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Rebel Girls This page intentionally left blank Rebel Girls Youth Activism and Social Change across the Americas Jessica K. Taft a New York University Press New York and London NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS New York and London www.nyupress.org © 2011 by New York University All rights reserved Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Taft, Jessica K. Rebel girls : youth activism and social change across the Americas / Jessica K. Taft. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978–0–8147–8324–5 (cl : alk. paper) — ISBN 978–0–8147–8325–2 (pb : alk. paper) — ISBN 978–0–8147–8337–5 (ebook) 1. Teenage girls—Political activity—America. 2. Youth—Political activity—America. 3. Social action—America. I. Title. HQ799.2.P6T35 2010 305.235’2097—dc22 2010024128 New York University Press books are printed on acid-free paper, and their binding materials are chosen for strength and durability. We strive to use environmentally responsible suppliers and materials to the greatest extent possible in publishing our books. Manufactured in the United States of America c 10987654321 p 10987654321 For all the girls fighting the good fight in their schools and communities. This page intentionally left blank Contents Acknowledgments ix 1 Introduction: Growing Up and Rising Up 1 Part 1: Building the Activist Identity 2 We Are Not Ophelia: Empowerment and Activist Identities 23 3 We Are Not the Future: Claiming Youth Authority 47 4 We Are Not Girls: Escaping and Defining Girlhood 71 Part 2: Making Change Happen 5 The Street Is Our Classroom: A Politics of Learning 99 6 Join the Party: A Politics of Participation 123 7 We’ve Got Spirit: A Politics of Hope 151 8 Conclusion: Still Rising 177 Methodological Appendix 193 Demographic Tables 201 Notes 205 Index 229 About the Author 241 | vii This page intentionally left blank Acknowledgments Several amazing political and intellectual communities have sus- tained and inspired me throughout the process of research and writing this book. These communities of activists, radicals, dreamers, rebels, and dis- sidents have been the source of countless late-night discussions on many of the broader themes that I write about in this book. To all of the mem- bers of these groups, both formal and informal, I am incredibly grateful. I have learned so much from each and every one of you. Particularly, I want to thank Ginny Browne, Brian Helmle, Diane Fujino, Matef Harma- chis, Anthony Francoso, Xuan Santos, Ofelia Delgado, Lashaune Johnson, Amory Starr, Chris Bickel, Sheila Katz, and Hagar Kotef. Each of you has been a source of both support and insight. My parents, Mark and Susan, encouraged my intellectual curiosity from an early age, and I thank them for helping me to become someone who would keep on asking questions. My partner Gabe was always supportive, accepting my long absences for field research, my incredibly messy office, and my distracted book-filled brain without flinching or complaining. John Munro and Sandi Nenga deserve special thanks for giving the entire manuscript detailed, thoughtful, and careful readings, and offering me so much wonderfully specific feedback. Jordan Camp also read several chapters and provided some invaluable ideas. Finding Hava Gordon and having the chance to talk youth activism with another sociologist has also been very helpful to my thinking. Many thanks also go to my faculty mentors at the University of California at Santa Barbara all of whom supported my research from the beginning, giving me the freedom to roam the region and seek out these stories. Their trust in me and my work was a real gift. As a scholar of previous generations of young activists, Dick Flacks was excited about my ideas, enthusiastic about my writing style, and appreciative of the girls I’ve studied. Verta Taylor taught me a great deal about professional sociology and social movements scholarship. Finally, Avery Gordon was a constant inspira- tion to me as an example of a rigorous and radical scholar-activist. Her feed- | ix back has, from the start of my graduate school career, always been the type that moves me forward. Thanks are also due to Ilene Kalish at NYU Press. From our first meet- ing, I’ve appreciated both her encouragement and the obvious fact that she understands the importance of research on youth and is someone who, as my teens would say, “gets it.” I’ve also benefited greatly from the anonymous reviewers for the press, finding their comments to be thought-provoking and useful for pushing the work in new and productive directions. Additionally, I want to acknowledge that this material is based upon work supported under a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations are my own and do not necessar- ily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. This book also would not have been possible