Chicano Built Environment

Anzaldúa wrote about the conflicting views that Chicanos face involving their own self-identity growing up in societies that tell them they do not belong. Chicanos are people that were born in the United States but have parents that were born in Mexico. They face constant criticism for the way they speak, by both American and Mexican people. Often times Chicanos are told that they’re cultural traitors and that they’re speaking the oppressors’ language and ruining the Spanish language when they are heard speaking English by Latinos (Anzaldúa, 17). They are made to feel as if they need to choose a sole identity to represent and anything other than that is going to be looked down on. Chicanos have felt as if they didn’t belong anywhere, so they created an identity to fit in and belong to “Chicano Spanish sprang out of the Chicanos’ need to identify ourselves as a distinct people” (Anzaldúa, 17). A feeling of

The formation of segregated barrios and the development of a wealth of community-provided services showed that Mexican-Americans were not content to be marginalized by the United States. Instead, they were embracing an empowering new sense of self-determination and referring to themselves as “Mexicanos or as members of a larger, pan-Hispanic community of La Raza.” At this time La Raza referenced individuals of the Mexican “race”, whether they were in Mexico or in the United States, and was particularly important in the United States, where race was more important than citizenship. In the late 19th and early 20th century United States, race was determined by purity of blood, and there were only two races—white and black. White meant the individual had “pure blood” (European blood); black meant that the individual’s blood included indigenous or African influences. Being white meant being able to exercise one’s constitutional rights and being treated as a normal member of society’s dominant group. Being black meant that, regardless of whether he or she was a citizen, the individual would face discrimination similar to that which I described earlier. When the Spanish conquerors mixed with the people of Latin America, forming the mestizo, or mixed race, population that now composes most of the region, they removed themselves from a “white” classification in the United States. Thus, by engaging with the concept of La Raza, which connotes a mestizo race and population, Mexican-Americans rejected the binary nature of race in the United States and embraced what made them different—their indigenous-mixed blood and the cultural heritage that accompanied it. While the abuse directed towards Mexican-Americans may have

There are three iconic symbols of the presence of Mexican Americans in the history of the United States: The role of Mexican Americans in the WWII, the Bracero movement, and the Zoot Suit Riot. All three moments provide insight on the participation of Hispanics in the construction of the American society and more importantly, on the way the Mexican American identity has been constructed and on the ways this community has been considered, in general terms, a group of domestic aliens. As a consequence, Mexican Americans have been segregated and denied equal opportunity historically. However, they are here to stay, an Anglos better learn to deal with their presence.

During the late sixties and early seventies, a Mexican - American movement was taking place in the United States, The Chicano movement. This movement takes place because of the Mexican American society 's suppression in the country. Indeed, during the years, 1966 to 1981 was a period where the Mexican American society was looking for equality and justice from the Government of the United States. In fact, they will start to organize their own communities, where the Government will accept their new ideas. David Montejano, “a historian and sociologist, and Professor of Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley,” wrote about that movement that helps the Mexican - American society being part of the United States. One of his books is Anglos and Mexicans in the Making of Texas, 1836-1986, where he describes the relation that the Anglo and the Mexican American people have in those years. In the same way, he wrote Quixote’s Soldiers: A local history of the Chicano Movement, 1966 - 1981, where he describes the Chicano movement as a way of helping the Mexican American community. By describing the Chicano Movement and the political changes made in San Antonio, Montejano relates the problems of equality and justice, the organization created at that time, and the consequences of this movement.

As a child, Ermilia was transferred by social services from a foster home to her grandparent’s house. She is horribly mistreated and habitually reminded of how she is a burden to the lives of her grandparents. Ermilia’s character struggles with a sense of purpose and ambition. Although, Ermilia and her friends do experience severe relationship problems as they are caught up in violence in the streets while the Chicano rights movement is at its peak. It is important to examine the dichotomy between Ermilia’s grandparent’s viewpoints and her present outlook on the Chicano people. Ermilia’s grandparents were products of the Spanish conquest that later elicited forms of restriction and racism such as miscegenation laws and construction of freeways. They were conditioned to believe that containment and segregation was a natural part of Chicano life. It was not until the Chicano rights movement in the 1960’s that the Chicano community began to question the laws and legislations that restricted them. Instead of just being contained by the bulldozer, dogs, and helicopters Ermilia and her friends began to question, who were these people that brought these forces of containment and why? Thoughts began to cross Ermilia’s mind such as, “what might happen if the line of people wrapped themselves around the Quarantine Authority officers like a python? Demand. Protest. Organize.” Although, Ermilia may not be the

Cervantes begins her poem with the lines, “In my land, there are no distinctions. The barbed wire politics of oppression have been torn down long ago. The only reminder of past battles, lost or won, is a slight rutting in the fertile lands.” This first stanza sets the tone for the poem as Cervantes chooses to take a stand by trumpeting the virtues of her own homeland, rather than downplay the misgivings present in our society. The line “In my land, there are no distinctions” is an obvious reference to the class structure that is prevalent in our (United States) society. It is this class structure, or modernized caste system, that divides people and puts them in a position to oppress or be oppressed. Hence we have an example of Chicano nationalism in that invariably the Anglos have always risen to power and oppressed those that are on the lower rungs of the caste system, with Chicanos being a prominent member of that group.

