Icons in the Chicana Feminist Movement

Before we begin, it is important to understand what it even means to be “Chicana”. According to Merriam-Webster, Chicana means “An American women or girl of Mexican descent”1. Although it originated as a slur used against Mexicans during the mid 90s, it was reclaimed and used as an identifier for people that were not entirely Mexican but also not entirely American2. The term Chicana is specific to women, and as we will later see it was used to create a feminist movement for Chicanas who felt that their needs werent being heard amongsts protest with their male counterparts. In this blog post, we will read about 5 women who helped create change in the Chicana Feminist movement.

SOURCE: TEX Libris

Gloria Anzaldua 

Best known for her book titled Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza, Gloria Anzaldua writes about what it means to be Chicana in a way that is truly astounding. One of the first authors to write in both English and Spanish, she created a book that allowed for multiple Chicana’s to resonate with her. She wrote about what it means to be Mestiza, and how this identity has created barriers for women due to the misogyny that historically follows being a Mexican woman. Not only was Anzaldua a fighter for women’s rights, but she 

was a Lesbian scholar in a time when this diversity was not as often seen3. Anzaldua helped shape the Chicana movement through her writing, as it gave people the green light that their identity was able to create writing that would later on be published and taught in universities.4 

Dolores Huerta 

Dolores Huerta is best known for her fight for labor rights. She worked alongside Cesar Chavez and co-founded the National Farm Workers Association5. Most importantly, she came up with the chant “Sí Se Puede!” that is famously used, even today, as an encouraging rally amongst people6. Her contributions to the Chicana movement helped create labor rights for men and women, demonstrating that women were capable of such change. 

The Women’s Zapatista Movement 

The Zapatista movement was created in 1983, but did not make its public appearance until 10 years later when it declared war on the Mexican government when the government was planning on implementing the North American Trade Agreement that would infringe on the land and livelihood of indigenous people. However, in 1993, the Zapatista Women passed the Women's revolutionary law which gave women basic rights that they didn’t have access to 

before7. The Women’s Revolutionary Law included several laws that created a lot of autonomy for the indigenous women that created these laws. For example, the third law states, “Women have the right to decide how many children they will have and take care of"8. In comparison to a lot of the feminism we see in the US, motherhood was/is a key staple in the Zapatista women’s movement. However, the Zapatista movement created the autonomy to choose motherhood, which was a new take on what it meant to be a feminist for many at the time. 

The Ni Una Más Movement in Mexico 

Inspired by the Argentinian movement called Ni Una Menos, women in Mexico created the Ni Una Más movement. The Ni Una Más movement was created in response to many of the feminicides occurring. Enraged by the deaths of various women, and government officials who did very little, women took it upon themselves to protest the violence against women9. This protest demonstrated itself in various forms, from public protests in front of government buildings to different forms of media being placed around Mexico. Still very much existent, the Ni Una Más Movement strives to combat the violence women face in Mexico. 


References

  1. “Chicana.” Merriam-Webster.com. 2023. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Chicana. (10 December 2023).

  2. Simón, Yara. “Latino, Hispanic, Latinx, Chicano: The History Behind the Terms” History.  https://www.history.com/news/hispanic-latino-latinx-chicano-background#. Accessed 10 December 2023 

  3. Crawford, Marisa. “Gloria Anzaldúa’s Groundbreaking Book About Life on the Borders Gets a Marathon Reading” HyperAllergic, https://hyperallergic.com/525087/gloria-anzalduas-groundbreaking-book-about-life-on-the-borders-gets-a-marathon-reading/. Accessed 9 December 2023.

  4. Gomez, Skyler. “Gloria E. Anzaldúa, Poet & Feminist Theorist.” Literary Ladies Guide,  https://www.literaryladiesguide.com/author-biography/gloria-e-anzaldua/. Accessed 10 December 2023.

  5. De F. Szoenyi, Alexandra V. “10 Chicana Activists Who Fought for Equal Rights in the Chicano Movement” HipLATINA, https://hiplatina.com/chicana-activists-chicano-movement/. Accessed 10 December 2023. 

  6. Staff, Luz. “Latinas in the Chicano Movement: From Dolores Huerta to Today’s Activists” Luz.  https://luzmedia.co/latinas-in-the-chicano-movement. Accessed 10 December 2023. 

  7. Miller, Grace. “The Zapatista Army: A Feminist Revolution Existing within the Patriarchy.” The Yale Review of International Studies, 6 June 2021, yris.yira.org/acheson-prize/5263. Accessed 9 December 2023.

  8. Marcos, Sylvia. “The Zapatista Women’s Revolutionary Law as It Is Lived Today.” openDemocracy, 22 July 2014, www.opendemocracy.net/en/zapatista-womens-revolutionary-law-as-it-is-lived-today/. Accessed 9 December 2023. 9“Ni una más: Feminicides in Mexico” Justice in Mexico, https://justiceinmexico.org/femicidesinmexico/. Accessed 10 December 2023. 



Works Cited 

  • “Chicana.” Merriam-Webster.com. 2023. 

  • https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Chicana. (10 December 2023). Crawford, Marisa. “Gloria Anzaldúa’s Groundbreaking Book About Life on the Borders Gets a Marathon Reading” HyperAllergic, 

  • https://hyperallergic.com/525087/gloria-anzalduas-groundbreaking-book-about -life-on-the-borders-gets-a-marathon-reading/. Accessed 9 December 2023. De F. Szoenyi, Alexandra V. “10 Chicana Activists Who Fought for Equal Rights in the Chicano Movement” HipLATINA, 

  • https://hiplatina.com/chicana-activists-chicano-movement/. Accessed 10 December 2023. 

  • Gomez, Skyler. “Gloria E. Anzaldúa, Poet & Feminist Theorist.” Literary Ladies Guide, https://www.literaryladiesguide.com/author-biography/gloria-e-anzaldua/. Accessed 10 December 2023. 

  • Marcos, Sylvia. “The Zapatista Women’s Revolutionary Law as It Is Lived Today.” openDemocracy, 22 July 2014, 

  • www.opendemocracy.net/en/zapatista-womens-revolutionary-law-as-it-is-live d-today/. Accessed 9 December 2023. 

  • Miller, Grace. “The Zapatista Army: A Feminist Revolution Existing within the Patriarchy.” The Yale Review of International Studies, 6 June 2021, 

  • yris.yira.org/acheson-prize/5263. Accessed 9 December 2023.

  • “Ni una más: Feminicides in Mexico” Justice in Mexico, 

  • https://justiceinmexico.org/femicidesinmexico/. Accessed 10 December 2023. 

  • Simón, Yara. “Latino, Hispanic, Latinx, Chicano: The History Behind the Terms” History. 

  • https://www.history.com/news/hispanic-latino-latinx-chicano-background#. Accessed 10 December 2023 

  • Staff, Luz. “Latinas in the Chicano Movement: From Dolores Huerta to Today’s Activists” Luz. https://luzmedia.co/latinas-in-the-chicano-movement. Accessed 10 December 2023.


Yaritza Aguirre