enjoying every moment by walking around all those displays, and seeing how everything started here on this side of the border. One thing that got my attention instantly was the Braceros History and Zoot Suit “Pachuco” showcase. I think they both are very well related to Chicano Pachuco Culture. Pachuco style represents a notorious expression in the Chicano culture. It’s also about identity, which reminds me about a Mexican movie played by La India Maria, called “Ni de aqui ni de alla.” I think Mexican
Zoot Suit, a play written by Luis Valdez, depicts the racially charged trial of the Sleepy Lagoon Case of 1942 in which the courts charged a group of Pachucos with the murder of another Mexican-American. During the 1940s, many Mexican-Americans suffered widespread discrimination as dramatized in Zoot Suit. To combat such discrimination many Chicano youth wore stylized zoot suits, adorned with oversized jackets during fabric shortages as a form of social and political rebellion. Zoot Suiters felt
Mexican Americans to find a place, a style, or a chance to belong and be accepted without a negative stereotype. Pachuco seems to be the nagging conscience of Henry who is on trial for the Sleepy Lagoon Murder. The Pachuco character in his Zoot Suit has a fierce presence, which is seen by the Americans of this time as rebellious and gangster like. When describing the Zoot Suit Pachuco states, "PUT ON A ZOOT SUIT, MAKES YOU FEEL REAL ROOT LOOK LIKE A DIAMOND, SPARKLING, SHINING READY FOR DANCING
The zoot suit riots, according to my understanding of the film, were a racialized backlash towards the Hispanic community of East Los Angeles. The zoot suits which began as wide bell bottom like pants for men during outings to jazz clubs became a racial marker after the coverage of the Sleepy Lagoon Trial gained attention across California. These riots broke out due to the uncertainty the trial brought over the Hispanic community. Rioting began the night after a fight initiated by one Sailor against
On that viscerally vibrant Friday morning, in that urbanized oasis, a group of primarily Black and Hispanic students united at El Cerrito High School to discuss their parents and peers very real struggle to achieve the American dream. The stories of racism, oppression, gentrification, and deportation filled the classroom with the voices of varied languages and vernaculars, a majority of which felt caught between cultures and pulled away at the seams by opposing orientations. These fourteen and fifteen
Lone Star places particular emphasis on what happens when culture collide. Part of the agenda of this film is to draw attention to the contingency of these stories and find truth within them. It depicts the wars between culture and races and the inbred stereotypes that are perpetuated through community members. The film intends to illustrate the consequences of multiculturalism as a device to evoke change and acceptance amongst al human beings. Through a noir murder mystery piece, the viewer
A historical commentary written by Luis Valdez, Zoot Suit presents the issue of discrimination brought about by the clashing of two opposing cultures. Henry (Hank) Reyna represents this theme as he attempts to prove his innocence when he and other members of the 38th Street gang are accused and taken to court for a crime they did not commit. Henry and his gang are charged with the murder of a fellow Mexican American, Jose Williams, not because there was convincing evidence to prove them guilty, but
write the articles in a way that the Suitor’s portrayed their image a criminal delinquents. Furthermore, almost every news article would be addressed with only using small selections from the actual story and investigation reports. That aside, El Pachuco himself represents Henry’s own reflection of the self-criticism and negative thoughts that the charter had to face during the play. The suit can represent a simple fashion statement that was strong among the Chicano community. The suit transcended
An aspect of the play that I feel was an important theme of the story was racism and how pachucos were discriminated against. The Zoot suit riots took place in Los Angeles, California during the 1940's and WWII. It was hard for the Latin Americans to be themselves because of the oddness and suspicion revolved around them. People would accuse them for being criminals because of their race and because they dressed a certain way. They were known as the "Zoot Suitors". They wore a suit that had long
only arresting Chicano youth. This favoritism was prevalent during the entirety of these uprisings, they saw us as gang-members, trying to corrupt the city. After the riots ended, police officers were still seen actively discriminating against the pachucos, they made wearing the zoot suit punishable by law, which eventually led to the abrupt end of the zoot suit trend. Ultimately, the events that took place during the riots led the harm of many innocent Mexican-American
Riots” in Los Angeles , playwright Luis Valdez weaves fact and fiction to depict the fate of 22 young Mexican Americans brought to trial for a murder they did not commit. “Zoot Suit” brings together unforgettable characters such as the irreverent El Pachuco and the charismatic Henry Reyna, an unsuspecting gang leader who finds himself caught in the middle of the racially turbulent events that rocked Los Angeles during the early 1940s. Valdez says this production exemplifies the evolution of American
a, "... bilingual, college-educated, ambitious, say the word 'acculturate' and he accelerates. He is intelligent, well-mannered, and clean." (Valdez 48) Valdez concludes that to form this model Mexican-American robot they had to melt down, two Pachucos, a farmworker, and three gabachos. This synthesis of the Mexican type is what essentially makes him American, because he can no longer retain his identity as a type of Chicano.
