"Empowerment comes from ideas - our revolution is fought with concepts, not with guns, and it is fueled by vision (pg. 247)."
In this essay, Anzaldua writes once again about not letting others decide your identity based on what you are not. Instead she promotes self-identifying the way that you want through inclusion. Defining one's self by what we include and not exclude is what Anzaldua describes as 'new tribalism.' This gives the right for someone to reject inaccurate labels by outwardly stating their own identity instead. There are times when this is difficult, and Anzaldua argues that safe spaces do not exist for queer women of color, not even with their families. There will always be some section of your identity that they want you to leave behind. But one must fight against that rhetoric of exclusion and try to bridge the gap between worlds. Those that exist in nepantla are capable of seeing bridges that gap these differences in people. Anzaldua writes, "for neplantleras to bridge is an act of will, an act of love, and attempt toward compassion and reconciliation... (pg.246)." Because we exist outside we are able to see connections that others may not. As humans we should be able to find commonality without ignoring aspects of someone's identity. It is about embracing otherness instead of pushing it away. That is the problem with someone saying that they 'don't see race or color', it ignores a large portion of someone's identity, their hardships and their struggles. Bridges go both ways, there must be a sharing of dialogue between groups and an understanding of others if there is to be change in the future.
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