Chicano Culture And The Chicano Community

The Chicano Movement aimed to gear towards equality for Latinos as human beings in the United States. As recently as the 1930’s, Latino American’s were not allowed to attend the same schools as Caucasian American students. This caused major outrage nationwide due to Latino Americans not receiving the same rights as their Caucasian American counterparts. One major case that stimulated protest for educational change for Chicano youth was Westminster v. Mendez in 1947. This case was brought upon after the child of Mr. Gonzalo Mendez named Sylvia Mendez

Finally after many deacades of suffering the Chicanos decided to make their voices be heard around the country and fight discrimination and to demand the rigthts they desrve as Americdan citizens. The Chicano movement began since the U.S took hundreds of miles from Mexico at the end of the Mexican War in 1848. The thousands of Mexican that were living in the territory that became part of the U.S became American citizens overnight and since then countless Chicanos have confronted discrimination, racism and exploitation in their own country.

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.

Students started walkouts because they were being mistreated and discriminate. They were not offered the same rights as a white teenager. Also, they were not allowed to speak Spanish at any time during

In the early sixties, when times were of segregation, racism and discrimination, Chicanos often suffered the most. It was a dark time for Mexican-Americans, who were negatively referred as ‘Chicanos’. Chicanos did not always have the empowered meaning it has today. In the early sixties, ‘Chicano’ was often used to refer to Mexican-Americans’ as lower class, ignorant and as a derogatory racial identification. Furthermore, racism, exploitation, inequality, conformity and assimilation were all main factors of the early sixties liberal agenda. Chicanos often faced numerous struggles as Mexican-Americans were often exploited profoundly in the workplace. Along with being exploited, Chicanos often face new threats like being fired, pay cuts, and ultimately deportation due racism. Anglo societies were advanced due to the inequalities Chicanos faced from education system and workplace. In addition, Chicanos who were proud to be ‘brown’ or embraced their culture, and practice their norms were often seen as outcast. The sixties main focus of the liberal agenda was to conform the Mexican-American. The liberal agenda attempt to make Chicanos deny their culture and assimilate to the Anglo culture. However, Chicanos often did not assimilate and conform. Chicanos often displayed their pride by dressing in their zoot zoot attires, speaking their language and embracing their culture. As a way to fight back, Chicanos embraced their culture in their music

To understand Chicanos, it is necessary to comprehend their Mexican roots. The Spanish interrupted the evolution of indigenous lifestyles and fashioned a colonial empire that remade the land, people, and culture. Spanish architecture, religion, language, and other institutions and practices were glorified as Indian culture was degraded, but many changes led to a new Mexican culture. New foods, religious beliefs and practices, social customs and cultural traditions arose and evolved. It also left a socio-psychological heritage in which skin color became associated with feelings of inferiority and superiority, with those who have whiter skin being privileged. Whether a person appears to be white or dark, still is significant among Mexicans as well as Chicanos. Could this possibly

The Chicano Movement began as a grassroots organization to unite and represent the farm workers of California, primarily composed of Mexican Americans, with the United Farm Workers (UFW) union spearheaded by Cesar Chavez and Delores Huerta. As the movement took shape it "developed into two overlapping directions, one emphasizing cultural identity and the other political action (Cockcroft 1)." Along with demonstrations, strikes, and marches associated with the political movement their came an explosion of cultural expression. It was also during this time that the term Chicano was more formally established as an identifier of ethnic pride rising up out of el movimiento, the Chicano Movement. The term evokes a strong sense of political association involving identification with the history of Mexico and la raza – the people. As the movement solidified, the voice of la raza

The Chicano power movement challenged the political and educational institutions of the United States. They gained national spotlight when they created the Viva Kennedy campaign that, according to Munoz, won Kennedy the election. Leaders of prominent Mexican American organizations walked out on a meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico after talks broke down concerning Johnson administration?s dealings with the plight of the Mexican Americans. This was the first of many non-violent protests against the government by Mexican leaders. During this protest period, the identity of Mexican Americans as Chicanos came into realization as Luis Valdez told Mexican Americans that the only true identity of the oppressed Mexican people was the identity of the indigenous people of Mexico, the Native Americans. Blowouts by Mexican American youth in the southwest characterized the Chicano power movement in the 1960?s. These student protests challenged the public schools to give adequate education to the Mexican American youth.