There is a South African Proverb that states "Until lions write books, history will always glorify the hunter". In his play "Los Vendidos", Luis Valdez tries to become a lion and let the voice of Chicano history be heard. Luis Valdez does this in a satirical way by presenting the views and stereotypes that many American’s have had and continue to have, about Chicano’s in the form of a shop where Chicano "model/robots" are sold. By presenting each Chicano as a robot and stereotype, Luis Valdez tries
Return of the Zoot Suits Clothing has always been used as an expression of ones personality and a demonstration of someone’s self-identity. In the early 1940s, the popularity of jazz music hit an all-time high and this was especially true for teenagers of the time. Many of the jazz artists were mysterious and sensual individuals who often crossed segregated lines on stage and on the dance floor. According to the times they were, “unwritten rules (that) demanded that people of color remain unseen
In the 1940's the pachuco subculture emerged within the urban youths of Mexicans and Mexican-Americans. These pachucos were deterritorialized from Mexico and the United States. While the United States wasn't fully assimilating the pachuco subculture, Mexico was trying to distance themselves from the subculture. This formation of the cross-border subculture helped create the pachuco as a manner and persona. The pachuco was also known to many on both sides of the border due to Mexican comedian and
In the book “The Pachuco & Other Extremes” Paz touches upon how pachucos represent their difference from both Mexicans and Americans. In the book, Paz states “the pachuco does not want to become a Mexican again; at the same time he does not want to blend into the North America”(Paz). The Pachucos feel like they do not fit into their environment so they flaunt their differences and reject any opportunity to fit in. They self-identify themselves as Pachucos because they do not want to be identified
Regardless of its political isolation and the dismiss of the Mexican intellectualism , Chicanos had a cultural impact in the media. The most more memorable figure was German Valdes who interpreted a charismatic Pachuco that spoke Spanglish in many of his movies. he was of great relevance since he was the first person to include a Chicano in his personages. Despite this particular attempt to incorporate the Chicano culture in the Mexican culture, there were also significant people who hated this idea
Decades of discrimination had forced the Mexican American community to turn inward. By the 1940s, Los Angles’ 250,000 Mexican American citizens lived in a series of tightened neighborhoods called barrios. The communities were traditional, conservative, and self-contained. The tensions that arose from the splitting of cultures resulted in children leaving or rebelling from their homes or barrios. Los Angeles was home to one of the largest Mexican American populations in the United States. At the time
the Zoot Suit Riots. Migration of distinct populations to Los Angeles from the late 1800s to the late 1940s was not embraced positively by most white residents. Instead, many used the race of the migrants as an excuse to discriminate and segregate. Pachucos were one of these subcultures that were influenced by the music and customs that were brought to Los Angeles during the African American migration. With the combination of many cultures and customs, many subcultures that questioned the racial hierarchy
In the case of Henry’s forces was actually the persona of “Pachuco”, a mystical zoot suiter that only Henry could hear, focus on the important theme and illustrates the injustices created by the media. For example during the interaction between Pachuco and the Press was intense as he explains the true meaning of zoot suits to the press as “ to look like a diamond, to look sharp … Finding a style of urban