March 8 marks International Women’s Day, a more than 100-year celebration of the social, political, cultural, and economic achievements of women. As we continue to experience the effects of an administration that prioritizes white men, we’ve seen wide-scale protests take place. One of the most stunning examples was the Women’s March on Washington that occurred over inauguration weekend in the capital and across the United States. But women fighting for their rights didn’t just begin under the Trump Administration. It’s an ongoing history of resistance that women have cultivated.
On this week’s episode of Alt.Latino, host Felix Contreras and NPR Kroc Fellow Jessica Díaz-Hurtado discuss the issues women continue to face today. The episode – titled Celebrating Mujeres: Butterflies, Brujas, and Bey – features three special guests: Remezcla music editor Isabelia Herrera, Radio Menea host (and frequent Remezcla contributor) Veronica Bayetti Flores, and Vibe Viva editor Marjua Estevez.
Today’s “Day Without a Woman” strike has received criticism for centering privileged women, who can afford to take time off work while negatively affecting those in the most vulnerable positions. As schools shut down across the country, it’s women of color who are left scrambling to find last-minute childcare. Herrera, Bayetti Flores, and Estevez touched on the role that white women have played as feminists. Talking about her favorite sign at the Women’s March, Bayetti Flores recalled one that read, “Remember that white women voted for Trump.”
“And I think that it’s really important to think about that because a lot of times when we’re talking about feminism, we think about a movement that is united,” she said. “It’s important to recognize that there’s a lot of frictions and divisions within the movement and that white women don’t always put everything on the line for women of color in the ways that women of color put everything on the line for our communities.”
In between chatting about intersectional feminism, the tokenization of women artists, and how the Mirabal sisters of the Dominican Republic, aka Las Mariposas, mobilized their community, they also listened to music. This gave Isabelia a chance to talk about Princess Nokia’s bruja feminism and how Ivy Queen’s “Quiero Bailar” is a sex positive anthem that contends with the tangled politics of consent on the dance floor. Listen to the entire podcast below: