Cherríe Moraga

Cherríe L. Moraga, born on September 25, 1952, is a prominent Chicana feminist writer, poet, and playwright whose work has significantly shaped the landscape of Chicana literature and feminist theory. Her literary contributions delve into the complex intersections of gender, sexuality, race, and class, with a particular focus on the lived experiences of Chicana and Indigenous women.

Currently serving as a Distinguished Professor in the Department of English at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Moraga is celebrated for her groundbreaking anthology, This Bridge Called My Back, co-edited in nineteen eighty-one. This seminal work is regarded as a foundational text in both feminist and queer studies, highlighting the voices and struggles of women of color.

In addition to her literary achievements, Moraga is a dedicated activist and a founding member of La Red Xicana Indígena, a social justice group advocating for education, cultural rights, and Indigenous rights. Her commitment to social change is further exemplified by her co-founding of the Las Maestras Center for Xicana Indigenous Thought, Art, and Social Practice in two thousand seventeen, alongside Celia Herrera Rodríguez, located on the UC Santa Barbara campus.