George Navarro, Misty

 

Hello everyone! My name is Misty George Navarro, my pronouns are she/her/hers and I am a fourth year, first generation student. I am majoring in political science with a concentration in international relations and minoring in environmental systems and society. During my time here at UCLA, I have learned more about intersectional environmentalism and environmental racism and hope to learn more about how to create environmental policies that uplift BIPOC communities. As a Chicana who grew up in South Central and Paramount, this issue hits especially close to home. 

I took my first Chicanx Studies class the fall quarter of my second year and was surprised to find out how much I did not know. I have been fortunate enough to take classes for my major that touch on Chicanx and other Latinx/e issues, but most discussions on this topic remained at the surface level or never delved into issues to the extent I wished they could be. This class caught my attention because of the concentration on Chicanas. Most Chicanx history that I have been exposed to has heavily focused on the men and has neglected the specific struggles that women in the community faced (and continue to face). I wanted to learn more Chicana history and how they found ways to express themselves and persevere. 

“Conditions for Producing Chicana Art” by Sybil Venegas was a compelling read mainly because it highlights stereotypes and expectations that Mexican women and/or Chicanas are still expected to uphold. I also found “Where are the Chicana printmakers?” by Holly Barnet-Sánchez, an incredibly interesting read. The part that stood out the most to me was the interpretation of Irene Pérez’s poster for a Third World Women’s Art Exhibit because without the context provided, I most likely would not have analyzed the piece further.