Teenagers & Birth Control
Nearly one in four teenage girls in the United States will become pregnant at least once by the time they are twenty, according to the CDC.About 52% of female teenagers who are sexually active have used the pill, 18% have used any type of shot, and 19% have used long-acting reversible contraception (LARC), such as…
Pro Choice Always: Because It’s Not Your Body
The abortions/forced sterilization that women of color have been going through for decades is inhuman and such a shameful part of America’s history. Abortion/forced sterilization on women of color is inherently racist and it was always glaringly obvious. It was ultimately a way to control and limit the population and reproduction within marginalized communities. There…
Medical Racism in the U.S.
African Americans have suffered within the medical field for centuries. Throughout history, the medical field has failed black people, as well as other communities of color, leaving them unable to trust healthcare providers. From the infamous Dr. James Marian Sims to the Tuskegee Experiments, black people and children have faced and continue to face medical racism…
The Importance of Intersectionality Within the Reproductive Justice Movement
Intersectionality is a concept coined by Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw. It is an important notion to understand the reproductive justice movement because the two are deeply intertwined. The reproductive justice movement is a result of women of color’s frustrations with the traditional and single-minded pro-choice/life rhetoric and framework. Rather than having a singular focus on the…
Reproductive health: The controversy and lack of proper care
At a young age women are not to mention or speak about their Reproductive health. Young girls are left with questions about their bodied and the changes they are going through. Due to this lack of knowledge they are exposed to illnesses, pregnancies at a young age and lack care during menstruation. The lack of…
Abortion Laws and Rights in the USA
The laws and rights of abortion has changed a lot ever since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in June 2022, the legal landscape of abortion in the United States has undergone significant transformation. The twelve states as of now that are predominantly located in the South have banned abortion entirely.…
Femicide: A United States Case Study
Femicide is a silent epidemic in the United States. The intentional killing of women has gone largely unnoticed, due to the normalization of misogyny in our culture. This is why males, regardless of age, are allowed to express sentiments such as “your body my choice” without fear of significant backlash. Men do not suffer from…
Beyond Roe: Transforming Reproductive Justice with the Reversal
The U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision in 2022, reversing Roe v. Wade, drastically changed reproductive justice in the country. Although Roe v. Wade had given federal protection for abortion rights, the Dobbs ruling removed this protection, handing power to each state. This shift unfairly affects underprivileged populations, particularly women of…
Destigmatizing Abortion
When you hear abortion, it is associated with pro-choice or pro-life arguments, but are you truly informed on what an abortion is? According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “Abortion is a simple health care intervention that can be safely and effectively managed by a wide range of health workers using medication or surgical procedure…
When Healing Hurts: Navigating Race and Medicine
Medical racism in the United States is not an accidental flaw in the healthcare system—it is a product of centuries of deliberate policy, practice, and ideology. From the earliest days of slavery, Black women’s bodies were sites of exploitation and experimentation, laying a foundation for modern obstetrics that continues to benefit from their suffering. Enslaved…
The Female Body: Uneducated and Unprotected
Historically, female anatomy has often been represented as taboo, shameful, and hypersexualized. These ideas have carried throughout history where female anatomy was treated as inferior to the anatomy of their male counterparts due to the lack of understanding and knowledge as to how their bodies function. For most of history, the female body was seen…
Sterilization Abuse and Reproductive Control
Forced sterilization has been used as a tool for reproductive control, disproportionately targeting marginalized groups such as women of color, low-income individuals, and disabled individuals. This practice strips women of their body autonomy and goes against what reproductive justice stands for: the right to have and not have children, and the right to parent children…
How to Conquer Time of The Month – Dealing With The Menstrual Cycle
Nutritional Needs During Menstruation The Myths There are several myths surrounding what a person should eat during their period but many of these are inaccurate and can lead to unnecessary dietary restrictions. A couple that I have heard of is eating less reduces period pain, dairy should be avoided, spicy food increases blood flow, eating…
