"Many of us are learning to sit perfectly still, to sense the presence of the Soul and commune with Her. We are beginning to realize that we are not wholly at the mercy of circumstance, nor are our lives completely out of our hands. That if we posture as victims we will be victims, that hopelessness is suicide, that self-attacks stop us on our tracks. We are slowly moving past the resistance within, leaving behind the defeated images. We have come to realize that we are not alone in our struggles nor separate nor autonomous but that we - white black straight queer female male - are connected and interdependent. We are each accountable for what is happening down the street, south of the border or across the sea. And those of us who have more of anything: brains, physical strength, political power, spiritual energies, are learning to share them with those that don't have them. We are learning to depend more and more on our own sources for survival, learning not to let the weight of this burden, the bridge, break our backs... Mujeres, a no dejar que el peligro del viaje y la inmensidad del territorio nos asuste - a mirar hacia adelante y abrir paso en el monte (Women, let's not let the danger of the journey and the vastness of the territory scare us - let's look forward and open paths in these woods). Caminante no hay puentes, se hace puentes al andar (Voyager, there are no bridges, one builds them as one walks)."
-Gloria Anzaldua, This Bridge Called My Back
I am really beyond excited for the opportunity to curate Ser Muxer: Lo que (no) me dijo mami about being a Xingonx - THANK YOU El Comalito Collective. The call for art was inspired by the quote above and various relationships throughout my life and how they've either challenged, inspired and empowered me to be the Xingona that I am. On days that I feel not so Xingona - I remember my mother's own struggle(s) and her wise palabras (words) - "Ponte las pilas" (literal translation: put on your batteries, actual meaning is to wake up and be aware) and "Lista desde chiquita" (literal translation: be ready even if you are young, actual meaning is to be alert now). I truly believe that as muxeres - the relationships we have with one another are the most powerful and at times serve as reinforcement to move forward - fighting, working, being - to be a force. The call for art is intended to generate work that documents and represents these relationships among muxeres as it is especially important for present day and for generations to come. I see relationships as bridges - we build them as we walk through life, they shape us, we shape them - we must be fearless, Xingonas.
xoxo, chicXicana
When I first moved to the bay area in 2012 - I came here looking for community. I came here because as an undergraduate at UCSB - I was so amazed by the murals in my readers and on the screens of power point presentations of my Chican@ Studies classes. I romanticized San Francisco and hoped it was what was described in the 70s and 80s. I am still looking to build bridges.
