This Bridge Called My Back facts for kids

This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color is a very important feminist anthology. An anthology is a collection of writings. This book was edited by Cherríe Moraga and Gloria E. Anzaldúa. It was first published in 1981.

The book focuses on the experiences of women of color. It highlights how different parts of their identity, like race, gender, and background, combine to create unique experiences. This idea is now called intersectionality. The book challenged white feminists who thought all women shared the same experiences. The writings in this book, along with other works by feminists of color, helped create third-wave feminism. This is a newer way of thinking about feminism that includes many diverse voices. This Bridge Called My Back is one of the most referenced books in feminist studies.

Why This Book Was Special

Even though other writings by women of color existed, This Bridge was unique. It brought together writings from women of color from many different backgrounds in one book. This made it very influential. Barbara Smith, one of the writers, said that Black, Native American, Asian American, and Latina women were starting to organize and find each other. She called This Bridge Called My Back a key document and a spark for these new groups.

Its Influence on Studies

Besides helping new activist groups form, This Bridge also brought new ideas about race and ethnicity to studies about lesbian and gay people. Helen Johnson, an anthropologist, explained how the book helped her teach about global issues of race, gender, and power. It showed that the old idea of "universal sisterhood" (where all women are seen as the same) was not always true. People praised This Bridge for being easy to understand. It used plain language and storytelling to share real experiences.

One of the most well-known discussions of This Bridge is in Norma Alarcón's essay. She talked about how important it is to look at relationships not just between different gender groups, but also within gender groups. This book challenged the idea that all feminists fit into one category. It also showed that differences should not be seen as a hierarchy, but as connected and dependent on each other. Barbara Smith believed that This Bridge made the idea of Third World feminism real more than any other single work.

A Call for More Voices

However, some people argue that the voices of women of color are still not central enough in women's studies in the United States. Chela Sandoval wrote that after This Bridge was published, it became impossible to ignore U.S. Third World feminism. But she also noted that these writings were sometimes put into a category of "mere description," meaning they weren't seen as deep theory.

This Bridge shared many different experiences and ideas from women of color. It mixed poetry, criticism, fiction, and personal stories. This challenged the usual ways of thinking in feminist and academic discussions. The editors, Moraga and Anzaldúa, hoped the book would start important conversations. They wanted to share experiences that divided feminists, especially white, middle-class women. Their goal was to expand what "feminist" truly means.

Teresa de Lauretis said that This Bridge helped create a "shift in feminist consciousness." It made the feelings, ideas, and political views of feminists of color available to everyone. It also shared their criticisms of white or mainstream feminism.

Cherríe Moraga, Ana Castillo, and Norma Alarcón later created a Spanish version of this book called Este puente, mi espalda: Voces de mujeres tercermundistas en los Estados Unidos. In 2002, AnaLouise Keating and Gloria Anzaldúa edited another book called this bridge we call home. This book looked at the impact of This Bridge twenty years later and continued the important discussions it started.

Writers in the Book

• Norma Alarcón
• Gloria E. Anzaldúa
• Toni Cade Bambara
• Barbara May Cameron
• Andrea Ruth Ransom Canaan
• Jo Carrillo
• Chrystos
• Cheryl Clarke
• Combahee River Collective
• Gabrielle Daniels
• doris davenport
• hattie gossett
• Aurora Levins Morales
• Genny Lim
• Naomi Littlebear Morena
• Audre Lorde
• Cherríe Moraga
• Rosario Morales
• Judit Moschkovich
• Barbara Noda
• Pat Parker
• Mirtha N. Quintanales
• Kate Rushin
• Barbara Smith
• Beverly Smith
• Luisah Teish
• Max Wolf Valerio
• Nellie Wong
• Merle Woo
• Mitsuye Yamada

Artists in the Book

• Theresa Hak Kyung Cha
• Celia Herrera Rodríguez
• Happy/L.A. Hyder
• Yolanda M. López
• Ana Mendieta
• Betye Saar
• Hulleah J. Tsinhnahjinnie
• Liliana Wilson

Artists in the Spanish Version

• Pilar Agüero
• Juana Alicia
• Santa Barraza
• Marina Gutiérrez
• Ester Hernández
• Michele Ku
• Margo Machida

See also

• Chicana feminism
• Black feminism
• Womanism
• Third-world feminism
• Home Girls: A Black Feminist Anthology
• Daughters of Africa