The Truth Behind Reproductive Healthcare
Gynecology in today’s world has helped millions of women. The fact that women have access in today’s world to their reproductive health and to their bodies shows that reproductive medicine has gone a long way. Women had only begun to gain rights in this past century in the United States, but now leading that they…
Birth Control, Coercion, and the Illusion of Choice
Excerpt from “Birth Control Isn’t Always a Choice” by Karla Sanchez When most people think of birth control, they think of freedom—the ability to decide if or when to have children. But for many, especially in marginalized communities, birth control hasn’t always been about choice. It has often been used as a tool of control,…
Unable to Surgically Remove Discrimination
In the United States, black individuals have a higher mortality rate in a hospital compared to any other race. These numbers are not only high because of health conditions or life-threatening diseases but because of medical racism which is still very common today. Equity and equality are crucial factors that any medical professional should have…
Sexual Violence Against Women
Sexual violence against women is a serious violation that varies from a range of harmful acts like rape, sexual assault, harassment, and trafficking. This affects millions of women worldwide, regardless of age, ethnicity, economic status. Sexual violence is a very negative thing to endure but it can occur and be silenced due to gender inequality,…
Stress: How it Affects Latina Immigrant Women’s Health
Stress is a big component in everyone’s lives. Specifically, for Latina immigrant women in the United States, stress affects mental and physical health. Latina women get stressed from living up to society’s expectations and dealing with discrimination and pressure. This leads to their health being affected negatively and often not knowing how to improve it.…
More than Visiblity
In recent years, transgender characters have become more commonplace. Thanks to shows like Pose, Transparent, and Euphoria, there are more trans individuals on TV than ever before. We still need to think about who is seeing it and why, though, even as trans visibility rises. Representation is not the same as liberation. In the past,…
Freedom to Choose: A Fundamental Right
Abortion remains as one of the most polarizing and emotionally charged issues in American, particularly given the reversal of Roe v. Wade. The right for women to choose what they can and can’t do with their own bodies should not be up for debate. Many women have different views on abortion due to their personal…
Colonizing the Womb Over Time
Understanding hierarchies and how they were created is significant to solving various social issues we continue to have today. Looking back in history, we see that women lost their equality when human civilization fully transitioned from hunting and gathering to farming. Their primary roles were giving birth and raising their children at home while depending…
Why Abortion Is Never About The Baby and Only About The Women
We are in a historically important time in the United States, and in a time that is seen as a rollback in many progressive ideas and achievements. One especially impactful, most talked about in the U.S., in many day-to-day conversations, that has been a recurring topic for many activists, is controversial for many is abortion.…
The Shame of Womanhood
There is so much shame instilled in women when it comes to the act of sex because women are socially punished no matter how they choose to live their lives. There is a lack of conversation with young girls and women of color about exploring their bodies and sexuality as they develop, which is resulting…
Abortion in the United States: Legal, Ethical, and Social
Both historical Supreme Court decisions and changing political environment have fundamentally affected the abortion laws in the United States. With the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision establishing a constitutional right to an abortion under the Fourteenth Amendment, the availability of reproductive health care was greatly changed all around. The law safeguarded pregnant women’s individuality for…
Sterilization VS. Women of Color
Imagine dreaming to one day become a parent but being blinded into being sterilized, impacting your chance to have kids of your own. Many people around the United States had their dreams ruined or their chance to become parents taken away from them. Sterilization laws disproportionately affected and targeted women of color and low income…
The #MeToo Movement: Shaping Discourse, Exposing Inequality, and Navigating Social Media
In 2017, the world watched a hashtag become a global reckoning. When actress Alyssa Milano tweeted #MeToo in the wake of sexual assault allegations against Harvey Weinstein, a Hollywood producer, it uncovered a painful and powerful truth. Lots of women released personal testimonies about sexual harassment and violence all around the world across every industry…
