Womyn of the Americas

Womyn
of the
Americas
a community teatro curriculum
edited by georgina cecilia pérez
Founder & Director of Tu Libro
in collaboration with
Wise Latinas International
1
Table of Contents
About Wise Latinas
3
About Tu Libro
3
Background, Purpose, & Goal
4
Reviews
5
List of Characters
6
About the “Yo Soy” Teatro Mujeres
10
Character Dialogue
11
Critical / Multicultural / Antiracist
Critical Reflection & Transforming Realities
17
Musical Resources
18
Yo Soy Song by Piero
19
Character Resources
20
Teatro Resources
25
Más Mujeres
26
Libros
27
“Womyn of the Americas” Coloring Book
29
About the Artist
46
2
About Wise Latinas International
Mission
Wise Latina International’s mission is to educate
and empower Latinas and women of all walks of
life to overcome barriers, to be self-reliant to
become leaders and to act as agents of change
in their communities through arts and
entertainment.
Vision
Wise Latina International’s vision is to advocate and strive towards equality for
Latinas and women in all aspects of life thereby acquiring parity, power and
influence in education, health care, civil rights, social and economic justice. Thus,
building a strong sisterhood and presence
in all areas of government,
community and family.
Liz Chavez, President & Founder of Wise Latinas International
http://wiselatinainternational.org/
About Tu Libro
Tu Libro is a culturally and historically responsive literacy campaign which provides
books to and builds libraries for children and families
in barrio and colonia communities.
Tu Libro believes that education is a fundamental
human right and literacy is the key to a lifetime of
learning, building beautiful community relationships,
and transforming realities. Literacy is crucial in the
fight to reduce infant mortality rates, achieve gender
equality, ensure sustainable community economies,
peace and social justice. Literacy enables families to
overcome poverty, gain health care access,
accomplish goals and build bolder dreams.
georgina cecilia perez, Founder & Director of Tu Libro
www.TuLibro915.com
3
Background
Teatro is the voice of the disenfranchised and marginalized, acting out the need for economic,
political, and social change. In teatro, the audience becomes part of rather than spectators of the
“play.” The teatro should bring the audience not only into the portrayal of the characters, but also
bring them to boisterous laughter, painful tears, and most importantly – to share their own
experiences.
The spirit of teatro is in each of us – Chicanas, Latinas, Tejanas, Americanas.
The performances of each of the characters will reveal the human essence of our barrios, colonias,
pueblos, campos, escuelas, hogares… Our joys, suffering, disappointments, aspirations – and those
of our gente.
Purpose
Teatro is an empowering act providing information via
entertainment and the opportunity of understanding self
and others. It is a source of courage, dignity, kindness,
generosity, and hope – to act as a more capable protagonist
of one’s own life. Each of these do not happen
independently, but simultaneously.
As a collective, we should experience feelings and emotions
based on our own lives, our own experiences in
circumstances related to / by similarity or opposition to the
text. We should each validate (or question, expand) our
experience with the knowledge being shared… leading us to
our own individual critical reflection (we see ourselves in the
material, enabling us to become active participants in our
learning experiences and communities).
Goal
They thought they buried us…
they didn’t realize we are seeds.
Tell your own story.
~ Mexican Proverb
by georgina cecilia pérez
Founder & Director of Tu Libro
4
Reviews
“Womyn of the Americas is a treasure of a book, illuminating the lives, dreams, and activism of
women across time and across the Americas. Using teatro as “an empowering act,” georgina
cecilia pérez, and the other contributors to this book reveal a profound history of mujeres who,
although often absent from mainstream books, changed the world. As importantly, Womyn of the
Americas asks us to look in the mirror and tell our own stories. By doing so, they fulfil one of the
great responsibilities of the teacher according to ancestral Mexican thought—they serve our
community as a tetezcahuiani, the one who places a mirror in front her student’s faces, planting
the seed of conciencia, and encouraging us to truly see ourselves. By making connections between
the past and the present, and by allowing us to envision a more just future, Womyn of the Americas
brings us hope and inspiration while allowing us to experience the lives of women who came
before us.”
Yolanda Chávez Leyva, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of History
The University of Texas at El Paso
"I didn’t find out about the lives of extraordinary women, like Teresa Urrea and Carmelita Torres,
until I was an adult and doing research for my book about the history of the U.S.-Mexico border. I
had never heard about their fascinating histories before, even though they had lived in the same
place where I was raised. I remember feeling surprised and angry that nobody had ever taught me
anything about them in school. Why hadn’t they? Their stories are important and extremely
relevant not only to fronterizas and fronterizos—those of us who live on borders and who travel
back and forth between all kinds of realities—but to people from all over the world. Now, thanks
to Womyn of the Americas, their personal and collective stories will be taught in school. Finally."
