Reflection and Analysis of Maythee Rojas's Women of Color and Feminism

Maythee Rojas begins her work with a personal anecdote of her experience babysitting her niece. The story of her niece Annika provides a strong introduction into how people tend to label others almost instantly. Without seeking any additional information, people will almost instantly form some sort of explanation or hypothesis about others background, ethnicity, relationships, etc. First impressions, as portrayed through Rojas example, are powerful and despite her attempts to explain that Annika was her niece, the other Latino family was hesitant to believer her. Identities are formed from a number of different factors including but not limited to, gender, sexual orientation, age, etc and they are how people understand and view each other.

Another strong point that Rojas brings up is "What moves us to identify one group as being 'of color' and another not? Where do we start?" Despite the simplicity with which people often assign labels to others, defining true identities no not an easy task. It is definitely relevant for the author to discuss stereotypes and assumptions because defining identity can be so difficult. The difficulty of establishing identities seems to be one of the reasons why many focus so strongly on generalizations and stereotypes. Generalizations might make it easier to understand others, but they are not necessarily correct. Instead, as Rojas implies, assumptions are dangerous. They "give way to mechanisms of inequality such as racism and sexism that become entrenched in our daily lives."

The author has the ability to create a strong connection with the reader. Her explanation of her students reactions about racism and sexism show that everyone is affected by assumptions. As a result, everyone, not just women of color, can relate to her work. She mentions this idea of reaching out to a larger audience. And she definitely hits the spot dead on. Her work is compelling and captivating as she tackles tough issues.