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Picture of Gloria Anzaldúa

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One of hundreds of thousands of free digital items from The New York Public Library.

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Amysmartgirls.com article written by Shift7 about Gloria Anzaldúa

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Amysmartgirls.com article written by Shift7 about Gloria Anzaldúa

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Shift7 wrote this article sharing important factors in Gloria Anzaldúa's life through a conversation with AnaLouise Keating, the editor of Anzaldúa's last book called Light in the Dark/Luz en lo Oscuro: Rewriting Identity, Spirituality, Reality. The article discusses how Anzaldúa explored intersectionality and challenged conceptions of borders throughout her 30 years of writing.

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Gloria E. Anzaldúa, explored intersectionality & challenged conceptions of borders with her writing

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"For me, writing is a gesture of the body, a gesture of creativity, a working from the inside out. My feminism is grounded not on incorporeal abstraction but on corporeal realities. The material body is center, and central. The body is the ground of thought," Gloria Evangelina Anzaldúa would write during the last years of her life.

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Powerful Passages from Borderlands/La Frontera Part 1

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Powerful Passages from Borderlands/La Frontera Part 1

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This website is a blog called "She's.Got.The.Mic - Critical Thoughts: Real Talk by Kristi Jewel who is a Mixed-Race, Black Woman. The blogger shares some powerful passages in Gloria Anzaldúa's Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza which she read in her book club for the month of October in 2013. Jewel highlights passages on language, writing, being la Mestiza and more.

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Gloria Anzaldúa's Borders/La Frontera honored during Banned Books Week at SF State

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Gloria Anzaldúa's Borders/La Frontera honored during Banned Books Week at SF State

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Golden State XPRESS, a bilingual student publication of San Francisco State University wrote this article in September of 2014 during the Banned Books Week which honored the writings of several authors including Maya Angelu and Rudolfo Anaya. The article discusses the event and how the infamous Arizona House Bill 2281 was passed which shutdown the Tucson Unified School District's Mexican American studies program.

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SF State, an institution that prides itself on free speech and personal expression, is celebrating those values by hosting many events this week and applauding works of literature that have challenged the status quo.

From Sept. 21-27, readers celebrate the freedom to read and honor books that have created controversy, been banned in schools and used in book burnings during National Banned Books Week.

The University participated with an event Thursday to honor these works, one of which was written by a former SF State professor.

Gloria Anzaldua, who died in 2004, wrote the 1987 book "Borderlands/ La Frontera: The New Mestiza," a semi-autobiographical work that detailed her experiences growing up in Texas and coming to terms with her sexual identity.

Deziree Miller, a Latino studies major, and Jacqueline Gutierrez, a sociology and Latino studies major, read a passage together from "Borderlands" at the event Thursday. They expressed their admiration for Anzaldua and the influence her writing has had on them.

"For a lot of Chicanos, it's a Bible for us," Gutierrez said. "It's a text for chicana identification, feminism and queer identification."

The book was recently banned in Arizona under the 2010 House Bill 2281, and upheld by an Arizonian court in 2013. The bill prohibits the teaching of courses that "promotes the overthrow of the United States government or promotes resentment toward a race or a class of people," according to the official bill summary.

"It's a stripping of our culture," Guiterrez said of the Arizona bill. "It's further erasing our history, especially for kids who won't get to read these progressive works."

As well as celebrating Anzaldua's works, the Richard Oakes Multicultural Center celebrated authors such as Maya Angelu, Rudolfo Anaya and others at the event last week. Imani Cezanne, an Africana studies and communications major, hosted the event on the plaza level of the Cesar Chavez Student Center with high energy, pumping up the crowd every time she came up to introduce a new speaker. Students signed up and read passages from controversial texts of their own choosing or from a selection the student center had on hand. Cezanne spoke as well, reading two original poems and discussed the importance of banned works of literature.

"It's a simple way to bridge cultural gaps," Cezanne said. "I'm a different person with a different knowledge because of access to these books."

Students from S.P.E.A.K., a student-run organization that promotes spoken word, also attended the event to read their original works of poetry. One member was Jari Bradley, a sociology major who read two personal and passionate poems to the audience.

"The life I live as a woman of color, who is queer and (a member of the) working class, charges the work I do," Bradley said following her readings.

Along with the display of literature, a screening was delivered of "Precious Knowledge," a documentary about Arizona House Bill 2281.

The passing of the bill caused the shutdown of the Tucson Unified School District's Mexican-American studies program, the only program to be disassembled, and the removal of several award-winning books, including Anzaldua's "Borderlands," from school curriculum, according to Roque Planas of the Huffington Post.

Opponents of the bill feel that it unfairly targets people of Latino heritage, while proponents argue that because the books are still available in the school libraries, the bill does not violate free speech.

For Cezanne, the restrictions only encourage her more.

"I think it's counter productive," she said. "'Here's a list of banned books. Oh those are the ones I'm going to read first.'"

For a list of frequently challenged books from past years, visit the American Library Association's website.

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Banned Books Week honors frequently challenged literature, including former professor's banned work

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SF State, an institution that prides itself on free speech and personal expression, is celebrating those values by hosting many events this week and applauding works of literature that have challenged the status quo. From Sept. 21-27, readers celebrate the freedom to read and honor books that have created controversy, been banned in schools and used...

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From what I have researched, Gloria Anzaldúa did not have much of a presence on social media. In this one tweet, now known as X, she posted a picture of Chicano activists with a sign stating "Chicano Means Power".