David Dorado Romo
Author of Ringside Seat to A Revolution
5
List of Characters
Mujer Mexica
In the 14th century, the Mexicas (renamed ‘Aztecs’ by the
Spaniard colonizers) founded the great city of Tenochitlan, now
Mexico City. Women are central to many of their creation
stories. Mexicas believe that the life-giving power of the
universe is a duality, Omecihuatl and Ometecuhtli.
La Malinche, Malintzin (1496-1529)
Malintzin Tenepal, a woman from a Nahuatl village in Veracruz,
held captive upon the arrival of the conquistadores and
impregnated by Hernán Cortéz, shaped the a narrative about the
Mother of Mestizos, who we know today as, La Malinche. Not
only did Malintzin witness the savagery of the colonizers destroy
Mexico City and the waters of Texcoco turn red with the blood
of her people, but much later saw her only son by Cortez,
Martín, strangled by the Spanish Inquisition… an area of 18
million Mexicans massacred to fewer than one million.
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (1648-1695)
Born: Juana Ramírez de Abaje
She broke every sexist rule laid down by Imperial Spain and the
Church. She was a philosopher, poet, playwright, mathematician
and scientist. She left behind many biting poems addressed to
“foolish men who accused women without reason.”
Lucy González Parsons (1853-1942)
Born in Texas of Black, Native Mexican American parents, she
was a warrior who lead a march of 80,000 workers in 1886 on
behalf of workers’ rights and against police brutality. She died in
1942; despite being blind, she never stopped fighting against
oppression.
6
Teresita Urrea (1873-1906)
Born of a fifteen-year-old Tehuecan Indian girl and wealthy
rancher, she was a healer gifted with the ability to cure people.
Known for denouncing exploitation of the poor by the
government and church she lived in El Paso for some time, her
home in the Segundo Barrio is now a historical landmark.
Herlinda Wong Chew (1893-1939)
Known as Honorary Chinese Consul of El Paso, Herlinda overcame
sexism, tradition, the Chinese Exclusionary Act and Mexican
Revolution to help people as advocate and leader. She was born
of Aztec and Chinese parents, grew up speaking Spanish, Chinese,
French and English.
Graciela Olmos (1895-1962)
“La Bandida” fought alongside Francisco Villa like many women
who were fearless and in the trenches. Nurses, messengers,
soldiers, these women made the revolution possible. A composer,
she used music to chronicle the revolution and as an outlet for
the mind/soul.
Gabriela Mistral (1889-1957)
Born: Lucila de Maria del Perpetuo Socorro Gody Alcayaga
A Chilean poet, the first Latina to win the Literature Nobel Prize,
1945. An educator, diplomat and feminist with a deep
commitment to the poor, particularly children. Gabriela is
considered one of the greatest humanistic voices of our time.
“Desolaciόn” is one of her major works.
7
Carmelita Torres (1900-???)
“The Bath Riots” A 17 year-old Mexican maid who refused the
‘disinfection baths’ on the Santa Fe Bridge, Juárez/El Paso, 1917.
Over 127,000 Mexicans were subjected to El Paso Mayor, Tom Lea’s,
Disinfection Campaign that year alone. The disinfections continued
through the late 1950’s. Despite several articles written about
Carmelita Torres and the “Bath Riots,” a photograph of Carmelita
Torres has yet to be discovered.
See Character Resources
Frida Kahlo (1907-1954)
A Mexican surrealist and artist; she painted her own reality. “Unos
Cuantos Piquetitos,” relates the wounds and bruises of her life
providing a mirrored imagery of her warrior spirit. Surviving a tragic
accident that left her crippled she was a fighter that loved life.
Viva la Vida!
Emma Tenayuca (1916-1999)
La Pasionaria, born in San Antonio, known for her leadership in the
San Antonio Pecan Shellers Strike of 1938; the first major victory in
the Chicano Civil Rights Movement. Her activism focused on livable
wages, brutality by the US border patrol, education, and women’s
rights. "I never thought in terms of fear. I thought in terms of justice."
Dolores Huerta (1930-present)
Born: Dolores Clara Fernandez Huerta
Founded the United Farm Workers Union alongside Cesar Chavez in
1962. A fearless, committed organizer, advocating for social justice
for women, children and the under-served. She continues to develop
leadership in under-represented communities through her
Foundation.
Gloria Anzaldua (1942-2004)
A self-described "Chicana dyke-feminist, Tejana Patlache poet, writer,
and cultural theorist," a guiding force in the Chican@ Movement and
lesbian/queer theory. She wove together languages, prose, poetry,
autobiography, theory, and experimental writing to explore issues of
identity, sexuality, immigration, and more.
8
Comandanta Ramona (1959-2006)
Zapatista leader from Chiapas who advocated for the rights
of Indigenous women and children in Mexico through the
passing of the Ley Revolucionaria de la Mujer, the
Revolutionary Law for Women. She advocated for clinics,
access to reproductive care, and social justice.
