Brainstorm week 10

Feministas in the borderlands organize community in the present as a way to plant seeds for the future in many ways. Through many art groups like fandango groups and altar-making, through social media communities like the queer undocumented series we watched, through connecting with Mexicans on the Mexican side of the border to create collaborative projects, and many more, Feministas organize communities. The concept of animating affinities within difference I think is super important in moving everyone towards emancipation because it takes large groups and united people to make change. For example, feminista movements across races and nations should see their similarities over their differences and work together to make change. A large problem we often see in history of social movements is that differences are highlighted, which creates hostility and makes it harder for important work to get done. For example in Ovarian Psychos, Claudia, a member of the group, says: "Historically, brown women, if they were working with white women on women's issues, they were seen as betraying our brown brothers. But then when we step into that space, and try to work on issues of oppression based on race, that space is overly patriarchal, where women's issues are put aside" (Ovarian Psychos 30:30). This quote shows a history where affinities are not animated within difference and that leads to the opposite of progress. If young feministas can work to include feminists of all races and if men in racial social movements can include women and their issues, a lot more progress can be made towards emancipation. Taking practices of resilience we've learned during the quarter will be crucial in the present to prepare for the well-being of the future. Keeping in mind living well, convivencia, and buildling communities through the arts will be crucial for the liberation of Chicanas in the U.S. and their future well-being. From looking at communities across the board of artists, writers, activists, and students, it's clear that there are many groups doing the good work that needs to be done for Chicana futurism. If it continues and grows in scale, I'm confident the seeds are there to create a fair future for Chicanas.