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Farewell, NWSA: My Last President’s Blog

By NWSA Staff posted 17 days ago
by President Heidi R. Lewis November 3, 2025 I write this very last blog from Colorado Springs, CO. Stolen land—the unceded territory of the Ute Peoples, to be precise—developed with stolen and exploited labor. I do so, because as Sandra Guzmán points out, land acknowledgements “recognize and respect Indigenous peoples as the traditional stewards of their lands and the enduring relationship that exists between Indigenous peoples and their traditional territories.” “If your house ain’t in order, you ain’t in order. It is so much easier to be out there than in here.” ―Toni Cade Bambara, The Black Woman: An Anthology (1970) “She ...

“I’d rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck!”: Some Musings for International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

By NWSA Staff posted 10-06-2025
Photo Credit: Madia Walsh ( The Berkeley Beacon ) by President Heidi R. Lewis October 6, 2025 I write this blog from Colorado Springs, CO. Stolen land—the unceded territory of the Ute Peoples, to be precise—developed with stolen and exploited labor. I do so, because as Sandra Guzmán points out, land acknowledgements “recognize and respect Indigenous peoples as the traditional stewards of their lands and the enduring relationship that exists between Indigenous peoples and their traditional territories.” “I’d rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck.” ―“Red” Emma Goldman “I have declared war on the rich who prosper ...

Sensuous, Dignified, Delicious: A Love Letter to My Friend Nadia Guessous, Guided by the Spirit and Courageous Wisdom of Fatema Mernissi

By NWSA Staff posted 08-31-2025
by President Heidi R. Lewis September 1, 2025 I write this blog from Colorado Springs, CO. Stolen land—the unceded territory of the Ute Peoples, to be precise—developed with stolen and exploited labor. I do so, because as Sandra Guzmán points out, land acknowledgements “recognize and respect Indigenous peoples as the traditional stewards of their lands and the enduring relationship that exists between Indigenous peoples and their traditional territories.” “When you are in trouble, you need to put all your energies into thinking that there is a way out. Then, the bottom, the dark hole, becomes just a springboard from which you can leap ...

A Poem for Alex Martinez-Sarmiento

By NWSA Staff posted 08-04-2025
by President Heidi R. Lewis August 4, 2025 I write this blog from Colorado Springs, CO. Stolen land—the unceded territory of the Ute Peoples, to be precise—developed with stolen and exploited labor. I do so, because as Sandra Guzmán points out, land acknowledgements “recognize and respect Indigenous peoples as the traditional stewards of their lands and the enduring relationship that exists between Indigenous peoples and their traditional territories.” “We demand the right to keep and bear arms to defend our communities against racist police, as guaranteed under the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution.” —The Brown Berets Ten-Point ...

On Ableism and Berlin

By NWSA Staff posted 07-07-2025
by President Heidi R. Lewis July 7, 2025 I’m writing this blog from Germany, y’all. I’m here teaching my three-week study abroad course, Hidden Spaces, Hidden Narratives: Intersectionality Studies in Berlin , which I’ve done every summer for the past eleven years—excepting 2020 and 2021 because of COVID-19 travel restrictions. “Instead of defining a person by their health condition or impairment, we consider disability to be a social construction as people are disabled by barriers. We recognise and respect that disability is defined by each individual and by their lived experiences. When we speak of inclusion and accessibility, ...

Pondering Pride

By NWSA Staff posted 06-02-2025
by President Heidi R. Lewis June 2, 2025 I write this blog from Colorado Springs, CO. Stolen land—the unceded territory of the Ute Peoples, to be precise—developed with stolen and exploited labor. I do so, because as Sandra Guzmán points out, land acknowledgements “recognize and respect Indigenous peoples as the traditional stewards of their lands and the enduring relationship that exists between Indigenous peoples and their traditional territories.” “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” —James Baldwin, “ As Much Truth as One Can Bear ” (1962) “It's not wrong to feel like the ...

Silencing the Shame: On Mumble Rap, the Mental, and the Emotional

By NWSA Staff posted 05-05-2025
by President Heidi R. Lewis May 5, 2025 I write this blog from Colorado Springs, CO. Stolen land—the unceded territory of the Ute Peoples, to be precise—developed with stolen and exploited labor. I do so, because as Sandra Guzmán points out, land acknowledgements “recognize and respect Indigenous peoples as the traditional stewards of their lands and the enduring relationship that exists between Indigenous peoples and their traditional territories.” Some of you know my manuscript, Make Rappers Rap Again: Interrogating the Mumble Rap “Crisis,” will be published in July. In it, I argue Mumble Rap is real Hip Hop. Relying primarily on ...

