Why I, As An Anarchist, Support The Brown Power Movement

As an anarchist, I get asked a lot why I believe in the brown power movement and I end up being asked this a lot. Well it is fairly simple, but let me break it down for the anglos who tend to ask this ridiculous question...
As an anarchist, I look at the hierarchical social structure and the various forms of oppression that come from it. The institutions that make up the power structure continue to exist because of, and thrive on, these forms of oppression. It is in the best interest of the oppressed to overthrow their oppressor and defend their autonomy. As womyn, we have every reason to defend our bodily autonomy from patriarchal oppression. Well, as xicanas, we have every reason to defend our raza and our communities from institutional racism and structural violence.
This structural violence comes from the power structure and that power structure cannot be broken down without oppressed communities and oppressed peoples fighting for, and gaining, their autonomy. I believe much the same for other oppressed communities (and have sympathy and solidarity for the black power movement for example) but I'm speaking on the brown power movement because it's more personally relevant to me since I am xicana that is my raza.
When white people conquered the Americas, they brought their oppressive social structures with them. They brought euro-centric ideals like misogyny, white supremacy, the gender binary and more. They set up white people's borders on our continent and set up their governments. Any act of defiance against them is a step in the right direction. I don't think the brown power movement is the whole answer, but it is a push in the right direction. We have had this white authoritarian power structure coerced upon us non-consentually and they continue to do it to us still. Any act of resistance against that may not always be inherently anarchist per se but is inherently in line with anarchism. It is an act of defiance against over 500 years of genocide and white oppressive authoritarian rule. You cannot be an anarchist and not support that.






#BrownPower #BrownLivesMatter #Anarchism

Colonizing Feminism: A Brief Critique Of "Shared Girlhood"

The notion of "shared girlhood" always seemed ridiculous to me. I have noticed that it was always white womyn who claimed that "shared girlhood" was actually a real thing. But lets look into what the notion of "shared girlhood" is, who benefits from it and who is marginalized by it...

Being raised in a collision of cultures, always caught between Mexican culture and Anglo-American culture, my upbringing and my experiences were shaped by culture. I find the notion that anglo womyn have some kind of shared experiences of oppression with me to be condescending at best. The fact is that the history of the feminist movement for the most part involves a history of white womyn working for white womyn while womyn of color got thrown under the bus. When I see someone advocating the idea of "shared girlhood" what that translates to underneath those words is "let me tell you what your experiences are and erase your experiences with racist oppression" but their two word version just sounds deceptively better. In reality, it only makes it appear more legitimate.

The idea of "shared girlhood" was created as a way for white womyn to colonize womyn of color. But you know what? I ain't a pawn for anglo womyn. It's not that I wouldn't fight alongside white womyn against patriarchy and all of the other hierarchies that are interwoven with patriarchy. However, if I fight alongside white womyn, I will do it on my terms. Don't condescendingly tell me that you understand my lived experience, instead acknowledge and take responsibility for the privilege you were blessed with by your white skin and your anglo culture. Don't sell me some anglo-centric notion that you can project your experiences on me.

Another group of people marginalized by the idea of "shared girlhood" are the trans folks that the idea of "shared girlhood" is most often used in a more blatantly malicious way. The idea of "shared girlhood" is used by so-called "radical feminists" to tell transwomyn that they aren't womyn and usually involves viewing transmen as some kind of gender-traitors. It is a way for trans-exclusionary radical feminists (TERFs) to deny the identities of trans people.

What it comes down to is one group of white, cisgender, mostly affluent womyn telling the rest of the us what our experiences are. So if you believe in "shared girlhood" maybe it is time to check your fucking privilege, guera.

