Reclaiming our History! Reclamando nuestra historia!
April 3, 2018
Happy Monday! It’s never too late to shed light on Womyn’s History Month. Today, I will highlight the underrepresentation of Latinas in the public sphere. For the sake of my beautiful ancestors and matriarchs that came before me, I am challenging y’all to use your power because not only are you going to have a seat at the table, you are going to be leading it head on and impacting younger generations socially, politically, & unapologetically.
Latina representation in social media, fitness platforms, & other public spaces have been marginalized in mainstream society. Frequently, representation (or lack thereof) of Latinx womyn perpetuates negative stereotypes such as the portrayal of being uneducated, sassy, angry, & frequently hypersexualized individuals. We get it! Latinas are fine as wine & we sure can give an attitude; nonetheless, we are powerful beyond measure and are more than what is portrayed in the media! I challenge you all to decolonize your minds and not lose sight of the shortcomings that exist within the womyn’s movement. Let’s be real! Latinas and other womyn of color are frequently underrepresented and yearn to be depicted as something bigger. Institutionally, socially, and politically, society fears how powerful we are and aims to discredit womyn of color’s impact on historical & social change. It is up to us to use our voices and not let that happen.
Mad respect to womyn who have been underrepresented, unaccredited, and frequently taken out of history all together. That my friends is a terrifying concept called Epistemic Violence.
Epistemic Violence
Epistemic Violence is a term that attempts to take your knowledge and power away from you! Epistemic Violence is so disrespectful; it’s primary goal is to delete your past and sweep powerful historical figures under the rug. Epistemic violence has sought to oppress Latinx womyn since the beginning of time because we have been interpreted by white oppressors as problematic or inferior. As young womyn of color, how many of us hear about our sheroes in the history books? How many of us turn on the news and see minorities positively portrayed? Mi gente, that has to change and thanks to plenty of incredibly brave souls, we are changing that! Nonetheless, there is still a lot of work to be done.
In this series, I am emphasizing the loud powerful voice that Latinx womyn have! Our voices are frequently unaccredited; as a result, society attempts to silence us. Buena suerte! Latinx womyn will move a mountain with the truth and power in their relentlessly loud voices. Those voices have paved the way and shifted history, whether we read about it or not. Powerful Latinx voices continue to master rebelling against colonialism and paving the way towards radical truth! Do y’all know about Las Mariposas from the Dominican Republic? The Mariposas were four Mirabal sisters from the Dominican Republic who opposed one of the scariest dictators to ever walk the earth: Rafael Trujillo. One of them had studied law, but because she had denied this dictator’s advances, she was denied a law license. They spread the truth about this dictator, and even obtained guns and bombs to openly revolt against him. Three of the four sisters were assassinated during the revolution. Can you believe not everybody knows who they are? They literally changed history! International Violence Against Womyn’s Day was dedicated to them.
Reclaiming our history!
Do you wish you had or could have more role models? Are your sheroes not represented enough? Why can’t more Latinx fitness advocates be more relatable? Why is Latinx representation in fitness so unrealistic? Super snatched waist, curves, & the potential for photoshopped blemishes. While the diaspora is changing and full-figured gordita womyn are killing the Instagram game, there is still so much work that needs to be done. Queens, stop trying to be like someone else. Be the best version of you! Pursue health and wellness on YOUR terms, nobody else’s.
We have to admire our abuelas! Where would we be without that warm good-loving home cooked meals? Why don’t we talk about how abuela emigrated to the states with 5 kids to feed and was forced to assimilate into a new culture? Let’s emphasize beautiful single moms. Huge shout out to my mom who taught my abuela how to sign her name in order to sign official documents without a witness.
Shout out to my mamita who managed to be so strict with her kids; we turned out to be successful despite societal odds. Praised be to the goddesses that raised youth in the hood and did the best they possibly could. Single moms who have struggled but managed to put food on the table. You are the real MVP. A mother is a fighter; a winner in all truths. She paves the way towards resilience, and forces you to see your inner truth and inner youth.
Mothers: Backbone of the familia: My Matriarchs ♥♥♥
Shout out to Laurie Hernandez, who was the first and youngest Puerto Rican to be a successful candidate in the Olympics! Shout out to Gina Rodriguez who fought until the end to pursue her dreams, with the yearning to see ourselves as heros. Let’s talk about Sonia Sotomayor, who became the first Puerto Rican womyn to make it in the Supreme Court. Shout out to my independent queens, working on your dreams, fighting for independence. Shout out to my creative Latinx folks, creating a platform for our people to become the heroes we wished we had. Shout out to men who embrace, love, and uplift queens.
Latinas have been taken out of the forefront of the womyn’s movement as a direct consequence of fear. I’m calling all my loud and proud Latinx voices, shout to the rooftops because you will mitigate change and impact history. Every boss lady that chases her dreams fearlessly, you are paving the way towards the future. The womyn’s movement was so flawed; it discredited an insurmountable number of womyn of color. However, these beautiful, bold Latinx mujeres will not allow our history to be taken away from us. We will reclaim it!
