Students and faculty packed the Visual and Performing Arts Center to hear writer and Stanford professor Cherríe Moraga read and sign her latest book “A Xicana Codex of Changing Consciousness” on May 8.

An acclaimed playwright, poet, and essayist, Moraga shared her personal views on culture, education, and the recent ethnic studies cuts and banned books laws in Arizona.

The event started with an introduction by De Anza’s chair for women’s studies, and ¡LEAD! community coordinator Marc Coronado, and a reading from “The Welder,” one of Moraga’s poems. “She writes from the perspective of being a Chicana, being a lesbian, and all together being human,” said Coronado.

Moraga opened the reading by stating that she wanted to get some things off her mind, sarcastically thanking Arizona for showing how institutionalized racism looks, and how it demonstrates racism still exists in the U.S. 

“Sometimes I change my mind when I get up there, but depending on who shows up, sometimes I get a different vibe of what’s needed,” Moraga said. 

She revealed perspectives of her work as a writer, and said that everything she had ever written was for those who could not write, for the immigrant perspective struggling in the U.S., and from her perspectives on being an activist and a Chicana.

Her first reading was from one of her earlier plays, “Watsonville.” Even though it was written in the 1990s, it still connects with society.

“She emphasizes to be conscious, know what’s going on, know your roots, and know were you come from so you can move forward,” said Segal Jama, biology major. “It’s relevant to what’s going on nowadays.” 

Moraga ended her reading with some passages in her new book, a poem dedicated to her mother, and notes about the importance of education and surroundings, before responding to questions and signing books.

“People of color, queer students, and all these marginal communities have a right to education; and they also have a right to be able to shape what that education looks like, including values behind that education,” Moraga said. “But beyond that, requiring critical thinking skills to look the world around them and be able to make informed choices about society. I think that is the most important thing.”