Transition: A Life Faced With Adversity

There are many things that are a result of the social structure that we live in. One of these catastrophic results is suicide amongst groups that are marginalized and stigmatized because for one reason or another they don't fit into the norms that the social structure was built on. I've had several friends who were part of LGBTQIA (alphabet soup) communities who've committed suicide. When you live in a social structure that is adverse to your existence and in a society where you are painted as the 'other', life can seem too difficult to be worth it. Sometimes keeping on can be a fight that looks eternal and hopeless. One of the communities that is hit hardest by such adversity and stigma is the trans community. The suicide rate is significantly higher than pretty much any other population. Many trans folks who come out lose their job, family and friends over it, but that is just the beginning...
...Then there is the insane level of threats, violence and harassment. Walking down the street becomes more dangerous for trans folks. People often feel threatened when their over simplistic understanding of gender is being challenged. Sometimes some people get violent because they fear anything or anyone they don't understand. In medical situations, trans people are often put through hell if the medical professionals who are supposed to take care of them happen to not have the knowledge on basic sensitivities when it comes to trans folks. Because of horrible portrayals of trans people in the media and humor at trans folks' expense, society treats trans people as something to gawk at instead of someone with their own feelings, dreams and aspirations. Trans people are treated as subhumyn in that sense.
My heart and prayers go out to trans folks who committed, attempted or are thinking about suicide. I pray that they don't give up on their lives. Someday we will have a world where gender roles are not forced on anyone, a world without the gender binary or the patriarchal social structure. I pray for and work towards a world without social stigma. I pray for a world where instead of having to face overwhelming adversity, trans folks have support and hope reinforced by the greater society. Someday cis privilege, male privilege, hetero privilege, white privilege, economic-affluent privilege etc will be recognized and broken down with all the hierarchies. In the meantime the trans community has my solidarity and support. If you know a trans person who is struggling I urge you to be there for them and support them. Transition can be hard enough for them as is, then they may also be facing the stigma and oppression in ways we might not even be able to imagine.

Domestic Violence: A Societal Problem

It is all over the media, athlete Ray Rice knocked his fiancé out in an elevator and all he got as a consequence of his actions was a two game suspension. Regardless of whether or not the NFL saw the video before they handed down the two game suspension, they had to have known that Mr. Rice dragged his unconscious fiancé from the elevator which was also caught on camera. This is a symptom of a larger societal problem where the institutions, sports leagues, the media, politicians and even society as a whole does not take domestic violence and gendered violence seriously. The problem is almost without fail portrayed as just a few isolated incidents. When people speak out we are seen as "hysterical" and they will say we are "overreacting".

Another thing the media will do is if a survivor returns to the abuser they use that as a means of attacking the validity of the accusations. This happened when Rihanna was seen with Chris Brown after he had beaten her.

I know because of personal experience how difficult it is to get out of an abusive relationship. When I left my abusive ex and escaped abuse, I had help because a wonderful feminist came and helped me get away. She gave me a place to stay.

I am very blessed that she helped me because I wouldn't have been able to get away without her help. If it wasn't for her help in getting away, I'd likely still be with him to this day. However, there are many other womyn who don't have such support and feel as alone and trapped as I did at one point. If you are one of those womyn and you are reading this please know that you are not alone.

When I had a way out and realized that I deserve better than abuse, I left that motherfucker. Nobody deserves to be abused.

The problem is society doesn't take domestic and gendered violence seriously. The system is rigged to silence survivors. Much like with sexual abuse the police are usually don't take domestic violence very seriously and the injustice system rarely does anything about abusers.



I, personally, feel that a network of underground community oriented justice as well as education is the most logical way to combat this problem. As womyn, we must stop tearing each other down and follow the example of The Gulabi Gang in India.

Why Isn't Weed Legalized Nationwide?

"Why isn't weed legalized nation wide?" is a question I ask myself a lot. Is it because it is dangerous? Is it because it transforms otherwise nice people into criminals and the monsters they say are always  lurking in the dark? Is it because addiction is a serious problem? Or that it kills brain cells making us pot smokers apparently turn into bumbling imbeciles who can't think for shit? No. The reason is control. If people can smoke weed than they can make choices about their own bodies.
When looking further into it they were trying to control chicanos and blacks. Big business had everything to gain by the criminalization of weed. Hemp was bad for business for the cotton and paper industries. Control of people and resources was the goal.
To deny a person autonomy over their own body denies their individuality. This is the goal of the corporate power structure. They want power they keep it.
They can line their pockets with these private contracts for prisons. So each person sentenced over possession of a plant that is most common in communities of color and economically underprivileged. Control. Countless products that would cut into business interest. Control. Telling you that you can't put that substance in your body. Control.
That is why weed isn't legalized. Control. Period.