La Llorona
Cihuacoalt, an indigenous Meso-American goddess renamed, "La Llorona", known to the pre-colonized world as
the entity who comforted mourning mothers and guided
children to the next world. The demented version that is
known in most Mexican/Latin American families is "about a
woman who killed her children and continues to haunt by
rivers with the threat of abducting them.
Sonia Sotomayor (1954-present)
First Latina Supreme Court Justice of the United State of
America. A Nuyorican, born in New York City in 1954, she
grew up in the projects in the south Bronx. She graduated
from Princeton and then from Yale with a law degree. When
interviewed by U.S. Senators during her nomination for
Supreme Court Justice, she stated “I would hope that a wise
Latina with the richness of my experiences would more often
than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who
hasn't lived that life."
Me
Write Your Story
9
Character Dialogue
Mujer Mexica
Music - the sound of the conch
Soy Mujer Mexica. Soy el humo del copal que vive en tu memoria,
levanto flores con mis canciones. El pulso de la tierra, dirige mi danza.
Ofrendo con los ciclos de la luna, la sangre sagrada de mi matríz.
I live on in your history. Soy la que vive en tu historia, esa mujer que exije
que regreses a la tierra. Nunca te olvides de mi. Nevero forget me.
Cihuatl, Mujer. Somos creadoras, sabias, talentosas, y ponderosas. Somos
Mujeres Mexicas.
Dialogue by Sandra Iturbe
La Malinche, (1496-1529)
Yo soy la Malinche. My people called me Malintzin Tenepal, the Spaniards
knew me as Doña Marina. I came to be known as Malinche and soon that
came to mean traitor. Me convertí en la Malinche, nombre que significa
hoy traidora. They called me Chingada ..Chingada! Of noble ancestry, I
was sold into slavery by MY ROYAL FAMILY so my brother could get MY
inheritance. The omens began, a god, a new civilization…the downfall of
our empire. And then he came…my Hernán Cortéz to share his
civilization. I began to dream…I saw…I acted. I saw our world, and his
and then another. Yes, I helped you Hernán against the Emperor
Moctezuma Xocoyotzin himself! I was interpreter, advisor and lover. But
no one would have it, me at your level? So they claimed I was raped,
used, and history would call me Chingada…but traitor I was not. I saw a
dream and I reached it...another world…La Raza… LA RAAAAA ZAAAAA !
Interpretation of Carmen Tafolla’s “La Malinche”
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz,
(1648-1695)
“Hombres necios que acusais a la mujer sin razόn, sin ver que sois la
ocasiόn de lo mismo que culpáis. Yo Soy Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz… I am a
writer, philosopher, mathematician and scientist. I chose to become a
nun so that I could continue to study as I wished. I broke every sexist rule
set by Imperial Spain and the Church. I was strong and independent way
before my time…my courage and perseverance led me to create an array
of writings, and biting poems…many giving a voice to a woman’s right to
education. “You stubborn men, you men-so very adept at wrongly
faulting womankind, not seeing you are alone to blame for faults you
plant in woman’s mind.” I left behind many eloquent answers to many
things I questioned… Dejé respuestas a tantas injusticias que cuestioné
…but above all I left inspiration for all women. Inspiration transcending all
time.
Dialogue by Jen Lucero
10
Lucy Parsons, (1853-1942)
Negra, Indigena, Mexicana. Born a slave on a plantation. Yo So Lucy Parsons.
My origins are blanketed in mystery. Most accounts tell that I was born to slave
parents in Texas, 1853. Birth certificates for us were more like stock certificates for
slave owners in the Old South. Soon, slavery evolved into a modern-day servitude
called CAPITALISM. I dedicated my life to end this system which only serves a few,
maintaining a power structure for the dominating class… while the working class,
the pillars of this nation, live in squalor. United, we can take hold of the means of
production. We must Organize! Act! Strike! Huelga! Together, as a collective, we
have the power to tear down the system and put an end to oppression… by any
means necessary. I refused to assume the role of homemaker. I was arrested many
times, but I was NEVER silenced. I never stopped fighting for the rights of the poor
and the power of the masses. After my death, my library of over 1500 books and all
of my writings were confiscated by the FBI - to silence my voice and to erase me
from history. Yo soy Lucia Eldine Gonzalez Parsons and my legacy is more
dangerous than a thousand rioters.
Dialogue by Celia Aguilar
Teresita Urrea,
(1873-1906)
They call me the Saint of Cabora…Yo soy Teresita Urrea la Santa de Cabora, luz de la
revolucion. My people proclaimed me a saint because I… who have spoken to God,
who has risen from the dead, and was reborn a holy woman, was blessed with the
great knowledge of our grandmothers… spiritual powers that allowed me to heal
my people. Mi Corazon, quebrado en pedazos, enraged by the massacre of my
people in Tomochic, lives to serve as a voice and hope for the poor. My name
resonates across the mountains of Chihuahua against those who try to dictate and
overpower us, and when I plant my feet upon the ground, no man can move me! It
was my name that ignited the first sparks in the fire that would rage against the
power of Porfirio Diaz. I am el espiritu, punta de la historia...soy belleza…yes I am a
healer, mother and warrior. I am Teresita Urrea, la Santa de Cabora, muse of the
revolution and heir of the Yaquis. Soy herredera de los Yaquis.