On Wondrous Worlds, Real and Imagined, and My Grannymoll’s 84th Birthday

By NWSA Staff posted 04-07-2025
by President Heidi R. Lewis April 7, 2025 I write this blog from Colorado Springs, CO. Stolen land—the unceded territory of the Ute Peoples, to be precise—developed with stolen and exploited labor. I do so, because as Sandra Guzmán points out, land acknowledgements “recognize and respect Indigenous peoples as the traditional stewards of their lands and the enduring relationship that exists between Indigenous peoples and their traditional territories.” My relationship with anniversaries says a lot about me, a lot of different things. It probably says things about me that I don’t even know. Today is one of those days. It’s my ...

An 86th Birthday and Women's History Month Tribute to Toni Cade Bambara…from the Crates

By NWSA Staff posted 03-03-2025
by President Heidi R. Lewis March 3, 2025 I write this blog from Colorado Springs, CO. Stolen land—the unceded territory of the Ute Peoples, to be precise—developed with stolen and exploited labor. I do so, because as Sandra Guzmán points out, land acknowledgements “recognize and respect Indigenous peoples as the traditional stewards of their lands and the enduring relationship that exists between Indigenous peoples and their traditional territories.” The day after NWSA’s 35th annual conference in Puerto Rico concluded on November 17, 2014, the Toni Cade Bambara 75th Birthday Forum Aishah Shahidah Simmons and I co-curated and edited for ...

Black Feminist Musings, Political and Personal; A Black History Month Blog, Familiar and (Perhaps) Strange

By NWSA Staff posted 02-03-2025
Black Panthers in Oakland, CA (1969) Photo Credit: Pirkle Jones and Ruth-Marion Baruch | Long Shot Factory by President Heidi R. Lewis February 3, 2025 I write this blog from Colorado Springs, CO. Stolen land—the unceded territory of the Ute Peoples, to be precise—developed with stolen and exploited labor. I do so, because as Sandra Guzmán points out, land acknowledgements “recognize and respect Indigenous peoples as the traditional stewards of their lands and the enduring relationship that exists between Indigenous peoples and their traditional territories.” “Their names exist almost like family photos relegated to a wall ...

Accountability Flows All Ways, Always: Anti-Black Sexism, Rudeness, and Disrespect at the National Conference; or, I Almost Titled My Presidential Address “What We Gon’ Do ‘bout the Shit between Us?” I Should Have

By NWSA Staff posted 12-02-2024
L to R: Scott Kurashige, Tiffany Lee, Gloria House, Julia Putnam, Deloris Ann Berrien-Jones, Aurora Harris, Alice Jennings, and Heidi R. Lewis at the National Conference in Detroit, MI (2024) Photo Credit: Latasha Stewart by President Heidi R. Lewis December 2, 2024 I write this blog from Colorado Springs, CO. Stolen land—the unceded territory of the Ute Peoples, to be precise—developed with stolen and exploited labor. I do so, because as my colleague Dr. Natanya Ann Pulley points out, acknowledgements are “more than identifying or recognizing someone or something. Acknowledging is also an act of honoring, blessing, celebrating, and thanking.” ...

On the U.S. Presidential Election

By NWSA Staff posted 11-04-2024
Photo Credit: BBC (2024) by President Heidi R. Lewis November 4, 2024 I write this blog from Colorado Springs, CO. Stolen land—the unceded territory of the Ute Peoples, to be precise—developed with stolen and exploited labor. I do so, because as my colleague Dr. Natanya Ann Pulley points out, acknowledgements are “more than identifying or recognizing someone or something. Acknowledging is also an act of honoring, blessing, celebrating, and thanking.” I remember 2016. I think I always will. I was all set for our annual conference in Montréal, which was set to begin just two days after the U.S. empire’s presidential election. I was ...

Today Is October 7, and the World Is on Fire

By NWSA Staff posted 10-07-2024
by President Heidi R. Lewis October 7, 2024 I write this blog from Colorado Springs, CO. Stolen land—the unceded territory of the Ute Peoples, to be precise—developed with stolen and exploited labor. I do so, because as my colleague Dr. Natanya Ann Pulley points out, acknowledgements are “more than identifying or recognizing someone or something. Acknowledging is also an act of honoring, blessing, celebrating, and thanking.” Part I: Today is October 7 Twenty years ago, my son AJ (pictured above) was born—Thursday, October 7 at 1:55 pm ET, to be exact. That day, October 7 became a forever occasion to celebrate life and love—the day ...

