Nicole Cotto
May 3, 2012
Anthropology 317
Final Draft
The Personal is Political: Women of Color and Our Collective Resistance
Abstract
In a society in which women and people of color are socially marginalized, women of color have found refuge by creating community with each other. Through this research and as a self-identified woman of color, these communities are instrumental in allowing us to openly share our personal experiences in order to be empowered while empowering others. These spaces also provide opportunities for women to form mentorships with each other and foster leadership skills. This research focuses on Women of Color in Chicago (WOCC), an organization within a Chicago-area university, that focuses on issues of wellness, including physical, emotional, and vocational wellness. Based on my findings, I make recommendations that will help WOCC further its goals. This research contributes to anthropological perspectives on race, cultural citizenship, and upward mobility by focusing on the community response to the persistence of inequality for women of color in society, and especially in higher education. All names, including the organization's name, have been changed to protect participants' identities.
Introduction
Women of Color in Chicago (WOCC) is an organization of women who work toward developing leadership skills, strong social bonds, individual wellness, and social transformation of consciousness. Founded in 2008 after several female undergraduate and graduate students at a Chicago university expressed the need for a network of women of color, the group has grown to include more than one hundred members (Interview 3/18/12). WOCC meets on a monthly basis to discuss physical, emotional, and vocational wellness as they affect women in relation to their cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Membership consists of undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty, staff, and alumni who seek to empower each other, promote awareness of the similarities among women of color, and ameliorate oppression of women of color by fostering mentorships and creating leaders.
As an active member of WOCC since its inception three years ago, I have gained self-awareness and self-esteem through sharing my stories with other women. WOCC's influence on me shaped my desire to investigate how other women have been affected by their membership. I also want to ensure that WOCC continues to be effective and improves its services for the next generation of women of color at this university; I hope that this will be accomplished through the recommendations that I make at the end of this project.
Literature Review
This research contributes to anthropological perspectives by focusing on the community response to the persistence of inequality for women of color in American society, and especially in higher education. Before continuing, it is necessary to define what we mean by a “woman of color.” According to Loretta Ross, founder of the SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Health Collective, the term originated in 1977 during a National Women's Conference in Houston, Texas. Ross explained that the term “women of color” was created at the conference by and for minority women, which at the time included the black and Asian women present. From its inception, this self-identifying term described the solidarity between all women who identified as racial or ethnic minorities (Ross 2011). The term effectively embodies a self-identity that bridges non-white women together, who are all fighting for a stronger representation, especially within the women's movement.
According to feminist scholar Becky Thompson, second wave feminism, which is the feminist movement that lasted between the 1960s and 1990s, isolated women of color from the women's rights movement (Thompson 2010). Groups of women of color, like WOCC, have formed out of a need for a more inclusive representation within the women's movement. Prior to this, the women's movement largely focused on white women's rights and ignored the rights of women of color (Niemann 2002).
While a woman of color is someone who has a marginalized racial, ethnic, linguistic, and socioeconomic backgrounds, we should not assume that women of color are homogeneous (Thompson 2010). In attempting to bridge dialogues and address issues affecting women of color, Thompson asserts that white women must be fully aware of their own identities and how to unite in the struggle for rights with their sisters of color; white women must not claim the multi-faceted narratives of women of color. Personal instances of injustice are political in nature, and political action should stem from deep understanding of injustices against anyone, especially against one's sisters who identify as women of color (Thompson 2010). There must be an attempt by white women to more deeply understand and to demand greater representation of the needs of women of color. White women who want to understand women of color must not just read about our struggle in books or know our faces through pictures, but must speak to us and know us (Carrillo 1983). Overall, our identities shared through stories must be understood as a new type of citizenship.
Rina Benmayor, a scholar of cultural citizenship, argues that citizenship is usually defined in terms of nation-states; now, this definition has been expanded to include, but is not limited to, gender through the notion of cultural citizenship. Cultural citizenship is a way that a group methodically creates a common identity that unites them in political action (Benmayor 1992). Referencing Ross's earlier explanation, women of color can be considered an example of cultural citizenship because the black and Asian women who attended the conference were actively resisting oppression. Altogether, cultural citizenship encompasses a more holistic and explicitly political understanding of one's identity and experience, especially for politically marginalized groups such as women of color (Caldwell 2009). Cultural citizenship is a more extensive understanding of our individual race, ethnicity, family, education, and cultural history and how we can act on behalf of our community. It involves being culturally responsible to our families and communities since, as women of color, we have collective goals that improve our family's and community's future (Benmayor 2009).