In her post she states: Every tongue hold the same power, the freedom of speech. We must stop the discrimination in between Languages that creates a barrier to freely speak your mind in your own language. - Gloria Anzaldúa

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Every tongue hold the same power, the freedom of speech. We must stop the discrimination in between Languages that creates a barrier to freely speak your mind in your own language. pic.twitter.com/0TG8yQ4J1F
— Gloria E. Anzaldúa (@anzaldua_e) January 23, 2020

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A meme/portrait by Angelica Becerra in 2014 with a cartoon image of Gloria Anzaldúa with one of her inspiring quotes.

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Portrait Series Memorializes Maya Angelou and Other Female Activists in 2024 | Gloria anzaldua, Gloria, Queer

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Jun 4, 2024 - Artivist Angélica Becerra creates portraits of activist women of color.

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This meme of Gloria Anzaldúa quotes one of her most known lines from How to Tame a Wild Tongue. Many scholars believe that this quote was in reference to the US government's past history of forcing Native American speakers and immigrants to not speak their native language.

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Honoring Gloria Anzaldúa, a visionary who broke barriers, redefined identity, and empowered generations to live ‘sin fronteras.’ Her words continue to inspire us to embrace our true selves and challenge boundaries. 🌎✨ #GloriaAnzaldúa #BreakingBarriers #SinFronteras #LatinaVisionary #CulturalIcon #Borderlands #Mujeres_united

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Nov 15, 2024 - Honoring Gloria Anzaldúa, a visionary who broke barriers, redefined identity, and empowered generations to live ‘sin fronteras.’ Her words continue to inspire us to embrace our true selves and challenge boundaries. 🌎✨ #GloriaAnzaldúa #BreakingBarriers #SinFronteras #LatinaVisionary #CulturalIcon #Borderlands #Mujeres_united

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Mike Mena - Gloria Anzaldúa: Linguistic Terrorism | "How to Tame a Wild Tongue" chapter in Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza 

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Mike Mena - Gloria Anzaldúa: Linguistic Terrorism | "How to Tame a Wild Tongue" chapter in Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza 

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In this Youtube video, Mike Mena discusses his interpretation of what Linguistic Terrorism is and how he finds it in Anzaldúa's Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza. He breaks this interpretation by citing different chapters of the book and highlights how the words terrorism, intimate terrorism and linguistic terrorism show up.

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LINGUISTIC TERRORISM | "How to Tame a Wild Tongue" by Gloria Anzaldúa (1987)

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The Best Poems Encyclopedia has links to many of Gloria Anzaldúa's poetry to read on your own. Some of the poems included on this website are:

To Live in the Borderlands

A Woman Lies Under Me

Healing Wounds

The New Speakers

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Gloria E. Anzaldúa - Gloria E. Anzaldúa Poems

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Gloria E. Anzaldúa (1942 – 2004) was an American poet and scholar of chicana cultural theory, feminist theory, and queer theory. She loosely based her best-known book, Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza, on her life growing up on the Mexico–Texas border and incorporated her lifelong feelings of social and cultural marginalization into her work. She also developed theories about the marginal, in-between, and mixed cultures that develop along borders.

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To Live in the Borderlands by Gloria Anzaldúa - Read by Nancy Rodriguez

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To Live in the Borderlands by Gloria Anzaldúa - Read by Nancy Rodriguez

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In May of 2021, The Young Center hosted a virtual Spring Soirée. Actress Nancy Rodriguez read Anzaldúa's powerful poem, "To Live in the Borderlands".

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To Live in the Borderlands by Gloria Anzaldua

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In this video Alma Lopez, a visual artist interviews several individuals who were inspired and impacted by Gloria Anzaldua's work at the Gloria Anzaldúa's El Retorno celebration at the University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley. She asks everyone in this video Why does Gloria Anzaldúa matter?

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Remembering Gloria Anzaldua - Smithsonian Latino Center 2017

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Remembering Gloria Anzaldua - Smithsonian Latino Center 2017

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In 2017, The Smithsonian Latino Center celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month & LGBT History Month by honoring the award winning Chicana writer and theorist Gloria Anzaldúa. 2017 marked the 30th anniversary of the publication of Anzaldúa's best known book, "Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza."

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Remembering Gloria Anzaldúa - Smithsonian Latino Center

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Join the Smithsonian Latino Center for a special Hispanic Heritage Month and LGBT History Month program honoring the award-winning Chicana writer and theorist Gloria Anzaldúa (1942–2004). This year marks the 75th anniversary of her birth and the 30th anniversary of the publication of her best-known work, “Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza.” The program features poet Raquel Gutiérrez, publisher of Econo Textual Objects; poet ire’ne lara silva, co-editor of “Imaniman: Poets Writing in the Anzalduan Borderlands”; and scholar AnaLouise Keating, editor of “The Gloria Anzaldúa Reader.” A book sale and signing follows the discussion. ASL interprettaion will be provided. To request additional access services, call (202) 633-0925 or email woodamanr@si.edu. Live webcast: http://latino.si.edu/Programs Únase al Centro Hispano del Smithsonian para disfrutar de un programa especial en el Mes de la Herencia Hispana + Programa del Mes de la Historia de LGBT, en honor de la legendaria chicana Gloria Anzaldúa (1942–2004) en el 75 aniversario de su nacimiento y el 30 aniversario de su publicación “Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza.” El programa cuenta con las poetas Raquel Gutiérrez (editora de “Econo Textual Objects”) e Ire’ne Lara Silva (coeditora de “Imaniman: Poets Writing in the Anzalduan Borderlands”) con la investigadora AnaLouise Keating (editora de “The Gloria Anzaldúa Reader”). Seguido por venta y firma de libros. Programa interpretado para ASL. Para solicitar servicios adicionales de acceso, llame al (202) 633-0925 o envíe un correo electrónico a woodamanr@si.edu.