"Colonize This!"

Tzintzun, Christina. “Colonize This!”. Colonize This! : Young Women of Color on Today’s Feminism. Ed. Daisy Hernandez and Bushra Rehman. New York:Seal Press, 2002.17-28. Print.

           Her personal story about her American father who tried colonizing her mother because he believed he was better than her since he was white. Her parents met in Morelos, Mexico while her mother was working at a store. He told her he was going to take her back to the States with him but she ignored him until he kept coming back to visit her constantly. Later they both got married and raised their first daughter in Mexico but then permanently stayed in the United States. Christina’s father influenced her to be proud of being a woman of color, taught her to fight her oppressors and allow her voice to be heard. He also influenced feminist beliefs which encouraged her to reject the idea of the way society depicts women.  He always told her daughter to never submit to any man. Despite all his empowering words, he was a hypocrite since he colonized his own wife, trying to make himself more superior than her because she was Mexican. He only viewed Mexican women as worthy wives who could cook for him. Christina’s mother could not fight back since she was a woman of color living in the United States. She needed her husband’s support to survive since she did not know English and was in a foreign place. Christina’s personal story shows how women of color are colonized and must remain in that position to survive in the United States. This allows them to forget who they really are and embrace their identity. Christina for example at first allowed her friends to tease her about being Mexican by telling her she smelled of tacos. Her boyfriends were similar but she never fought against their hurtful words. It was not until she read feminist literature that she decided to confront all homophobic, racist, or sexist words. She became proud to be a “dyke” and a woman of color despite the racist jokes from her friends. It was also through her mother that she gained the confidence to be proud of whom she is. She and her mother were oppressed by white men but through their struggle, they were able to embrace their voice and value their identity. Many women of color still go through similar experiences, especially immigrants who need to assimilate themselves to the American ways in order to survive. Through this they lose their identity and devalue where they come from. The American men feel they have the power to oppress them because they believe they are more intelligent. However, they are not much greater than these women of color. In the end, Christina, her sisters and mother are not embarrassed of who they are or where they come from. Instead they embrace it.