The article “The Cosmic Race in Texas: Racial Fusion, White Supremacy, and Civil Rights Politics” discusses the Mexican American civil rights movement and focuses on the influences and efforts of the League of United Latin American Citizens. LULAC was key in shifting the view on racial fusion and advancing the notion of a world of mixed races. During the Jim Crow era, from the 1920s to 1940s, LULAC combated discrimination and challenged the racial hierarchy of the United States. The author, environmental and Latino historian Benjamin H. Johnson, wrote this piece to “examine the connections between Mexican American civil rights circles and [the ideas of] postrevolutionary Mexican figures (404).” In his explorations of LULAC’s beginnings, Johnson

The Chicano community has endured and overcome many struggles since the conquest by conquistador in 1491 and eviction from Atzlan. Race was used by the white community as tool to structure inequality for the Chicano community by classifying the Chicano community as white but treat them as a minority community. Chicano activist during the Mexican American generation found community self-determination by becoming actively involved in their community and taking hold of their own destiny. The Mexican American activists created a new way of seeing themselves by taking the term Chicano and making the term a symbol for who they truly are and who they want to become. The new ethos of the new identity of a Chicano is community

When I was in elementary, I was taught that Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas, and he was painted as a great explorer. It was not until my sophomore year of high school when I took Chicano Studies from Los Angeles City College, that I realised that the picture I had was not complete. The Chicano Studies class opened my eyes to see how sugar coated the history I learned growing up. Learning how marginalized group’s story is not told, made me want to get involved with those who do not have a voice. I had been involved in our local community clinic at the encouragement of my parents, but it was not until I took the class that I realized how important the work really was. Recently my immigration Health Care committee teamed up with other

There were also a significant amount of connotations for the aforementioned denotation of the term Chicano that arose in the 1960's Chicano Movement. The most important of these was based on the sense of social awareness and political activism that characterized those of the Mexican American hybrid culture who were educated and sought reform due to the facts learned via their education (Gutierrez). College students developed an attitude that greatly resembled that of a sense of entitlement after having learned about their culture and history names that Mexico originally occupied land in California and that in other parts of the U.S. This awareness led these (relatively) young people to become politically active

Mexico’s problems originally began upon the arrival of the Spanish in 1492, as illustrated in Major Problems in Mexican American History by Zaragosa Vargas as well as in the video documentary, Chicano!. The sequence of events which date back to the precolonial Spanish days and take place in Mexico’s history eventually provoke the national movement that called for social justice and equality, especially after the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Then came the question of group and individual identity. Those of Mexican heritage were broken up into the groups "Chicanos," which were the ‘Americanized’ Mexicans or the Mexicans born in the United States, and the actual

Chicano San Diego Cultural Space and the Struggle for Justice edited by Richard Griswold Del Castillo

The Chicano Movement, or the Chicano Civil Rights Movement (El Movimiento) emerged officially in the 1960’s, the era of fighting for civil rights. The Movement was born from several clashing social and economic issues occurring in America, especially towards Mexican-Americans, so when this large community came together as a whole, with multiple rights to claim, injustices to expose, and equality to achieve; they were driven and motivated. The Chicano Moratorium was created in 1970 due to the rising issue that Mexican-American casualties in Vietnam were coming in disproportionate number to their population -- 20% of the casualties when they comprised 10% of the American population (Kcet.com, Venegas). The Moratorium marches, demonstrations, and presence in the era of the civil rights were all significant as they hit close-to-home topics, such as the war of vietnam, the military enlistment epidemic, the high casuality rates within the Chicano society, and the mass numbers of latino youth dropping out of an unfair education system. This significant series of organized marches in US and Chicano history stood as a landmark for the first progressive movement that the Chicano organized. The Chicano Movement proceeded to accomplish several other major victories, including two verdicts in Supreme Court both supporting the

For instance, the student walk-outs in protest of trumps presidency and legislation can be compared to the L.A blowout of the late 1960’s. Both groups are mostly comprised of Mexican-origin youth, but also includes the involvement of youth of all different races and ethnicities. Chicano youth also were constantly advocating to be able to obtain better and higher education, which is a fight that is continuing to this day. They are fighting to increase resources for youth of color as well as undocumented students. Chicanos had also fought for the inclusion of more Mexican-origin teachers and administrations at the school level and representation is still an issue that students are pushing. They not only want representation among the teachers that are teaching them but also the curriculum they are being taught needs to be diversified and include the histories of all people living in this country not only white folks. The Chicano movement also put a lot of effort into supporting local leaders running for city, state or national positions to improve representation for Mexican-origin people and have their issues voiced and try to have legislation passed. They do this through similar methods that Chicanos utilized in the 60’s such as going to houses and directly talking to people, creating petitions, going on marches and so

Depicted on the cover of Quixote’s Soldiers is a group of Mexican- American men and women in protest formation. They carry with them signs that say “Justice for La Raza,” “Ando sangrando igual que tu,” and “Cops out of our communities!” David Montejano argues that Mexican- American reform groups are often left out of the Civil Rights Movement taught in a classroom. San Antonio was the birthplace of the Chicano movement. Here, various organizations were formed to encourage the government to increase Mexican- Americans opportunities in the educational field as well as in the work field. The Brown Power movement campaigned for Mexican- Americans to reject assimilation into the American mainstream society, and celebrate their Chicano history.