For those of you who haven't sent me a birthday wish (you're two days late and counting!):

From La Bloga:

Gente, take a look at at a description of this novel and you'll be hooked.

Words are murder.

Scribes have a gift. Whatever they write comes true. Misfortune. Theft. Even murder. Editors—covert specialists operating beyond the law—watch over them. Among the Editors, Io is the best, and the most ruthless. But on her way to her next assignment, something happens. Her phone rings—along with every other phone on the planet.

What would you do if you knew the world would end next week?

A single phone call to the world’s population asks this question. The same message appears on walls, TV screens, even flesh. Confusion erupt into chaos. Violence spreads like wildfire. Io discovers a Scribe named Nadie sent the message. But the message is only the beginning.

The final winter solstice.

In two weeks, on the day of the winter solstice, Nadie promises a final judgment. Battling a world spiraling into mass hysteria and her own dark past, Io must race to stop Nadie. But as the world is engulfed in a series of supernatural catastrophes, Io uncovers a shocking possibility: Is Nadie writing humanity’s extermination? And is Nadie linked to her past?

I can't even recall the last time I've lusted after a book written by a man. Hmm...maybe it was Star Wars book. I freely admit that I've been incredibly sexist when it comes to my reading the last 5-10 years. I just feel like I have so many women to catch up on! But for this book, I'll make some room for a dude, especially sci-fi written by a Latino! Now to find time to actually read it. That's the real trick.

Labels: Books, latina

Marisa Treviño (HT to Morra) really hit it on the head. Atty Gen Gonzales resigning was joyous for me as a progressive, but quite a sad day for me as a Latina. He is the American dream and he was right when he said his worst day as AG was better than any good day his dad experienced. My FIL use to tell the hubby that what he wanted was for the hubby to grow up and when he came home tired, his head would ache instead of his body, fingers, shoulders, etc. The in-laws are factory workers and also live the American dream - immigrant (MIL), little formal education, but managed to raise two kids (raising the nephew), great house in the 'burbs, and a nice life. Gonzales had a story that could have moved millions of Latin@ kids.

Those kinds of stories are legacies unto themselves and if Alberto had followed the usual course of not just achieving success but being a Latino of strong character who upheld the principles of integrity, ethics and justice to serve ALL people, and not just himself or one man or one administration, Alberto could have lived off his legacy like former sitcom stars who live off the residuals of their syndicated shows.

But as Trevino says, he didn't remember where he came from, and was only Latino when it suited him.

I tease the hubby that he looks like Gonzales or that Gonzales is our cousin. 'Cuz y'know, all Mexicans are related. ;) And before he was confirmed, I just kept thinking, "No, not this way! We can't make history this way." And I still think it. It's just freakin' sad. Alberto could have totally been like JFK. Almost every Latin@ I've asked, says that their (great) grandma had a picture of JFK on the wall next to the Pope, maybe even with rosary beads hanging off it. What a waste.

Labels: latina

I've blogged plenty of times before that I feel not Latina enough for many reasons. So when the hubby emailed me a story about some new ads asking "Are you too gringo?" I jumped. Bottom line: These are the most racist ads I have seen in forever. And with the advent of the internet, that's saying something.

What gets me about these ads is that they were made by Latinos for Latinos. The self-hate is so thick that it makes me want to puke.

Ad #1 shows 2 Latinos running after some kids who steal decorative ice cream cones. They get to a fence and the kids get away. The stereotype is that you are too gringo if you can't jump a fence. Get it. Us Mexicans are made for jumping fences! ha! *grrr*

Ad #2 shows a Latino on a game show and getting all these geography questions wrong. The idea here is that you're too gringo if you don't know anything about another country. Um, ok, I might buy into that. Maybe you're too Dubya? But at the end, he still gets it wrong by answering "Guadalajara" to where the Eiffel tower is located. There is applause. It's not that the Latino is a dummy, it's just that he only knows American cities.

Ad #3 is the worst, IMO. It shows a young Latino as President and ready to push the big red button to start a war. He snaps out of his daydream. The idea here is that you are too gringo if you dream about being President. The ad ends with a more peaceful & happy daydream...Clipping hedges.

I really don't know where to start. These ads smack of that whole "Oh, you're too good now, eh?" For those of you not familiar with this theme, it's like this. You grow up in a working class family, maybe a poor family. Everyone is pretty much the same. Until YOU work your ass off, go to college, graduate, get a good job, and wa-la! You are now the black sheep of the family. Family members look at you like you are a snob, when you're not. Some ask for money because you're rich now! Um, yeah...And of course, the ultimate put down...You are now a sell-out. So why not dream about clipping hedges instead of being President?

The number of Latinos who do go on to college is low. According to the Pew Hispanic Center, in 2005, only 12.3% of Hispanics over 25 have graduated from college. It goes only up to 15.8% if you only count those born in the USA. I can't recall where I heard it, but the fact that I have a master's degree puts me in such a tiny minority of Latinos in America, that we should really know each other by name. This is why I really hate the daydreaming ad.

We have a population where 1/3 of us stop our formal education after high school. In a society where technology is queen, we need more education. Technical school, community college, whatever. We cannot stop learning. Ads like this will only feed into the stereotype that Latinos are lazy and dumb. When kids buy into that stereotype, we lose them. I've seen it.

It's just so sad to see us cutting each other down like this. So sad that I can't figure out what to say anymore.

Labels: latina

She did it again! And thankfully I was home to see mi chica accept the SAG award. I get all mushy inside (as opposed to my already mushy outside) when I see America win something or heck, even speak. Her grace is sprinkled with, I hope, genuine nervousness and giddyness.

And while I have never thought of myself as a fashionista, I do think that I have found my fashion role model. The clothes she wears are just perfect. She makes me think that if someone with such Latina looks can look that beautiful, then there's hope for me yet. Seriously. America has the curves, the face, and look that most of us Latinas have. If she ever dyed her hair blonde I think I'd be crushed. Our dark hair makes us look sexier, IMO. The goddess wouldn't have given us dark flowing hair and bronze skin otherwise.

Labels: latina, TV/Radio

1. Study for the GRE and take it before the test goes to 4 hours.

2. Get Ella's room done! That also means getting the 2-3 boxes that are full of my shit out of her closet.

3. Read more. Yeah, yeah...you all think I read a lot, but I saw someone else's resolutions was to read 150 books this year. I doubt I can get thru 50, but I just want to read more. I got 3 books as gifts, bought myself a book, and have 2 in progress and one to be reviewed. Gah!

4. Work out 2 times a week. Considering that I work out during the day, it can get pretty tough for me to find time to take that long lunch at the gym. I'm not even going to set a weight goal as I realized over the summer that even thou I was going down a size, I wasn't really losing weight. GAH! So let's just work on working out.

5. Take Ella to the museum more often. She sooo loves it there, but we always find an excuse not to go. Mostly the $19 parking at Navy Pier. Maybe we need a membership at the Nature museum instead where I can sometimes find free parking.

6. WRITE MORE. And this will happen.

7. Have more fun. Between work, being a mom (not that it's not fun!), and my extracurricular activities, I sometimes forget to just stop and have fun.

