Xicanism@: Xicana/o Love

These are the thoughts of one xicano trying to make sense from so much non-sense. This is the sense of the idealist and dreamer, of the rebellious and enamorado. Con coraje, wich means both ‘courage’ and ‘anger.’ The courage and anger that come from love, from the desire to touch/connect with others. Un abrir del corazón a los corazones de otros.

I propose the following definition of Xicana/o: A Xican@ is someone who struggles for the well being of others and mother earth. Xicana/o is a holistic nurturing open identity, one that emphasizes healing of our historical/personal traumas in community. A Xicano/a is an indigenous person; indigenous means that we understand that we belong to mother earth and that we recognize our interconnectedness with all living things.

More than cultural pride (as important as this is) the revolutionary/decolonial potency of xicanismo is our ethical commitments. Our commitment to ending all oppression (read: domination, exploitation, exclusion), and bringing about a world “where many worlds fit, and where the one who governs governs-by-obeying” as the Zapatistas say. Living Xicanimsm@ requires a sense of knowing where we stand in the world and in history. The Xicano/a does not fight for liberation-decolonization on his/her own, but understands that until all oppressed communities are free (especially those more oppressed than us) no-one is free.