I keep thinking of the Borderlands from a Tejana/Chicana perspective. But there are Borderlands everywhere. Just how I talk about there being different types of space(s) that can be taken up within the Occupy movement, whether they be physical, cyber, or mental spaces...there are different fronteras for everyone within the 99%. The revolution isn't about one experience for one type of people. Living on the borderlands helps and is more than a Chicana consciousness, it's where the revolution stops and begins. It's complex and contradictory, just like the 99%. Although my Borderlands Feminism comes from my roots as a Southwestern, U.S. born Chicana, I believe borders can be used to build coalitions. As Gloria Anzaldúa writes about in Borderlands: La Frontera, to be in the borderlands is to be in a constant state of transition to keep the "us" (99%) away from the "them (1%)."
What does it mean to be a U.S. born Chicana who "occupies" space(s) in an U.S. Occupy Movement?
I use it as a tool, a way for me to relate to many different parts of the 99% which helps build coalitions across borders. And even though we fight against being part of the 99% for a myriad of reasons, most of us are proud to voice our concerns and be part of a revolutionary people's movement. The same goes for being Chicana living on the borderlands. The experience is different for everyone, but we all have something to fight for, to scream for, and to be proud of at the same time. It's important for me to bring this kind of thought to a people's movement like the Occupy Movement. It's a way to build bridges instead of walls.