8. Watch Ugly Betty. I caught up over the holiday break and gawd damn is this show awesome. And yes, I will "Be Ugly" in 2007. It's not a stretch for me. More evidence? Did you see the episode where Daniel wakes up in Betty's bed? She has Little Mermaid sheets! That was me until we bought a queen sized bed. All my LM sheets are either in full or twin sized sheets. *snort*

9. Continue my year of the Latina. I think watching "Betty" over "The Office" counts. (Note: Steve, this doesn't mean that I don't love you still. I do. I watch "40-Year-Old Virgin" almost every time it is on HBO. This saves the DVD from too much wear & tear. For Show!)

I guess that's it for now. It's been a long time since I made real resolutions, so maybe I went a little overboard. Good luck on yours!

Labels: Books, latina, misc, TV/Radio

I've rarely felt the need to review an entire magazine, but I've rarely felt that an entire issue of any magazine was this fantabulous. So if you don't subscribe (and shame on you!) you must go out and get the current issue of Bitch magazine. Let's take this in order, shall we?

* dear bitch: This is ALWAYS the first thing I read. I love hearing from other feminists on how they felt about past issues. And thankfully Bitch publishes not just the praise letters, but also the WTF letters. I especially love it when someone writes a letter that I wrote in my head, but was too lazy to send it in.

* Ads: Did you know that in the next issue, #35 a.k.a. the Super Issue, Bitch will be accepting business-card ads on the cheap? So if you have that small business and needs a plug, check our Bitch.

* Love it/Shove it: Doesn't hurt to see my fave Jennifer L. Pozner featured again. It was sad to read that the goddess, Ani, has a guy on her label that has a song with the line: "I think Ann C0uler's got a c*nt that stinks." That's not very feminist.

* on trends: I knew that I needed to blog this review when I cited Bitch in an email exchange on 2-3 different topics earlier this week. This piece by summer wood on Oprah-philanthropy is *the* best critique of Ms. Winfrey I have ever read. It sums up almost everything that I've ever disliked about the Church of Oprah. Add to that, I live in Chicago, and have yet to see Oprah at a NOW or Planned Parenthood event. And I know locals who have written to get a tiny slice of the Oprah pie for very worthy feminist events (even topics she has covered!) without a note. It might be petty, but we're Chicago damnit! Think globally, Act locally.

* An interview with Katha Pollitt: I think I've blogged many times before how much I admire Katha. This interview has some awesome lines in it and make me love her even more. I really should have kissed her when I met her over the summer. Oh, well...there's always next time!

"Becoming a parent is much too important a life event to letit ne decided by a missed pill or a split condom."
"I am so sick of [the so-called mommy wars]! It's always discussed as an individual moral choice, made by the woman in a vacuum. Where is society? Where are the men?"

* Knot in our name: A piece on activism beyond the knitting circle. It is a great critique of the crafting community - at least from this outsider's view. I went to see Cinnamon on a panel last year and some of these issues were brought up and I don't feel like they were fully addressed. Particularly the dissing of 'country crafts':

"Why does this recasting have to rely on its practitioners' distance from the previous generations, and thus from knitters' own history?"
"Not only does this ironic approach distance contemporary knitters from previous generations, it's often used as an elitist maneuver to distance crafting among younger urban folks from crafts done in rural areas."

* Green Heard: A WONDERFUL piece not just on the feminizing of eco-activism, but also on Al Gore as well. The Al Gore featured here is the Al Gore I voted for, not the man who kept showing up at the debates in 2000.
* Friend or Food: A fairly good piece. But one that I thought was full of contradictions, especially about women & sexuality. OOH, Aimee Dowl tsks (righty so) that groups like PETA and NOW don't work together, but does point out that PETA uses women in lettuce wraps as advertising. Then tsks NOW for not boycotting meat processors for using sexist advertising. The best part of this article was this explanation of why food is a feminist issue:

Anything that is so massive in its economic impact and so essential to our daily lives has implications for women in particular: Just like gasoline, housing, and childcare, meat - and meat production - is a feminist issue.

* Troop Therapy: As a former Girl Scout and someone who can't wait for her daughter to be one, I really enjoyed this critique of the modern GS movement. The need to be everything to everyone seems to have watered down the GS and their feminist ways.
* Sweet Nothings: This interview with Lyn Mikel Brown and Sharon Lamb comes at just the right time. Miss Ella is learning from the media around her and it alarms her mommy & daddy. The fact that the only Latina role model for 3yos is selling out to the princess movement is even more scary.

So there is a peek into the issue. You gotta read it yourself. So get off your tush and use your holiday money at the bookstore. NOW.

Labels: feminism, latina, magazines, misc

The shit that's flying around the feminist blogosphere over Nubian's questioning of Jessica's book cover has got me a thinking...and not just about feminist infighting.

But what is default?

When I think about a large default that pisses me off, breast cancer research comes to mind. It's really a statement about all health related research before say 1990. Did you know that some of the biggest health studies excluded women as subjects? Would it floor you if you knew it happened with breast cancer? The medical community had two reasons why: One was due to standardization (all white men) and two was the elimination of female hormones! That pesky period gets in the way again! Of course we can jest about this (kinda) because we know it's pretty much bullshit. There's almost no way one can replicate those mistakes again.

On a lighter subject, JK Rowling is JK Rowling because her editors didn't think that boys would read a book from a woman. The implication is of course that girls will read a book by either a man or a woman.

Flip thru TV and you see mostly white actors or white characters (Wonder Woman was a Latina!). Racism? Perhaps. But I bet it's mostly the default thing going on. Will whites watch a show about a black family? Will Latinas watch a show about a white family?

Women's sports is like this as well. Women will watch the NFL, but no one believes that men would WANT to watch the WNBA.

I believe the bottom line question is this: What do we self-identify with?

Do white people identify with black/Latina/Asian/Native images?

Do boys identify with girl images?

Do Latinas identify with white boys?

Maybe not a "I know what he's feeling" way, but considering how rarely we see ourselves out in the media in a positive light, we already know how to identify with the angsty white teen. I'm betting that white teen women can identify with a Latina on TV. Does corporate media think you can? I'm betting no.

So while my objection to Jessica's choice of book cover has more to do with the flat tummy than the color of the tummy, I can see Nubian's point. And this is what the publishers know as well. I, as a Latina, will pick up a book with a white woman on the cover to read about "feminism." But will a white woman pick up a book with a Latina on the cover to read about "feminism"?

I don't see it as racism...but I can't think of the appro term to label actions like this.

Labels: feminism, latina

Returning to a theme I had yesterday...

I think the first time I even knew what a burqa was it must had been about 1999, maybe 2000. I want to say it was at a conference in DC, but I knew someone at Feminist Majority around the same time, so it might had been then. Either way, pre-terrorist attacks...I was horrified to find out that women were being forced to wear these head-to-toe garments that were making it a hazard to walk & cross the street. Back then, the Feminist Majority had a TON of burqa squares and they were attached with safety pins to cards that told the story of women in Afghanistan.

Of course, I signed up. I got a shit-load sent to me and I started to sell the lil blue squares of death.

When the terrorist attacks happened and the administration declared the Taliban our enemies (only months after we were going to give them millions of dollars because they hated poppy growing too!), I nodded along thinking, "Tell me something I don't know." I cried when we bombed Afghanistan. No matter how smart a bomb, innocents die. So don't shit on me about the crying.

It was after the terrorist attacks that I learned of RAWA and began to really think about burquas, western feminism, and white privilege*. Then it wasn't until I worked with a man whose daughter went to a conference on the hijab that I really starting to think about coverings and feminism.

