Chingona Fire is a Latina

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

poetry collective from Los Angeles, California. It was founded by the

poets A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

Angela Aguirre and

Yesika Salgado Yesika Salgado (born 1984) is an American poet. She is the author of poetry collections ''Corazón'', ''Tesoro'', and ''Hermosa''. She is also a co-founder of the poetry collective Chingona Fire. Early life Salgado's parents immigrated from El S ...

in February 2016. Their goal is to create a safe space and visibility for

women of color The term "person of color" (plural, : people of color or persons of color; abbreviated POC) is primarily used to describe any person who is not considered "White people, white". In its current meaning, the term originated in, and is primarily a ...

. They are helping women of color to have locations to perform on stage and to have their voices heard. Each month they host events where people can perform in front of audiences of approximately 80-100 listeners. "

Patriarchy Patriarchy is a social system in which positions of dominance and privilege are primarily held by men. It is used, both as a technical anthropological term for families or clans controlled by the father or eldest male or group of males a ...

will have you believe that, and internalize that, so we are trying to change that narrative to one that celebrates with other women instead of competes with them," she (Aguirre) said. "We need to stop feeling

pain Pain is a distressing feeling often caused by intense or damaging stimuli. The International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as "an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling that associated with, ...

and

jealously Jealousy generally refers to the thoughts or feelings of insecurity, fear, and concern over a relative lack of possessions or safety. Jealousy can consist of one or more emotions such as anger, resentment, inadequacy, helplessness or di ...

from someone’s success and instead see it as them breaking a barrier that's helping you get closer and closer to that door."

Founders

Angela Aguirre, 28 and half- Mexicana, has been a poet for seven years. Aguirre has a background in education in

rhetoric Rhetoric () is the art of persuasion, which along with grammar and logic (or dialectic), is one of the three ancient arts of discourse. Rhetoric aims to study the techniques writers or speakers utilize to inform, persuade, or motivate parti ...

and social change from The University of California Los Angeles. She has featured as a speaker in large events such as ''Adelante Mujer Latina'' Conference and the Women of

Racial Justice Anti-racism encompasses a range of ideas and political actions which are meant to counter racial prejudice, systemic racism, and the oppression of specific racial groups. Anti-racism is usually structured around conscious efforts and deliberate ...

Breakfast. Aguirre released ''Confessions of a Firework,'' a book of her poetry and writing prompts, through World Stage Press in 2016.

, who describes herself as "Fat, Fly, and Brown," is 32 and

Salvadoran Salvadorans (Spanish: ''Salvadoreños''), also known as Salvadorians (alternate spelling: Salvadoreans), are citizens of El Salvador, a country in Central America. Most Salvadorans live in El Salvador, although there is also a significant Salvado ...

. Yesika is an eight-year veteran of

Da Poetry Lounge Da Poetry Lounge is the largest weekly open mic performance space for poetry in the US. It is located in Los Angeles at the Greenway Court Theatre. History Da Poetry Lounge was founded in 1998 as "Dante's Poetry Lounge" by poets Dante Basco, Ro ...

(DPL), the mecca of Los Angeles

slam poetry A poetry slam is a competitive art event in which poets perform spoken word poetry before a live audience and a panel of judges. While formats can vary, slams are often loud and lively, with audience participation, cheering and dramatic delivery. ...

and spoken word and a member of the 2014 and 2016

Slam Team and placed top 10 in the nation both years. She has also been a

Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...

contributor. Salgado published her first collection of poems, ''The Luna Poems'' in 2013. Her second publication entitled ''WOES'' was released in 2016. Her most recent work, '' Sentimental Boss Bitch'' saw a limited release of 100 copies in February 2017.
Yesika Salgado Huffington Post Author Bio

References

Meet Chingona Fire, the Latina Duo Creating Space for Girl Poets of Color to ShinePoet Breaks Down Why Brains And Beauty Are Not Mutually Exclusive

External links

Chingona Fire's official website

Yesika Salgado's personal website

Angela Aguirre , HuffPost
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Sentimental Boss Bitch
' Collectives Hispanic and Latino American culture in Los Angeles Hispanic and Latino American feminism Organizations based in Los Angeles American poetry Feminism in California {{poetry-stub