Dialogue by Tiffany Deveze
Herlinda Wong Chew,
(1893-1939)
I am the jade of two continents: heir of the Aztecs. Yo Soy Herlinda Wong Chew.
China’s grandiosity runs through my blood… corre en mi sangre la grandeza de
China. I speak four languages and protect my people against murder and eviction…
para que no nos expulsen de América. Soy la Nueva Meztiza Mestiza…an
entrepreneur… attorney with no formal education. An immigrant… I navigate three
cultures. Conozco al dedillo la Ley de Exclusiόn de los Chinos and I know how to
circumvent it so America will open its doors to my kin. I’ve overcome tradition,
sexism, the Chinese Exclusionary Act and the Mexican Revolution to help people as
advocate and leader. Escuchen… Listen: those are the sounds of the revolution.
Federales y alzados buscan a los chinos para desquitarse de sus propias penas. No
se asusten, don’t despair…I will guide you and take you to safety.
Dialogue by Dr. Selfa Chew
11
Soldadera, Graciela Olmos,
(1895-1962)
Singing: “Y si Adelita se fuera con otro, la seguiría por tierra y por mar. Si por
mar en un buque de Guerra, si por tierra en un tren militar…”
Soy soldadera, a soldier during the Mexican Revolution. I am Graciela
Olmos. A composer...cantaba y tocaba con mi guitara para cantarle a mi
pueblo sobre lo que veía y vivía…I sang to my people about what I saw and
lived through every day. I wrote popular songs. Compuse canciones que
artistas como Javier Solís y los tradicionales Tríos popularizaran como esta:
Singing: “Ay Corazόn me lastima tu latir,
“Corazόn por qué te empeñas…en hacerme sufrir”
Yo anduve con el General Francisco Villa and I wrote this song: El Siete
Leguas para recordar a su caballo que un día le salvό la vida al sacarlo del
peligro My guitar was my weapon…Con ella le cantaba a la vida, al amor, y
a la muerte. Que Viva La Revoluciόn…Long Live the Revolution! Que Viva!
Dialogue by Lucia Carmona
Gabriela Mistral,
(1889-1957)
“Piececitos de niño, dos joyitas sufrientes, pasan sin veros las gentes!...
I am known as a great humanitarian… Yo soy Gabriela Mistral. Ante el
mundo conocida como la gran humanitaria…enbajadora, Ambassador of
Chile. A poet, diplomat, educator and feminist, I was the first Latin
American to be awarded the Nobel Prize for my beloved craft… literatura. I
am a world advocate and protector of children…jugaba a ser maestra desde
niña, para inspirar a los niños de todo el mundo a expresar lo que pensaban
y alcanzar sus sueños…. ayudé a transformar la educacíon en México …and
in 1946 at the urging of the United Nations mi llamado para que el mundo
ayudara a los niños en todo el mundo…my appeal to help children
everywhere…became what we know as UNICEF today... organizaciόn que
enfatiza los derechos de los niños. En “Su Nombre Es Hoy” escribí “We are
guilty of many errors and many faults, but our worst crime is abandoning
the children, reflecting the fountain of life.” Soy Gabriela Mistral.
Dialogue by Elena Garza
12
Carmelita Torres, (1900-?)
I was 17 the morning I refused the bath! The damned inspections and
disinfections! Soy Carmelita Torres, a maid - and like many mujeres, I
crossed the border every day to clean the homes of white people in El Paso.
On January 28, 1917, border crossers were now “illegals.” For some time,
we had been forced to strip naked because they say we are dirty and
spread diseases; second-class humans in need of cleansing. The baths
started with gasoline, kerosene, but quickly became DDT and Zyklon-B. Our
clothes were sterilized with hot steam, our shoes melted to our
dresses, our garments were drenched with hydrogen cyanide. While we
were naked, inspectors would photograph us and sell the pictures to El Paso
cantinas. Our hairy parts were checked for lice, and when inspectors
decided, we were shaved head to toe, then drenched in kerosene. The
baths were Mayor Tom Lea’s Disinfection Campaign, praised by Hitler in
1924; adopted at Auschwitz in 1930. There are reports that I was arrested
on this day. The El Paso Morning Times described me as an auburn-haired
Amazon that lead a feminine outbreak… but there are no pictures of me
and I am not in history textbooks. And just like the baths intended - I was
wiped out, erased, and disappeared. But I stood against injustice this day.
