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Recently in women Category
 Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai, 1940-2011
We have lost one of the most important voices of our time. The loss is great at this critical moment in history. Wangari Maathai, a Kenyan environmental and political activist was the first East and Central African to receive a doctorate. Her degrees are in biology and anatomy.
Two of Maathai's books I've read, Unbowed: A Memoir (2007) and Repleneshing the Earth: Spiritual Values for Healing Ourselves and the World (2010) describe a passionate, brilliant woman who disobeyed the law in order to make significant changes in the environment and significant changes in society for women. And she gives us such innovative and powerful suggestions to replenish the earth, to heal ourselves. In 2010, she was in Mexico for the UN Climate Summit and said the following:
"[G]overnments must do what they have promised: take concrete action to reduce their emissions; deliver finance and work together to make low-carbon development a reality; and protect those least able to cope with the impact of climate change . . . If we truly want to tackle climate change, poverty, and conflict, we need to think holistically. We need to, as Ban Ki-moon said at the launch of the UN global sustainability panel, "think big, connecting the dots between poverty, energy, food, water, environmental pressure and climate change."
During the UN''s 3rd global women's conference in Nairobi in 1985, Maathai introduced her organization, The Green Belt Movement and this connection greatly aided her efforts in setting up countless programs in various countries (including Mexico) to combat deforestation, water crises, rural hunger. May her efforts continue even though she is no longer with us! Que Viva The Green Belt Movimiento!! Que Viva la Profesora Wangari Maathai!
There is a wonderful award-winning documentary about Professor Maathai's life and environmental work. It is entitled, Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai. I strongly recommend seeing it! And you can order it from The Green Belt Movement website (just click on the title above).
Gracias Profesora Maathai, for your courage, your tireless work, your constant smile in the face of adversity, your willingness to stand up and question, to stand up and disobey. Dissent! Gracias. Your efforts will not be forgotten. Wangari Maathai: PRESENTE!
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Dear Readers, It's been a while since I've written more regularly. My spring resolution is to stick with two entries a week, no matter how short--to keep connected to you. Thanks as well to your lovely replies to my posts.
Earlier this spring I was chosen as a Ms. Magazine Feminist Scholar. What does this mean? Ms. Magazine launched this program because they see a need for feminist scholarship to reach a wider audience. Those of us who are in academia often find ourselves writing our articles and books which only end up being read by other academics. This is a chance to translate our work to the mainstream public for the purpose of change!
I'm one of 24 Feminist Scholars chosen this year. Over one hundred academics applied across the country. As one of the scholars, my charge is to write an article (and possibly more in the future) for Ms. Magazine. For the past month, we've been meeting weekly via "webinars," learning all about the history of Ms. Magazine, how articles are queried (the query letters are called "pitches"), and the types of articles Ms. publishes. They also (in the mail) sent us a number of past magazines so we could study and read the articles published in the last five years. In addition to learning all about magazine writing, it's been great getting to know the other feminist scholars through their research and their "pitches." Topics include women judges and the struggles regarding judicial appointments, critiques regarding the film "Precious," how children's toy companies market products for girls such as The American Girl Doll, pesticides and the environment . . .
I decided to connect my article to my present research on Latinas on the Great Plains/Midwest, specifically those working in the meatpacking industry. Among the many Latina immigrants who are here, there are groups of Maya women who have formed community and have organized themselves to support and keep each other strong. These women challenge the stereotype that immigrants are helpless individuals who drain our resources and/or are more of a problem rather than a contributing member to our communities. In actuality, "Immigrants pay more than $90 billion in taxes every year and receive only $5 billion in welfare. Without their contributions to the public treasury, the economy would suffer enormous losses" ( click here for quote citation and more information!).
On Friday, April 23rd, Arizona's Governor Jan Brewer signed legislation that requires all immigrants to carry their immigration papers at all times and also gives police/government authorities directives to search anyone who they may suspect is undocumented--racial profiling as law. The law also considers undocumented workers criminals ( there is more).
The United States has a very long (centuries long) history of fearing/hating immigrants (Irish, Italians, Jews, etc.). And when there is a recession, the immigrant becomes the scapegoat for the public's economic frustrations. My article focuses on a specific immigrant group and how they are surviving despite these difficult and painful political events and societal misconceptions.
In May, the Ms. Magazine Feminist Scholars will be gathering in Los Angeles to workshop their pieces. I'm sure by then, there will be more to add regarding what is happening in Arizona.
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Emma Pérez and her novel, Forgetting the Alamo, Or Blood Memory.