Long story, short...it took a long, long time and a lot of "well du'h" and "Um, Roni?" moments before I came to the conclusion that using the burqa as a symbol of oppression, was an act of oppression itself. It immediately brings to mind the image of a Muslim, non-white woman and that western feminists will save her. Well I know now that they don't need us to save them, they are rebelling on their own. They do need us to have their backs thou.

So, Amy...1) Don't ever call yourself too dumb to be a feminist. I've heard you and you're one smart cookie and a pretty damn good feminist to boot. 2) It takes a long time to really peel off the layers of privilege that one has in their lives to really look at another culture and see it thru their eyes. I won't paint any atrocities clean with the culture brush, ok? Living in Chicago, I see a lot of Muslim women. I see them in simple head coverings with their modern clothing. I see women in full cover - on hot & humid days - and me in a tank top & shorts. I feel uncomfortable for showing so much skin!

The whole Boobie-gate turned Burqa-gate lesson is this:

Don't use another woman's oppression to point out your own oppression.

Talk about your oppression, point out why this shit is happening, why you don't deserve it. But don't bring in our brown, black, or other colored sisters. As mentioned in some of the comments (hell no, I didn't read them all!), Jessica could had been depicted in say ultra conservative/Little House on the Prairie clothing. Hell, a power suit would had done the trick!

In conclusion...I admit to peddling the little blue squares of death and while it's a bit embarrassing, I don't regret it. I learned a lot about the Taliban before Condi even ignored her first briefing on them.

* I say white privilege even thou I am Latina. But I acknowledge that being raised in a very assimilated house, I hold many views/ideas that would fall under white privilege. I see things in the world with that lens. And that masks the racism that often happens right in front of my nose - sometimes only coming to my senses when a non-Latina friend points it out.

Labels: feminism, latina

The Radical Women of Color Carnival is back and asking this:

How has the media shaped our historical lives and the world we live in today? How has it been used as a tool to dehumanize, disempower, and marginalize communities of color? The media has had a significant impact on the way we think of ourselves, our bodies, our loved ones, our relationships, and all of those around us. Who has the media been benefiting and how has this been at the cost of the process of us becoming complete human beings?

I am a pop culture/media junkie. I can watch CNN all day long and there doesn't even have to be a disaster happening either. My favorite game show growing up was "Remote Control" mostly because it gave me hope that my pop culture loving mind was good for something.

It wasn't until college that I realized how poisoned my mind & soul was from all my pop culture. While I can pinpoint the day I started to hate my body and it had nothing to do with pop culture, mass media helped sustain that hate. I know everyone hated the way they looked in high school, but I had major issues with my body. Nothing was right, except my calves. They were strong and solid and powerful. And pretty damn good looking too. But that was it.

I needed to be thin. I needed to be thin like the women I saw on TV, in the magazines, and in the movies. I think most girls go thru that, but what is amazing is that it wasn't until college that I realized that I was comparing myself to white women not Latinas, not African American women. Now, not all white women are made like sticks, but on the whole, us Latinas are curvy. No matter how much weight J.Lo. and Salma lose, they will always be curvy and have a butt.

I don't recall what made me realize that tiny fact, but it makes me wonder.

If I had seen more Latinas on screen (and knew they were Latinas - hello Linda Carter!) would I had hated my body so much? Would I had embraced my curves more in a positive manner instead of just as weapons in the battle of the sexes? That I did learn early: Latina = boobs.

I wonder how young Latinas view their bodies in this post-J.Lo. world. I wonder if they love their boobs & butts. Sure the firm tummy thing is outta control, but hey, accepting curves is a start.

Sorry I don't have any firm answers, just more questions.

Labels: feminism, latina

Sister Chicas by Lisa Alvarado, Ann Hagman Cardinal, and Jane Alberdeston Coralin is part of my Year of the Latina, Part II.

The novel tells the story of three very different Latinas growing up in Chicago who find each other and create a familia of their own. It helps that each girl (Taina, Grachi, and Leni) are all only-children, but they soon grow to call each other sisters, thus the title: Sister Chicas. Each girl is written by a different author. I went to hear a book reading a few months ago and the authors let us know that they wrote each part on their own. Sure they called each other up while writing the difficult parts. There isn't a rape or murder in the book, but some scenes are autobiographical and were difficult for the authors to write about.

It is ironic that I chose this book during YotLII. A lot of scenes often felt autobiographical to me. Because of that, I was able to identify with each character on a different level. I guess that is the beauty and genius of these three writers.

Leni is the chica who attempts to not be so Latina. It's fairly easy for her to do as she looks more like her Irish mother than her Puerto Rican father. Her father died when she was a young girl, which is one of the reasons she shuns her Latina side. Grachi is the chica who embodies the hard-working, never selfish, always sacrificing for others Latina. She's an excellent student, a natural leader, and rarely takes time for herself. She knows that her parents sacrificed a lot to come to the States from Mexico in order for her for have a good life. She doesn't want to risk letting her parents down. Taina is the new chica on the block. Her and her mother moved from Puerto Rico during high school. Her mother is quite protective of her mija mostly due to the fact that Taina's father walked out on them and her mother needs to control something. Why not her only daughter?

The novel revolves around Taina's quinceanera - totally planned by her mother from start to finish. How does Taina, who doesn't quite feel right in her own skin and is paranoid that she will alienate her best friends by asking them to be in her quinceanera, get thru all of this? By falling in love of course!

Sister Chicas is written for the high school crowd. It's cute, it's somewhat predictable, but it's also pretty real in terms of Latina life and also in Chicagoness. There were a few parts where I thought, hmmm...that's so not Chicago, but I had to let them pass. So what if one of the authors called the El the metro?

There is a great smack down between Leni and Grachi that was just so hard to read. It felt so real and honestly, hit too close to home. Leni, the punk rocker, takes good girl Grachi to task for being too self-sacrificing. Grachi hits back by telling Leni how much it hurts HER to see Leni scoff at their shared Latinaness. "How do you think it makes me feel to see you push us away, me and taina and everything that's important to us, everything we love?" - Grachi to Leni (page 141).

The Chicas have it out. Down and dirty. Cleaning off all the crap that is on their respective chests. And you know what? They come out of it loving each other even more.

See, I told ya it's predictable.

But it was awesome to return to a good high school novel. It was PERFECT summer reading. And while the novel is being labeled as "Chica Lit", I don't think that it is just a story for us Latinas. So if you know of a teen-aged girl looking for something smart to read, why not get this? And before you have it gift wrapped, preview it for her.

I think this would be a great conversation starter for that hip aunt.

Labels: Books, latina

First, the carnivals:

The 5th edition of the Radical Women of Color Carnival is up and it includes me. :)

The XVI Carnival of Feminists is up.

Next, the ugly latina...and no, I won't be trashing myself this time. Yay me!

Part of me has been dreading this, but it's official, Salma and America will be bringing Latin America's favorite ugly girl to American TV sets this fall.

As for the show’s plot, ABC explains: “Betty will work in the superficial world of high fashion, where image is everything. … How can an ordinary girl – a slightly plump plain-Jane from Queens – possibly fit in?” From what we know, Betty is a modern-day twist on the age-old story of an ugly duckling who becomes beautiful. “Must-see TV?” Maybe.

“Betty's sly commentary on the vacuous magazine industry through the eyes of a plain-Jane hero (played by the charismatic America Ferrara) could work,” Seattle television critic Melanie McFarland predicts.

