Hello, my name is Amaia. I live in San Francisco and work full-time as a retail manager. I transferred to Umass in 2023 and am hoping to graduate in the winter. I am a Women and Gender studies major. I hope to pursue a career in HR and DEI if it still exists by the time I am finished with undergrad.
The Feminist Giant stood out to me, the author of the blog has an extensive career in journalism and creates/curates feminist content. I appreciate that the content is not solely US focused, articles range from issues in Egypt, US, and various countries. The blog maintains a focus on feminism. As a WGS major this blog would be a model in the way that the content would be similar. In contrast to the Feminist Giant I’d like to expand on my focus. I would focus on feminism and patriarchy, but also environmental concerns, globalization, economic factors.
Living in San Francisco gives me access to many sites and groups of activism. Environmentally, a concern localized to the community in Hunter’s Point is a site of nuclear and toxic waste. The waste is a result of the dumping/runoff of toxic waste into the shipyard site. Due to factors such as climate change the threat of this toxic waste is a threat to water in these neighborhoods, amongst concerns of flooding and other unpreventable natural disasters. It is also important to note that the neighborhood is predominately black and low income. So in these particular case you have intersections of class, race, and environmental factors. The links below are from a the US government and a local radio show to give two perspectives.
Hi, Amaia –
Great post. What an incredible and complex topic you brought to my attention. The overlap of environment, race, housing, economic resources, and historical oppression in the Bayview-Hunter’s Point neighborhood is the reason that we all need to spend time talking to people who hold different perspectives. During my WGS classes so far I was introduced to the concept of intersectionality, coined by Kimberle Crenshaw. The more I learn about the world around me, the more I see intersectionality in practice. The struggles of the residents fighting for justice in that part of San Francisco embody the way intersectionality shapes our lives. This is also clearly feminist activism at work, with Black women leading the community in their fight for justice. I’m so glad you posted about this topic, as I’d never heard about it before.
We have our own environmental concerns about toxic sites her in Montana, in case you’re interested. Here is a link to a short article about the EPA’s largest superfund site: https://www.intermountainhistories.org/items/show/376.
Thanks again for sharing, and I look forward to learning more from you as we navigate this course together.
Hi Amaia,
The nuclear waste in hunters point is something i have never heard of. I do understand how living in San Francisco can give you different perspectives and different environments than here in Massachusetts. From reading the links listed above, it looks like many have argued for a cleanup in hunters point but it was never granted. This is a very interesting subject and i look forward to seeing more of your posts!
Thank you
Best,
Katie Anderson
Hello and welcome from your ecofeminism professor!