without the many friends, activist comrades, and strangers who heard about my project, were excited about it, and helped me to find girl activists. There are far too many of these individuals to name, but I want them all to know that I am deeply grateful for their assistance whether it was forwarding an email about the project to a group of teens they knew, spending hours over coffee discussing the local political terrain, or introducing me to girl activists. Finally, I owe so much to the seventy-five teenage girl activists who took the time to tell me about their lives and politics and who welcomed me into their communities. The generosity of these young women is something I will never forget. You’ve enriched my life personally, politically, and professionally. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you all. Mil gracias chicas. x | Acknowledgments 1 Introduction Growing Up and Rising Up Nenetzin stands in the center of the plaza, her arms painted white, wearing a skeleton mask and a bridal veil. Along with a dozen other young activists all dressed as skeletons, she sings a song about remembering those who have died due to poverty, domestic violence, state repression, and other social and political injustices. It is “El Dia de los Muertos,” the Day of the Dead, and Nenetzin’s Mexican youth activist collective is interweaving tra- dition with political theater to educate others and build oppositional con- sciousness. At the end of the singing and dancing, another young skeleton steps forward to inform the audience that this performance was part of the construction of La Otra Campaña, a Zapatista-initiated campaign for build- ing an alternative progressive politics in Mexico. * * * * Emma reports on labor issues for an independent, public access television show in Vancouver. She has presented stories on a speech given by anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan, a day of mourning for workers who have died on the job, and other “progressive, or working things that are going on around the city.” In addition to being a media activist, Emma also played a key role in the organization of a student rally in support of striking teachers. Emma and some of her pro-labor friends convinced a citywide student organization to take a stand on the issue and coordinated an exuberant display of student solidarity. Taking over a major intersection, the teens played music, danced, had fun, and demonstrated to the city that they wanted the district adminis- tration to return to contract negotiations with the teachers’ union. * * * * Manuela and I sit at her kitchen table, making pins out of foam, ribbon, and printed logos for tomorrow’s Communist Youth of Venezuela (Juven- | 1 tud Comunista de Venezuela or JCV) concert and cultural event. We talk about Presidents Chavez and Bush, and discuss the future of social move- ments in Venezuela and the United States. As members of the JCV, Manuela and her comrades see themselves as having an important role in Venezu- ela’s revolutionary Bolivarian process. They spend most of their time and energy doing political education work with the many young people who are excited about Chavez and the possibilities of his government, but, according to Manuela, do not yet understand all of the economic and social problems and their potential solutions. Chavez speaks openly about socialism, and the JCV is trying to work with youth to mobilize for substantial, “real” socialism, not just a few minor reforms. To do this, they hold study groups, discussing global political economy and reading Marx, Lenin, and Che. And they orga- nize community events, like the upcoming concert, trying to bring youth together to talk about the problems they see around them and to develop their collective knowledge. * * * * Pitu, a tiny seventeen-year-old with a pixie haircut and wearing a fluffy pink sweater, takes my hand and leads me around one of Buenos Aires’ most well-known comedores, a new set of social institutions that can be loosely translated as soup kitchens. A cooperative, self-governing, and democratic enterprise that includes a pasta workshop, soup kitchen, photo shop, textile factory, screen-printing operation, and bakery, this comedor provides pre- pared and raw foods, employment opportunities, and political and social community for its members. Pitu is the youngest member of the center’s youth group, a subsection of the organization where youth participants gather together to talk and learn from each other, and to work on their own projects or assist in the various facets of the organization’s operation. * * * * Lisette’s dedication to fighting against environmental racism and for com- munity health and safety finally paid off in the summer of 2001 when a San Francisco Bay Area toxic waste disposal facility, which her youth organiza- tion had been trying to shut down for more than eight years, was forced to close.