I know that both of these fine Latina Goddesses are feministas and that they will set out to use this show to thumb their cute noses at a society that thinks JLo is fat and not, well, Latina. But then I remember that this is TV. Corporate TV. And I wonder how subversive can this really get? I guess I'll have to watch and see.

BTW - Me thinks I need to post this photo everywhere so I can motivate myself. Do you see how much weight America has lost? Not that I thought she was fat before, oh, no...she was perfect. But damn! Does she look good. And Salma ain't have bad either. OK...I think I need a women's studies class on body image now. Why don't we have a feminist church where I can go and confess my sins?

Labels: latina

This is the first time that I've intentionally blogged just for a carnival. Fab asks some really great questions to get us all started. And of course, I've blogged about my desire to get more involved in Latina issues/community before.

But I'm not sure that I've ever blogged about what I'm actually looking for. So here it is:

31yoLatina ISO safe space to discover/reclaim Latina heritage and give back to the Latina community despite lack of Spanish skills.

And because I've been to utterly horrible at finding a safe place in real life, I've started to find bloggers who seem to love me despite my lack of Latina street cred as well as a few bulletin boards. So here I am. Still discovering all the wonderful things that makes up being a Latina after all these years. I wonder if this is just a little bit what indigenous children feel like after they were forced from their parents into a white home? I know it's not the same, but in order to 'fit into' this country, my family made the decision to not be as Mexican as we could had been. As Mexican as other families in the community.

I reflect on this fact of my life as this country is going thru a 'debate' on immigration and what speaking a native/heritage language means in terms of citizenship or loyalty. Wrapped into this discussion is also a revisiting of why or should we teach multiculturally. Should we have classes in high schools about Mexican history? Should we allow our children to learn Chinese in 4th grade? Most of the reasons why we should are couched in that we are a global world, a global economy and for this generation to be competitive, we need to give them those skills. Why we can't just say that it would be good for us to know where our ancestors came from is beyond me. To know that we all had a similar journey to this country? That a lot of us faced the same discrimination? I loved seeing photos of Irish and Mexican activists at the immigration marches.

You really do miss something when you ignore your background. Whether it is food or knowledge of certain holidays, you do miss it. This must be what fuels some people to spend lots of energy and money on tracing their family back generation upon generation. What is the story that we're missing?

OK, I've rambled on enough. This was meant to be a good blog post, but now it's just a ramble. Thanks for still reading!

Labels: latina

Yet again I got dissed by a program that I applied for. This time it's a leadership training program. I've wanted to apply for it for years but never thought that I had enough experience or whatever to make the cut. The folks who get it looked too high up the foodchain to me. But a friend just finished and sent me and few others an email encouraging us to apply. So another friend and I applied together. I even did her the favor of collecting our endorsement papers from some Big Fish in the city. And a few days ago I got the "You Suck" letter. Thanks but no thanks.

When will I learn?

I think I need to stop applying to programs until I get a handle on myself. What I mean is that despite leaving an organization that was very abusive to me, my injuries are still raw. People still ask me about them and I just shrug and say, "I don't communicate with them anymore." Would someone ask an abused woman how her sucky ex is? I would hope not! Considering how fairly honest I was with people when I switched organizations over the summer, I'd think that most people would know better. And I can't help but notice that it's the white chicas who ask. Then again, most of the women I rabblerouse with are white. So there you go. It also doesn't help that the leaders of said organization are soooooo slooooow to respond to inquires and that people know that I respond fairly quickly.

What does it mean for me, a Latina, a woman of Mexican descent, to be so heavily involved in a mostly white women's organization/movement? BFP and Samhita are pondering similar questions of being a WOC and what that means. What does it mean that I can't seem to win an election or a competition, but people are more than willing to appoint me to positions where I get to do a lot of work? Does it matter that I don't get "the title", but I do get a lot of work done? More than others who have "the title?" Am I still stuck in a cycle of abuse with white feminism? Do I have the strength to walk away from years of hard work?

Labels: latina

The 3rd Radical Women of Color Carnival is up! [link| my entry]

Maybe, just maybe one day I *really* will be radical. Until then, I welcome everyone!

Labels: latina

Long time readers with memories will recall that 2005 was the year of the latina. My objectives were simple and broad, thus simple:

I'll try to focus on getting more involved in Latina politics, read more about Latina-focused feminism, and perhaps a little Mexico history. Oh, and yes...speak to Ella in Spanish more often. I found that I know a lot more than I realized once I had Ella. There's nothing better than yelling at your daughter in Spanish. *wink*

Perhaps my first step would be to finally perfect my cheese enchiladas.

So how did I do?

I am attending more Latina events in the community. Latinas & motherhood/reproductive justice/domestic violence/etc. Soon I'll go to my first real Latina book reading! So far, ok. There are times when I feel like a totally poser as the white Latina in the room. It's sometimes embarrassing when I see the uber-white chick speaking beautiful Spanish. But not as awkward as having to say the Lord's Prayer while planning my mom's funeral and Kat, a non-Catholic, knowing the words while I just stood there!

I am speaking to Ella a bit more in Spanish. It helps that she's getting older and getting into more trouble and somehow that awakens my dormant Spanish skills.

So now what?

I'm finding more and more Latina bloggers. And you know what? I sometimes feel like an anthropologist studying a distant culture. So when Brownfemipower posted that Textaisle suggested that instead/inconjunction with any Carnivals that we do a Blogthropology, I thought, "Shit! That's what I'm doing already!" What is a Blogthropology? Glad you asked:

the study of people, their cultures and their characteristics by way of their blogs.

Blogthropology is a political project aimed at creating solidarity, moving from respect that isn't to respect. I don't think of it as an end in itself but instead as a blueprint for other interactions and other dialogues, hopefully happening outside of blogs altogether once we have wrenched ourselves away from our own sites. I am confident that if blogging is usful as a political tool, it's perhaps most useful as a tool to learn how to discuss. And I don't mean how to shout louder, jockey for position, and complain about who gets how much attention and how. Blogthropology can realistically acclimate us to decentering our own identities and our own privileges, toward building equitable models of give and take that are not blog-specific. So, let's make a habit of it. Tenth day of every month.

But really, read the whole post on either of their blogs to really get the gist of it.

This really fits into my whole being right now. As I've mentioned before, I've guzzled down 4 books by some kick ass black feminists in the last 2 months. The next two I'm reading are not by women of color, but more definitely are feminists. I did contact a Latina professor who studies scifi and asked her for some good feminist Latina scifi suggestions. Of course, the first she suggests is in SPANISH! But a-ha! Ursula "My Goddess of Feminist SciFi" K. LeGuin did a translation! So I'll add her to my huge ass list of books to get and read.

So let the adventure begin!

Oh and yes, I think I've perfected my enchiladas. But alas, in order for them to be perfect, more people need to come for dinner and that's an issue with both sides of this issue (the invitees and the invitors).

Labels: latina

I joke that I'm a media hound, but in reality, I try to take as many public speaking gigs as I can get to practice and to get them under my belt in hopes that one day to start charging for my services. So a week ago I got an email from an alumni group that I belong to (not my college thou) if I could fill in for someone who cancelled. After a few emails with the organizers (students) and thinking that I had the mission of the meeting & audience well in hand, I accepted.

I was wrong.

As soon as I walked in and heard the first speaker, I knew I was toast. It was a meeting with all Latino students and some parents (many of whom only spoke Spanish). Not only that, but the attitude of the students was one of disgust once this white Latina opened her mouth.

