Brujas (founded 2014) are a feminist skate collective and streetwear brand based in the

Bronx, New York The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

History

The ''Brujas'' name (English: witches) is derived and inspired by a 1986 video called '' Skate Witches.'' Brujas was founded by Arianna Gil, Sheyla Grullon, and other skaters in 2014 to host safe meeting places for female skaters of color. Since its inception, the Brujas collective participates in

community organizing Community organizing is a process where people who live in proximity to each other or share some common problem come together into an organization that acts in their shared self-interest. Unlike those who promote more-consensual community buil ...

and

political activism Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from mandate build ...

with an interest in challenging oppressive traditions. Brujas hosts community events, making space for marginalized individuals and communities to skateboard. As a women-run brand, the Brujas collective advocates for women and people of color, partially informed by their own experiences as women in skateboarding. In regards to the name Brujas, Gil explained: "We are intersectional feminists who are interested in spirituality and the tradition of ''brujería'' (witchcraft) in our culture. So there was more going on than just that little YouTube video." In 2016 Brujas created Brujas x 1971, a limited edition

streetwear Streetwear is a style of casual clothing which became global in the 1990s. It grew from New York hip hop fashion and Californian surf culture to encompass elements of sportswear, punk fashion, punk, Skateboarding#Culture, skateboarding, 1980s no ...

line that was funded through

Kickstarter Kickstarter, PBC is an American Benefit corporation, public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York City, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative project ...

. The 1971 in the name refers to Attica prisoner uprising, of 1971. The line raised money for prisoner rights. "We see 1971 as a combination of both the political DIY cultures that we were radicalized in the Lower East Side, anarchist organizing where people sell T-shirts and throw parties to get their friends out of prison, and the really brash street and skate wear

aesthetics Aesthetics (also spelled esthetics) is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of beauty and taste (sociology), taste, which in a broad sense incorporates the philosophy of art.Slater, B. H.Aesthetics ''Internet Encyclopedia of Ph ...

that have been developing for ages," said Izzy Nastasia a Bruja member. In 2016 the

New Museum The New Museum of Contemporary Art is a museum at 235 Bowery, on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1977 by Marcia Tucker. History The museum originally opened in a space in the Graduate Center of the then-nam ...

in New York hosted Scamming the Patriarchy: A Youth Summit that included Brujas as one of the organizers. About their work, Sara O'Keeffe, assistant curator of the New Museum mentioned, "Brujas is a critical voice among an emerging generation of artists, writers and activists who are propelling conversations about politics and forging spaces for empowerment." In 2017, Brujas presented a pop-up classroom to present their

line as part of

New York Fashion Week New York Fashion Week (NYFW), held in February and September of each year, is a semi-annual series of events in Manhattan typically spanning seven to nine days when international Fashion design, fashion collections are shown to buyers, the pres ...

. The grass-roots presentation received critical acclaim. In 2018, BRUJAS presented an exhibition titled "Training Facility" at

Performance Space New York Performance Space New York City, New York, formerly known as Performance Space 122 or P.S. 122, is a non-profit arts organization founded in 1980 in the East Village, Manhattan, East Village of Manhattan in an abandoned public school building. O ...

where they turned the art venue into a skatepark. Brujas organizes inclusive parties, including Anti-Prom and SUCIA. In 2019, Brujas hosted the fourth Anti-Prom party in celebration of

Pride Pride is a human Emotion, secondary emotion characterized by a sense of satisfaction with one's Identity (philosophy), identity, performance, or accomplishments. It is often considered the opposite of shame or of humility and, depending on conte ...

References

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External links

Training Facility by BRUJAS - 2018 - Performance Space New YorkInternet Bulldozing: ''Gentrification and The Rise of Cyberharassment, BRUJAS Calls for Coalition, Again! - by Arianna Gil, approved by BRUJAS - 2019''
American skateboarders American female skateboarders Skateboarding companies Sports in the Bronx 2014 establishments in New York (state) Clothing brands of the United States Clothing companies based in New York City Clothing companies established in 2014 American artist groups and collectives American contemporary artists Feminist artists Organizations based in New York City Culture of New York City Culture jamming Activists from New York City