Yolanda M. Lopez

Yolanda Lopez, a feminist, activist, and artist, was inspired by Emory Douglas’s graphic art that was produced for the Black Panther Party. Douglas’s art was intended to confront the tyrants and oppressors of social and racial injustice while raising a revolutionary consciousness. After being influenced by the art created by Douglas, Yolanda Lopez created her own collage on the cover of ¡Basta Ya! no.12 in which was created in October of 1970. ¡Basta Ya! in translation means enough already! and that is exactly the attitude and point Yolanda is trying to make in her collage. The collage of photos was intended to serve multiple purposes by use of “a range of faces and figures to demonstrate the diversity within the movement or connect social injustice across racial groups, national borders, and political causes” (Davalos 43). 

Yolanda, along with many others, have had enough with the various inequalities among races, and through her art, she continued to visually attack the oppressors and take a stand. Emory Douglas once stated, “Revolutionary art gives physical confrontation with the tyrants, and also strengthens people to continue their vigorous attack. Revolutionary art is a tool for liberation” (Douglas 40). This quote is representative of the fight Yolanda is facing for cultural liberation through art. Being a member of the TWLF and SNCC, Yolanda has been a strong feminist and activist for social and racial equality. With Yolanda's artwork, it allows her along with others to unify and become stronger to fight for freedom and liberation of various inequalities. 

Unlike most artists, Yolanda Lopez has a unique style and approach to her artwork. Her art tends to aim toward calling attention to the social construction of indigeneity among Chicana/os. “Although her direction as an artist grew out of her activism, the arts faculty at University of California, San Diego, provided Lopez with a language with which to question avant-garde trends and the modernist logic of art for art's sake.” (Davalos 58). Being apart of many feminist movements, Yolanda’s artwork and engagements with society have allowed her to find her own language in which she can communicate her position on social change by use of the image.