First Reflections

As our work for Chicana Por Mi Raza is about to commence, I’m excited to be part of such a monumental project documenting a history that has often been excluded. There are a number of things that I have learned prior to this class, but most things I have learned after doing the reading.  Chicana feminism as a part of Women of Color feminist theories are often at odds with women’s liberation and the broader feminist theories since much of it is considered applicable only to middle-class white women. Prior to colonization of the Americas, Indigenous women were often esteemed and held highly-valued positions in their cultures. In fact, decolonization often plays a large part in Chicana and Indigenous feminist theory. Chicana women have joined their men in fighting for social and economic justice for many years. However, Chicana feminists broke with the brown power movement due to sexism within the movement. This happened with many of the People of Color revolutionary movements. I’m not familiar with many of the women who spearheaded Chicana feminism in the 1960’s or whose activism began I later years, although I am sure that I will learn more about these women in the upcoming weeks. I am also curious to learn how the men of the Brown Berets acted when the women resigned from the organization and how supportive Chicana men are now.

            I’ve long been aligned with feminism but have often been concerned with the lack of information on Women of Color feminist theory, especially those theories formed by groups of a much smaller demographic.

In my first Women’s Studies class, I was disappointed to note that Indigenous feminist theory was not included in the Women of Color lectures. However, I see this project as a way to glean skills that may one day make Indigenous feminist theory more available One of my greatest hopes is that I can learn the methodologies of oral history so that I can make a contribution to this great project and apply these skills in the future in creating an archive for my community. I hope to learn more about organizing and activism so that I can be a contributing member to my community. I also hope this project will inspire me to work even harder to absorb the stories and histories in my family and my community before it is too late to utilize firsthand sources. Initially, I was concerned about my lack of Spanish-speaking ability, and my inability to trill, but that is no longer a concern. However, I am concerned that I won’t have good questions on which to follow up. I find that I’m often so absorbed in what people are saying that I usually don’t have questions until much later. I am also concerned that if faced with a large archive, I will have a difficult time discerning what to include and what to omit.

Sarah's Initial Reflection: 9/23

The introduction of Archives Power! struck me in an unexpected way. I wasn’t prepared to draw connections between this course and last semester’s International Studies Seminar: Politics of Memory and History. However after reading through the introduction it became clear there are many links between the two realms of coursework. The connection I find most intriguing — and hope to explore in greater depth this term — is the relationship between state power and “official” histories. The collective memory of a population is often tied to official state documents and archives, though these may not always best reflect the community at stake. I find this tension between official histories and hidden memories to be extremely fascinating since it often drives the poorly represented group to stand up and speak out against the state system. This notion of control and power gained through the selection of specific archives and the rejection of others is something I would like to expand upon as I dive into the terrain of Chicana feminism. More specifically, I hope to learn more about the political implications of silencing Chicana feminists and failing to include their stories and experiences in the official public history.

Another aspect of Chicana feminism I’m looking forward to exploring is the intersection of gender and sexuality in conjunction with the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement. Chicano! touches on this concept, but I would like to learn more about the ways these radical women were able to redefine society as they know it and empower their community to take a stand for justice and political representation. As I learned in my seminar last semester, these types of histories often go unnoticed and require conscious research and documentation to unearth the “hidden” truth.

One of my greatest fears moving forward is that the interview with Maria Guadiana isn’t as successful as I would like it to be. I worry that after months of preparation and research, the interview might not go as smoothly as planned, or that my teammate and I don’t gain as much from it as we may have originally intended. I know sometimes I can become caught up in minute details and fail to see the larger picture at hand, so I hope this experience will allow me to understand Chicana feminism and the radical movement behind it in an all-encompassing way.

Additionally, I look forward to exploring a new realm of coursework and becoming an active participant in unearthing this “unofficial” history. I hope that by the end of the term I not only grasp a better understanding of the Chicana movement, but find specific connections to my own life and interests as well. I’m most excited for the actual interview itself and hope that it is not only quite successful, but that the stories shared are ones I will carry with me for the rest of my life. My own mother has been doing genealogy for about ten years now and the stories she shares with my family and I at the dinner table, family gatherings and on long car rides, are not only heartfelt, but of great historic value also.