I turned my 30 minutes speech into about 15 minutes once I spied the guys in the crowd snicker as I tried to inspire them to work hard, go to college, etc. My lack of any accent and any real Spanish skills turned them off. They expected me to move freely from Spanish to English and so forth. I had one question asked at the end and thankfully one of the organizers help translate my answer.

It was the longest speech I've ever given because I just wanted it to be over. I started to do things that I rarely do when speaking - grabbing the table that was beside me for support. I longed for a podium to hide behind. I started to move my legs too much. In essence, I crumbled.

I know I should have asked what language the audience was expecting, but I'm on the English-only list for the group. So I assumed...wrong. And the organizers should have told me that they were going to try to conduct the meeting in Spanish.

All I can do is chalk it up to an experience, a learning point, and brush it off. The hubby, who didn't attend, was furious. We're both pretty assimilated, me more than him, and he holds the very high standard that kids like that are not just being rude, but being 'stupid.' Stupid in that if a speaker doesn't have an accent or sounds like she just got out of the barrio, then they aren't worth their time and effort to listen to.

Oddly, the first speaker, who was brilliant at moving back and forth between languages told them outright, "Education changes you. It's that simple. People will think you are a snob. Your friends will think you think you are better than them. And with education, you won't think you are, you will be." So she set the table pretty well for me. But the lesson hadn't sunk in. And I bet that for most of them, the lesson will never set in.

I have to believe that I did make a difference to at least one student. I couldn't have bombed with all of them. Whatever the reality, it's over and I'll be more careful when talking gigs from that one group. Real careful.

Labels: latina

This whole brouhaha around Shani Davis has made me reflect on my upbringing. Specifically the whole "be a good girl" mantra of my childhood.

Being of Mexican descent, I've always felt that I'm forgotten in the race wars. It's Black versus white with the Asians sitting pretty and us Latinos ignored. On one hand it's nice to be forgotten esp when the face of poverty is black. I can look at it and think, at least it's not me! But really that's just being in denial. It was me.

Then I recall how much assimilation was a part of my upbringing.

To be a good girl, I needed to have a firm grasp on English. While never spoken, the idea having an accent was not in the plan. One might characterize this as using the master's tools, but at what cost? Well the cost is that I'm 31 and hopefully by the time Ella's 5 she will best me in Spanish skills. That I'm discovering, not rediscovering, my Mexican heritage in an effort to teach Ella about our heritage.

Looking at Shani Davis, I see a different upbringing. One that embraces Black heritage as well as never forgets the wrongs that our society and government did to our Black sisters & brothers. Having that sense of foreboding is not something that I was raised with. We were raised with a sense of awe and jealousy over what "the man" has and the belief that if we just worked hard enough, we could have it too.

While I've met my fair share of "angry Latinos", it's not even close to the number of "angry black men" that I've run into. Is that because we're raised to be good latinos? Are we not angry enough? Are blacks too angry? Yes. No. Maybe. Depends. I have no idea.

I first started to ponder all of this when the hubby was arguing that he thought Shani was being unsportsmanlike. IOW, he wasn't playing by the rules. And for him and myself, we were taught to play by the rules. No matter what. As children of poor, semi-educated, Mexicans, we could never venture outside the rules for fear of backlash and being forced out of the game. Not to mention the fear of looking like "one of those stupid Mexicans." But there have been plenty of times where it might had been better for us to say 'fuck it' or 'fuck you' to the rules. And maybe that's just what Shani is doing.

Reports seems to indicate that he's gotten zero support from him "teammates" so why should he support them when they need him? Once you realize that "the team" only wants you when they need you, what's the incentive to play by the rules and be the good teammate? There just isn't.

And that kind of thinking goes against almost every inch of my being. It goes against all the rules that make up the good Latina in me.

Labels: latina

One Latina kicking some major ass: There is a Houston charter school that targets immigrants to start or continue their high school education. In the NPR piece, they mention a woman who DIVORCED her husband because he didn't like her going to school. Her boss also is being an ass by keeping her at work so she misses class. But she's still optimistic about school.

Two Chicago Sun-Times reporters kicking ass: First, my feminist mama crush, Cindy Richards reports back from the Personal PAC annual meeting with some grim facts:

*Illinois is the only state in the Midwest, indeed the only state between the two coasts, without the restrictions on abortion other states use to intimidate women seeking a legal abortion.

*Indiana requires pregnant teens to get the consent of both parents before having an abortion. Last month, that meant an Indiana teen had to ask a judge to approve her abortion because her parents were in the midst of a bitter divorce and refused to sign the form.

*Last week in Missouri, several hundred women were forced, by law, to listen to and watch a litany of anti-abortion propaganda before being allowed to have an abortion.

*This week, a woman in northern Wisconsin who had been raped and became pregnant had to drive more than 300 miles to get an abortion. When she arrived at the medical facility, she was told that abortion is the only medical procedure where the law requires a 48-hour waiting period. She missed two days of work at her minimum- wage job and slept in her car while waiting to get the abortion.

*In Iowa, the law prohibits emergency room doctors from telling female sexual assault victims that emergency contraceptives or a double dose of birth control taken within 72 hours of the assault can prevent a pregnancy.

*A state senator in Virginia has introduced a bill that would require every Virginia woman who had a miscarriage to report to law enforcement in person within 24 hours of the miscarriage to sign a statement swearing she did not cause an abortion.

Next up, Jennifer Hunter gives us her view of KISS-FM's ugly "Breasts Christmas Ever" contest:

What kind of perverse message does this send to young women who are already so self-conscious about their bodies? The majority of listeners at the station are women between the ages of 18 and 34, and 30 percent are impressionable teenagers. According to the National Association of Eating Disorders, 80 percent of American women dislike their appearance.

Unfortunately, neither the regional vice president at Kiss FM, Earl Jones, or the program manager, Rod Phillips, had the guts to talk to me about their station's obnoxious contest.

It's pretty sad that these 2 men didn't have the balls to defend their breast contest. Hey, maybe another radio station can provide them with a ball augmentation!

(Almost) Three years to smoke-free Chicago! The City Council just approved a measure to make Chicago smoke-free.

The ban takes effect Jan. 16. Smoking is allowed in freestanding bars and taverns, and within 15 feet of any restaurant bar, until July 1, 2008. A tavern is defined as an establishment that earns at least 65 percent of its revenues from liquor sales.

Additionally, if a restaurant bar or tavern can show it has installed air purification equipment that ensures the same air quality inside as outside, it will be granted a permanent exemption from the smoking ban. Eleventh-hour negotiations were necessary overnight to resolve the air purification issue.

Of course, you know what is next? Now that I should be able to bring Ella to any place without fear of her breathing in smoke, I'm sure there will be a ban on kids. But until then, let's go eat! After January 16th that is. Maybe my dry cleaning bill will go down. There's nothing worse than a smoke-filled wool coat.

She's out: Kim Ng did not get the Dodgers GM position. I know, it's kinda old news, but I keep forgetting to mention it. But the chances are good that we'll have her to celebrate in the future. That's the problem with glass ceilings...they are made of glass and are breakable.

Labels: abortion, latina

Two stories for your reading pleasure. Does anyone really work on Fridays? Of course, I have a pile that has to be done today. My Fridays are clean up days.

1. Mexico shop owner beats Coca Cola: I heard her story on NPR yesterday. Essentially no one supported her. She asked friends, family, & neighbors to boycott Coke products. Even her husband said to give it up. Stubbornness runs in Latina blood and for good reason. It serves us well. Most of the time. You really should listen to the NPR piece.