Thousands of maids, field workers and demonstrators joined me at the
Santa Fe Bridge, the “Bath Riots. My actions inspired others to stand up…
and that ordinary day we were all extraordinary.
I was 17.
Dialogue by georgina cecilia pérez, Founder & Director of Tu Libro
Music – Paloma Negra
Frida Kahlo, (1907-1954)
Pintora, revolucionaria, rebelde. I was born with a revolution. Yo soy… I am
Frida Kahlo. People should know. It was in that fire that I was born… led by
the impulse of the revolution until I saw the light. Que lo sepan! Fue en ese
fuego donde nací, llevada por el impulso de la revuelta hasta el momento
de ver la luz. As a little girl I witnessed with my own eyes Zapata’s peasants
battle against the Carrancistas. The light burned. It enveloped me for the
rest of my life. As an adult I was a flame of fire. I am truly the daughter of a
revolution there is no doubt about that, de eso no hay duda, and of the
ancient god of fire that my ancestors revered. I was born in 1910. It was
summer. Era verano. Soon Emilano Zapata, the Great Insurgent, would rise
in the South. Yo tuve esa suerte…I had that luck: 1910 was my year. Que
Viva la Reforma! Que Viva el Pueblo!
Dialogue by Frida Kahlo
13
Emma Tenayuca,
(1916-1999)
When I was 16, I challenged injustice. No es justo! Yo soy, Emma Tenayuca.
When I was 21, I organized one of the largest labor strikes in U.S. history,
The San Antonio Pecan Sheller’s Strike, una huelga that was over 12,000
workers strong, most of them Mexicanas, Tejanas. Grower’s wanted to cut
our wages in half. La Huelga lasted over 3 months.
We were sprayed with pesticides, tear gas, and were brutalized by local
police… and still La Huelga endured hasta que ganábamos!!! Our wages
were increased and this LUCHA was one of the first significant victories in
the Mexican American struggle for political and economic equality. When I
was 23, I spoke at San Antonio’s Municipal Auditorium, calling on ALL
mujeres to stand up for their rights to effective education, to vote in all
elections, and demand fair wages! The KKK rioted and burned San Antonio’s
mayor in effigy. Still today, this is the largest riot in San Antonio’s history.
Soon after, I was forced to leave my home. I relocated in the Bay Area of
San Francisco, and became a public school teacher.
Nunca deje de luchar por me gente! Por la justicia! “It’s the women who
have led, and I feel very strongly that if ever this world is to be civilized, it
will be because of the work of women.” Me llaman La Pasionaria. Activista.
Maestra. I never thought in terms of fear. I thought in terms of justice.
Dialogue by Kate Pritchard & georgina cecilia pérez, Founder & Director of Tu Libro
Singing – “Unidos en la lucha! No no nos moverán. Unidos e la lucha! No nos
moverán, y el que no quiera que haga la prueba… No nos moverán…”
Dolores Huerta,
(1930-present)
No Nos Moverán! Chicana labor and civil rights leader. Farmworker
advocate, teacher, activist mother and grandmother. Yo Soy Dolores
Huerta. Co-founder of the United Farmworkers of America, fundamos la
Union de Trabajadores Agricolas and the National Farm Workers
Association along-side Cesar Chavez. We organized boycotts demanding
farmworkers’ rights to fair labor practices. Huelga! Huelga! He dedicado mi
vida…I have dedicated my life to organizing and creating communities of
conscience by training future leaders in low-income and underrepresented
communities. Si Se Puede! Seguro que Si! I am the president of the Dolores
Huerta Foundation, a veterana en la Causa for social justice! Que Viva la
Uniόn! Que Viva!
Dialogue by Gina Nuñez, PhD
14
Gloria Anzaldua,
(1942-2004)
For years I’ve been writing this poem. I am Gloria Anzaldúa… yo soy
teorista, profesora, poeta, escritora, a veces ni puedo terminar un poema.
Writing is like looking into a mirror, y tengo miedo que no me va a gustar lo
que veo en el espejo. No te creas, I am strong. Ever since I was a young
woman, I would say, “si mama, estoy segura de lo que quiero en la vida.
She’d respond, “y Gloria, cuando te casas? Se te va pasar el tren.” Y yo le
decia, “Pos, si me caso, no va ser con un hombre.” Si soy hija de la
Chingada. I have always been her daughter. Hija terca… rebelde, I left
home pero nunca me olvidé quién soy. Soy una herida abierta, a
battlefield, con lengua de viboras, skin of cracked desert, and hair of
barbed wire. Soy Tejana, Chicana. Mestiza, a borderland. I must face the
beast, plunge in and look in the mirror. For years I have been writing this
poem. Yo soy, I am Gloria.
Dialogue by Andrea Alejandra Gordillo Marquina
Comandanta Ramona,
(1959-2006)
Yo Soy Comandante Ramona, Zapatista.