A new perspective

My first few thoughts on learning about Chicana feminism, archives and oral history were that I didn’t know very much at all. I keep thinking to myself, what exactly does it mean to be a Chicana feminist? And how is a Chicana feminist different from other feminists?  I have learned about Chicana feminism before, though that was not always the focus in most of my classes. Works like The Bridge Called My Back (I’ve only read parts of that book) and Gloria Anzaldua’s Borderlands: La Frontera helped introduce me to Chicana feminist thought. Much like other historical narratives, the history of Chicanos and their struggles for civil rights has been told largely from a masculine perspective.

The relationship between Chicana feminism, archives and oral history, however, really lost me. I had no idea that archives privileged certain narratives over others, though it did not surprise me. I had, like so many others, assumed that archives represented the Truth, that they were indiscriminate in what they decided to keep. In reality, archives can only hold a small piece of the truth. The different perspectives on countless subjects are still missing, as archives still mostly contain records or manuscripts on the dominant narrative. I find it bothersome that certain histories are still missing, and even more bothersome that there is a sort of feedback loop that perpetuates this. Historians can only write histories on the evidence provided to them, if there is not sufficient evidence then they cannot do their work. Historians are therefore bound to what is available, and the obvious problem is that the available evidence does not always give a complete story and so certain histories go missing. These missing histories have a difficult time getting archived because no one is researching them because they are studying what has already been archived. No archive, no research. No research, no archive.

What makes what I am learning so fascinating is that we are contributing to making a part of history more visible through oral history. Before this course I had heard about oral history, but not really given it much thought until very recently. I have a book on African folk tales and origin myths. All of the stories within it had been recorded by a historian or ethnographer during a retelling of them. Until now, though, I did not understand just how precious what the researchers/oral historians were doing was. That book opened up a whole new world to me when I first read parts of it (twas for a class), but it also led me to desire more. Oral historians help to capture history that may not be written or documented in a physical, tangible form. By placing these histories in archives, we now open doors for further research and more knowledge.

My greatest hope for this experience is that I learn exactly what Chicana feminism is (well, I’ll have to learn exactly what plain old feminism is first, it is surprisingly still murky) and that I will also be able to participate, in some degree, to the continued learning of others. The more I learn about this course, the more interested I become. I love getting new perspectives on history, that’s what made me major in history in the first place. I want every narrative to be treated with the same respect and interest that others are. That’s a rather large aspiration, but no one ever got anywhere without at least an idea of where he or she wanted to go.

Elizabeth's Initial Thoughts

Chicana feminism is a very complicated area for me as I’m a Mexican American woman. I’ve always had mixed feelings about the role that women play amongst Latinos and the liberties that are “given” to us. But I’ve also never considered myself a feminist. In the past year, I’ve been learning a lot more about the Chicano Movement and what that meant for those fighting and future generations. I like that I’ve been learning more about the struggle that my “people” have had and continue to work through.

            I didn’t know much about all the work that Chicanas have done and continue to do for our community. It’s truly inspiring and admirable that they’ve dedicated so much of their life and work for the betterment of this culture. I’m really excited to learn, firsthand, about the experiences these women have had. I’m excited to meet one of the women that has helped pave the way for not only Chicanas but Latinas. Hearing about this era has not only empowered me as a Mexican American woman, it’s also helped me visualize the long way that Latinas have come since then. It makes me realize that even small things have made a big difference and it makes me think about my role within this movement. This little into this project and I’m prouder now that I belong to the first Latina-based, academic sorority that was established for the same reasons why Chicanas were speaking up in the 60s and 70s. I’m proud of myself for continuing my interest in helping the Latino community thrive.

            I want to discover more reasons for why I should continue to actively involve myself but I fear that I’ll end up feeling unaccomplished. I fear that learning so much more about these women, I’ll end up thinking I haven’t done enough for my community. But I hope that this project will motivate me even more to continue with my plans of helping young Latinas.

            As far as the actual outcome of the project and what we’ll actually be doing, I don’t have many initial thoughts. I’m an engineer so archiving and oral histories is very new and different for me. I don’t know what to expect. I’m sure it won’t be an easy job, but I don’t know how hard it’ll be. I’m definitely very excited to take part of such an important project. I think it’s absolutely necessary to have these stories taken down for everyone to know. It’s a shame that not much has already been done to try to preserve such important information for such a huge part of this country’s population.

