Summer of Feminista: Latina Public Intellectual-In-Training

My name is Amanda Reyes and I am an expert scholar because the pursuit of knowledge is my passion. In my ever evolving vision of the future, I am one of many Latina public intellectuals, a philosopher, activist, teacher, artist. I want to connect the academy, the arts, and the people, enriching each by bringing them together.

Philosophy is the search for and development of truths. I want my scholarship to combine Cherríe Moraga and Gloria Anzaldúa’s “theory in the flesh,” theories built on the lived experiences of Latinas and women of color, and academic philosophical thought. I want my writings to contribute to the progression of philosophical and feminist scholarship, influence public policy and social justice, and empower people, especially Latinas and women of color, through their pursuit of knowledge and truths. I want to share the works of other intellectuals and artists of color and help to reify our contributions to the United States intellectual and artistic canons. As an artist, I want to manipulate the conventions of filmmaking to tell the stories of our lives as U.S. women of color in all their complexity. I want my films to be personal, experimental, and liberating.

My activism, as a Latina public intellectual, will be to devote myself to intellectual and artistic accomplishment, yet it is also to share what I’ve learned so that it may benefit my students and our communities. Though I want them to be intellectually challenged, I hope to make feminism, philosophy, and art accessible to my students. I want them to know how to read scholarship and art and understand them in the context of their lives and the lives of others. I want them to read, see, and hear the lived experiences of others. I want them to know that non-white artists exist. I want them to know that theory is vital to their lives.

Amanda Reyes is a first-year Master’s student in Women’s Studies at the University of Alabama. She recently began The Feminist Type, a blog where she publishes book reviews in her research areas, Wikipedia contributions, and editorials on Alabama politics.

Summer of Feminista 2011 is a project where Latinas are sharing their thoughts on Latinas as Public Intellectuals. Liberal. Conservative. Academic statements. Personal stories. Learn more or how you can join the Summer of Feminista. This is a project of Viva la Feminista. Link and quote, but do not repost without written permission.