Sex,Shame and Machismo in Mexican Culture
Sex is a taboo in Mexican culture, which has led to many generations, including women, not being comfortable in their own bodies and being ashamed to even talk about their periods. Machismo, sex shame, and biased standards set against women stemmed from that very issue. In the following paragraphs, I will explain the shame, that…
How Women’s Reproductive Rights Have Regressed
The topic of women’s reproductive rights is a never-ending discussion. Some people support the decision for abortion, and others believe those rights should be restricted. In the past, women in the United States had access to safe abortions, reproductive education, and contraceptives. In 2022, women’s rights were threatened by the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn…
The Impact of Birth Control in Marginalized Communities
Birth control is an important part of healthcare because it allows people to make decisions about their bodies and their futures. It helps prevent unplanned pregnancies and gives individuals more control over when they want to start a family. However, not everyone has equal access to birth control. People from marginalized communities often face challenges…
Controlling Images on Latinas & Chicanas
Growing up and seeing a movie or tv show where a character looks like you is very important for representation but for Latinas and Chicanas, it can be a different story. Are you aware that not every Latina you meet acts like the well-known characters Gloria Deglado- Pritchett from Modern Family and Gabrielle Solis from…
Washington and Policy: The Promotion of Eugenics and Sterilization of Black and Brown Women
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free” (Statue of Liberty), is the message found on the plaque on the Statue of Liberty. It inspires hope of a new life, an opportunity available to anyone. Yet policy and rhetoric in the United States oppose the ideals promoted by the lady…
All Queers to the Front! An Intersectional Feminist Perspective in DIY Music Culture
In the early nineties, the Riot Grrl movement emerged from the feminist punk scene, offering a radical response to the pervasive gender inequality and patriarchy in mainstream music. Through the decades, this genre has expanded to become an empowering platform for LGBTQ+ artists, providing them with a space to challenge traditional norms surrounding gender, identity,…
Colonial Roots and Reproductive Justice
Our Bodies, Our Stories, Our Resistance! From forced sterilizations of Black, Indigenous, Latina/o/x, and immigrant women to unauthorized medical experiments on vulnerable populations, the American medical system has long been a site of both healing and harm, which has fostered mistrust in these targeted populations. These actions were not random, but they were driven by…
“My Body, My Choice”: Pro Choice Advocacy
Abortion is a sensitive topic for many people due to their beliefs or personal experiences, which is why Pro-choice is essential to many women because they get to decide what they want to do with their bodies without the government’s interference. Women have fought for their rights for many decades, and this includes the right…
Medical Racism: A Critical Threat to WOC’s Health
1Identifying and highlighting specific instances of women of color’s (WOC’s) mortality rates and pain management disparities humanizes and showcases that this is not a problem of mere alarming statistics but, instead, something that affects real women’s lives, health, and safety. The heartbreaking stories of world-renowned tennis player Serena Williams, CDC epidemiologist Shalon Irving, and doctor…
Reproductive Justice
Reproductive justice is more than the right to choose, it’s about the right to live, thrive, and parent in dignity. For women of color, especially Native and Black women, reproductive oppression has never existed in isolation. It has been deeply entwined with colonialism, white supremacy, and patriarchy. From forced sterilizations to criminalized pregnancies, reproductive policies…
Catholics: Mexican Americans, Sex, and Birth Control
Catholic churches use the bible and the image of Mary (the mother of Christ), to tell women to live in purity until married. Priests within the church or the sisters do not teach how sexual intercourse can lead to pregnancy, all to preserve the sanctity of marriage. I, as a Mexican American woman, and many…
(Re)claiming Intersectionality: Centering Gender and Sexuality in the Immigrant Rights Movement
Since at least 2001, with the first introduction of the federal DREAM Act in the U.S. Congress, undocumented youth and immigrants have collectively organized themselves into one of the central social movements of the past two decades. Undocumented women and UndocuQueer individuals occupy a unique liminal space within the umbrella of the undocumented identity and…
The Decision Is Mine… Or Is It?