2. Compass, map, flashlight Â? shoes help migrants cross border: Get this! A shoe made for migrants crossing the border!

Labels: latina

A few months ago a bunch of coworkers were commenting on the low maternal death rate for Latinas. Of course, some of them looked over at me and I replied, "We're built for making babies!" We have the hips, boobs, and belly for carrying babies. Of course, I hope you all see my tongue planted firmly in my cheek.

But today's Chicago Sun-Times reveals that Latina lesbian couples have a higher percentage of kids than other lesbian couples. In fact 1 in 2 Latina lesbian couples are raising a kid. They attribute this to the fact that more Latinas take longer to come out or try to live the hetero lifestyle by marrying and having kids. They also note that Latino gay couples also have a higher rate of having children than other gay couples. Again, attributed to the conservative culture of Latinos and possibly more Latino/as attempting to live the hetero lifestyle. The percentage goes even higher for couples where both partners are Latino: "The study also finds that roughly two-thirds of same-sex couples in which both partners are Hispanic are raising children"

I also wonder if the lower age of childbirth adds to this. "Latino teen birth rates increased by 30 percent between 1980 and 1992 while nonLatino rates increased by only 6 percent." If Latinas are having more babies at 16, is there really time for them all to know that they are lesbian? Or even more so, perhaps part of the high rate of sexual activity is due to proving that they aren't lesbian? Seriously, I'm just thinking out loud here. But I do believe that the article's ignoring the high teen birth rate is a major hole.

The press release has a lot of great information in it and I'm sure the full report is an excellent read. It'll go on my to-do list. I loved this angle thou:

For these reasons, the study finds that Hispanic same-sex couples have much to gain from the legal protections of marriage and nondiscrimination protections - and much to lose when states prohibit same-sex marriage and other forms of partner recognition.

There's stats on the high rate of military service with Latina lesbians, the lower economic status of Latino same-sex couples, etc. The stats for Chicago are amazing:

Demographics
-According to the 2000 U.S. Census there are approximately 3,5001 Hispanic same-sex couple households in the Chicago, IL metropolitan area. Approximately 4 percent of all Hispanic same-sex couple households in the US are in the Chicago, IL metropolitan area.
-Seventeen percent of all same-sex couple households in the Chicago, IL metropolitan area are Hispanic same-sex couple households.

Parenting
-Fifty-nine percent of Hispanic female same-sex couples and 45 percent of Hispanic male same-sex couples are raising at least one child under the age of 18.
-Fifty percent of Hispanic female same-sex couples and 39 percent of Hispanic male same-sex couples are raising at least one biological child under the age of 18.
-Three percent of both male and female Hispanic same-sex couples are raising at least one nonbiological (fostered or adopted) child under the age of 18.

Immigration and citizenship status
-Fifty-eight percent of men in Hispanic same-sex couples and 56 percent of women in Hispanic same-sex couples report that they were born outside of the US.
-Thirty-eight percent of men in Hispanic same-sex couples and 28 percent of women in Hispanic same-sex couples are not U.S. citizens.

Income
-The median annual household income for Hispanic male same-sex couple households is $48,000. The median annual household income for Hispanic female same-sex couple households is $53,000.
-Six percent of Hispanic female same-sex couple households and 5 percent of Hispanic male same-sex couple households report that they received public assistance3 in 1999.
Residence
-Thirty-nine percent of Hispanic male same-sex couple households and 57 percent of Hispanic female same-sex couple households report that they own the home in which they live.

Employment
-Sixty-four percent of men in Hispanic same-sex couples and 76 percent of women in Hispanic same-sex couples report working full-time.
-Twenty-one percent of men in Hispanic same-sex couples and 22 percent of women in Hispanic same-sex couples report that they did not work in 1999.
-Six percent of men in Hispanic same-sex couples and 15 percent of women in Hispanic same-sex couples work in the public sector.

Military service
- Six percent of men in Hispanic same-sex couples and 3 percent of women in Hispanic same-sex couples report military service.

Those stats are from the Chicago Fact Sheet. They are also fact sheets for Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Phoenix, San Antonio, San Diego, and San Francisco.

Labels: latina

This morning I attended the annual Chicago Foundation for Women's Symposium. The panel was made up of moderator, Diana Palomar, director of community services, WLS-TV/ABC 7 Chicago and panelists Lakshmi Chaudhry, former senior editor, Alternet, Lisa Jervis, publisher, Bitch Magazine, and Makani Themba-Nixon, executive director, the Praxis Project.

The fact that all these women were in the same room together is amazing. Then when they opened their mouths to discuss the issues and some questions from the audience, it was breath-taking. That said, I took some kick ass notes (withdrawal from graduate school perhaps?) and present them to you so you can hear the gospel. Of course, with my own 2 cents thrown in as I see fit. And they are notes, not a word for word transcript. Also do note that the speakers don't always answer the full question.

Palomar: The CFW believes that media is the tool for advocacy that we all should be using. It is central to our goals as advocates. My question to the panel is how to voice our priorities and views?

Q: The media is filled with the same news. It casts people in stereotypes - people of color as violent and whites as heroes/victims. How do we become more critical of media? How do we get it to cover feminism more?

Chaudhry: We have to understand that the media is much more corporate now. We also have to recognize that journalists are more affluent today and thus are removed from the everyday realities of the average person. Journalists reflect the bias of the elite and define themselves by their access to the elite. There is a gender bias as well. In the month after 9/11, there were 92 bylines in major newspapers about the terrorist attacks and only 19 were women. Why? Because war and terrorism is considered a boys topic. Women are only allowed to talk about women's issues. We can't have more feminism in the media until we have more women (generally speaking). We need to write and speak out on all topics.

Q: What have you observed when working with mixed groups (black & white, Asian & Latina) when they need to work on women's issues? [note: I know I messed up this question big time. I hope you get the gist of what was being asked.~roni]

Themba-Nixon: That words come out of pictures. How we deal with the pictures of the feminist movement? What are we losing when we ignore sexism? We give way to battles between career women and women in homes, welfare moms. Who do we value? All forms of media create a bigger picture. We need to focus on that picture.

Q: Why Bitch? How do we use pop culture to bring the younger generation to the movement?

Jervis: [Since Lisa gets this question a lot, I will point you to the Bitch Magazine answer.] The title is honest about what is inside the magazine. I see the divisions in the movement as an issue of age. Labeling the movement in waves and pitting those waves against each other obscures the real divisions. We need to look at media and ask what is it telling us? Who is paying for it? From that we can think about what we can do to shift the messages.

Q: What is the feminist agenda?

Jervis: It is important to label things as feminist. If we abandon the word, we risk losing it. We have to situate feminism within a broader human rights agenda. We have to assert that there is always something about gender in all conversations. Contextualize feminism within the world.

Themba-Nixon: People don't see patriarchy so they don't understand feminism. Much like people who don't see white privilege can't really understand racism. Need to be clear that there are oppressive systems. We need to articulate the agenda.

Chaudhry: Why do women fear feminism? I believe it is a fear of drawing attention to the inequality in our society. We don't want to make others defensive. Don't want to talk about why there is inequality. This is important when talking or thinking about women who say "I'm for equal rights, but I'm not a feminist." I got a lot of negative comments on Alternet recently when I said "Pardon me for saying so, I think we've had plenty of revolutionary movements of change headed by white males. Call me crazy, but I'd like to hold out for one that includes folks who look like me." There's great risk in talking about gender issues and inequality in progressive circles. Can you imagine the risk you would be taking if you talked about it in the NY Times? [Here's the link to the original Alternet posting and then her followup.]