 
Felicidades to two amazing U.S. Latina writers! Their works have just been nominated for the Lambda Literary Awards, also known as the "Lammys"-- awarded annually by the Lambda Literary Foundation to honor works that celebrate or explore LGBTQ themes. '"This has been a record year for queer books," said the 2009 Lambda Awards Administrator, Richard Labonté, who has been associated with the Lammys since their inception in 1989 as a judge and consultant. "The number of titles nominated and the number of publishers represented is in both cases about 10 percent higher than last year"' (from the Lambda Literary Foundation page).
All the more reason to celebrate Chicana historian, theorist and fiction writer, Emma Pérez' novel, Forgetting the Alamo Or Blood Memory. Pérez takes readers to nineteenth-century Texas where Micaela Campos is witness to the 1836 battles of the Alamo and San Jacinto. This is a multi-layered work that reflects our own struggles today with immigration, revisionist history, race, class, and issues of sexuality. This is Pérez's second novel. In 1996, she published her first novel, Gulf Dreams (a new 2009 edition is available). Gulf Dreams is a fascinating psychoanalytic coming of age story--also set in Texas. Orale Emma!
Kristen Naca's debut work of poetry Bird Eating Bird was the winner of the National Poetry Series mtvU Prize (selected by Pulitzer Prize winning poet, Yusef Komunyakaa). Her poetry is a tight knitting of sound and rich poignant moments of memory, global in its reach: The Philippines, Mexico, Pittsburgh, Nebraska, and the southwest are reflected. Naca follows other National Poetry Series winners: Dionisio Martinez, Cole Swensen, Mark Levine, Billy Collins. Naca deserves to be among them and there will be more from Naca! Orale Naca!
Not only are these women amazing writers and poets. They are also scholars. Both hold doctorates. Dr. Pérez received her PhD in History from UCLA. Dr. Naca received her PhD in English from The University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Currently, Naca is a visiting instructor and a CFD Fellow at Macalester college in Minnesota. Dr. Pérez is Associate Professor of Ethnic Studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Before you leave this site, check out Naca's poem, "House" online from Octopus Magazine! Enjoy!
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Thanks to everyone who joined us today at CSULA! It was standing and sitting room only at our "The Historical Novel" panel. Profesoras y escritoras Graciela Limón, Alicia Gaspar de Alba, Emma Pérez, y yo were greeted by such generous and important questions after we read from our books and discussed why the historical novel genre is especially prescient for our twenty-first century. What we are all doing is returning la mujer to history--giving her voice. So important.
Las escritoras: Amelia Montes, Alicia Gaspar de Alba, Graciela Limón, Emma Pérez
Fielding questions from the audience
The audience!
After our panel, I also met many young Chicanas y Chicanos who are also dedicated to the "word" and I am posting their pictures here and will explain their projects (below). These young students, especially, were such a pleasure to meet because I see in them passion and commitment to the "word." They see that in the reading and writing of literature, they are participating in deepening their understanding of their humanity, of our culture. By writing, they are creating art and contributing to the transformation of their world. YOU are the future!
Who are these vibrant, young writers pictured above? In their book _Behind Every Beautiful Eye_, the section entitled "About the Authors," reads: "We wrote this book when we were freshman at the Los Angeles School of Global Studies (LASGS). We are a diverse group of students coming from the United States, Mexico, the Philippines, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Jamaica. We all have one thing in common--we know what it's like to grow up as teenagers in the neighborhoods of downtown Los Angeles" (357). This is a project that can happen in any city because Latinas y Latinos are in every state of the U.S.
And joining the Global Studies students are these vibrant young writers who call themselves, "Barrio Writers." They are the first "Barrio Writers" chapter in Santa Ana, Califas--a non-profit reading and writing program that aims to empower teens through creative writing, higher education and cultural arts. This winter, their first anthology publication (entitled _Barrio Writers_) will be out. Order a copy now at Barrio Writers BLOG!! I send a special gracias to Claudia Breña (standing next to me in the picture) who took time to talk to me about being a "Barrio Writer." Much success to Claudia and all the Barrio Writers!
A special shout out to Chicana Detective novelist, Lucha Corpi! She read from her story, "Hollow Point at the Synapses" just recently published in the anthology, Hit List: The Best of Latino Mystery (edited by Sarah Cortez and Liz Martínez). Lucha also discussed the importance of writing the mystery and detective novel. Gracias Lucha!
Felicidades to René Colato Lainez (above) fellow Macondista and children's author at the Latino Book Festival author booth today. He has two new books coming out: René Has Two Last Names (out October 31!) and The Tooth Fairy Meets El Ratón Pérez. I have seen René read from the El Ratón story--priceless! Bilingual books ROCK. Gracias René!
And finally--a big GRACIAS to mi carnala, Pat Alderete, Chicana author, who joined us for the day, took pictures, engaged me (as she always does) in important discussions about literature, writing, Chicanisma, barrio life, and the art scene in Chicana Los Angeles! Orale Pata. Gracias por tu presencia en mi vida! Abrazos!
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