The Chicano/Chicana movement also protested the unfair treatment of Mexican American farm workers. Adults and children that were

As Farber explains in his book “The Age of Great Dreams” the 1960s were a rough time for many types of people, color, homosexuals, woman, veterans, almost everyone that disagreed with the government had a tough time throughout the 60’s. At the beginning of the sixties everything seems to be fine. Automobiles were being sold, household appliances such as dishwashers, and ranges as well, almost everyone had money except for colored people. For African Americans the 1960s were not so easy going, they were treated unfairly even beaten and chased out of towns, and restaurants. Until mid 1960 African Americans were not allowed to vote. Once they were allowed to vote they had rules and limitations to be eligible to vote. It was the government's loophole

I think young people across the United States are and will continue to form coalitions to push for the rights of young people. The undocumented youth movement, for instance, has overwhelming support by the entire nation. The children of immigrants born in the United States of America often support undocumented people in this country. Even though they themselves have the privilege to have been born in this country their own parents may be residing in this country without proper documentation. Also a lot of folks that are in this country “legally” have helped undocumented folks because they may be friends, family, co-workers, classmates, etc. They have also formed coalitions with other similar groups around their city, state and the country in

In the 1970’s when Chicanos began to revolt and fight for what they believed in, there was a lot of violence happening. The riot in which there was “one resulting death, fifty injuries, and righty arrests demonstrates all the chaos and rioting that the Chicano community was experiencing. For many years Chicanos were considered the silent or forgotten majority. “This situation was to change dramatically in the mid- and late-1960s as an independent movement developed in response to the specific oppression of the Chicano people, which had a dynamic and revolutionary logic of its own”. Throughout this time there was also much progress occurring for the Chicanos. ‘They had rose from 652,879 in 1960 to 1,228,594 in 1970, an increase of almost 90 percent”, Chicanos were no longer becoming the minority but they were now becoming the majority. There was progress for the Chicano in school and in the work field. They were no longer ignored as they were in the past years. There were more Spanish-speaking teachers and more educational programs for the Chicanos. Although the Chicano community had advanced and was starting to receive more fair treatment, there was still a lot that needed to be done. There were no associations for Chicanos, and they were not really represented in congress either. In the 1960’s the advancement was noticeable and it was good for the Chicano community, but in the 1970’s the progress that had occurred had began to erode. Although progress in education had been

Both of these events were historical; the Edcouch Elsa walkout was a life changing event for those students and for the rest of their culture. Now, schools offer Bilingual Services to students which primary language is Spanish and there is also a scholarship for Hispanics. Furthermore, they have the same opportunities as anybody else to apply for scholarships, loans and grants. The Pharr Riots were also a historical event and life changing for Hispanics. Unfortunately, it involved a death when fight for their equality. The city of Pharr improved, their mayor resigned and it was when the first Mexican-American city mayor was elected. The elected offices were dominated by Mexican- American offices

After President Johnson proposed the Immigration Act of 1965, which abolished quotas, immigrants from Asia and Latin America flooded the United States. Like the Native Americans, the Latinos wanted to better their situations as well. They found a leader in César Chávez, who organized the United Farm Workers Organizing Committee (UFW). He sought to improve working conditions for the migrant workforce and planned national consumer boycotts of grapes and other products. Chicano students rose up together to form MEChA, a movement for bilingual and bicultural education, and Chicano studies in colleges.

Throughout history, the Chicano movement has never given up. The Chicano movement believes that giving up is not a choice. They determined to one day receive equal rights. A Chicanos dream is to travel with their family outside of the country, vote during elections, earning fair pay, although they haven't accomplished that yet. Chicanos are very talented people who migrate to America in order to provide themselves a better future and their kids a successful life, however, it's not that easy.