Over time, one thing has always been up for debate: women’s rights. Men have never liked the idea of women being even remotely equal to them in any way imaginable. More importantly, when it comes to a woman’s choice, it all starts with the first essential choice of a woman deciding whether or not she…
Women in Classical Music: Are Women Safe from Sexual Violence?
When we think of music, we can see artists expressing themselves through their talent and vision of the art. Art is essential to everyday life; we may take it for granted, but what we shouldn’t take for granted are the artists who make the art we consume. Classical Music is an art form we love…
Representing Chicana Identity: La Virgen de Guadalupe
La Virgen de Guadalupe has embodied as a powerful representation of Chicana Identity by showing spiritual strength, and cultural resilience creating an impact on Chicana culture. La Virgen de Guadalupe is not just any religious figure she is our madre milagrosa who often helps us find strength and empowerment in all moments. Saintly Mother and…
The Importance of Sex Education
Were you ever taught sex education in school? Sex education is the teaching and understanding of topics that have to do with sex and sexual orientation. It is the understanding for kids K-12 to learn about puberty, human anatomy, relationships, sexually transmitted diseases, consent, pregnancy, drugs, birth control, and the list goes on. Sexual education…
Empowering Mujeres: A Journey through Chicana Feminism
Since the beginning of time society no matter if it was in north america, south America, or Europe women have always been seen as inferior towards men. Believing they provide nothing to society and are only there to support the males’ needs. Due to this Chicanas sought to accomplish from a movement that would to…
Getting to the Bottom of the Secret : A Queer of Color Reading of Creator Alberto Barrera’s Netflix series “El secreto del rio”.
While rethinking my Netflix membership, a gem of a film was recently added that made me reconsider why I even began rethinking my subscription in the first place. Sure, the premium Netflix membership is onerous. And sure, I’m quickly tiring of the never-ending new additions of true-crime dramas. And then, right before cancelling my…
Women’s Right to Abortion
This is to all our sisters who were forced into an unwanted pregnancy, who lost their lives carrying a secret pregnancy, who had an abortion, and to all the women who once suffered in silence becoming mothers. As we seem to advance long from history, it seems as if we took a big step back…
Getting to the Bottom of the Secret : A Queer of Color Reading of Creator Alberto Barrera’s Netflix series “El secreto del rio”.
While rethinking my Netflix membership, a gem of a film was recently added that made me reconsider why I even began rethinking my subscription in the first place. Sure, the premium Netflix membership is onerous. And sure, I’m quickly tiring of the never-ending new additions of true-crime dramas. And then, right before cancelling my…
BREAKING CHAINS
Chicana feminism is a journey of liberation, a reclamation of identity that begins in the quiet corners of home and reverberates through entire communities. It is a rebellion against traditions that confine and a celebration of the strength that flows through us, passed down by generations of women who endured in silence but dreamed of…
The toxicity of Marianismo tied to the life of Chicanas
Marianismo has been a taught lifestyle for many Chicana women, it is usually enforced in Mexican/ Chicano and Latino households. The term marianismo was influenced by the Virgin Mary essentially taking the term “Maria” and converting it to marianismo. Along with the religiously rooted term also came rigid expectations enforced on women who were expected…
Mother & Daughter Relationships
By Natalie Castillo Me, being a daughter to a woman born and raised in Mexico City, I have a lot of knowledge on the subject of Mexican mother and American daughter relationships. Surprisingly though, I have never thought about it until reading the short stories and articles in class this semester. It really opened up…
The Intersection of Witchcraft and Catholicism in Chicana/o Spirituality
The intersection of witchcraft and Catholic beliefs among Chicana/o people can, beyond any doubt, be perceived as cultural and spiritual resistance to colonial and patriarchal powers colonizing native Indigenous populations. For Chicana women, this blending of Indigenous culture with Catholicism through brujería (Witchcraft) and curanderismo (healing) is not only a radical form of power but…
Lowriding: A Chicana Community
Chicanas have played a crucial role within the Chicana/o community as they have been present for every milestone that has shaped the history of Chicana/os in a positive way. As throughout history there has been many testimonios of strong Chicanas who has overcome the boundaries that were set up to ensure the downfall of women…