Anthropologist Kathleen Coll argues that cultural citizenships are established because people of color (who are often poor) are marginalized and ignored in society (Coll 2010). The California-based group, Mujeres Unidas y Activas (MUA), was the site for Coll's research, and it creates a space for Latinas to fully participate as social and political beings, which defines their cultural citizenship (Coll 2010). MUA connects the public and private spheres of these women's lives and allows them to build their self-esteem (Coll 2010). Focusing on self-esteem provides a concrete foundation for women of color to combat oppression and injustice.
Networks of women of color rose out of the need for a space to express our desire for rights, access, and opportunities. The space created by women of color allows for a more holistic understanding of ourselves and the support we need (Granados de la Rosa 2010). This deeper understanding is communicated through increased self-esteem and a greater inclination to share personal stories with others in a safe-space. Members of MUA often spoke about the need to desahogarse or talk about topics that were weighing down on their minds (Coll 2010). The increased self-esteem was the result of gathering in a space that allowed for women to discuss issues that they may not have had a space to discuss before.
Furthermore, it must be reiterated that these are not spaces for women to release their frustrations aimlessly (Granados de la Rosa 2010). Rather, members of MUA use their experiences in these spaces to inspire each other to fight against oppression that affects not only themselves, but also other women of color. Speaking freely in a safe-space allows for women to exercise and cultivate their political identities (Coll 2010).
WOCC challenges the traditional focus on white women in the women's movement by centering the dialogue on women of color and by creating a new type of cultural citizenship. Through discussions revolving around cultural citizenship, race, and upward mobility, I hope to explain how WOCC functions as a powerful space for women of color.
Methods
During this semester-long ethnographic project, I conducted a survey eleven interviews, which included semi-structured interviews, a life-history interview, and unstructured interviews. I also engaged in fifteen hours of participant observation with WOCC, which included monitoring activity of the group's Facebook page. Members use the Facebook page to communicate outside of our monthly meetings, and is only accessible to WOCC members. I also distributed a survey to twenty-four respondents, all of whom are members of WOCC.
I interviewed all four of the WOCC undergraduate student representatives, Maria, Nalika, Beverly, and Vanessa, whose job is to plan the monthly wellness gatherings. I wanted to know what their experience in a leadership position within WOCC has been like, and how they perceive the organization's significance. I also interviewed the current WOCC coordinator, Rene, to get a better understanding of how WOCC functions logistically. In addition, I interviewed one of the co-creators of WOCC, Angelina, to obtain her perspective of why a program like this was necessary. During the interview, Angelina stated that she did not want to be referred to as the “founder” of WOCC because she was part of a team of undergraduates, graduates, and staff. Finally, I interviewed five regular members, Abigail, Brianna, Lucy, Lupe, and Rori, to understand how they had been affected by the organization, what they had gained thus far, and how they perceive the group's limitations. All of these data were used to assess the goals of the organization and the effectiveness of the programming in meeting these goals.
At the end of the annual WOCC retreat in March, members responded to a survey that twenty-four women completed out of the more than 100 total members of WOCC. The questions on the survey asked about the women's experiences with the organization and allowed them to give their own recommendations for what they would like to see improved. The twenty-four surveys were mostly fully completed, but there were certain questions that several women did not answer. For example, many women did not answer the question asking what three things they would like to see discussed at a future meeting. This may have been because the question was awkwardly placed at the end of the page and may have been accidentally skipped over.
By way of this project I hope to help WOCC gain a better perspective of what its participants want in terms of programming to help better meet their needs. Through the program evaluation, I hope to ensure that WOCC continues to offer the necessary support for women of color in higher education. Furthermore, I hope to make the results of this project available for all members by posting this finished product on the WOCC Facebook page.
