When my father told me about the events on August 29th, 1970, it was one of the few times I have seen my father cry. I was in middle school when he began to tell stories about growing up in East LA. I know it had something to do with the release of the PBS … Continue reading Through My Father’s Tears: Remembering the Chicano Moratorium and My First Lessons in Chicano History
Why we still need Chicanx/Latinx Studies By Irene Sanchez A student last year in my Latinx Studies class wrote, "If I am not myself, who will I be?" I asked myself when I read it: Who would I be? Would I be bowed head, eyes lowered, and ashamed? Would I be neither here nor there? … Continue reading Why We Still Need Chicano/Latino Studies
Don't Be Afraid of Your Own Voice By Irene Sanchez Don't be afraid of your own voice. If you are like me, as a woman, you too have been silenced. You too have spoken up knowing there would be consequences, some predictable and others more severe than you could've imagined all for using your voice … Continue reading Don’t Be Afraid of Your Own Voice
How We Survive By Xicana Ph.D. I am here. This is a meditation and prayer. This was the first sentence of my dissertation. It is an affirmation that as long as I am still breathing there is work to be done. This is how I not only "made it" through my Ph.D., but how I … Continue reading How We Survive
Stop reinforcing the status quo inside or outside academia By Xicana Ph.D. The ivory tower as a whole doesn’t uplift anything, but those who reinforce it. It reinforces existing power. The status quo. A lot of folks within it do too. A lot of people who preach social justice do it every single day. Let’s … Continue reading Stop reinforcing the status quo inside or outside academia
You Don't Need Anyone's Permission to Write By Xicana Ph.D. You don't need anyone's permission to write. You don't need a pre-approval. You don't need a blessing from anyone living or passed on. You don't need to wait for a sign from the great writers you look up to. You don't need an academic in … Continue reading You Don’t Need Anyone’s Permission to Write
