The End of Summer of Feminista

Today we welcome the Autumn Equinox and that of course means the end of Summer of Feminista.

I want to thank all the fabulous Latinas who took the time to contribute to the project! I know we are all busy mujeres and the fact that you took time means so much to me.

People often ask me to summarize what Summer of Feminista means. This summer I asked Latinas to give their opinion about Latinas being public intellectuals. Some mentioned well-known Latinas like Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor as proof that there are Latinas who are sharing their opinions with the world at large. But if I had to summarize the whole conversation we had here, it would be with this quote from Mala:

While we all wait for one leader to be baptized, one thought queen to be crowned, there are many unsung members across communities reclaiming and redefining Latin@ experiences across the diaspora.

Many of the Latinas who contributed firmly stated that they are not going to wait for ONE Latina to be THE public intellectual. Rather they are finding their niche and are either ready or getting ready to stand up and own their expertise. I asked everyone to own an expertise because for me, this is the first step to being a public intellectual. If you cannot own an expertise, how will you be courageous enough to send in that op-ed, make a speech or organize your neighbors?

Latinas are a diverse group of people. Some of us were born in the USA, some of us moved here with big dreams. Some of us speak Spanish, others are still learning. What connects us is a passion for life and for many of us a passion to share that passion. And I believe this means that we will never have ONE Latina public intellectual, but many with a variety of ideas on every topic. To this I say:

VIVA!

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.