In Chiapas we raised our voices in protest, and the world heard.
As women we came together and wrote the revolutionary law DE LA
MUJER!! We have the right to choose what happens to our bodies, how
many children we want to have, and who we want to spend our lives with.
Our women are dying every day in dirty, disease-ridden clinics. We need
healthcare! We need clean clinics! It is a shame that we’ve lost so
many women and babies who die during childbirth. My kidneys failed and I
needed surgery. There were no clinics for me. There are no clinics for my
people. We women refuse to suffer violence and mistreatment .We
organize so all women know their rights and defend themselves. Our Lucha
has been for justice. JUSTICIA! While we remain with our arms crossed,
our people will have a free nation. The pain and struggle of our lives was
not in vain. Que Viva La Mujer!!
Dialogue by Sofia C. Pérez
15
La Llorona
Cihuacoatl
(cee wah CO otl)
Yo soy La Llorona, pero prefiero que me llamen La Gritona. I cry and moan
because words are not yet born to describe the massacres on the land I roam.
Haunting the borderlands, I stand for more than the story shows. I cry for people
who struggled to find themselves, for people without a home. Hollering in the
winds of violence, I pray, pray, pray for peace. I cry for women who die in silence,
their nameless bodies listed as deceased. Blame, shame, my ‘damned soul!- a la
Chingada it’s time to step away from that old role…I place an offering upon our
sacred altar, A Medicine Bundle, rue, sage, water and ash, smudging the air with
the past; Singing a forbidden song. Doesn’t make me wrong. I offer a way to go
back home, a way to dictate where we roam, a way to break the chains, a way to
be set free from this male dominated destiny. I cry for women who bear children
they cannot feed but die trying; I shed the tears that fill the rivers before dying,
Nourishing the farms, barren wastelands, It feels like the whole world is dying in
my cold wet hands. My nightly wails twirl all sides of the moon and then you hear
me weeping in the corner of your room. But, I am not always what I seem. I am a
goddess, Cihuacoatl. I am a Ceremony. I carry your children to the next world,
and comfort mourning mothers. Colonization Un-Civilized me. But, I continue to
cry for my children…And I will always scream against injustice.
Dialogue by Cemelli De Aztlan
Sonia Sotomayor,
(1954-present)
I was born in New York City, 1954 – a Nuyorican girl from the south Bronx
projects. I am Sonia Sotomayor, y tranquila nunca fui. I worked weekends and
summers to help my mother after my father died. I applied to Princeton
University. My first history essay was a disaster. “She can’t even write an essay!”
someone said. I wondered if I should go back home, but I couldn’t let my mother
down. I went back to my books, learned grammar, took writing classes, spent long
hours in the library and taught myself to write. I joined Yale University to study
law and became the editor of the Yale Law Journal. I worked for the district
attorney’s office in Manhattan, joined a law firm, became a federal judge, and
was promoted to judge in the Second Circuit. Critiqued for being a woman,
Latina, and Catholic. I was ”too liberal.” In 2009, President Obama announced my
candidacy for the Supreme Court of the United States. He said that I was a
“woman that inspires others” who had “an extraordinary trajectory.” The
critiques started again. When asked why I would be a good Supreme Court Judge,
I said, “because I am a Wise Latina.” They laughed and mocked me when I said
that “I would hope that a wise Latina with the richness of her experiences would
more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived
that life." On the 6th of August 2009, the U.S. Senate voted and I, as American as a
mango pie, became the first Latina elected judge to the Supreme Court of the
United State of America. Now, when I talk to students I tell them “I have achieved
a lot and you can do it too, you just have to work hard for it.”
Monologue adopted from: Sonia Sotomayor: Jueza de la Corte Suprema por
Carmen T. Bernier-Grand . 2010 and Sonia Sotomayor: My Beloved World 2014.
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Critical / Multicultural / Antiracist
Critical Reflection & Transforming Realities
What do I know now that will empower me?
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In which ways do I understand my reality better?
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How can I act to transform my inner self?
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How can I act to transform my social reality?
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What can I do in a situation like the one in the text?
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In which ways will I speak/act differently now?
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How can I improve my life/conditions/relations?
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by georgina cecilia pérez
Founder & Director of Tu Libro
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Musical Resources
Quiquizoani (kee kee ZO anee)
Conch Shell Trumpeter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ih49EH1KA8U
“No Nos Moveran” performed by Joan Baez
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYXV0XqqEdM
Dolores Huerta and unified women at an
open-air mass for striking farm workers
during the Grape Strike, Delano California, 1966.
“Paloma Negra” performed by Chavela Vargas
(Frida soundtrack)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n72_PEQK2IU
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Yo Soy
At the conclusion of the teatro, all of the womyn join together to sing, “Yo Soy” by Piero.
