard is that they work in industries that are considered essential or that cannot be done remotely," (Fowler, Kroman, Why COVID-19 is hitting Washington...). Yet, if the essential employee is an undocumented immigrant, they are also unable to receive financial support from the government. How can the government class a job as essential, but not treat the person's life and livelihood as essential? 

Brainstorm 8

In retaliation against colonial and violent knowledge and practice, indigenous movements have shifted to "cosmic" knowledge and perspectives. The Constitution of Ecuador has articles, "granting inalienable rights to nature," (Revkin, Ecuador Grants Constitutional Rights to Ecuador). The colonialist and capitalist notion of nature pushes the idea that man has dominion over nature and thus nature has no inherent value or rights outside of its use for man. "This binary of man over nature is fundamental because it establishes the dominance of masculinity over nature, understood as feminine, unwieldy and in need of protection and control" (Walsh, Afro and Indigienous Life- Visions in/and Politics, 54). The Constitution of Ecuador directly counters this idea of ownership by giving nature its own fundamental rights, that lie outside of the capital value system imposed by colonial views. It also represents the intersectionality of Chicanxfuturism as it shows that nature and indigenous beliefs are the way of the future and are not relics of the past. It flips the narrative that western thought is modern and inherently good, through the power of activism and social movements.

Monday draft questions-Teresa B

1. Is there anyone doing work like KDNA in the Seattle area, or is there a way to get involved with KNDA? ( I know that there is the seattle bilingual radio but to they function similarly?)

2. How does not ensuring that all communities and therefore socioeconomic and racial groups have the same access to care and treatment allow for those in power to create false narratives regarding the role they play?

3. How does the push to reopen save the government from creating systems to support undocumented folks as well as other low income folk that may be struggling but are hear 'legally' and in a way silence them and their suffering?

4. How do those of us fortunate enough to not be in these difficult positions benefit from others being in them?