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.
Center for Women and Gender Equity
West Chester University
The Center for Women and Gender Equity has stood by Womxn Illuminated and offered to house the project on its website for the foreseeable future.