Abriana Gonzalez

(Proud) Founder of Womxn Illuminated

Womxn Illuminated means more than just a graduation project for me, this is my life. I got sick and tired of strangers coming up to me and trying to put me into a put once they found out my race. I was sick and tired of feeling ashamed and judged and not being believed once people found out I was a proud black woman. After one particularly rough racial encounter at school I vented to my friends and realized there wasn’t really anyone “in charge” I could talk about my issues to. I wanted to create a space--a platform--not just for black womxn, but for all womxn of color. I wanted the space I created to stand for something larger than itself; I wanted the space to exist free from internalized oppression and colorism and xenophobia--I wanted it to be safe for womxn of color where no one would ask, “so, what are you” and cling to the harmful ideologies of stereotypes. Enter Womxn Illuminated.