Letra y Musica de “Yo Soy”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0a2TzAii3HU
soy agua, playa, cielo, casa, planta,
soy mar, Atlántico, viento y América,
soy un montón de cosas santas
mezclado con cosas humanas
como te explico . . . cosas mundanas.
Fui niño, cuna , teta, techo, manta,
más miedo, cuco, grito, llanto, raza,
después cambiaron las palabras
se escapaban las miradas
algo pasó . . . no entendí nada.
Vamos, contame, decime,
todo lo que a vos te está pasando ahora,
porque sino cuando está el alma sóla llora
hay que sacarlo todo afuera, como la primavera
nadie quiere que adentro algo se muera
hablar mirándose a los ojos sacar lo que se puede afuera
para que adentro nazcan cosas nuevas, nuevas, nuevas… nuevas.
Piero de Benedictis was born in Italy, 1945. An Argentine
singer/songwriter who has a Latin Grammy for Best Latin
Children’s Album, Piero has dedicated the profits from his artistic
work to the Social Justice Organizations in Argentina.
You can read more about Piero on his official web page here:
http://www.pieroonline.com
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Character Resources
Mujer Mexica
Hombre Mexica, Mujer Mexica
http://www.mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/aztec-life/hombre-mexica-mujer-mexica
La Malinche, (1496-1529)
Doña Marina, Cortés Translator
http://chnm.gmu.edu/wwh/modules/lesson6/lesson6.php?s=0
La Malinche – Translator and Companion to Cortés
http://www.mexonline.com/history-lamalinche.htm
Malinali Tenepal
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz,
(1648-1695)
San Antonio Poet Laureate, Carmen Tafolla reading her poem,
“La Malinche”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LV9eMp43xx0
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Biography
http://www.biography.com/people/sor-juana-in%C3%A9s-de-la-cruz38178
Poet, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz
http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/sor-juana-in%C3%A9s-de-la-cruz
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (Juana Ramírez de Abaje)
http://www.latin-american.cam.ac.uk/SorJuana/
Lucy Parsons, (1853-1942
Lucy Parsons: Woman of Will
http://lucyparsons.org/biography-iww.php
Lucy Parsons Biography
http://www.biography.com/people/lucy-parsons-214112
Parson, Lucy Gonzales
https://zinnedproject.org/materials/lucy-gonzales-parsons/
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Teresita Urrea,
(1873-1906)
Texas State Historical Association
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fur04
Saint Teresita of Cabora
http://www.luisurrea.com/teres/teresita.php
Slideshow: Teresita Urrea, the Saint of Cabora
https://vimeo.com/41589009
Herlinda Wong Chew,
(1893-1939)
The Chew Legacy: The Story of Herlinda Wong Chew 27 (2009)
http://epcc.libguides.com/content.php?pid=309255&sid=2891614
Herlinda Wong Chew.
http://beta.worldcat.org/archivegrid/collection/data/49701875
From the Senator’s Desk
http://shapleigh.org/news/3767-from-the-senator-s-desk
Soldadera, Graciela Olmos,
(1895-1962)
A la luz, la increíble historia de Graciela Olmos, La Bandida
http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2007/06/13/index.php?section=espectacul
os&article=a06n1esp
Graciela Olmos, de revolucionaria a dueña de un burdel
http://cernicalomispublicacionesrecientes.blogspot.com/2012/10/graciela-olmos-derevolucionaria-duena.html
Biografia subterránea de la cultura mexicana
http://www.siempre.com.mx/2012/11/biografia-subterranea-de-lacultura-mexicana/
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Gabriela Mistral, (1889-1957) The Poetry Foundation
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/gabriela-mistral
Nobel Prize
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1945/mistral
-facts.html
Gabriela Mistral Foundation
http://www.gabrielamistralfoundation.org/web/index.php?option=com_co
ntent&task=view&id=9&Itemid=15
Carmelita Torres,
(1900-?)
