This Bridge Called My Back Writings by Radical Women of Color £‘2002 Chenic- L
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This Bridge Called My Back writings by radical women of color £‘2002 Chenic- L. Moiaga and Gloria E. Anzaldua. All rights reserved. Expanded and Re vised Third Edition, First Pr nLing 2002 First Edition {'.'1981 Cherrie L. Moraga and Gloria E. Anzaldua Second Edition C 1983 Cherne L. Moraga and Gloria E. Anzaldua All rights reserved under International an d Pan American Copyright Conventions. Published by Third Woman Press. Manufactured in the United Stales o( America. Printed and b ound by M c Na ugh ton & Gunn, Saline, Ml No p art of this book may be reproduced by any me chani cal photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise copied, for public or private use, without tne prior written permission of the publisher. Address inquiries to: Third Woman Press. Rights and Permissions, 1329 9th Street, Berkeley, CA 94710 or www.thirdwomanpress.com Cover art: Ana Mendieta, Body Tracks (1974), perfomied bv the artist, blood on white fabric, University of Iowa. Courtesy of the Estate of Ana Mendieta and Galerie Lelong, NYC. Cover design: Robert Barkaloff, Coatli Design, www.coatli.com Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data This b ridge called my back : writ ines by radical women of color / edi tors, Cherne L. Moraga, Gloria E. AnzaTdua; foreword, Toni Cade Bambara. rev an d expanded 3rd ed. p.cm. (Women of Color Series) Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0-943219-22-1 (alk. paper) I. Feminism-Literary collections. 2. Women-United States-Literary collections. 3. ^meri^^ Literature-Minority authors. 4. Minority women-Literary coUections. 5. American lilerature-Women authors. 6. American literature-20th century. 7. Radicalism-literary coUections. I. Moraga, Cherrie L. II. Anzaldua, Gloria E. PS509.F44 T.5 2001 8 1().8’09287-dc2 I 2(M>1053486 Chrystos: “Ceremony for Completing a Poetry Reading,” ®1976 by Chrystos, first appeared in Wbmawp/rit., reprinted by permission. Combahee River CoUective: “A Black Feminist Statement,” first appeared in Capitalist Patriarchy and the CCase far Sofia/is/ Feminism, Zillah R. Eisenstein, ed. (New York: Monthly Review Press, 1979), reprinted by permission. Doris Davenport: “The Pathology of Racism," (G'1980 by Doris Davenport, first appeard in Spinni1!J Off reprinted by permission. Hattie Gossett: "billie lives! billie lives!,” f.' 1980 by Hattie Gossett; "who told you anybody wants to hear from you? vou ain't nothing but a black woman!,” C: 1980 by Hattie Gossett. Mary Hope Lee: “on not bein,” © 1979 by Mary Hope Lee, first appeared in Callaho, reprinted by permission. Audre Lorde: “An Open Letter to Mary Daly,” €> 1980 by AudTe Lorde, first appeared in Top Ranking, reprinted by permission. “The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House, " £>1980 by Audre Lorde. Pat Parker: “Revolution: Its Not Neal or Pretty or Quick,” 1980 by Pal Parker. Kate Rus^ta: “The Bridge Poem," ({:»1981 by Donna K. Rushin. Mitsuye Y^nada: “Invisibility is an Unnatural Disaster,” ©1979 by Bridge: An Asian Amr.rimn Pm/ir.c/iior, reprinted by permission. This Bridge Called My Back writings by radical women of color Edited by Cherrie L. M oraga a n d (floria E. A nzaldua Foreword by Toni Cade Bambara Women of Color Series Third Woman Press Berkeley Marsha Gomez, Madre delM1111do, Hl88, Courtesy of Marsha Gomez's Estate. Life-size fiberglass sculi:iture unveiled during the Mother's Day Peace Action Protest against the bombing and desacralization of the land, as well as other treaty violations by the US government. The sculpture is mounted facing the Nevada Missile Test Site outside of Las Vegas on Western Shoshone land. p ara Elvira Moraga Lawrence y Amalia Garcia A 'lM 'lia y para todas nuestras madres por la obediencia y la insurrection que ellas nos enseiiaron. fa r Elvira Moraga Lawrence and Amalia Garcia A 'lM 'lia and far a ll our mothers far the obedience and rebellion they taught us. Publisher’s Note This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical- Women o f Color was firsl published in 1981 by Persephone Press, a white women's press located in Walertown, Massachusetts. When Persephone Press ceased operation in the Spring of 1983, the co-editors negotiated retrieval and control of the book, which was subsequently republished by Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press, New York. The second edition of This Bridge Called My Back published by Kitchen Table Press was conceived and produced entirely by women of color. In 1995 Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press ceased operation, and the book was once again out of print. In the Spring of 2000, Third Woman Press began conversations with the co-editors in order to acquire the rights to put in print, once again, This Bridge Called. My