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The Poetic Politics of Chicana & Black Women's Poetry

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The Poetic Politics of Chicana & Black Women's Poetry Volume 2 │ Issue 1 │ 2017 The Poetic Politics of Chicana & Black Women’s Poetry Sarah Hethershaw Southwestern University Texas Alpha Chapter Vol. 2(1), 2017 Article Title: The Poetic Politics of Chicana & Black Women’s Poetry DOI: 10.21081/AX0105 ISSN: 2381-800X Key Words: Chicana feminism, Black feminism, feminism, poetry, race, gender/women’s studies This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Author contact information is available from the Editor at [email protected]. Aletheia—The Alpha Chi Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship • This publication is an online, peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary undergraduate journal, whose mission is to promote high quality research and scholarship among undergraduates by showcasing exemplary work. • Submissions can be in any basic or applied field of study, including the physical and life sciences, the social sciences, the humanities, education, engineering, and the arts. • Publication in Aletheia will recognize students who excel academically and foster mentor/mentee relationships between faculty and students. • In keeping with the strong tradition of student involvement in all levels of Alpha Chi, the journal will also provide a forum for students to become actively involved in the writing, peer review, and publication process. • More information and instructions for authors is available under the publications tab at www.AlphaChiHonor.org. Questions to the editor may be directed to [email protected]. Alpha Chi is a national college honor society that admits students from all academic disciplines, with membership limited to the top 10 percent of an institution’s juniors, seniors, and graduate students. Invitation to membership comes only through an institutional chapter. A college seeking a chapter must grant baccalaureate degrees and be regionally accredited. Some 300 chapters, located in almost every state, induct approximately 12,000 members annually. Alpha Chi members have been “making scholarship effective for good” since 1922. 2017 2 Volume 2 │ Issue 1 │ Spring 2017 Article Title: The Poetic Politics of Chicana & Black Women’s Poetry DOI: 10.21081/AX0105 ISSN: 2381-800X This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The Poetic Politics of Chicana & Black Women’s Poetry Sarah Hethershaw Southwestern University Texas Alpha Chapter Abstract Using feminist theoretical framework that understands power is vested in language, this analysis focuses on the ways in which poetry has helped to combat the linguistic terrorism, cultural restraints, racism, sexism, classism, and various other oppressions that seek to silence Black and Chicana feminist movements and control women’s existence in the United States. This comparison analyzes how the creation, performance, and reading/sharing of poetry is employed as a carrier of language, experience, knowledge, and history to resist internal and external cultural oppressions by dominant groups in the United States. Key words: Chicana feminism, Black feminism, feminism, poetry, race, gender/women’s studies “For women, then, poetry is not a luxury. seek to silence Black and Chicana feminist movements It is a vital necessity of our existence.” * and control women’s existences in the United States. This comparison analyzes how the creation, perfor- Poetry serves in recognizing multidimensional iden- mance, and reading/sharing of poetry is employed as a tities as political entities in political worlds. The poetic carrier of language, experience, knowledge, and history process rejects the separation of art and politics, and to resist internal and external cultural oppressions by instead acknowledges creativity and spirituality as vital dominant groups in the United States. components of holistic knowledge and consciousness to Focusing specifically on Chicana and Black wom- facilitate discussion of power, privilege, and oppression en’s writing allows the term “feminist” to be critically within and outside of feminist movements. As Audre examined. Feminist history is not synonymous with Lorde writes, it is vital to women’s existence. However, women’s history. Feminist movements have a significant although Chicana and Black women have been involved role in defining women’s rights, status, and perception in feminist movements for centuries, their acceptance in broader society and culture. Nevertheless, women of and inclusion in these movements has often been barred color often reject the label “feminist” because of the rac- by racism and classism inherent in White mainstream ist, classist connotations it carries. Therefore, rather than feminism. Using Chicana and Black feminist theoretical only focusing on feminist poetry, this analysis exam- framework from Gloria Anzaldúa and Audre Lorde that ines poetry written by Chicana and Black women who understands power is vested in language, this analysis may or may not claim the “feminist” title. “Third-wave focuses on the ways in which poetry has helped to com- feminism” is often thought of as the birthplace of inter- bat the linguistic terrorism, cultural restraints, racism, sectionality and the emergence of women of color into sexism, classism, and various other oppressions that feminist movements. However, both Black and Chicana 2017 Aletheia—The Alpha Chi Journal of Undergraduate Research 3 feminist movements must not be thought of as reactions are different from Black women’s experiences in the to, or branches of, mainstream White feminism. Women United States, who face specific historical legacies of of color have been involved with resistance movements slavery and segregation. Just as Chicana, Latina, and in the United States for generations. It is not by White Hispanic are not synonymous, “Black” is not a single, acceptance or recognition that the actions and accom- defined group of people. For the purposes of this anal- plishments of women of color should be recognized. ysis, “Black” is used as a term to describe anyone who By simply occupying labels of non-White and non- identifies themselves as Black, and experiences preju- male, women of color face oppression from the dominant dice due to the color of their skin. culture in the United States within social, economic, and My use of the word “poetry” draws from black fem- political opportunities, respects, and institutions. Wom- inist poet Audre Lorde’s theoretical framework that en- en of color are alienated by being in both the category of compasses both physically written and spoken poetry as “woman” and “person of color.” Nevertheless, “women” well as the poetic spirit and poetic processes of writing, cannot be carelessly lumped into a single unified class creating, performing, and reading poetry (Lorde, 1984). of people based solely on gender; hierarchies of oppres- With this understanding, poetry is an act of power, cre- sion connected to sexuality, race, and class impact the ation, and knowledge pulled from lived experience—or ways in which different women experience patriarchal theory in the flesh (Moraga & Anzaldúa, 2015). Using violence at the hands of men (and White women, who this critical framework, Anzaldúa’s concept of cono- hold racial privilege). Although the existence of patriar- cimiento questions conventional knowledge’s current chal violence upon women is universal, it is not experi- categories, classifications, and contents, advocating for enced in the same way universally. Additionally, “peo- the restructuring of knowledge through non-traditional ple of color” is not a category that can be conceptualized spiritual and creative processes such as poetry (Anz- as any non-White person who experiences oppression in aldúa, 2002). Poetry validates personal experience as le- the United States Historical institutions of colonialism, gitimate knowledge, and simultaneously produces new slavery, and racism in the United States have created ste- knowledge in individuals through consciousness raising reotypes and perceptions of different racial groups that (Moraga, 2015). In both Chicana and Black women’s influence the ways in which different races are treated. feminist movements, consciousness raising took place Thus, while Chicana women and Black women are both largely through the writing, reading, and performing of women of color who experience oppression in the Unit- poetry. Through shared community and validation of ed States, it is not to be suggested that these groups of their respective identities and experiences, Black and women do not have unique histories and perspectives. Chicana women were able to deconstruct dichotomies Examining the nuances between the manifestations of between personal lives and political issues, emotions oppression upon different groups of women from both and intellectual thought, and between abstract feminist the dominant culture (i.e., White male patriarchal cul- theory and applicable feminist practice. ture) and within marginalized groups (i.e., machismo) Through reframing hegemonic conceptions of is necessary for the study of both Black and Chicana knowledge, women’s poetry stimulated and advanced women’s resistance through poetry. social justice work by demanding the presence and need “Chicana” refers to women of Mexican descent. for women’s perspectives, histories, and thoughts to be It is different from the terms “Hispanic” or “Latina,” part of the larger discourse and mainstream knowledge. which refer to Spanish-speaking peoples and persons Through this process, language can be recognized as ac- from Latin America,
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