paintings and books conceal more than they ever tell. - Ana Castillo

Early white feminists, such as Kate Millett and Germaine Greer, made arguments that resounded throughout the western world, regarding their rage against white, male-dominated society and claimed their right to be angry. "Woman" had for too long been forced into quiet complacency. In the sixties, what was the purpose of the campus bra-burning, after all, if not to demonstrate their militant refusal to be continually sexualized by male culture. And yet, when feminists of color show their indignation and express intolerance of racism, some white feminists and intellectuals accuse us of being "too angry". Should we ask first what is "anger-appropriate" so as not to offend anyone by expressing our indignation and pain?

…I always tell people that you have to write what's tearing at your heart, what you need to resolve. I thought it was time to walk my talk. How was I going to write about parts of my life and not write about what really was motivating some of my behavior? I've written long enough to know where the boundaries are.

Let us shout louder than her memory,
louder than the unheard cries
of 200,000 disappeared,
buried alive in pits,
thrown alive from planes,
butchered and bayoneted
defenseless and blindfolded
in the name of democracy.
It is real, the nightmare,
and without end.
How can we sleep?
How can we sleep?