¡VIVA LA HUELGA!: A Labor Day Salute to the Farah Strikers

By NWSA Staff posted 09-02-2024
Photo Credit: Joan Suarez Collection of Farah Manufacturing Strike Materials, 1972-1990 by President Heidi R. Lewis September 2, 2024 I write this blog from Colorado Springs, CO. Stolen land—the unceded territory of the Ute Peoples, to be precise—developed with stolen and exploited labor. I do so, because as my colleague Dr. Natanya Ann Pulley points out, acknowledgements are “more than identifying or recognizing someone or something. Acknowledging is also an act of honoring, blessing, celebrating, and thanking.” “They could keep their turkey. We didn’t need their cake. We need better conditions, better safety.” —Farah Striker ...

On the 45th Anniversary of Black August

By NWSA Staff posted 08-01-2024
Photo Credit: Zinn Education Project by President Heidi R. Lewis August 1, 2024 I write this blog from Colorado Springs, CO. Stolen land—the unceded territory of the Ute Peoples, to be precise—developed with stolen and exploited labor. I do so, because as my colleague Dr. Natanya Ann Pulley points out, acknowledgements are “more than identifying or recognizing someone or something. Acknowledging is also an act of honoring, blessing, celebrating, and thanking.” “Black August is a time to engage in self-reaffirming action to advance our struggle for self-determination and national liberation and to commemorate actions of resistance, ...

Feelin’ Myself: A Cocky Black Feminist Virgo’s Diary Entry [Parental Guidance: Explicit Lyrics]

By NWSA Staff posted 07-01-2024
by President Heidi R. Lewis featuring Megan Thee Stallion July 1, 2024 I write this blog from Colorado Springs, CO. Stolen land—the unceded territory of the Ute Peoples, to be precise—developed with stolen and exploited labor. I do so, because as my colleague Dr. Natanya Ann Pulley points out, acknowledgements are “more than identifying or recognizing someone or something. Acknowledging is also an act of honoring, blessing, celebrating, and thanking.” “I mean, the sooner you accept that I'm that bitch, the better your life'll be.” —Megan Thee Stallion, "Rattle" (2024) Today, I submitted the final draft of my manuscript, “Make ...

Audre Lorde’s Berlin: Honoring Black Transnational Feminisms

By NWSA Staff posted 06-03-2024
Dr. Heidi R. Lewis and the Late Erika “Ika” Hügel-Marshall (1947-2022) in Berlin Photo Credit: Dr. Heidi R. Lewis (2021) “Many years have now passed, and Heidi is still interested in the further development of the Black Diasporic movement in Germany and in transnational exchange. She remains committed to ensuring students broaden their view of Germany with its still too obscure Black history, especially because many in the U.S. who are familiar with the work of Audre Lorde often do not know her impact and the significance of her Berlin years. It is precisely these lessons that Heidi makes possible for her students through direct experiences and ...

Truth and Vulnerability in Storytelling: What Indigenous Peoples Have and Continue to Teach Me

By NWSA Staff posted 05-06-2024
Atquetzali Quiroz (’24), far left, during the Feminist & Gender Studies Department Senior Capstone Project Presentations at Colorado College Photo Credit: Heidi R. Lewis (2024) by President Heidi R. Lewis May 6, 2024 I write this blog from Colorado Springs, CO. Stolen land—the unceded territory of the Ute Peoples, to be precise—developed with stolen and exploited labor. I do so, because as my colleague Dr. Natanya Ann Pulley points out, acknowledgements are “more than identifying or recognizing someone or something. Acknowledging is also an act of honoring, blessing, celebrating, and thanking.” “Truth, acceptance of the truth, ...

On the State of the Field and Related Concerns

By NWSA Staff posted 04-16-2024
Photo Credit: Joe Raedle ( Getty Images , 2023) by President Heidi R. Lewis April 1, 2024 I write this blog from Colorado Springs, CO. Stolen land—the unceded territory of the Ute Peoples, to be precise—developed with stolen and exploited labor. I do so, because as my colleague Dr. Natanya Ann Pulley points out, acknowledgements are “more than identifying or recognizing someone or something. Acknowledging is also an act of honoring, blessing, celebrating, and thanking.” “We’re all under siege right now.” —Past NWSA President Dr. Bonnie Thornton Dill , “ BANNED ” (2023) I was overjoyed when I realized NWSA would be celebrating the ...

Palestine and the Black Radical Intellectual Tradition

By NWSA Staff posted 04-16-2024
Photo Credit: 2014 Sarah-Ji ( Flickr ) by President Heidi R. Lewis March 4, 2024 1 I write this blog, my first, from Colorado Springs, CO. Stolen land—the unceded territory of the Ute Peoples, to be precise—developed with stolen and exploited labor. I do so, because as my colleague Dr. Natanya Ann Pulley points out, acknowledgements are “more than identifying or recognizing someone or something. Acknowledging is also an act of honoring, blessing, celebrating, and thanking.” Black History Month just passed. Women’s History Month is here. People across the world likely have been and likely will continue speaking the names of legendary ...