Social Stigma Surrounding the Menstrual Cycle
In many cultures, menstruation is often celebrated as the moment in a young girl’s life where she enters womanhood. Despite it being a regular bodily event, it remains a target of discrimination and embarrassment. Cultural, religious, and social taboos work to reinforce stigmas surrounding the menstrual cycle, shaping how menstruation is both viewed and discussed.…
Understanding Sexual Health Disparities in the Latinx Community
Nationally, Latinx are among the highest-growing ethnic populations and have reached about 62.1 million of the U.S. population, according to the U.S. census. While the fastest growing group, they are also facing higher rates of sexual health disparities at a national level. As the term Latinx is a general term regarding the origin, nationality, and…
Let Wicked Radicalize You! An In-Depth Analysis of Wicked as an Allegory of Societal Sleepwalking into Fascism
The dawn of November 6, 2024, marked a moment of despair etched into my memory. At 3 a.m., I awoke restless, only to see the news that Donald Trump had been re-elected. A wave of fear swept over me, bringing back the anxiety of his first term as an undocumented DACA recipient and queer man.…
Taxation on Menstruation
“Period Tax” is the taxation of menstrual and feminine hygiene products that deem them as “non-essential goods.” Menstruation is a biological process that women endure, the societal control over these biological necessities for the purpose of profit and control is one that must be addressed. While some public spaces have begun supplying free hygiene products,…
The Different Types of Doulas
Who are doulas? For those of you who do not know what a doula is essential, they are trained professionals who will offer emotional, physical, and informational support. Typically, when someone thinks of a doula, they automatically think of a birth doula. These doulas specifically will help a woman during and after childbirth and are…
The Toxicity of the Phrase “No Sabo Kid”
The term ‘no sabo kid’ roots from Hispanic kids feeling a disconnection from their Latino cultural heritage. This derogatory phrase tends to reflect a pattern of cultural neglect due to systematic barriers and societal expectations. Younger Hispanic generations have demonstrated a growing trend of linguistic and cultural disconnection, attributable to factors such as segregation and…
The Importance of Women’s Reproductive Education
The Importance of Women’s Reproductive education By Branden Tepaz Did you know that as of 2022 the percentage of adults in the United States who said they were knowledgeable about menstruation was 52% ? All the while the percentage of adults in the United States who said they were knowledgeable about Menopause was 44%? This…
The Fight Against Violence
We all are aware of the violence women go through. For years women have been seen as “easy” targets for aggressors that are typically men. We are put through domestic violence, sexual assault/rape culture, human trafficking, and more. Domestic violence is typically committed by one’s significant other. In recent article published by the World Health…
Understanding Gender as a Performative Act
As a woman, I believe I have become more conscious of my gender role and what it entails. Beauvoir emphasizes how our status as women is reliant on man since that is how he created the law, which favors their gender, referencing Poulain de la Barre. This is significant because it has influenced the development…
Critiquing Plastic Surgery Trends: The Racist and Sexist Implications for Women of Color
As a chubby, Mexican girl, I didn’t quite fit the standard I saw on TV or in magazines growing up. I developed an unhealthy relationship with my body image that was only exacerbated with social media and the popularization of plastic surgery. Beauty trends and standards in place often demand women of color to embody…
From Detoxification to Yasssification: How Addressing Toxic Shame Could Lead to A Tangible Liberatory Praxis
Toxic shame, a pervasive sense of unworthiness or defectiveness ingrained in individuals, is explored in the context of societal systems like patriarchy, capitalism, and white supremacy. This shame, unlike healthy shame that responds to social norms or moral standards, becomes debilitating when chronic and pervasive, shaping individuals’ identities and self-concepts. In the United States, these…
The Real Realness: Commodifying Culture from the Ballroom to RuPaul’s Drag Race
Commodification and Capitalism One of the most grave side effects of RuPaul’s Drag Race being such a mainstream form of queer entertainment is how easily it has made it for queer culture to be commodified and cheaply replicated. “Commodification prefabricates culture into easy to consume products and images that allow the dominant culture to utilize…
