Yolanda Cruz's Impact On The Chicano Art Movement

Serna contributed Chicano movement in Texas. She recalled her memory in 1969. She was born and raised at Crystal City, Texas. Her family only spoke English and her father worked as a migrate worker. She said, “Ninety-five percent of my high

Her father, Juan Fernandez, was a farm worker, miner, union activist, and a state assemblyman (Ruiz & Sanchez, 2005; Dolores Huerta Foundation, 2014). Her mother, Alicia Chavez, was a big inspiration for Huerta and one of the primary reasons she became a feminist (Dolores Huerta Foundation, 2014). Alicia Chavez owned a restaurant and a 70-room hotel where she welcomed low-wage workers and their families for affordable prices. Huerta and her brother worked at the restaurant and Huerta noticed that the poor farm workers who stayed there were working very long hours for very little pay; she got motivated to improve their lives (Mendoza, 2004; Ruiz & Sanchez, 2005). Her mother was also an active member in the community as she was involved in numerous civic organizations and church activities (Garcia, 2008; Dolores Huerta Foundation, 2014). Huerta’s mother encouraged diversity and made culture a big part of her upbringing (Garcia, 2008; Dolores Huerta Foundation, 2014) Huerta was raised in Stockton, California; an agricultural community made up of diverse working families (Garcia, 2008; Dolores Huerta Foundation, 2014). Through participation in various school clubs and girl scouts, Huerta reflected her mother’s activism with her involvement at Stockton High School (Dolores Huerta Foundation, 2014). After high school, Huerta continued her education and earned a provisional teaching credential from University of Pacific’s Delta College in Stockton (Garcia, 2008; Dolores Huerta Foundation, 2014). Teaching did not last very long for Huerta because she was unable to continuously see kids (mostly children of farm workers) come to school hungry and without basic necessities, such as shoes and proper clothing (Mendoza, 2004; Garcia, 2008; Dolores Huerta Foundation, 2014). This experience sparked the activist in her and she began working towards correcting economic injustice

In the mid-1960s thousands of Chicanos, people of Mexican descent, walked off the California grape fields in which they worked in protest of exploitation and poor working conditions. They wanted fair wages, better working conditions, and education for their children. They wanted all the opportunities that were extended to other Americans. Among the disgruntled employees was the soft-spoken César Chávez, who believed that his people’s plight could be resolved through the mechanism of non-violent protests. Chief among these mechanisms were his firm belief in fasting and non-violent strikes. These beliefs were the combined result of his childhood experiences, significant

Jose Domingo Ulloa was born in Chitre, Republic of Panama. Domingo lived from 1919-1997 and was known as “The Father of Chicano Art.” Domingo created this piece of art work in 1957. The painting was based upon real life events that happen day to day. It was one event that really stood out to Domingo which took place in 1957 in Little Rock, Arkansas.

That’s right, Lauren Denise Dillard. She is the founder of the Building Our Future Organization and an activist. Ms. Dillard, a born and raised Texan, graduated from The University of Texas at Austin in 2022 and has since gone on to change the world. Having majored in UT’s unique Plan II Honors program and Public Relations, Lauren continues to use her education to help those with a similar story as hers. She is not only an inspiration to the children of America but an example of the qualities the Hispanic Scholarship Fund prides itself on.

Reies Lopez Tijerina was one of the prominent civil rights activist of the Chicano Movement. Tijerina was born on September 21, 1923 in Fall City, Texas. He began working the farmers’ fields at the tender age of 4. This first hand expirence of exploitation by racist Anglo’s would shape his political future. The Treaty of Lupe Higaldo would also serve to stimulous to gain his intreset in land grants. In 1848 he demanded the repatriation of land confiscated by Anglos. Tijerina served to popularize the land-grant movement during the 1960’s by using a radio program called The Voice of Justice and on a column of the New Cheiftain newspaper to argue that land grants were still valid. He also established La Alianza Federal de Mercedes (Federal Alliance

Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales was born December 16 1945 in Guadalajara, Jalisco. Gonzales was a Mexican boxer and former WBC Lightweight Champion also known as El Gato.

