Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Chicano Feminism

Oh, the parallels between Chicano Feminism and Black American Feminism. The double consciousness is apparent in both. I honestly never thought about Chicano feminism. This troubles me because I have considered myself a well-rounded person. I realized I have fallen victim to the binary concept of black white. I feel that in mainstream society and my own African American Society mirrors that of early feminism that excluded other oppressed groups. At Spelman, I believe we vaguely speak about other types of feminism by acknowleging them, but never before have I studied some one else's culture.

The part of the article that parallels with what has been discussed in my other cources is male-privilege. I mentioned earlier the theme of double-conciousness. Anna Nietogomez eloquently states on page 302 that "if somebody attacks you for being a Chicana feminist, he's diverting your attention from some of the important issues at hand." The similar predicament exists in the black community, the issue of being black first then women second. She brought up the issue of equal pay for her male counterparts and then worry about women. There was nothing revolutionary about the topics she brought up, because I have heard it before. However, it was reveloutionary because I heard a feminist voice that I had never heard before.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I definitely agree that at Spelman, we only think of the world in terms of Black and White. Before reading the article, I didn't quite understand all of the benefits that could come from uniting with other peoples of color to end our oppressions, but after realizing all of the similarities between Chicanas and Blacks, I definitely feel like people of color should fight together. As women of color, we should learn about other women of color. Reading "Chicana Feminists," it becomes evident that women of color suffer from the some of the same oppressions. How empowering it would be if we joined forces in our fights for justice.

Unknown said...

I have mixed emotions about the Chicana Feminism. I agree that it is enlightening to hear from another feminist perspective, but I don't like implementing another feminism in the sense of third world. Of course they have their differences, but we should promote unity for feminism as a whole, because again all of our oppressions are intersecting. As much as we try to break down the binary categories, we continuously implement them in our daily conversation. When we talk about race when always say black or white, but overlook the Asians, Mexicans, or any other cultures that deserve credit. WE all face oppression, because we are outside of the norm which is "white" and that's why we should work on fighting together.