            Although it’ll be a great opportunity to be able to do this kind of work outside of engineering, I’m concerned that I won’t do it right. I’m concerned that I won’t know what to include in the archive. I don’t want to have poor judgment but I’ve never done any work even slightly similar. It’ll be an interesting experience trying to figure out what should be shared with the rest of the world.

            Regardless of my doubts, I can already see this course being more rewarding than what I originally thought when I signed up for it.

Reflection One

“We are what we collect, we collect what we are.” ~ Elizabeth Kaplan

For thousands of years the histories of people have been written down, and (in some lucky cases) preserved. From the ancient Egyptians, to the Renaissance and Reformation in Europe, to yesterday’s news, records have been taken about the occurrences from the past. Whether or not that information makes it beyond the paper is in our hands. As author of Archives Power, Randall C. Jimerson wrote, “ By preserving some records and not others, archivists affect society’s collective understanding of the past, including what will be forgotten.”

            As the great-granddaughter of Polish immigrants my family history has been passed down through the generations. If it weren’t for the stories, the letters, and the photographs, I’d be missing part of who I am. Finding this class spoke to me in that sense: preserving parts of unknown history that are important to understanding the past.

            I’ve taken courses on feminist theory, and my first encounter with Chicana feminism was in Gloria Anzaldua’s writing “La conciencia de la mestiza.” Part of her focus centered on the domination that is culturally specific, using her own ethnicity as a Chicana. Anzaldua discussed how men in her culture face suffering and shame because of the color of their skin. To regain some sense of masculinity they “breed a false sense of machismo” (Anzaldua 83) and oppress their women. I will qualify that 1) not all Chicano men are like this 2) this same repression occurs in various forms in all cultures and 3) oppress is a strong word, but I find it fitting, considering the circumstances of our class in the sense that very little is known about the Chicana women who brought so much to the movements for Chicano rights.

 For me however, it’s beyond resurrecting that untold history; it’s about bringing this group of women into the light. Our history is speckled with stories of women like Joan of Arc, Sor Juana, Amelia Earhart, etc. But that’s all; they’re the few blips within a long history of male heroes. George Washington wouldn’t have won the War for Independence without the women who fed, clothed, and tended to the sick. The Resistance against the Nazi’s didn’t benefit from just men; women were involved in all sorts of underground organizations during World War II.  Rosie the Riveter is a prime example of the thousands of women who worked long hours in factories while their husbands, fathers, brothers, and uncles fought overseas. Without these women and many more, historical events may have taken a different turn. Women have always been on both sides of any movement, and it’s time more of their stories start being told.

Currently, I am working on my own project for my History Honors Thesis, which focuses on women in the Michigan Migrant Ministry and their interactions with the Chicano communities in the rural parts of the state during the 1940s. I introduced myself to Oral History by doing one of my own for the project; it was quite a learning experience to say the least. For one, patience is a virtue. Working with older persons requires an understanding that you may not get all of your questions answered in one interview, but at the same time they may give you a jack pot piece of information that you wouldn’t have found otherwise. I am excited that the upcoming semester will further refine my skills in Oral History, and aid my overall development as a Historian. But even more than that, I’m looking forward to being apart of this movement to document the untold stories of these women who did so much for the causes they believed in. Their histories will not only bring to light a new dimension of their own history, but they will also show the strength that women bring to the past.

That excitement and goal has kept me from focusing on my fears for the project, which aren’t really fears (since I believe that is a strong word), but more concerns. I want to make sure I ask questions without offending anyone; I am referring to the idea that curiosity killed the cat.  

Ari's First Thoughts

I am a history enthusiast and born record-keeper. Since childhood, I have rummaged through family archives for clothing, photographs, letters and other artifacts of my ancestors. I create the family photo albums, I keep journals, and I try to preserve the memories of my family in short stories. I ask a continuous slew of questions of immediate and extended family members at any chance I get. Because of my curiosity, I grew up surrounded by storytelling. My bisnonno described his experiences in San Benedetto del Tronto in Italy as a soldier, my Grammy described her memories moving from Stalinist Russia, and my parents explained how they married, regardless of their different religious backgrounds. From this, I learned lessons about hardship, hard work, love, cruelty, and interactions with people across cultures. 

