Victoria Ruiz, Downtown Boys

1.  How do you define “Feminism”?

This answer often leaves me ending asking the question over and over again, ha. I think that the way that define such loaded words that are imply so much praxis can shift and change depending on what needs to be done to keep them relevant. In the case of feminism, I would define it as Black Liberation from White Patriarchal Supremacy.

2.  What is your earliest memory related to "feminism" or realizing the absence of/need for it, before you knew the word existed? 

Definitely my first memories of my mom dropping me off at my grandma's house  at 7 am in the morning. I remember being really little and she would get ready for work, carry me into the passenger seat of her red Pontiac Firebird and drive me to my grandma's house. My grandma always greeted me, wide awake, arms open, this is when I knew it was a femme's world.

3.  Describe the first time you experienced feminism after you learned about the women’s rights/civil rights movement.

I had a queer history teach in high school. I went to a fairly progressive, all women, Catholic school. My teacher reminded me  a lot of my Auntie Laurie. So many of my rich, classist, class mates were sooooo homophobic and rude to her. It made me so sad. Granted, she was not a good teacher, they disliked her for all the wrong reasons. One of my favorite history teachers who taught me about being a woman of color and also about macro economics and world history sat me down one day and broke down homophobia in relation to the civil rights movement. I remember going home that day and hugging my Auntie Laurie so hard. There she was a lesbian, non-skinny, economically poor, Chicana women. I hugged her in complete amazement of her struggle and in her resistance against heteronormative tides.

4.  Whether it is in your job, art, or relationships, has this active word and those memories affected your day-to-day culture/life? If so, how?

YES! I think I talk about all of these intersecting histories in these same words of different words but same spirit every time I say an introduction to a song, write an article, or make any piece of visual art. I have also worked as an organizer and  social worker and think about how to do it constantly through a feminist lens. It often pushes me to really push past race and gender in really necessary ways.

5.  Is there a meaningful artist or piece of art, be it musical, visual, architectural, physical (yoga, sports, etc.) or other that inspires you to be an active feminist - whether this means being outspoken or introspective?

Katie Alice Greer of the band Priests really, really inspires. In  a lot of her writing and lyrics she is just so direct and forward about femininity and feminism. I think of her a lot. I know that because of Western forms of beauty a lot of people might see her as a beautiful and brilliant artist and if they actually contextualized a lot of her lyrics they would probably feel really uncomfortable and possibly angry, which is exciting.

Also, the zine Shotgun Seamstress coordinated by Osa Antone is very inspiring to me as a critical analysis of geography, race, class, and punk. Osa is truly a culture-as-a-weapon organizer and I really look to her as a feminist prism.