Maylei Blackwell, ¡Chicana Power!: Contested Histories of Feminism in the Chicano Movement Austin: University of Texas Press, 2011.
Reviewed by Miroslava Chávez-García

Until now, no one has published a history of the struggle of Chicanas in the Chicano movement—the mass political mobilization of Mexican American peoples in the Southwest US in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The glaring omission is somewhat perplexing, says author Maylei Blackwell, given that Las Hijas de Cuahtemoc (The Daughters of Cuahtemoc, the last emperor of the Aztecs), the first and leading feminist organization of the Chicano movement, emerged alongside other well-known organizations, such as the Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (MEChA), and that women served as the backbone of the student movement. The oversight is due, in part, she says, to the historical dominance of men in the fields of Chicana/o History and Studies, their implicit disinterest in issues of gender and sexuality, and their explicit marginalization of women in the movement. Blackwell suggests too that stereotypes of Chicanas as malinchistas (traitors), vendidas (sell-outs), and agringadas (white-women wannabes), as well as Chicana scholars’ fear of confirming these negative images, has kept many away from this field of study. Thus, Blackwell’s genealogy of Chicana feminists in the twentieth century is a breakthrough in our knowledge about these mujeres (women).

Review continues here

My name is Lourdes Serrano and I am the promoter of MeChicano Films. I am currently in charge of a very interesting and educational project,

A Forgotten Injustice is Vicente Serrano’s opera prima, and the first documentary that uncovers the story of almost two million Mexican Americans and U.S. citizens, who were forced out of the United States during the Great Depression in the 1930s. These people were forced to leave because of one reason: They were of Mexican descent. In order to avoid making the same mistakes in our efforts to find a solution to today’s immigration problem, we have to look back and learn from A Forgotten Injustice.

A Forgotten Injustice is the result of an extensive investigation headed by journalist Vicente Serrano. Serrano traveled across the country and Mexico to capture the experiences of these men and women, many still living in extreme poverty in rural areas in Mexico. Some of the survivors are coming back to the U.S almost 80 years later. “They should apologize for what they have done to us before we die and before the government commits the same mistakes,” exclaimed Emilia Castañeda who was born in Los Angeles and forced to leave the U.S with her family in the 30s.

A Forgotten Injustice includes interviews with historians, politicians and survivors. Among them, Former California State Senator Joseph Dunn, John Coatsworth, Dean, School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, Hilda Solis, US Representative, Raymond Rodriguez, Professor of History, emeritus, Long Beach City College, Francisco Balderrama, co-author of Decade of Betrayal, Ernesto Nava Villa, Son of Pancho Villa, and John Eastman, Dean, Chapman University School of Law.

Sincerely,
Lourdes Serrano
MeChicano Films

Speaking from the Body:  Latinas on Health and Culture
Edited by Angie Chabram-Dernersesian; Adela de la Torre
Forthcoming from University of Arizona press

In compelling first-person accounts, Latinas speak freely about dealing with serious health episodes as patients, family caregivers, or friends. They show how the complex interweaving of gender, class, and race impacts the health status of Latinas—and how family, spirituality, and culture affect the experience of illness.

Here are stories of Latinas living with conditions common to many: hypertension, breast cancer, obesity, diabetes, depression, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, dementia, Parkinson’s, lupus, and hyper/hypothyroidism. By bringing these narratives out from the shadows of private lives, they demonstrate how such ailments form part of the larger whole of Latina lives that encompasses family, community, the medical profession, and society. They show how personal identity and community intersect to affect the interpretation of illness, compliance with treatment, and the utilization of allopathic medicine, alternative therapies, and traditional healing practices. The book also includes a retrospective analysis of the narratives and a discussion of Latina health issues and policy recommendations.

These Latina cultural narratives illustrate important aspects of the social contexts and real-world family relationships crucial to understanding illness.  Speaking from the Body is a trailblazing collection of personal testimonies that integrates professional and personal perspectives and shows that our understanding of health remains incomplete if Latina cultural narratives are not included.

Speaking from the Body:  Latinas on Health and Culture
Edited by Angie Chabram-Dernersesian; Adela de la Torre
University of Arizona Press / 264 pp. / 6.0 x 9.0 / 2008
Paper (978-0-8165-2664-2) [s]

CALL FOR PAPERS!  Presumed Incompetent:
The Intersections of Race and Class for Women in Academia

Edited by: Grace Chang, Carmen G. González, Mary Romero, Yolanda Flores Niemann,
Angela Harris, and Gabriella Gutiérrez y Muhs

We are soliciting academic papers written by academic women of color examining issues of racism, class bias, tokenism, and sexism. All contributions should explicitly address the question of socio-economic status/social class (both class privilege and class-based obstacles) and its intersections with race and gender. We welcome first person narratives and analytical papers that examine the underlying structural factors that perpetuate bias and exclusion as well as recommendations on how academic institutions might address these issues. Pseudonyms for authors are acceptable.

Submission Guidelines: Deadline for abstracts: August 1, 2008 [Read more…] about CFP: Presumed Incompetent: Race & Class for Women in Academia