Q: Can you give any tips to leaders on how to communicate feminism? Can you address using metaphors considering that most metaphors are either sports-related (even playing field) or military-related (class warfare)?

Themba-Nixon: We can shift the metaphors. We just need to be clear on who are we talking to. Validate people's reality. Tell better stories of what we do. Shift from careerist feminism (Take Our Daughters to Work Day) to a wider feminism. Talk about why we need women-only space. What is fair? Tell our stories. LISTEN to each other and what they are struggling for. Reflect in our own language. Don't be afraid of words. We need to map the discourse, a long term vision.

Q: What lessons can we learn from, mostly conservative, politicians who communicate well?

Chaudhry: The challenge is not that we have to learn and do what the Republicans do. We have to be honest, our task is harder. The appeal to the otherside is that of a world that once was, even if it is a false nostalgia. Anti-feminist ideas equate with ignorance is bliss because the fight is so uphill some women would rather pack it in and go home. Arguing for something that is not here is much harder to do. The conservatives have a lot of people saying the same thing over and over until it becomes "the truth." Repetition is the key.

Q: How can we communicate better with the undecided?

Jervis: We have to realize that indy media does feed into mainstream media. Some stories start out in the indy press and move into our mainstream press. We do need to expand that influence. We need to fund media. Train pundits. Ann Coulter didn't just pop onto the scene. She was trained. We need to prioritize the message and repeat it.

Q: How do we become more critical consumers of media?

Jervis: A lot of people agree with our ideas. We need to stop making the mistake that people don't agree with us. The polling is showing that more and more people are opposed to the war. Poll after poll shows that people agree with the theory of feminism even if they don't call themselves a feminist.

Themba-Nixon: There are great resources on the web. Youth Media Council. Media Channel. We have to deal with FOX. We need to work on policy that deal with pundits being paid to state a message. "This op-ed brought to you by PepsiCo." FOX negotiates deals with hotels and restaurants to be your background noise in the bar area. We have to ask our hotels and restaurants, "Do you have to show FOX in the bar area?" If yes, tell them they can't have your business or conference.

Chaudhry: Blogs are criticism. That's why journalists don't like them. People are drowning in information. Journalists don't state facts anymore. If Karl Rove said that the sun rose in the west and a liberal said it rose in the east, a journalist today says "make up your mind." If she were to say, Rove was full of bullshit, that would be labeled partisan. FOX has built an emotional connection to the viewers. In the same vein that Bush has an emotional connection to his supporters. Both reinforce personal worldviews and biases.

[Apologies to these fab women if I have totally gotten your message wrong. Again, these are my notes, not a transcript. -roni]

Question and Answer Session:

Q: Is feminism the real tool for the moment when class is the larger issue at hand?

Chaudhry: Class has always been a feminist issue, as well as race. But using and focusing on class may be the way to bridge NASCAR dads with feminists. Bush has been great at making NASCAR dads feel less emasculated by economics and society despite not improving their lot in life.

Themba-Nixon: Who gets to work and who doesn't is the question to ask. Being poor means being productive. People of color youth must have summer jobs. They don't get to just hang out over summer. They need to prove their worth by working for someone else. Does the healing start when we liberate men and women from their gender roles? We need to understand economic, social, and political issues. We then need to connect them.

Q: Has the increased media coverage of domestic violence and rape helped? Why don't we see more coverage of Darfur?

Jervis: Media coverage has changed a lot over the years. Heck, things like martial rape weren't even a crime a few years ago! But the media has never really told women's stories accurately. Reporters stick to the law enforcement method. They want a story that is believable beyond a reasonable doubt instead of just letting women tell their stories.

Chaudhry: Lifetime sums it up. We talk about individual cases where the woman is rescued (by a man, by the police). DV is isolated. We don't talk about the social reasons for DV. All of our success in DV and other areas is tenuous [recent VAWA funding issues is a great example. ~roni] because there is no larger discussion.

Themba-nixon: We're not doing a good job at framing DV. As to Darfur...Africa is very difficult for the rest of the world to understand (US and Europe). Most newspapers and agencies don't have reporters in Africa. They live in Rome or Portugal and fly in on occasion or have stringers in Africa sending in reports. There is this notion that the problems are unsolvable; that the people are incapable of governing themselves. We have to challenge that framework. We are global citizens.

Q: [Roni note: The woman who asked this question started off on a rant about how she'd like to go to one women's event that didn't involved man-bashing. She took Chaudhry's comment about NASCAR dads that she was bashing NASCAR dads, when in fact Chaudhry was stating that they are a likely ally of ours and we need to talk with them. The woman stated that she grew up with NASCAR dads and they aren't that different than soccer moms. This woman and Chaudhry had a lengthy exchange where they seemed to have come to an agreement that this woman, who was white, should talk with her people about feminism and Chaudhry will talk with hers. Don't take that as a diss to cross-cultural exchange, but more fodder for the "we listen to those we trust. and those we trust look like us." file. ] How do we get more men into the fold?

Chaudhry: How do we not diss men without pointing out women's problems? [see discussion above about the fear of speaking of inequality.~roni] In the end you listen to people you trust and grew up with.

Themba-Nixon: I would like to live in a world where I could kick it with NASCAR dads. We need to ask what does winning look like? We should start bringing in people who are already with us instead of trying to get those who are waaaaay not with us. There are a lot of African-American women out there who want to be in the fold. We need to just get them.

Q: Where does transgender issues fit into the feminist framework?

Jervis: Feminism is all about dismantling gender roles in society. There are tensions about who can call themselves a woman in the feminist community - this surrounds issues of woman-only spaces.

Q: [Roni note: I didn't ask this, but I'm glad someone did!] Racism exists in the feminist community. How do we create a better understanding of race issues?

Themba-Nixon: We need to create discussion space. But don't walk away. It's a hard process to get racism out of an organization or movement. We need better tools to help us talk to each other.

Chaudhry: After my blog entry I didn't walk away from the issue. I re-addressed it. We have to continue the conversation. We have to be willing to hear things that we don't want to hear. Be uncomfortable. Understanding comes from basic respect.

Jervis: White women need to understand our privilege. We need to understand racism. We have to do the work.

Q: How do we reclaim our vocabulary and the issue of abortion? [This wasn't so much a question as someone pointing out that up to that point the word abortion wasn't spoken. We did talk about health, even if my notes don't reflect it and reproductive health was mentioned. This goes back to the issue of some of us say abortion, some of us say reproductive health or justice. Read "Undivided Rights" for more on this dichotomy. Buy from here.]
Q: Are we ready for Roe to be reversed? What can we do?

Themba-Nixon: Law is an amalgamation of principles, public opinion. Law changes. We need to get out and tell pre-Roe stories.

Q: Does the rivalry between women put a damper on the feminist movement?

Chaudhry: It's a sexist myth. Men are just as bad. Women are afraid of expressing solidarity with other women because it brings attention to themselves.

Q: Given that we are fed bullshit by the media, we need to call all the media outlets and demand better coverage! [Not a question, but a challenge to all those in attendance.~roni]

Closing thoughts...

Themba-Nixon: We need better tools to communicate with each other. We need a toolkit for talking with friends and family about feminism. We need to look at our own internal sexism.