Femicide in Latin America
The night may feel safe for men, but during the nighttime, walking on the street is unsafe, and it is seen as a death wish for many women, mainly for women who reside in Latin America. Gang crime is extremely active at night, and Latina women are more likely to be punished by men if…
Gossip/Chisme as a Site of Knowledge and Avenue for Decolonial Realities
While a lot of colonial thinking still permeates within our uses of gossip, there are examples in our modern-day that echo the theoretical practices of queer chisme. Notably, Rina Sawayama’s “This Hell” is not only an empowering song that reclaims the threat religious fanatics spew at queer people, but the song itself is grounded in…
Bridging Understanding: The Importance of Integrating Sexuality and Gender Education in the Classroom
Photo by fotografierende Learning about LGBTQ+ topics at school should become more accessible, especially since it helps bridge a better understanding between non-Queer students and Queer students alike. For example, It’s Still Elementary is a 2007 documentary that explores the reality of elementary school students being exposed to topics like sexuality and gender at a…
Abortion & The Failed Separation of Church and State
The reproductive right of abortion has become a debate and topic for many people. The medical procedure to terminate a pregnancy is controlled by the government and its regulation of reproductive rights. Within American society, there is a notion called the separation between the church and state. The idea is rooted in the principle that…
The Greatest Injustice in Reproductive Health of the 21st Century
The overturning of Roe v. Wade has been one of the biggest injustices in women’s reproductive rights to arise from the Supreme Court in recent history. It is clear that this decision violates women’s right to privacy and autonomy, involved a large amount of political and personal bias, and will cause far more suffering than…
Latinas and Eugenic Sterilization
Sterilization and eugenics have a prominent history in the United States. Through the 1900s, several states petitioned and advocated for the sterilization of “undesirable” populations fueled by discriminatory stereotypes aimed primarily at Latinas. As a result, thousands of Latinas were sterilized across America as a form of eugenics without consent. It has had a lasting…
Transparency for the Presence of Contaminants in Feminine Hygiene Products
We are exposed to contaminants every day, whether its greenhouse gases, heavy metals, microplastics, etc. These indirectly enter our bodies through the use of everyday items, eating, or even just breathing. While these sources of contamination are hard to control due to their abundance, and sometimes naturally occurring nature, there are some contaminants whose production,…
Higher Maternal Mortality Rates in Black People
As a nursing student soon to enter the healthcare field, I want to make a difference and ensure that I am not participating in discriminatory practices. I hope to better myself and the lives of the patients I encounter.
Every Woman You Know
Every woman you know has a story about their experiences with sexual violence. This can include sexual harassment, unwanted sexual remarks, groping, rape, and much more. These situations can also happen anywhere, no place is safe. Women can experience sexual violence at their work place, home, or in public. Even today with people becoming much…
Making College Campuses Safer
When it comes to the issue of sexual violence on college campuses, it’s a topic that demands our attention and action. Unfortunately, it’s a problem that affects many students, both women and men. It is quite alarming how common sexual assault and harassment are among college students. There are numerous strategies to address sexual violence…
The Stigma Surrounding Abortion
Abortions are not uncommon; it is common knowledge that one in four people who are assigned female at birth have had an abortion at some point in their lives. However, the stigma that still enshrouds abortion is still a threat to the mental health of these individuals. Abortion stigma has been defined as “a negative…
The Feminist Critique of Pornography: Unveiling Ethical Concerns and Gender Disparities
Despite increasing acceptance of feminism and female sexual liberation, many taboo subjects persist, prompting the need for reflection on pornography consumption in the modern age. The increase in unethical pornographic content such as incest, rape, minors, and the fetishization of certain racial groups and the LGBTQ community raises concerns about the societal impact of pornography.…
A la Fregada con el Chronic STRESS!!!