Two months before the beginning of the 21st century, Melanie Pillaca-Gutierrez was born in South Florida. She grew up in a sunny suburban community and attended Park Trails Elementary as the only latina in her kindergarten class. At five years old, she was oblivious to the stares she received for the color of her skin or the language she spoke with her parents. Short years after that, she became passionate and vocal against the discrimination and lack of representation her people faced.

Leslie attended Lincoln High School, where she spent most of her time after school organizing activities and fundraisers for clubs in school. She was a member of the Hispanic Union, Chess club and president of the Spanish club. She also did community work in her neighborhood, helping out the younger kids do their homework. She was a part of her

Salvador Castro was born on October 25, 1933 in Boyle Heights, California. Soon after his birth his parents moved to Mexico where he received his childhood education. When he came back to Los Angeles to continue his education he was punished for not knowing English. He went on to attend Cathedral High School in 1952, Los Angeles City College, and graduated Cal State L.A. in 1961. In 1961 he also earned his teaching credentials and obtained a teaching positon at Belmont High. He urged Mexican-American student to run for student government positions as well as pressed them to make campaign speeches in Spanish, at the time this was a big deal which caused a lot of problems. He also founded a nonprofit organization called the Chicano Youth Leadership

This story taught me not to judge someone by the color of their skin, or whether they are an immigrant or not. Everyone has a story that deserves to be heard. This story also taught me how important family really is. Although the Garcia family definitely had their shares of ups and downs, their ability to fall back on each other is what got them through everything. The girl’s ultimate goal when they were teens was to gain full independence and break off from their parents.

n an oral history interview conducted in 2011, Chicana scholar Keta Miranda shared a startling observation about her experiences during the early days of the Chicana/o movement.1 In 1969, Miranda, who was becoming increasingly involved in the student movement in Los Angeles, traveled to Denver to take part in the first Chicano Youth Liberation Conference. She vividly recalls participating in workshops on electoral politics, police repression, and education, all of which were meant to set a nationalist agenda for the Chicana/o movement. The first Youth Liberation Conference responded to a pressing need to unite an array of decolonial struggles for Chicana/o self-determination—from the land-grant movement in New Mexico and Arizona ðled by Reies

When she was younger she never knew that there were books about Chicanos. She was never told she could succeed being Spanish. Anzaldua says, “For days I walked around in stunned amazement that a Chicano could write and get published.” (Anzaldua 379.) After learning this she really does her research and she finds out that there is poetry, music and movies all about the Spanish heritage. She talked about how she had pure joy whenever she found new poetry she could read, “ it made me have a sense of belonging” (Anzaldua 379.) Growing up every Thursday night, her and her family would pile up in the car with a cooler full of water and bologna and cheese sandwiches and head to the drive in. Thursday nights the drive in consisted of Spanish related movies, some of them were Nosotros los probes and Cuando los hijos se

Chicano history in class has involucrate readings, Video, Assignments and lecture this course had given me the opportunity in expanding my knowledge on Chicano history and how it has been throughout the years. In this final assignment I have to talk about a person that I interviewed and conducted and relate their life to the course, this person would have to be my abuelita, Rita Salazar. I interviewed my abuelita because she is a strong independent woman and lived life as a Chicana in the past and as she was growing up. First I 'm going to give you her life story.

Activists make their messages and movements known through art in order to express messages, validate identities, and to make struggles known, calling themselves ARTivists to show that there is an often undervalued intersection between the two. But before the coining of the term, activists have been creating art to advance themselves and their communities. ARTivists within the Chicano community have especially been creating art in order to validate and record their own experiences. ARTivism is crucial in today’s society and culture as it intersects art and politics in order to emphasize injustices that are deeply rooted within these structures. By decolonizing and deconstructing exploitive structures, ARTivists liberate the oppressed while creating a more socially conscious future by allowing the oppressed to create their own voice and tell their own stories.