• On page 277, what does the author say about gender issues within the Chicano Movement? Notably, on page 277 Vigil states that “When Chicanas began to raise the issue of gender inequities, some movement activists responded by arguing that feminist concerns diverted attention from the ‘real’ issues of racism and class exploitation.” Furthermore, I believe that racism and class exploitation are equally as important in acknowledgment as is feminism exploitation because women in the media are constantly being exploited for their sexuality. Further, Vigil also states “Chicano intellectuals ‘interpreted the condition of Mexican men and women to be synonymous; gender was irrelevant in determining life experience and power’” (277). In all honesty, …show more content…
Subsequently, “Feminism was also viewed to be Anglo, middle-class, and bourgeois, and Chicanas were thus denounced as being traitors to ‘la causa’” (Vigil 277). Additionally, I believe that is interesting that feminism was considered to be middle class because I contemplate that feminism basically is middle class. To tell the truth, women are constantly struggling to be equal with men, and feminism is directed towards middle ground, so I definitely am new to the idea that feminism is like bourgeois. Also, the Chicanas who were denounced as traitors were initially being restrained in communicating their demands (Vigil 277). Furthermore, I believe that it is important for demands to be met no matter what kind of restraint there is, humans are not meant to be restrained, but to live life to the utmost righteousness. As a final thought, “Confronting these difficulties, Chicanas have fought for equality and justice within their community organizations. Demands have included welfare rights, rehabilitation programs for pintas (female ex-convicts), safeguards against male violence, access to birth control, and the right to refuse forced sterilization” (Vigil
Many Mexicans immigrated to the United States throughout the 1920’s forming their own communities like East Los Angeles. Throughout the years, they overcame hardships like segregation, bad stereotypes, etc. They created a movement for civil rights, where their culture began to flourish around the country, known as the Chicano Movement. One big contributor to the Chicano Movement is Cheech Marin. “Being a Chicano in Hollywood, my experience is that you're not given credit for any sophistication... You're just kind of some guy that just crossed the border, you know, on the back of a truck and that's it (Cheech Marin).” Cheech Marin has brought many talents to the Chicano community from the 1970’s to now. He is an author, actor, director, writer, and art collector. His most famous works include the famous comedy duo Cheech and Chong, his solo film Born in East L.A., and his wide-range collection of Chicano art.
Cheech Marin, a comedian actor and activist, said, “You have to want to be Chicano to be Chicano.” What Cheech Marin means by this is that being Chicano is something Chicanos feel and think instead of letting others give them that title. Before there were Aztecs and Chicanos there were the Mexica. The Mexica were natives who migrated all through out what is now known as Mexico. They each spread to different parts of the land. Most ended up in what is now present day Mexico City. Those Mexica later became the Aztecs. The Aztecs had a myth of how the earth and all living things were created. In the myth the Aztec sun god and the goddess of Earth both created all living things. Hence, making all Aztecs royalty. The city was then destroyed by the Spanish conquistadores. Although the Spaniards won the Aztecs didn’t go down without a fight.
The first article I have chosen is, “Juncture in the road: Chicano Studies Since: “El plan de Santa Barbara” by Ignacio M. Garcia. I have chosen this particular article for various reasons. One is because reading the first few paragraphs of the article stirred up many emotions within me. I found myself growing angry and once, again, repulsed by the United States discrimination system. The more knowledge I obtain on the United States, on its past and how it develops today, I can finally say that I resent everything it stands for and embarrassed being part of it. I would rather say that I am a country of one…myself. The second reason for choosing this article, was because it was an easy read for me as well as the topic being discussed was intriguing.
The 1960s was a time of very unjust treatment for Mexican Americans, but it was also a time for change. Many were starting to lose hope but as Cesar Chavez once said, “si se puede”. The chicano rights movement was a movement that started after World War II when Mexican Americans decided it was time to take back their rights and fight for equality. With many successes there were also some failures, but that did not stop them from fighting back for what they deserved. Chican@s of all ages in the US faced many issues due to their race in which included, but weren’t limited to, unequal education, political power, and working conditions.
The Chicano Movement was a time that pressed forth for the equal opportunity of the Latino community and proved to America that Mexican Americans were a force to be reckoned with. In the documentary Latino Americans – Episode 5: Prejudice and Pride, it centralizes on the success of the oppressed community through significant leaders in that period. Union activists César Chavez, along with Dolores Huerta, playwright Luis Valdez, teacher Sal Castro, US Congressman Herman Ballido, and political activist José Ángel Gutiérrez all contributed to egalitarianism of Latinos across the nation. This documentary reflects on the importance of equal prospects within the workplace, the academic setting, and the social and political features in society.
Latino grassroots politics in the academic realm has been considered as predominantly Chicano in nature. However, the geometry of this academic sector is no longer one dimensional, due to the formation of a Chicana feminist consciousness; the rise of an identified gay community within the Chicana/o student populace; and the emergence of “Latinos” in era of Chicanismo, The abrupt growth of Latinos (e.g. Spanish speaking of Mexican, Central or Latin American decent) in the United State’s educational system led the general population to characterize them as subjects on the cusps of political power and influence. But this widespread depiction of Latinos as an untapped potential is intrinsically linked to an impression of civic cohesion within the Latino student population. Although there is a correspondence between these parties in terms of the alienation they have felt and the discrimination they have endured throughout their academic careers, there is a minimal collective effort in confronting against their oppressive status. This is mainly a result of conflicting ideologies and social agendas within the Latino student community, as well as the relegation of Hispanic subgroups into the lower echelons. Latino students, nevertheless, have demonstrated their capacity, when both Chicanos and the marginalized Hispanic subgroups join efforts to reach a communal objective. This debunks the historical notion that Chicano students are the only group of Hispanics in the academic sphere that have been actively challenging the processes of social exclusion, and also displays the capacity of a collaborative effort.
