Cultivating a Guerrera Spirit in Latinas: The Praxis of Mothering

Abstract

In this article I argue that mothering in the home is an educational tool for creating positive self-agency in Latina girls. This essay articulates the ways in which my lived experiences as a Latina mother informs the socialization of guerrera girls. I engage in a process of testimonio to demonstrate how mothering, by using tools such as stories- cuentos, advise- consejos, conversations- pláticas can create instances where learning can occur for both mother and daughter that disrupt the racist discourses Latinas face in their everyday lives. I discuss how the use of a decolonial imaginary process provides both mothers and daughters ways to re-create the daily lived experiences of marginalization so that they become instances of regenerative resistance. As a tool of Latina mothering, I propose the use of suspended spaces within moments of everyday life where individuals simultaneously suspend the social hierarchies that constrain personas to have pláticas that promote a guerrera spirit. Finally, this essay is testament to the strong guerrera spirit Latina mothers carry and share for future generations of guerreras.