Back. Both editors believed that it was most appropriate that a press run by women of color print the revised third edition. It is very unfortunate that Third Woman Press founded in 1979 has become virtually the only press of color surviving from that earlier feminist activist period. It is our great pleasure lo publish Bridge in the year of its 20th anniversary. Though the copyright will read 2002, the work was begun and completed in 2001. For us at Third Woman P ess the whole year has been a birthday celebration. Third Woman Press wants to acknowledge the many women of color, all of them volunteers and interns, who ensured the success of the project. No one is a full time employee, all work elsewhere, and are undergraduate and graduate students, primarily at the University of California, Berkeley. Special thanks are due to Karina Cespedes, Bridge Project Director, who kept track of us and all the threads that were to actualize the project. Karina’s work has been invaluable. Also, many thanks to Yolanda Venegas (TWP Associate Publisher), whose unfailing commitment to the press during the last three years has been crucial to its operations and has ensured the success of this and other projects. Also indispensable to the publication of This Bridge has been the dedicated and excellent work of Martha A. Duffield. Mattie Richardson and Robert Barkaloff have also gifted the edition with their talents, as bibliogapher and graphic desigier, respectively, and the additional collective made up of interns who worked on this project included: Anne Befu, Nerrisa Kunakemarkom, Jessica Luna Mancera, Letizia Rossi, Luz C. Valverde, Lauren Valencia, Jennifer Wei, Justine Cerleza, and thanks lo Professor Laura Perez of UC Berkeley, andJohn BetTy Native American Studies Librarian at the UC Berkeley Ethnic Studies Library. We are also very grateful to Karineh Mahdessian, Mavlei Blackwell, and all the volunteers and performers who helped make the Third Woman Press benefit for the republication of This Bridge such a great success. Norma Alarcon Publisher T a b le o f C o n te n ts From Inside the First World: Foreword, 2001 xv Cherrie L . Moraga Foreword, 2001 xxxiv Gloria E. Anzaldua Foreword, 1981 xl Toni Cade Bambara Preface, 1981 xliv Cherrie L. Moraga Introduction, 1981 Iii Cherrie L. Moraga and Gloria E. Anzaldua The Bridge Poem lvii Kate Rushin Children Passing in the Streets The Roots of Our Radicalism When I Was Growing Up 5 Nellie Wong on not bein 7 mary hope w. lee For the Color of My Mother 10 Cherrie L. Moraga I Am What I Am 12 Rosario Morales Dreams of Violence 14 Naomi Littlebear Morena He Saw 16 Chrystos Entering the Lives of Others Theory in the Flesh Wonder Woman 22 Genny Lim La Gtiera 24 Cherrie L. Moraga Invisibility is an Unnatural Disaster: Reflections 34 of an Asian American Woman Mitsuye Yamada It’s In My Blood, My Face - My Mother’s Voice, 41 The Way I Sweat Max W olf Valerio “Gee You Don't Seem Like An Indian 47 From the Reservation” Barbara Cameron “ ... And Even Fidel Can’t Change That!” 55 Aurora Levins Morales I Walk in the History of My People 60 Chrystos A n d ^ ^ e n You Leave, Take Your Pictures W ith You Racism in the Women '.s Movement And When You Leave, Take Your Pictures With You 66 Jo Carillo Beyond the Cliffs of Abiquiu 68 Jo Carillo I Don't Understand Those Who Have Turned Away 71 From Me Chrystos Asian Pacific American Women and Feminism 74 Mitsuye Yamada Millicent Fredericks 80 Gabrie/Ze Daniels “ - But I Know You, American Woman” 83 J u d il Moschkovich The Pathology of Racism: 9() A Conversation with Third World Wimmin doris davenport We’re All in the Same Boat 97 Rosario Moraks An Open Letter to Mary Daly 101 Andre Lorde The Master’s Tools Will Never 106 Dismantle the Master’s House Audre Lorde Between the Lines On Culture, Class, and Homophobia The Other Heritage 1 16 Rosario Morales billie lives! billie lives! 119 hattie gossett Across the Kilchen Table: A Sister-to-Sister Dialogue 123 Barbara Smith and Beverly Smith Lesbianism: An Act of Resistance 141 Cheryl Clarke Lowriding Through the Women's Movement 152 Barbara Noda. Letter to Ma 155 Merle Woo I Come With No Illusions I64 Mirtha Quintanales I Paid Very Hard for My Immigrant Ignorance 167 Mirtha Quintanales Earth-Lover, Survivor, Musician 175 Naomi Littlebear Morena Speaking in Tongues The Third World Woman Writer Speaking in Tongues: A Letter To 183 Third World Women Writers Gloria E. Anzaldua who told you anybody wants to hear from you? 194 you ain't nothing but a black woman! hattie gossett In Search of the Self as Hero: Confetti of Voices 196 on New Year’s Night, A Letter to Myself Nellie Wong Chicana's Feminist Literature: 202 A Re-vision Through Malintein/or Malintein Putting Flesh Back on the Object Norma Alarcon Ceremony for Completing a Poetry Reading '.212 Ch rys/os El Mundo Zurdo The Vision Give Me Back 219 Chrystos La Prieta 220 Gloria E.