Analysis
WOCC members generally agree that the category of 'women of color' is both flexible and self-ascribed. Survey data suggest that many women defined “women of color” as women who were “not white.” This highlights that to be a woman of color, her narrative must include something more than just identifying as a white woman. According to Angelina, one of the co-creators of WOCC, “a woman of color is a woman who identifies herself as a woman of any or all of the African, Latina, Indigenous, Arab, Middle Eastern, Asian, and Pacific Islander diasporas, who commits to work in solidarity with other women of color and allies to fight against systems of oppression that disempower and marginalize women of color and others across the world” (Interview 3/18/12). This was the definition she and her co-committee had in mind when developing WOCC. The survey responses showed that many women did echo aspects of this perspective, but often only identified women of color based on race and ethnicity; there was really no mention of battling systems of oppression. I intend to address my survey participant's interpretation of political action later on in this analysis.
During the monthly meetings, about thirty women gathered in our reserved meeting space to discuss either physical, emotional, or vocational wellness. The room where we meet is a general meeting space for anyone to use, but for that one hour, it is transformed into a space for women of color to tap into their struggles with identity and wellness by speaking to the group. Angelina explained that WOCC was “founded to provide a safe-space for women of color at [the university] to express themselves naturally, to remove their masks and lay their burdens down so that could just breathe, freely; to let go of social pressures and expectations; to be affirmed in all of their identities as women of color; to learn from one another; to grow personally and to grow in solidarity with one another” (Interview 3/18/12). However, the physical meeting space is only a part of what allows WOCC to achieve its goals and address the needs of women of color.
WOCC was created because, as Rene, the current coordinator, stated, “women seek out this space” (Interview 2/20/12). The organization establishes solidarity among members by way of addressing topics of wellness, leadership, and through mentorships. Some of the issues WOCC addresses include, but are not limited to, identity, beauty, anger at global injustices, feeling alone, grieving the loss of a loved one, and finding personal vocational callings. Brianna, a general member, explained, “my concept of sisterhood has evolved...[WOCC] has helped me believe that we as women of color can provide the best support system for each other and provide a safe space for all of us to discuss cultural or social issues that affect us” (Interview 4/12/12). For example, WOCC challenges us to analyze depictions of our ethnic backgrounds in the media and deconstruct them in order to re-construct our own identities. At the meetings, we collectively defined what each aspect of wellness means to us and help each other attain a balanced state of well-being.
Whether it was through the interviews, the surveys, or informal discussions with members of WOCC, a large majority of women agreed that the gatherings are a “safe-space.” That is, they felt comfortable enough to be vulnerable with the larger group, and women were able to feel accepted and understood. At the physical wellness meeting, WOCC member, Maria, stated that often times “white women perceive beauty as being skinny, whereas black women perceive beauty as having lighter skin and relaxed hair, which is internalized oppression” (Interview 3/18/12). Several women were told by family members or friends that their skin was too dark complected, and other women shared how they knew women who used skin-whitening creams to lighten their skin. In the survey, a woman expressed that she felt WOCC allowed for the establishment of a community that was “our safe space where we aren't judged or discriminated against or told we are playing the race card. It's home away from home.” Not only did this woman feel accepted, it is a space she feels thoroughly comfortable calling “home.” Sharing this type of information further indicates that the space WOCC provides is safe enough for its members to feel comfortable to express such personal testimonies.
Given that women of color need a space safe enough to express their feelings and to support each other through affirmations and advice, members must first allow themselves to be vulnerable. A new member, Lupe, recalls her first meeting and her initial hesitancy in sharing with the group because she “wasn’t used to being surrounded by strong women who share common interests, and had similar experiences as me” (Interview 4/12/12). Understanding how intimidating it can be surrounded by such inspirational women, even two-year member, Maria, affirmed that she found “sharing stories makes people easier to approach” (Interview 3/15/12). After attending several meetings, Lupe recalls, “I realized that I have a lot of internal conflict that I need to deal with, and I need to build my confidence...[WOCC] has taught me that I don’t have to deal with my burdens on my own. I have a whole community of beautiful strong women to support me. [I learned] the importance of being able to trust others and seek out help because all my life I was the only person I could rely on” (Interview 4/12/12). Through these responses, it is clear that by sharing stories and relating to others, WOCC promotes wellness, fosters mentorships, and builds self-esteem for its members.