Chaudhry: Everytime you speak, whether it is in a staff meeting or with a friend, it is an opportunity to give a feminist message.

Jervis: Be out as a feminist. Make the calls. Write the letters. Make noise. And support alternative and feminist media.

[Roni note: Again, these were my notes, not a transcript. If you want to add to them, just drop me a line or add it in my comments. whew!]

Labels: latina, magazines

In my new pursuit to be more involved in the Latina community, I've been to two events in the last week.

Last Friday, Latinas for Justice held a forum on the US Supreme Court. I went mostly to see Dolores Huerta again and hear her speak. She was fucking awesome. I had wanted to get my photo with us printed out so she can sign it, but I never got my act together. Oh well. But it was a good event and I got to meet a few new Latinas.

Last night at the W downtown, there was a Catalina Magazine tea with a silent auction that benefited Mujeres Latinas en Accion. It was an ok event. Might had been more fun if I knew more people and actually sat with them. Unfortunately it was a sit down event. I'm better a those events where you just wander around with a drink and try to chat with people here and there. At these sit down events, people usually go together and sit there and chat while eating the free food and downing the free sangria (which was fab). I did get to see "Maria" from Sesame Street upclose. I didn't go all fan crazy with her. Instead I just sat back and watched. But there is photographic evidence at the Chicago Latino Network.

Cinnamon has alerted all of us that a Latina in Ohio is running for office and needs our help. The Mexican government wants those of us living in the USA to represent. So Elena is running for a seat. You can help by visiting her campaign HQ page and sending an email to the committee who will elect her. Since I just found out about her yesterday, I can't totally vouch for her. But if Cinnamon says someone is worth my time and effort, then they must be.

Labels: latina, magazines

Friday I attended the National Hispana Leadership Institute's Latina Empowerment Conference. Close friends & long-time readers will know that I have been trying to address my issues with the fact that I'm Latina for the past few years. (ugh..bad sentence, oh well.)

The issue I have is that I was raised in a family that was into assimilation. While we were proud to be Mexican-American, we also lived under the idea (thanks Grandma) that since we lived in America, we spoke English. Thus, I didn't grow up speaking Espanol and when I did study it, I blew it off. Four years of Spanish and all I can say is "No hablas Espanol." OK, I can say more than that.

But what I discovered was that I grew up and didn't honor my heritage. I traded my culture for being just another face in the crowd. And I regret that. Now that I'm raising a lil Latina, I decided that I needed to expand my Latina community. For me. So that I can show Ella what our culture means.

Friday was not step one, but it was a big one for me. And it was sooooo worth it. The workshop was great, the panel was excellent, and I exchanged business cards with a lot of fabulous women.

The NHLI also sponsors a Latina Leadership Institure training. I've been eyeing the training for the past 3-4 years. Before I had Ella, I thought...I'm not ready for this. Then after I had her, I thought...I don't have time for this. But after Friday, I know that I'm ready and I will make the time. I'm not sure when I'll apply for it, perhaps next year. I already know that 2006 is going to be a heavy year in terms of after-school activities.

Morale of the story: Someone told me on Friday that the best thing about us Latinas is that we come in all flavors. And I'm getting use to my flavor.

(There are more photos...check them out!)

Labels: latina

Back when Atty General Gonzo was being debated, I stated that as a Latina I couldn't support him just because we share a common heritage. I'm listening to NPR and Donna Brazille was just on discussing the rise of Blacks in politics. They ended the program on the note that in 2008 we all might be confronted with a ballot that had Hillary on one side and Condi on the other. What would she do?

She said that as a loyal Democrat, she'd go with Hilllary, but as a Black woman, she'd at least give Condi a thought.

Donna, Donna, Donna....

I've seen you in action at a few conferences from afar. I've read your columns in Ms. (the new issue jus came yesterday) and you are a proud liberal pro-choice feminist Black woman. So what gives? Just because Condi & you share a skin color, you'll stop and consider her? A woman who contridicted herself over the weekend on what exactly "kinda pro-choice" is and her support of the Administration's global gag rule? A woman who contradicted herself in front of the Senate confirmation hearing?

Sure, Hillary's not the best feminist to win the White House. But in this political climate and the savvy she's been cashing in (same exchange rate as religious political capital), she just might be the feminist to win the White House. But that's not the point.

Perhaps us Latinas are too diverse to be a cohesive force. Even thou Gonzo's family is from Mexico, just like mine. Heck, we both won National Hispanic Scholarships! Is there a tighter, more controled level of support in the Black community? Is this why someone as bad ass as Donna would even consider voting for Condi?

Labels: latina

Well we have our first Latino Attorney General in Alberto Gonzales. The good news is that both of my fine U.S. Senators voted against him. Yes, even Senator Obama who I was pissed at just days ago voted no. I don't buy his logic that since Condi got us into the war, she should get us out of it. But hey, at least I know he got Gonzo.

Marisa Arrona summed up my feelings about Gonzo and being Latina perfectly. Somehow I think she's reading my mind!

This whole thing has gotten me thinking about affirmative action. The GOP is against it, except when it suits them. They went on and on about how fabu Gonzo is, how Latino he is, how he pulled himself up from poverty, and of course, threatened the Democrats that a vote against Gonzo was a vote against Latinos. Hmmm...The Dems, OTOH, were all about Gonzo's qualifications, his stand on torture, his inactions when writing memos to then-Gov. Bush regarding death row inmates, and didn't say a word about voting for Gonzo because they wanted the Latino vote.

The GOP has been able to claim the first Black woman Secretary of State and now the first Latino Attorney General.

I think that says a lot about where we are as a society. That the seeds of racial justice that was planted years ago in anti-discrimination laws and affirmative action has grown into a diverse educated population. Considering that Clinton was possibly the first Democratic president to have a rich diverse pool of people to appoint, I think he did ok. We had Sect. of State Albright, Cisneros, Atty. Gen. Reno and scores of other women and men of color. The fact that there are also conservative people of color shouldn't be a surprise. But it doesn't mean that they should be lauded just on that fact.

I have a feeling that Dubya just might get the first Latino on the Supreme Court as well. I'll be fighting that one as well. Not because I want the Dems to appoint the first Latino, but because of the resume that almost any judicial appointment Dubya selects will bring to the table. And isn't that the way the GOP has been asking us to judge people?

Oh, and don't miss the Rude Pundit's take on all of this Latino-loving. I almost peed my pants!

Labels: latina

Dear Senator Hatch,

As I was driving to work this morning, I heard on NPR that you were outraged that the Democrats are questioning the qualifications of Alberto Gonzales for US Attorney General. You sounded more outraged that the GOP may have to defend itself over it's first Latino superstar. You spoke of Gonzales' humble background and how he rose from poverty to be the man he is today.

I write to you today as a Latina who rose from poverty.

I am cc'ing my senators, Durbin and Obama, so that they know that there are Latinas and Latinos who question whether Gonzales is the right person for the job. In fact, I ask my senators to vote NO on his confirmation.

I will not let you use the race card to shame my senators into voting yes. A vote against Mr. Gonzales is not a vote against Latinos or against the hard work we do everyday to fight against poverty, racism, and the old white boys club. A vote against Mr. Gonzales is a signal that we, as Americans, will not allow the highest ranking law enforcement official to endorse torture. That every person on death row has a right to have an attorney that does not sleep through his trial.

The fact that Mr. Gonzale