How We Can Harness the Latina Revolutionary Spirit

Today we Latinas are living through a period of great political unrest and instability. Relentless attacks on the Latinx community by those in power can leave us feeling overwhelmed, powerless, or simply exhausted. Many of us feel uncertain about how we can protect ourselves and our families or how we can fight back as our rights are being threatened. Latinas have historically embodied a powerful revolutionary spirit — we have fought against injustice for centuries. We have participated in various historical struggles, including fighting alongside men against the European conquest of modern-day Latin America and the Caribbean, battling in wars of independence against colonialism, and leading movements for civil rights in the United States. Our involvement has consistently contributed to the pursuit of dignity and liberation for all Latino/a/xs. As Latinas we can intentionally tap into this revolutionary spirit and energy to power our modern day lucha. Our rich cultural history can become an emotional and spiritual resource as we navigate our current challenges and find avenues to move forward. One method is through the use of resource figures.

What are Resource Figures?

A resource figure is someone who embodies a quality or a characteristic that we would like to have for ourselves. A resource figure is someone who we call on when we need support, guidance, or encouragement. A resource figure can be a historical person, someone we admire regardless of whether we know them personally or not, or someone from our own family history like an ancestor or a relative.

How to Select Your Resource Figures to Create Your Resource Team:

To begin, name a prominent challenge or problem you are facing. Next, identify the top three qualities or characteristics you will need to be able to overcome this challenge. Common characteristics identified by my therapy clients include strength, wisdom, bravery, and self-compassion.

Once you have identified your three needed qualities, select one person to represent each quality. This will create a resource team of three figures. Some powerful Latinas you might consider are…

Emma Tenayuca: A Mexican-American labor organizer and civil rights activist who in 1938 led a major strike of 12,000 mostly Mexican-American women pecan shellers in Texas. The women demanded improved working conditions and higher wages. This is regarded as the first successful large-scale act in the Mexican-American struggle for civil rights. Emma has been described as bold, passionate, and a defender.

Sylvia Rivera: A Venezuelan-Puerto Rican trans woman and a pioneering activist who fought tirelessly for the rights and inclusion of trans people of color. At only 17 years old, she fought alongside Marsha P. Johnson during the 1969 Stonewall Inn uprising in New York City. She also founded STAR House and Transy House which were centers for activism and housing shelters for trans people. Sylvia is described as bold, brave, and resilient.

Comandante Ramona: A prominent leader in the struggle for Indigenous women’s rights in Latin America. She was a commander in the Zapatista Army of National Liberation during the 1994 armed uprising in Chiapas, and a contributor to the Women’s Revolutionary Law which outlined rights and protections for women. Comandante Ramona is described as a warrior, strong, and a leader.

You can select historical figures, someone you admire from your community or family, or anyone else who you think embodies the characteristic you need. Sometimes we even select characters from books, TV, movies, or favorite celebrities or other public figures.

Harnessing the Spirit of the Resource Figures:

Now that you have selected your team, you must practice connecting to your figures to bring them into your deeper consciousness. Connecting with our resource figures will require use of our imagination and breath. To begin, close your eyes and allow an image of your first resource figure to come into the mind’s eye. As you focus on their image, allow it to become more and more clear. You can support this process by taking slow gentle breaths as you focus on them.

Once your figure comes into view more clearly, begin to take note of the following. What do you see? What do you hear? What do you smell? What do you feel in your body? What is it like to be in the presence of this figure who embodies the quality or characteristic that you need now? Once you feel a strong connection to the presence of this figure, allow yourself a few deep breaths, before calling in the next figure and repeating the process. Once you have done this for all three figures, imagine yourself being supported or held by all three. You might picture them standing behind you offering their support or even circling around you. This is your resource team. Choose a team name for easier recall when you need their guidance or support.

Using a Resource Team:

Once your resource team has been established, practice calling on them for guidance during times of stress or challenge. You may want to go somewhere quiet where you can feel relaxed and focused. Closing your eyes can also help. Imagine yourself sitting in a circle with your team. Imagine asking them questions about your situation. Allow them to guide you through by listening to their advice, wisdom, or encouragement. Here is an example of how I do this with my therapy clients, but remember you can establish a team and connect with them on your own. The more you practice the more accessible they will feel.

Elena* recently began therapy for severe stress. Elena was born in the United States to undocumented parents, and they have heavily relied on her since childhood to navigate daily tasks and to care for her younger siblings. Elena is terrified that her parents will be arrested and deported leaving her to care for her younger siblings without them. She fears being unable to handle the economic load of supporting a family with her part-time job as she tries to complete a nursing degree. Elena worries that the financial aid she receives via a Pell grant will be cut leaving her unable to complete her degree or find a well paying job. Elena becomes so anxious and worried that she is often unable to sleep resulting in missing class or work the following morning. It is evident that Elena needs additional support.

In therapy we discuss the use of a resource team that could help to guide Elena. I ask her to identify three qualities she would need to face these challenges, and a figure for each. Elena states she needs resourcefulness for which she picks her late grandmother. Her late grandmother raised six children alone in Mexico after being widowed. Elena also identifies bravery and selects Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) as a figure who she has seen be brave in the face of threats and challenges. Last, she identifies a strong voice. Elena wants to use her voice to fight for families such as hers and selects Maria Hinjosa, journalist and anchor of Latino USA public radio show which she enjoys listening to.

We spend time connecting with each figure allowing Elena to get a sense of each, and their presence. Next, I ask Elena to imagine sharing her current challenges with her team and listening to their responses. Elena shares that she was told by her grandmother that there is strength in asking for help. She is reminded to make an appointment with her school’s financial aid office to learn what other aid is available to her. AOC validates how brave Elena has been throughout her life as she has supported her parents from a young age emboldening Elena’s confidence. Maria Hinjosa tells her that her story is important and she is not alone in her experience. She suggests Elena join her local immigrant rights collective to learn more about her family’s rights, legal resources, and to be with others who can relate to her experience.
Elena leaves that session feeling empowered and supported, and we will call on this team again in the future when Elena needs additional guidance and support.

Like Elena, you too can find support and guidance through the creation of a resource team. Remember that you are a part of a deep history of collective strength and resistance. These qualities live within you, and this practice offers one way to harness them.

*Elena is a fictional client and does not represent an actual person.

Vanessa Pezo is a licensed trauma therapist who approaches her work through social justice informed lens.