Another reason why this congress was different was the fact that they focused on “la mujer mexicana” meaning they focused on Mexican women and not universal motherhood (76). For this reason the congress was a big deal because the Mexican Constitutional convention was coming up later in the year. Feminist hoped to take the opportunity to bring up the issue of women’s rights to the forefront of public debate. Alvarado with his own personal agenda was also helping to push women’s suffrage to the forefront of the Constitutional convention so that women can help him win presidency in the next
Imagine seeing 10,000 of your classmates walking out of your school because they wanted a better education - a better way of life. In the 1960s’ Chicano students were being “pushed out”(Esparza) of school or being pushed towards vocational programs. East L.A was home to schools were “one out of every four Chicano’s completed high school”(Esparza). Instructors and the school board alike did not have an interest in helping Chicanos finish school to become someone other than a laborer and was expected of them to keep being a laborer. In “Taking Back the Schools”, Sal Castro a high school counselor claims, “I think the bottom line is the lack of concern of the teachers towards the kids and whether the kids were really getting an education or not...the reality set in that the teachers weren’t really concern for the kids.”(Esparza).
Each and every day is hard to live through since whatever that can happen to my family absolutely terrifies me. Being a Chicana in the late 1960s hasn’t been a bed of rose petals, but I’m seizing every opportunity America will grant me. One of the biggest challenges is arriving home one day and my family is no longer there and they’re deported back to Mexico. Another huge obstacle is discrimination, we’re often called demeaning terms by complete strangers and it’s difficult to understand why or how they could be so cruel to someone they don’t know. It’s been tough to also learn a whole new language than the one I had been accustomed to. English is difficult with their pronunciations and strange spelling
The 1960s was a very progressive era for the mexican americans that inhabited the United States, It was very a progressive era but with every progressive era there are also a lot of hardships leading up to it there were also a lot of tough battle to be fought. The 1960s was a tough time for Mexican Americans living in America, They were discriminated for their cultural differences and were stripped of their rights because their parents weren 't Native born.
The year of 1967 witnessed the formation of a puissaint AN organization tCALLED hat went by the name Tthe Brown Berets was formed. This revolutionary group was pro-Chicano and played a major role in The Chicano Civil Rights Movement, in the 1960’s. The nickname “Chicano” is traditionally used to identify those who have Mexican origin. Many Mexican Americans and other people of Latin American decent use this name to describe themselves with pride. This powerful group wanted to make a great change in society by demanding better communities, better education, and overall better treatment for Chicanos. They wanted to protest as peacefully as they could but that was not always possible with the amount of police brutality they would receive. The Brown Berets took a great stand in history by challenging society with their actions and fighting for their ideals.
Indigenous people of the world have historically been and continue to be pushed to the margins of society. Similarly, women have experienced political, social, and economical marginalization. For the past 500 years or so, the indigenous peoples of México have been subjected to violence and the exploitation since the arrival of the Spanish. The xenophobic tendencies of Spanish colonizers did not disappear after México’s independence; rather it maintained the racial assimilation and exclusion policies left behind by the colonists, including gender roles (Moore 166) . México is historically and continues to be a patriarchal society. So when the Zapatista movement of 1994, more formally known as the Ejército Zapatista de Liberación National (Zapatista Army of National Liberation; EZLN) constructed a space for indigenous women to reclaim their rights, it was a significant step towards justice. The Mexican government, in haste for globalization and profits, ignored its indigenous peoples’ sufferings. Chiapas, the southernmost state of Mexico, consisting of mostly indigenous peoples living in the mountains and country, grew frustration with the Mexican government. It was in that moment that the Zapatista movement arose from the countryside to awaken a nation to the plight of indigenous Mexicans. Being indigenous puts a person at a disadvantage in Mexican society; when adding gender, an indigenous woman is set back two steps. It was through the Zapatista movement that a catalyst was created for indigenous women to reclaim rights and autonomy through the praxis of indigeneity and the popular struggle.
In many of his interviews he states, “ I admit that, by tackling the topic head-on, I risks writing a book that is perceived as sexist (or is sexist).” He also quoted a famous line from James Baldwin: "Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced." As you can see Diaz likes grabbing the bull by the horns. He is not afraid of showing us the true colors of our society. He exposes all the hidden problems that not only Latin women face, but also what every other women around the world faces. Inequality is still a problem that we currently still face. Feminism is not only about having equal rights between men and women, but it is also about having equal rights for everyone despite skin color, sexual preferences and
Cavin, Aaron. "Blowout! Sal Castro & The Chicano Struggle For Educational Justice."Journal Of American Ethnic History 34.2 (2015): 127-128. America: History & Life. Web. 12 Sept. 2016.
...of mixing the cultures and the identities of women. Her voice is what emphasizes the article to show how the goal is to redistribute the language and culture not criticizing the “New World”. This is what affects our future as a whole and challenges us to be “bridge the gap between marginal Latino/a culture and the American mainstream.” If society does not at least try to blend together, then it will cause into a huge war that possibly could never end. Just being that woman to show her passion and influence, can cause a great impact and force this world to acknowledge we all are the same.