Indignity on the border
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Nz-253RaQo
Crossing the line
http://articles.latimes.com/2006/feb/27/opinion/oe-romo27
The Gas bath Riot and Other Tales of Mexican American Resistance
http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/08/30/the-gas-bath-riot-and-othertales-of-mexican-american-resistance/
Tales from the Morgue
http://elpasotimes.typepad.com/morgue/2008/10/order-to-bathe.html
Injecting Racist Hysteria
http://scalar.usc.edu/works/injecting-racist-hysteria-how-media-coverageof-the-2009-h1n1-swine-flu-virus-raises-questions-about-border-securitynafta-and-mexican-representation-in-us-culture-/coming-to-associatedisease-with-mexico
The Bath Riots
https://zinnedproject.org/materials/ringside-seat-to-a-revolution/
Frida Kahlo, (1907-1954)
Frida Kahlo Website
http://www.fridakahlo.com/
The Frida Kahlo Foundation
http://www.frida-kahlo-foundation.org/
Frida Kahlo and her paintings
http://www.fridakahlo.org/
22
Emma Tenayuca,
(1916-1999)
Americans who Tell the Truth
http://www.americanswhotellthetruth.org/portraits/emma-tenayuca
The Civil Rights Movement
http://www.houstonculture.org/hispanic/tenayuca.html
Zinn Education Project
https://zinnedproject.org/materials/thats-not-fair-no-es-justo/
Dolores Huerta,
(1930-present)
Dolores Huerta Foundation
http://doloreshuerta.org/dolores-huerta/
Dolores Huerta Biography
http://www.biography.com/people/dolores-huerta-188850
National Women’s History Museum
https://www.nwhm.org/educationresources/biography/biographies/dolores-fernandez-huerta/
Gloria Anzaldua, (1942-2004) Gloria Anzaldua Biography
http://voices.cla.umn.edu/artistpages/anzaldua.php
Chicana Feminist Writer
http://womenshistory.about.com/od/feministpoetry/a/gloria_anzaldua.ht
m
Gloria Anzaldua: Reflections from the Borderland
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rI6AGsbHMFc
The Poetry Foundation
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/gloria-e-anzaldua
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Comandanta Ramona,
(1959-2006)
Revolutionary Women
http://www.agirlsguidetotakingovertheworld.co.uk/#!comandanteramona/c1qkm
Who is Comandanta Ramona?
http://schoolsforchiapas.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Who-isComandanta-Ramona_.pdf
Adventures in Feministory
http://bitchmagazine.org/post/adventures-in-feministory-comandanteramona-zapatista
La Lorona
Cihuacoatl, The Goddess of the Earth
http://www.zoesaadia.com/historia-en-el-calmecac/cihuacoatl-thegoddess-of-the-earth/
Cihuacoatl
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/c/cihuacoatl.html
Sonia Sotomayor,
(1954-present)
Sonia Sotomayor Biography
http://www.biography.com/people/sonia-sotomayor-453906
Supreme Court of the United States
http://www.supremecourt.gov/about/biographies.aspx
PBS News Hour
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/8-things-didnt-know-supremecourt-justice-sonia-sotomayor/
24
Teatro Resources
Forum Theatre – Oppression in the Educational System
Julian Boal Joker's this forum theatre presentation at the University of Puerto Rico as part of New
York University's Educational Theatre Program Study Abroad
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecwFetYMy5Y&list=PLbeMzaJmLS4jHnrCeGhzsbFu5WlZ6VF
e8&index=5
Theatre of the Oppressed: The State of Equity
A short video produced in Portland, OR of a Legislative Forum Theatre with community real
stories performed to engage people to seek collective solutions for situations of oppression:
"Doulas", "Don't Blame Me", "Patron, Amigo o Ladron?", "Corporate World", guided by Theatre
of the Oppressed Joker
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VbjSTAIOOE&list=PLbeMzaJmLS4jHnrCeGhzsbFu5WlZ6VF
e8&index=6
Theater of the Oppressed – NYC
A short video demonstrating the process of creating and presenting a Theatre of the
Oppressed/Forum Theatre play. From "It Could Happen to You" by the Jan Hus Homeless Theatre
Troupe, facilitated by Katy Rubin.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vi1HfSiMxCU&list=PLbeMzaJmLS4jHnrCeGhzsbFu5WlZ6VFe
8
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Mas Mujeres
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Libros
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Libros
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Womyn
of the
Americas
Coloring Book
Images by CIMI
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Mujer Mexica
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Malintzin
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Sor Juana
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Lucia Gonzalez Parsons
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Teresa Urrea
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Herlinda Wong Chew
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Carmelita Torres
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Graciela Olmos
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Carmelita Torres
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Frida Kahlo
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Emma Tenayuca
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Dolores Huerta
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Gloria Anzaldua
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Comandanta Ramona
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La Llorona
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Sonia Sotomayor
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Me
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About the Artist
Jesus “CIMI” Alvarado is an El Paso, Texas native,
and began his artistic career experimenting with
graffiti art. Following his studies under Gaspar
Enriquez at Bowie High School, Alvarado delved
into public art projects, which often included
educational components and community
involvement. His efforts have included an
intensive, ongoing mural education program in
Dallas, Texas; two full-scale murals created with
students from the El Paso, Texas Juvenile
Detention Center; and two large murals depicting
the history and culture of El Paso,
Texas. Alvarado’s recent public works involved
community brainstorming, input, and inspiration
through both community meetings and written,
anonymous surveys. Alvarado’s artwork has been
featured in shows in Mexico City; Buenos Aires,
Argentina; the El Paso Museum of Art; the
University of Arkansas at Little Rock; and Cd.
Juárez, Mexico - “Binational Art Exhibit” Instituto
Nacional de Bellas Artes.
You can learn more about CIMI and his artistry here: http://www.cimione.com/about/
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