One of WOCC's goals is to foster mentorships and create leaders. Mentors help to promote deeper thought into who we are as women of color, including defining our values and our passions. Three-year member, Rori, communicated how she was deeply affected by the mentors she gained from WOCC saying, “mentors have played a huge role in [my] development [and] provided the safe-space to explore my identity. I was challenged to ask myself the hard questions about who I am and what led me to become this person. I was also allowed the comfort and friendship I needed to break down and cry and I knew that they were going to help build me up” (Interview 4/11/12). As a result of these mentor relationships, WOCC has also allowed for women to remain at the university to complete their education.
Maria said that if it were not for her involvement with WOCC, she would have transferred out of the university after her first year. Two-year member Beverly shares a similar experience. She emphasized the importance WOCC has in her life saying, “ my life is hectic and complicated and just having women who understand my personal narrative makes life that much easier...this has created a positive impact on me because I feel that creating community is necessary to succeeding in school. If I didn't have this network of love, I most likely would have dropped out and/or transferred” (Interview 4/11/12). This strong community of women seems to be a strong testimony to the program's success and retention for women of color at the university.
WOCC members also communicate with each other outside of the monthly gatherings through the group's private page on Facebook. This page is only accessible by WOCC members and is updated on a daily basis. Activity on the page ranges from leadership applications for positions on and off-campus, reminders about events occurring on-campus, links to news articles and YouTube videos addressing racism, and women's rights and representation, scholarship applications, suggestions for fun gatherings, and inspirational messages or YouTube videos. The Facebook page is a way for all WOCC members to connect, even alumni or those who have found employment elsewhere. Although we are not physically able to be in the same space, the Facebook page allows us to stay in contact and support each other virtually.
My data suggest that the degree to which members perceive WOCC to be a political organization varies considerably. The last question on the survey asked if the women considered WOCC a political organization working for social justice and many women were hesitant to say 'yes.' Many expressed that they were “not sure” or that WOCC was social justice-oriented but not political. This hesitation may be a result of not fully knowing what it means to be political. Maria maintained that WOCC is not political because “we haven’t rioted yet” (Interview 3/15/12). However, WOCC undergraduate student representative Vanessa stated that WOCC is a political organization because we “work on solidarity and empowerment, which we then share with the community through everyday actions” (Interview 3/27/12). Alumni member Lucy argues that “deconstructing societal norms that make it difficult for us to exist, as well as creating spaces for us to simply be, find support, grow, and heal, is a form of activism” (Interview 2/28/12). In other words, political actions include any attempt to change the status quo, such as retaining women who would have transferred or dropped-out. WOCC testimonies clearly display that the predominantly white university was not adequately supporting their needs, which almost led to the withdrawal of some women from the university.
Angelina, a co-creator of WOCC, explained that although WOCC is not explicitly a political organization, it does create leaders who are women of color and who have gone on to pursue vocations as leaders and activists. A two-year member, Abigail, explained that her mentor helped her find and apply for the fellowship she has now (Interview 2/27/12. This shows a connection between creating a cultural citizenship as women of color, building self-esteem, gaining mentors, and creating leaders. Due to the topics WOCC discusses, the influence it has had in retaining women at the university, and creating leaders in social justice, WOCC must be political. In agreement, Angelina affirmed, “I always believe the personal is political” (Interview 3/18/12).
The survey data allowed women to offer suggestions and address limitations they saw within WOCC. Since WOCC aims to be representative of all African, Latina, Indigenous, Arab, Middle Eastern, Asian, and Pacific Islander diasporas, religions, and sexualities, women agreed on the need to increase representation within the organization by inviting more women to join WOCC from varying backgrounds. Forty-six percent of the twenty-four women I surveyed said that there should be a greater representation of women from Asian Pacific Islander, South Asian, Middle Eastern, Native American, and multiracial backgrounds within the organization. In fact, out of a retreat group of more than forty women, there were less than ten women who identified with these racial and ethnic groups. If WOCC is to call itself an organization of women of color, it must truly be representative of all identities. Nalika agrees with an initiative to make WOCC more inclusive. She suggests that “WOCC could be better advertise [on] campus to give more awareness and the presence of women on color on campus” (Interview 3/11/12).
In an effort to expand the content of our monthly discussion topics, one of the survey questions asked women if they would feel comfortable including a wellness gathering addressing sex and sexuality. One-hundred percent of the survey participants stated that they would like to see this topic addressed since WOCC already creates a safe-space for other sensitive topics. Furthermore, seventy-one percent of my survey participants expressed a desire to connect with other groups of women of color around Chicago. In late March, WOCC held its vocational wellness gathering where a women of color group from another Chicago-area university visited. This was a beginning step to creating stronger bonds with another women of color organization.