Now, I am at university studying other peoples’ items in several research projects in an attempt to glean information about the nineteenth century in the United States of America. Both in my research in 19th century magazines, and also in my thesis research in popular music I work to understand the ways Americans have created social structures of hierarchy. The knowledge I’ve obtained applies to our Latina Oral History project in that many of the experiences we might hear about come from the classism and racism solidified during that time. Also, my research experience has lead me to understand how to conduct effective primary source research. 

Though my access to historical archives sparked my curiosity to explore, I cannot doubt that traditional archives exclude artifacts voicing the histories of oppressed communities; including, but not limited to, women, people of color, queer individuals, and people of low socioeconomic status. It is not surprising, then, that the opportunity to help create an accessible archive for more inclusive learning excites me. I want for Chicanas to have their important stories heard and documented, especially because of the extensive exclusion of the community in the majority of historical collections. Right now, history belongs to people in positions of power. It is time for that to change. Though I never had the opportunity to conduct oral histories, my passion for obtaining individual and collective stories makes me confident that I can begin to learn how. 

However, I remain inexperienced in modern forms of history-making, Chicana feminist legacies and conducting oral histories. Like I said in class, my technological skills are lacking. I am nervous to butcher the videography and ruin hours of hard work, causing a loss in uniquely important information. In the same vein of technological inadequacy, I am liable to take too much time learning to scan documents. With such issues, I might hinder my team in uploading sufficient archival information. 

Even if tasking difficulties frighten me, the implications of my identities worry me more. I wonder if my identities as a white woman from an economically privileged background will only add to my naiveté. I fear that I might accidentally disrespect Sister Consuelo Alcala. We come from different generations and follow diverse religious tracts. 

Regardless of such insecurities, I maintain hope that I will learn the same lessons that my family taught me from another perspective. I also want to learn more about Chicana feminist history and the experiences of the women we plan to interview. I would also like to bond with the class/research team and contribute a well-done portion to this project. 

Tom's Reflection

Sometimes you have to put aside your thoughts in order to get things done. Enrolling in this course was very much one of those situations for me. The more I thought about being a member of this small group that was going to experience the history of Chicana feminism, the more I thought that maybe I wasn’t up to the job. I had three main concerns. The first was that I wasn’t Chicana, so maybe I’d be out of place. The second was that my Australian-ness would leave me ill equipped to actually understand the reality of the issues at hand. The third broke away from the ‘identity’ theme and into the ‘I-have-no-idea-about-archives-or-how-they-work’ genre.

First and foremost, this entire entry needs to be read with the understanding that every step of the way my apprehension existed in complete contradiction to my enthusiasm. That’s important.

My first concern, that I’m not Chicana, is one that I’m sure a few of us might have. Personally, I felt it necessary to question how I was viewing the project, and if this allowed me to completely appreciate its importance. I still feel the need to figure out through which lens I understand the history of Chicana feminism, and if it could enhance or detract from the goals of the project.

I’m still on the fence when it comes to deciding whether or not these sorts of questions even matter. At the very least, I think it’s important that I become comfortable with having them. For better or worse I’m involved; it’s high time to ensure I’m free from some strange form of white guilt that probably acts as bedrock for such thoughts. On this, I’m interested to see what importance we place on the identity of archivists by the end of semester. I think our opinions will be pretty malleable.

My second concern was that I’m Australian. This may sound trivial, but the fact that I’m different is something that I’m reminded of daily (read: every time I open my mouth) in the U.S. I’ve travelled to many places around the world, but this is the first time my nationality has been something of note. It honestly felt like less of a thing when I was in China.

Now, by itself this isn’t a problem. It doesn’t bother me that 90% of the time I speak to new people it elicits a response along the lines of ‘You’re totally not from here! Are you Australian?’. If anything, that’s fun. What concerns me is the possibility of it prompting some kind of post-hoc, snap judgment reasoning from people. I’m not assuming it will, I like to give people more credit than that, but it has happened. I often question the ways in which this could affect my ability to contribute if it were to happen during work on the project. For me, the thought that I’ll be perceived as some kind of kangaroo riding lay-about who would rather guzzle Fosters than understand Chicana feminism isn’t as absurd as it may seem.

