#20 "Global Solidarity" 2024, 7.99 (full color) The Palestine solidarity movement has grown with millions turning out to protest in cities around the world. Due to this moment of mass mobilization, we are seeing western imperialist ideologies crumble. But we can’t let our foot off the gas. Bringing together the voices of Black, Indigenous, and people of color artists and writers from around the world, Muchacha Fanzine’s 81-page “Global Solidarity” is a call to action to forge alliances of worldwide movement building so we can carve out new pathways toward a liberated world. (50% of all proceeds benefit Middle East Children's Alliance (@mecaforpeace) to help provide emergency aid to families in Palestine.)
#19 "Free Our Mamas" 2023, 9.99 (full color) In addition to having the highest incarceration rate of women in the world, the U.S. has seen an increase of 700% of women behind bars in the last forty years. 80% of those jailed are mothers and two-thirds are women of color. Despite this crisis, the unique lived experiences of incarcerated mothers of color receive little attention in conversations around mass incarceration. Blending essays, interviews, visual art, and poetry, Muchacha Fanzine’s “Free Our Mamas” amplifies the voices of incarcerated mothers of color and activists on the outside who together are fighting for a world where all mamas can live dignified lives, free from cages and the clutches of the carceral state. 25% of all zine proceeds benefit Philadelphia Community Bail Fund’s “Black Mamas Bail Out Campaign” to help free Black mothers and reunite them with their families this Mother’s Day and beyond.
#18 "No Ban on Stolen Land" 2022, 9.99 (full color) Long before Roe v. Wade was overturned, abortion bans have disproportionately impacted Black, Indigenous, and people of color who have been on the frontlines for reproductive justice. From forced birth via slavery to child separation and forced sterilization, attacks on body sovereignty fall under an ongoing legacy of maintaining white supremacist cis-hetero patriarchal power and control. Combining essays, interviews, visual art, speeches, poetry, resources, and a comic, “No Ban on Stolen Land” is a call to action to demand legal & accessible abortion, reclaim our bodily autonomy, and build our collective power in the fight ahead. (25% of all publication proceeds benefit Indigenous Women Rising, a reproductive justice organization helping Indigenous people pay for and access abortion care.)
#17 “Reclaiming Feminism” 2022, $9.99 (full color) For generations, feminists of color have led frontline struggles around the world. But their fight for liberation has been co-opted by mainstream white feminism, a form of feminism that fails to address the needs of Black, Indigenous, and people of color. Challenging this dominant model of feminism, Muchacha Fanzine’s “Reclaiming Feminism” uplifts the voices of feminists of color who are fighting for a more inclusive and revolutionary feminism for all. Weaving together essays, visual art, poetry, and comics, “Reclaiming Feminism” is a guide to building a feminist future free of white supremacy and towards collective liberation. 25% of all publication proceeds benefit Trans Pride Initiative, a Texas organization advocating for trans people in housing, healthcare, and the criminal legal system.
#16 “Decolonize Punk” 2021, $9.99 (full color) While punk is characterized as being anti-status quo and embracing a do-it-yourself (DIY) ethos, the stereotype is that punk is white by default. Aimed at celebrating the overlooked contributions of punks of color, Muchacha Fanzine’s “Decolonize Punk” explores how punk is a political identity and radical subculture that Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) use as a tool to resist systemic oppression. Blending essays, visual art, photography, creative writing, band recs, and lyrics, this 85-page issue is a call of action to combat the colonial white supremacist patriarchal forces that infest our scene (and our world). (25% of all publication proceeds benefit PUNK BLACK, a Black-run punk collective raising funds to open the first ever Black-owned Rock Network Studio).
#15 "Collective Care” 2021, $9.99 (full color) The COVID-19 pandemic, the George Floyd uprising, and the economic crisis have lifted the veil of our individualistic capitalist system to offer another path forward: collective care. A tool of survival & liberation, collective care prioritizes an individual's well-being as the shared responsibility of a group as opposed to the lone task of an individual. Centering the voices of creatives of color, the "Collective Care" issue sheds light on how we can build the infrastructures of care & support that are necessary to liberate our communities and ensure the future of our world. (25% of all publication proceeds benefit the Black Trans Travel Fund, a grassroots collective that provides mutual aid to Black trans women so they can access self-determined safer travel options).
#14 "Liberation Youth” 2020, $9.99 (full color) From a Native youth water protector from Standing Rock to a Black mental health and gun violence prevention activist, Muchacha Fanzine's "Liberation Youth" passes the mic to a variety of youth of color who are fiercely leading the charge in environmental and social justice activism! Topics in this 42-page issue range from environmental justice, indigenous resistance, Black lives matter, migration, mental health, gun violence, LGBTQ liberation, water protection, identity, and healing. (25% of all publication proceeds benefit the National Day Laborer Organizing Network's "Immigrant Worker Safety Net Fund" which provides immediate financial support to undocumented families who find themselves uniquely vulnerable in the face of the pandemic).
