This piece is powerful and was created by Norman Rockwell, a highly influential American Press illustrator, from New York. When I first came upon this painting I was enraged, hurt, and confused but ultimately once those emotions passed I noticed that I was extremely inspired as well. I immediately thought about the Civil Rights movement, which is the reason behind this piece. Aside from capturing my attention, this image was powerful because of the plethora of messages I was given. This piece speaks of injustice, segregation, pain, courage and overall activism. This piece speaks of activism to me because when the world is against you, which it was for African Americans during the time that this piece was created, to go about one’s life as an African American with one’s head held high, is defiance in the most courageous way.

This piece shows me that no one can stop us, for where there is a will there most certainly is a way.

This week’s readings and film were not necessarily surprising, rather eye opening. I say this because of how intimate I felt reading about the experiences of women of color. I did find myself feeling melancholy because of the accounts of women of color and trans women not being treated appropriately due to the inappropriate stigma. As per “12 Reasons It Should Be Illegal for Doctors Not to Treat Trans People,” we were exposed to the firsthand experiences of trans people in regard to their health and it was not only devastating, it was entirely unfair and corrupt. There is not one scenario I can think of in which anyone should be denied treatment, when it is a basic human right to have access to doctors and external help overall.

            Some connections that I came across in the readings and film was how the standpoint (in regard to their position in society), affected the quality of lives of the individuals we read about. One example is that all of these individuals facing discrimination and marginalization, were not coming from environments meant for them to thrive, rather the communities lacked proper resources. This is something that I thought about immediately after reading “12 Reasons It Should Be Illegal for Doctors Not to Treat Trans People,” mainly because of the medical neglect I was learning about. Another connection I made was the fact that there seemed to be a pattern of disconnect between these groups of people and a proper quality of life, all seemingly due to their gender, which I find absolutely disturbing. 

            The format in which the stories are shared impacts my understanding of medical oppression and/or other aspects of gender we have discussed this semester because it all boils down to one thing: the importance of the feminist movement. Learning about the oppression and exploitation that women, specifically women of color deal with is obscene. All of the topics we have discussed have had an impact on how I view proper education, because the first step to creating a better tomorrow is understanding what the core of the problem is. I can truthfully say that learning about how the females in the Period. End of Sentence, have to work together was breathtaking because it goes to show how when we stand together, all is possible. There is strengths in numbers and I feel proud to be a woman of color because through it all, we are here standing and working to deconstruct the system that was created with the intention of breaking us.

Identity politics is not a complex concept; however, it has become somewhat of a “hard-to-define” concept due to how it has been corrupted by “American conservatives.” Identity politics stems from power, which as Garza states, is truly not at all on par with what feeling empowered is. As I was reading Garza’s reading, I came to realize the reality of the disparity between power and what it means to feel empowered. Garza made a concise and appropriate analogy that truly hit the nail: he compared empowerment to one’s freedom to choose what to eat for breakfast, whilst power belongs to those who are in charge of making these options available to us (or not available.) This expands what I thought power was, bringing to light that identity politics is vital because our power is not as profound as I thought it to be and as Garza states in her article, “A lack of understanding of power is central to how power operates.”        In Garza’s reading, she made a powerful statement that made me pause and think about where power lies in our day to day, personally speaking as a woman of color. This is the statement, “Power prefers to operate in obscurity; if how power operates was fully transparent, I suspect many of us would rebel against it.” Is all of what we know to be power, more-so a fabricated and controlled illusion? Do we truly have the power to make choices that benefit us, and only us? This is why identity politics is so important. This is why conversations like the blonde’s infuriate me, because as a woman of color, no one can speak my truth for me and certainly no one can boil down my identity to an inability to identity with a nation and not my race.

When I think about where we are in the world today, collectively, I instinctively think about people of color. This is not only due to the oppressive life people of color have been dealt, it is most specifically due to the fact that people of color have been exploited for what they could provide. This is a topic that always leaves me with a bitter taste in my mouth, as a woman of color myself. Therefore, when I read the following quote: “We might use our position at the bottom to make a clear leap into revolutionary action.  If black women were free, it would mean that everyone else would have to be free since our freedom would necessitate the destruction of all the systems of oppression,” women of color come to the forefront of my mind because of the very real and very corrupt struggle that oppression causes. This oppression affects us all, collectively, because our society is built on people of color, and women of color have been dealt with the brunt of it all. This issue is much bigger than we know because it stems from a genuine place of corruption. 

When the Combahee River collective talk about “identity politics,” they are referring to the fact that when it comes to those in charge, those who have the platform and power to make a real difference in the lives of other, there lacks empathy, justice and equality. It is as though people of color, specifically and most predominately women of color, are forgotten and therefor experience the opposite of liberation. There is a powerful thing that occurs when we find our voice, when we choose to speak our truth and share our intimate experiences with others. This comes from the fact that our stories and experiences bring us together, tying us into a powerful and wonderful union.              

Race and gender are tied to and affect various concepts, therein which exists capitalism. This can be seen in the salary of women of color and what is marketed to us, such as the beauty industry which makes billions of dollars on the premise of our very insecurities. Capitalism quite literally feeds off of us, exploiting and further enabling a disconnect between our identities and our experiences in the day to day. In layman’s terms, the system was built with only those who are not people of color to thrive and prosper, in an attempt to keep people of color in a stagnant place.

As a female, we are placed with obstacles that we are expected to tolerate, regardless of the difficulties that may arise. On top of having to endure, we are also left with the fact that men criticize and judge our every move, in what Mainardi sees as complaints from males. No one is exempt from this and I personally am all too familiar with this scenario, as I see it even with the older generations within my family. I understand the liberated woman to be a person who is able to see amidst what is said, read between the lines and handle herself as these situations come about. This week’s reading reaffirmed my belief that to be a woman is to be complex, be it in terms of our biological anatomy, our minds and our emotions. I personally see the importance not only in men understanding our bodies, but in us understanding ourselves deeply first, that way we can easily see when men do not truly see us for who we are. I think self-awareness stems from not having been understand in intimate relationships, which can be duly noted when men do not know how to help women reach orgasm. This is what a liberated woman is, someone who knows herself well enough to not allow a man who does not appreciate her enough to attempt to get to know her, around her and into her life. Self-awareness, autonomy and assertiveness arte key elements for a liberated women and this week’s reading helped me understand as to why, on a deeper level.

            A liberated woman is vital for women’s liberation because a liberated woman knows herself well enough to know how critical women’s liberation is, to our wellbeing collectively. A liberated woman knows herself and is not afraid to fight for what is right. Feminism requires a liberated woman because the patriarchy is an institution that has been instilled in many and we need fierce women to help tear it down and ensue liberty, equality and justice for all!

            The readings from this week show that the “personal is political” through showcasing that all problems must be acknowledged in order to create real change in the world. When we choose to disregard or ignore our true feelings, we are holding back ourselves in a collective way. It is important to be vocal because that is how the feminist movement even came to be- through the courage of those who saw the unfairness and inequality, and decided that they would not settle for that.