More important than my own self-consciousness, however, is the fact that – put simply – you’ll very rarely, if ever, hear the word ‘Chicano/a’ in Australia. A quick site search of some of the top Australian universities will show you that very few offer courses even mentioning Chicanos/as. Sure, there are minority groups in Australia who have campaigned for civil rights. Perhaps there are even some parallels between Chicano history in the U.S and, say, Australian Indigenous history. However to group minority struggles into one homogenous category would be naive. There are distinct intricacies that need to be understood, and it’s particularly helpful to understand these intricacies if you live them; something I’ve not had the opportunity to do.

I was, and still am concerned that my lack of tacit knowledge wont let me contribute fully to the project, especially when it’s combined with my lack of lived knowledge. I suppose the alternative is that I can provide a different perspective that is useful in some ways. I’m running with that thought at the moment.

My final concern is that I am completely inexperienced with archives. Obviously, I come in willing to learn and have a crack at it, but I can’t avoid the fact that I’m unsure of what to expect. I feel like it’s one of those things that you can read about for as long as you want, but until you actually do it you wont quite get it. This concern is mirrored by excitement though. It’s always fun to learn new skills so all going well, that’s something that will definitely be happening.

In wrapping up, it’s important that I reiterate how excited I am to be involved in this class. What a ridiculous opportunity. Sure, I have my fears about how it could all go. As I said earlier though, sometimes you’ve got to throw your thoughts aside and just get into it.

Amongst these vagaries lay one thing I know for sure; this course makes me feel uncomfortable. But it’s that good uncomfortable. The one that exists when you’re nervous that something great could happen, and from here on in it’s just a matter of if you let it, and how you deal with it.

Christian's initial thoughts

             My initial thought upon entering into the field of Chicana feminism is that I couldn’t feel more lost or out of place. I am nervous that I will be fighting against the fact that I am a white male with the woman that I interview. During class it was mentioned that you can’t bring any type of race or gender guilt into these interviews but I think that is easier said than done. I feel that it is very important to do these interviews and get a record of these stories before it is too late to get them, especially with a subject like this. As was mentioned in class, these aren’t people and stories that you can just Google. This makes it more important as these stories could be lost forever because of a lack of documentation.

            I know little to nothing about taking oral histories and archiving this information. I know even less about the history of Chicana feminism. I am very interested to learn, however, and am even more interested to hear these stories. I think that this has potential to be one of the most interesting classes I’ve taken. I am a complete novice, which should make me more open to these stories and letting these women shape my opinions. I have had some experience interviewing people in an academic setting and I love to hear stories. I feel that this could be a great fit for me because I love to sit and listen to stories and seeing what kind of tangents we can go on. People usually have a lot to say if you let them.

            My biggest fear in this class is that I will be rejected by these women. I fear that I will make a fool out of myself trying to empathize or give my point of view in class and be written off. One of the biggest obstacles I have had in American Culture is people dismissing my opinions because of where I come from and what I look like. I fear that this might be amplified in this situation.

            Don’t get me wrong though, I am not coming into this class with a negative view. I am very excited and hopeful to learn more about taking oral histories and about this specific history. Archiving peoples’ stories so that they don’t get lost in time is very important. Some say that they will just sit there and gather dust but that is better than having them not exist at all. I think it will be very interesting and fun to talk to these women and just spend time with them. I am excited to record these stories and preserve them for future generations.

            These women were hugely important to their movement yet not many people know who they are. In the coming decades, these women may no longer be around to tell their side of the story and share their experiences. While I am a little nervous that I will be out of place, I would rather fight that awkward feeling to hear these stories than never hear them at all. Overall, I come into this class excited to broaden my horizons and learn really interesting stories, no matter how cheesy that sounds.