Issue #13 "Madre Tierra" 2018, $9.99 (full color) While the oppressors in power harm & exploit the planet & all its inhabitants, people of color have always been on the frontlines of the struggle for environmental justice, but we are not always heard. In an effort to center the importance of our voices, this 52-page issue features work by a variety of talented writers & artists of color from around the world! Topics & themes include environmental racism, ecofeminism, anticapitalism, decolonizing science, indigenous technologies, murder of environmental defenders, man-made disasters, sustainability, animal justice, healing, & more. "Madre Tierra" also features an interview with one of the late Gloria Anzaldúa’s closest friends: the radical Chicana Lesbian Curandera Ari Chagoya about her work as a healer, sobadora, doula, artist & spiritual activist. Beautiful cover art by the legendary Judithe Hernández.
Issue #12 "Decolonize Travel" 2017, $9.99 (full color) Decolonizing travel means to challenge and resist the mainstream travel culture that reinforces colonial oppression. In this 45-page issue you will find essays, poetry, photography, visual art, short stories, and a comic all related to socially conscious traveling! Themes range from ethical travel practices, colonialist tourism, western/white savior complex, diaspora, indigeneity, racism, colorism, identity/privilege, imperialism, cultural reconnection, reimagining travel, and more. This zine is for anyone interested in reflecting on ways to resist colonialist traveling all while examining their own role as travelers.
Issue #11 "POC Solidarity" 2016, $9.99 (full color) Since the birth of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2013, it has been inspiring to see the beautiful display of love and support demonstrated around the world. More and more POC (people of color) are realizing that our freedom is tied to each other's—we are not free until we are all free. But that acknowledgement also comes with confronting the oppressive behaviors that are still happening in our communities. Through visual art, essays, poetry, fliers, articles, photography, and collages, the contributors discuss the ways in which people of color promote unity and navigate accountability. Topics include confronting anti-blackness, transgender women of color facing police violence, men of color fighting misogyny, light skin privilege, #notyourasiansidekick, cultural appropriation, and more. Together, we need to realize our true power and know that our power is only stronger if we are united.
Issue #10 "Celebrando Selena" 2015, $9.99 (full color) Released at the first-ever Selena Festival "Fiesta de la Flor" in Corpus Christi, this 28-page fanzine is meant to celebrate and honor the life and legacy of Tejana singer Selena Quintanilla. Through stories, essays, poetry, and visual art, a variety of contributors illustrate the many important ways that Selena has made a profound impact on their lives.
Issue #9 "Body Positivity" 2014, $5.99 (black & white) This 40-page edition aims to challenge the mainstream white/heterosexual/able-bodied/cisgender-centric feminist movement of “body positivity.” The intention of this issue is to reclaim the term “body positivity” in a way that is inclusive of diverse voices and encourages reflectivity on how bodies can also be cause for pain, conflict, and/or healing. Topics include body positivity visual art, a letter to a hipster guy who would never date a vegan, a brown body at a punk show, gentrification, song lyrics, empowering poetry, body diversity in videos and tv shows, if barbie were real, body positivity from a queer, fat, trans*, chronically ill perspective, self-love collages, a roller derby story, and more!
Issue #7 "The Coalition Edition" 2013, $8.99 (full color) "The Coalition Edition" is an attempt to explore questions such as, "How can we work with our differences in new ways? How can we learn to hear one another more fully? How can we heal ourselves while also addressing systemic oppression?" In this 33-page edition, a handful of talented contributors address coalition building in diverse ways. Topics discussed include bridging the gap between academia and activism, building coalitions towards a transgender inclusive health care, discovering community through music, the complicated realities of passing, migrant activism, and the relationship between activism and art. Perfect for any activist looking for ways to build community across difference!
Issue #6 "The Case of the San Antonio Four & Other Legal Injustices” 2013, $6.99 (black & white) This 28-pg issue features the story of the “San Antonio Four,” four Latina Lesbians who were wrongly convicted of the rape of two young girls. This 6th edition of Muchacha brings to light the injustices that these women have suffered by the hands of the criminal justice system. This issue calls into question how lack of evidence, inconsistent testimonials, skewed medical reports, junk science, homophobia, racism, and satanic ritual abuse, among other issues, are factors that have led to the imprisonment of four innocent women. This edition also features work on other legal injustices such as transphobia within the legal system and documentation, rape culture, the feminist porn debate, and a detailed account of sex worker Aileen Wournos’ unjust trial.
Issue #5 "Brown Queen: Latina Voices of the 21st Century" 2013, $5.99 (black & white) “Brown Queen” was created to honor, celebrate, and promote the artistic visions of Latinas. This 50-page edition features poetry, short stories, essays, visual art, photography, and a performance piece from 24 diverse self-identified Latinas, Chicanas, and Afro-Latinas. This issue also excitingly spotlights a 5-page interview with queer Cuban punk artist Cristy C. Road about her most recent graphic novel Spit and Passion, zine subcultures between the 1990's & today, spirituality, and how she learned to navigate her identity as a queer punk woman of color. This one is for all my Brown Queens!
