Author Archives: gcorona17

‘Machismo’ will never win

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In the introduction of “Next of Kin,” author Richard T. Rodriguez explains the heteronormative and masculinity that is practiced in Latina/o families. Latina/o families tend to practice these problematic ideologies because they carry the belief that this family structure is traditional and appropriate. Intersectionality is also a common theme in the introduction because Rodriguez claims that in order to address the issues of machismo within Latina/o families, we must understand the concept of “nationalism” and how it comes into play with the gender roles within our community. In Chapter One, Rodriguez further illustrates in one perspective “families from which many Chicano student activists emerged were of poor or working-class backgrounds, a fact that jump-started in many an activist the sense of struggle” and in another perspective “young Chicano activists believed that their own parents and grandparents had been passive and accommodating to discrimination and exploitation” (Rodriguez, 21). As much as some of our ancestors have tried to break the cycle of abuse and devaluing of other presences, it gets difficult because that is what superior “communities” have taught them to do. The men in Latina/o families tend to like power and control because for a long time, many had mistreated and taken advantage of their presence. Do you think Latina/o masculinity should be blamed on amongst our own community or should our colonizers and so-called superior populations (Whites) be labeled the culprits for the insecurities?

Masculinity is practiced in an endless amount of spaces, one of them being academia. In the article “The Interdisciplinary Project of Chicana History: Looking Back, Moving Forward,” author Miroslava Chávez- García explains how important it is for women to take charge in writing the stories and histories of our community. She states, “…Chicana writers and activists, many of them untrained scholars, took up the tasks of recovering their untold histories and did so collectively and creatively. Unlike the males working in the field, the females relied on each other to build histories (and futures) they could call their own” (Chávez- Garcia, 543). Men have the tendency to voice the stories of women and get a lot of credit for using up spaces that are supposed to be shared and accepting towards everyone. Without each other’s support, women would not be able to create a unified community in which they could combat the misogyny and masculinity all around them.

Even though the masculinity we experience as women could be draining, we have the control and power to make a difference in our spaces and community.

 

Chávez-GarcÍa, M. (2013). The Interdisciplinary Project of Chicana History.Pacific Historical Review, 82(4), 542-565.

Blog Week 2

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In the podcast Latino Perspectives, Cherrie Moraga offers insight on the importance of women participating in social movements across history. She states that women are the only entities that have the courage to talk about intimacy within the area of social justice, a subject that is incredibly sensitive but important in this field. She also clarifies how underrepresented communities are guilty of marginalizing women and not letting them express their identities in a safe space. This specific part in the podcast connected to the poem Beneath the Shadow of the Freeway by Lorna Dee Cervantes where she speaks on how patriarchal ideologies influence Latina women to feel guilty and/or cause guilt onto other women for trying to distance themselves from their culture’s traditions. Sometimes I feel like Latina women (specifically women in my family) know that this lifestyle could be very detrimental to their bodies and minds, but cannot seem to break away from the cycle. Similar to the poem, women in my family tend to shame each other for staying in unhealthy relationships especially when the man is being abusive. Instead of helping in the healing process, they make it worse by making the others feel stupid and weak. Do you think that Latina women are given the choice to follow this cycle or are they influenced into it? Is breaking this cycle really as difficult as it seems? What consequences do Latina women fear?

Gabriela’s Bio

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Hi friends! My name is Gabriela Corona and I am currently a fourth year McNair Scholar, Chicana/o studies major and Anthropology minor at CSUDH. There are times where I feel as though I am not interesting enough to write about but I am trying! Here we go.

I am the youngest daughter of Mexican and Salvadoran immigrant parents. I have lived in South Central Los Angeles all my life and my love for this community continues to grow everyday. As a child, my social skills caused me to feel lonely and out of place in school environments. My mother bought me first Harry Potter book at age seven and I have been a passionate literature lover since then. Soon, I started to talk more with people. As I got older, I realized how fun it was to talk to people within my neighborhood. Everyone had a different story to tell which helped me realize how rich in experience my people were.

I always knew I wanted to write and teach for a living. I did not know I was going to achieve this but I was determined to try. During my first year of college, I was certain that my major English was permanent and Ideal for me. That all changed when I enrolled in my first Chicana/o studies course. Dr. Corina Benavides Lopez lectured our class from the importance of recognizing Latina/o communities around us and how we should be proud of identifying with this population, too. I was immediately inspired. Since then, I was determined to apply my passions for writing and teaching within the field of Chicana/o studies.

During my second year of college, I was admitted into the McNair Scholars Program at CSUDH. This program has helped me develop a strong love for social justice research. Over the past two years, my research has focused on implementing LGBTQ relevant history within K-12 curriculum in order to reduce homophobic harassment and violence among youth. My research was inspired by the murder of Larry King from Oxnard, CA and the suicide of Ronin Shimizu from Folsom, CA. In the near future, I will begin researching homophobic activity within juvenile detention centers, prisons, and the foster care system.

I want to publish articles and books about my research in the upcoming years. After completing my doctoral degree, I hope to return to DH and be the kind of professor that inspires students just like Dr. Benavides Lopez inspired me.