Grace's reflection on Entering the World of the Project

I am excited to enhance learning about Chicana feminism and become a part of the history-making process. I cannot express how cool/rewarding I believe this project will be both for me as an undergraduate researcher and for the legacy of Latina history that we are becoming contributors to. My (honest) initial perception of archiving was/is the accumulation of information that will eventually lie dusty somewhere in drawers, only within reach of academics. I sincerely hope (and believe) that my perception of archives will change. Since this project has been introduced as something that will be available to community members and the public (and will be made available electronically), it is virtually guaranteed that whatever information we archive will not just be filed away somewhere. I do not know much about archiving information (as can probably be inferred from my initial perception of archiving) but I do want to learn more, especially how newer information technology is changing the face of archiving. I also do not know very much about the oral history process; however, its similarity to interviews (like ones conducted by journalists) and its ability to take on a life of its own after an initial question or two (as we have discussed) sound very intriguing and I am excited to see how one works for myself.

I am also eager to be entering the terrain of Chicana feminism both because I think it is an important area of history that should be documented and because Chicana feminism is a topic that interests me. I know some basics about Chicana feminism – such as the divide between Chicana feminism and the feminism of middle-class white women and the multiple levels of discrimination experienced by many Chicana women. However, there is quite a lot of information that I do not know about Chicana feminism. For instance, I do not know specific leaders of the movement or details about regional experiences of Chicana feminism. I do not know what policies or community organizations have resulted from the efforts of Chicana feminists. I hope that this project will give me a much fuller understanding of the Chicana feminist movement especially its presence in Michigan.

My biggest fear for this experience is that I will get caught up in the scanning/archiving process and not fully appreciate the uniqueness of what we will be doing this semester. I hope that I enjoy every piece of the archiving/oral history process that we do this semester. I know in future that I will be extremely grateful to have had this experience; I just hope that I will also be able to enjoy it as I experience it as well. I honestly am also a little worried that since I am not Chicana, my place in this archiving project will somehow be less legitimate. I know we have already discussed race and different backgrounds in the oral history context and that it should not be a problem. I am still a little nervous, however, that some may think I should not be included in this effort since I am not Chicana. Again, I know how amazing this opportunity is and how important the information is that we are collecting so I will be excited to share in any piece of this project. I hope to not give anyone any reason to be offended by my participation in this project and will put my best effort towards the success of this project.

To a great semester of oral history making!

Tina's initial thoughts

Every time I enter the world of Chicana feminism, whether in a class setting or as an activist, I always experience the same sense of confusion. In a way, I always feel inauthentic or unqualified, which I find to be at odds with the way I identify myself. My mother is Bolivian and I spoke Spanish before I spoke English. As I was growing up she worked for a non-profit organization in my hometown of Washington, DC that specialized in Latino advocacy, and she has spent her whole life as part of the movement, especially when it comes to immigration reform. I was brought up to really care about those issues and take pride in my Latina identity, but as I grew older, I began to feel like an outsider. Some of my Latino friends used to tell me I didn’t count because I was only half Bolivian and was raised with privilege, so I therefore didn’t understand the hardship that people so often associate with our communities. I always took pride in my identity, but that criticism has stuck with me and now when I talk about issues like women-of-color feminism and feeling marginalized because of my racial identity, I still find that people don’t take me seriously or I censor myself for fear of feeling inauthentic. So I naturally have some reservations about putting myself and my experiences out there in this project, because I don’t know if I belong with the insiders or the outsiders. I can’t identify as a Chicana because I am not Mexican and have internalized the idea that I don’t count (in a way), but I also know that I have a unique perspective to the inside of the movement through my experiences growing up as a Latina feminist and witnessing my mother’s work. So far it has seemed to me that the only real way to be a Latina feminist and have a tangible movement to back you up is to be part of the Chicana movement and I don’t think it applies to me. So I bring that baggage and confusion with me into this project, and I hope to not only find some clarity, but learn more about the women who have made change in their communities and really understand the passion that drives them to do what they do. I am really excited to dismiss the dominant narratives of the Chicano and feminist movements that exclude women of color and focus, on the most basic and specific level, on the women who are working to bring the concerns of women of color to the foreground. I love that we are focusing on the oral history aspect of this kind of work, because I think that individual experiences and opinions are what fuel people to make change. I think that there is nothing like listening to a person’s story to make you realize that everyone has different experiences that can not necessarily be defined by one movement or ideology. I believe that if people actually listened to one another’s oral histories as the basis for making change instead of labeling one another based on how we assume their lives have gone based on things like race, gender, or class, then equality would be much more tangible, so I’m really excited to be a part of a project that I think could help start us in that direction.