The survey results indicated that fifty-four percent of the participants want to have an official space for women of color on campus. This would not only solidify WOCC's presence at the university, but would also add to its visibility, which could attract additional members. An official space would also give members a common physical space that would parallel the virtual space that the group's Facebook page provides. This space would help to solidify the mentorships and friendships that women form during the gatherings and annual retreat.
Forty-two percent of the survey participants expressed they would like the annual retreat held in during the Fall semester, not the Spring. This might be due to the fact that when it is held in the Spring and new bonds are created, there are only six weeks before the end of the academic year, disproportionately affecting students graduating in May. If the retreat was held during the Fall, women would have a whole five months to foster those new friendships and mentorships made during the retreat.
Through the interviews, women have shared how easy it is to become 'burnt-out' and feel hopeless in the fast-paced and individualistic American society we live in. In response, WOCC offers a respite from our daily struggles, and allows us to reassess our priorities, ensuring that our well-being is first. Through the survey responses, it is clear that members want to make WOCC better for the next generation of women of color at the university. This dedication to each other proves that, together, women can empower each other to combat systems of inequality through sharing stories and affirming each other. Beverly added that she was simply “recharged by listening to stories of the women I have met... it just pushes me to do better in my life” (Interview 4/11/12). Each woman's presence is an inspiration for another woman as we collectively resist marginalization as women of color.
WOCC responds to the dominant heteronormative, white, male ideology in American society. It rose out of a need to create a safe-space for women of color to share our narratives and create close bonds with each other. WOCC organizes wellness gatherings to help build each woman’s well-being and to create an environment where women stand in solidarity with each other not solely based on their cultural and ethnic backgrounds, but also in how they want to alter the larger social structures that influence their thoughts. Rori, shared that through her involvement with WOCC she has, “learned what community is and how to be a valuable and valued member of a community” (Interview 4/11/12). WOCC members share their individual stories to help other women in the group grow; they highlight different types of oppression that not all women of color suffer, but help to stand in solidarity with each other.
Program Evaluation
Overall, the responses women shared regarding their experiences with WOCC were overwhelmingly positive. During an interview, Maria maintained that WOCC is effective because “women always get excited about upcoming events” (Interview 3/15/12). As a member of WOCC, I can attest to how powerful these gatherings can be, and how we excitedly remind each other as the next meeting date approaches. Most recently, WOCC received about ten applications for the four undergraduate student representative positions during the 2012-2013 academic year. This is the highest amount of applications WOCC has ever received, which conveys just how much the organization has grown and how passionate members are in their desire to contribute to the group.
In order to become more more representative, WOCC could increase its efforts to include women from Asian, South Asian, Native American, and multi-racial backgrounds. This can be accomplished through advertisements or by hosting an event; for example, WOCC could set-up a table in the student union and distribute free baked goods with positive, reaffirming messages attached on a flyer with information about what WOCC is. WOCC members could also contact the pan-Asian student groups and invite them to the monthly meetings.
A second recommendation is to expand the range of discussions by including a wellness gathering on sex and sexuality. Given the overwhelming number of women who expressed a desire to talk about this, this would be unfair to ignore any longer.
Third, the WOCC administration should explore the possibility of creating an official space for members on campus. This would not only make the organization more visible to other women of color, but also assist the university in its endeavors to create a more diverse campus.
A fourth suggestion is to consider holding the annual retreat during the Fall semester instead of during the Spring. Women have expressed in the past that they wanted more time to foster the new friendships and mentorship they created, especially with women who are graduating in May. This issue could be resolved by simply gathering for the retreat in the Fall.
Lastly, WOCC should aim to make more of an effort to connect with other groups of women of color around Chicago. WOCC administration should contact existing organizations and invite them to an upcoming wellness gathering. This would be similar to what was done for the vocational wellness gathering, but on a more consistent basis during the academic year. Overall, the safe-space, mentoring, and push to create leaders allows for women of color to gain the support and affirmations we need to continue living in a predominantly heteronormative, white, male society.
Appendix
WOCC Current Coordinator Interview Schedule
WOCC Undergraduate Student Representative Interview Schedule
WOCC Program Co-Creator Interview Schedule
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