(…regardless of what generation you were born in) Chronic Stress es todo lo malo that you feel when shit hits the fan and no one can snap you out of your funk BUT YOU! Money and life circumstances are the major stressors that cause anxieties and challenges on a day-to-day basis across all generations. Mi…
The Extraordinary Day to Day
This summer I plan to revel in the magic of the mundane… the magic of life as it flows, steadily, and the comfort of nothing actually going wrong. Spring 2022 was riddled with unforeseen obstacles, accidents and little tests here and there and everywhere. Needless to say, when that huge wave of health issues hit…
Why We Need More Transparency in Media
In the age of rampant misinformation it can be hard to know what’s real and what’s not. In fact, it might be better called information saturation. It can be hard to know the difference between news and propaganda. So what do we do? Well, I’m here to tell you that first of all, all media…
Homesick
Who am I? I have always asked often as I layed in bed and had nothing else to do but be a slave to my thoughts. The room was painted blue by the paleness of the moonlight. Why am I here? I used to ask the empty room expecting someone to answer or something divine…
Como Pajaritos
The day old gouldian baby finches turn their faces up to me as I open the wood nest box: their black and glowing pearly, alien mouths plead for food noiselessly. Rotating back and forth like sunflower heads moving their face toward the sun, their mouths wide. Moving much faster of course. Like some robotic face…
The Dawning of a New Day & the Cyclical Nature of Grief
By Mayana Geathers There is a moment before the sun rises, when you can feel and see the in-between of night and day. It is a sliver of time when the darkness still hangs in the sky, the moon waves goodbye and the brightness moves upward from the edge of the earth. Before the rays…
Mictlán En Vida
I’ve been quiet for a long time, but there is so much to say. Let me start then with the most important piece. I am like you. I was born to parents who had to leave everything behind in order to start anew. They paid for my education through the sweat of their brows and…
To Struggle or Sink
One more step, I tell myself. And every step requires tremendous effort. As I walk through the forest, my feet sink into the Earth. ~*~ This is where I was just over a decade ago: I am climbing a mountain in Maunawili, an area on the island of O’ahu. I laced up my shoes ahead…
A Return Home, Again
The summer of 2021 brought me home again. After more than a decade, I would move back into the only constant childhood home I knew. I hadn’t lived with my grandparents since high school; it’d been longer still since I’d lived with my mother. Now, at twenty-eight I traveled over 2,000 miles to move in…
COVID-19 as a Portal: How Contracting the Delta Variant Turned “Hot Girl Summer” into a Homecoming
Looking out at the tall, serene trees at my favorite local park, I was sitting in my car when I got the news. I quickly scrolled through my Kaiser app. The words, “Your COVID 19 PCR test result was POSITIVE,” struck me as if I had been dumped in ice water; my breath ripped from…
Resistance and Freedom in a Virtual World
Imagine a professional world where you could mute the sounds of white supremacy. Consider a setting without the prying eyes of the patriarchy, where you could carry your brown feminine body without apology. Muting and avoiding does not mean eradicating, but in a remote setting I have been able to create a working environment that…
A Year of Little Deaths
“We each die countless little deaths on our way to the last. We die out of shame as humiliation. We perish from despair. And, of course, we die for love.” – Clive Barker In the spring of 2020, bleary-eyed from my ongoing transformation into a mother, excited for my blossoming career, and questioning what I…
Joy in the Rebirth
Not long ago, I decided to wallpaper our guest bedroom closet with bright, rainbow watercolor paper. I had decided to do some spring cleaning, so I made my list of places in the house that needed attention, and at the last minute I ignored all of them and spent 5 hours cleaning out the closet…
Spaces
As academia aims to become more progressive in its effort to dismantle systemic racism, I tend to reflect on how these factors have impacted my experiences. Subsequently, I feel obligated to code-switch through the spaces that I navigate from entering classrooms to writing papers, entering work meetings, and even when I walk into my family’s…
