Luis Valdez: Social Change and Justice. I define social change as changes that happen within social behavior and society. During the time of the 1940s, Mexican Americans were inspired to identify as United States citizens due to wartime. Within this period of time, there was a lot of pushback from the Americans causing lots of conflict for Hispanic, Latino, Latina communities. . These revolutionary moments have been documented, taught, and retold to many students. It’s important that families who live in Los Angeles know about the history that revolves around the city. Storytelling through theater is very impactful, and the playwright, Luis Valdez, utilizes his skills, experiences, and historical content to portray a significant time in history. …show more content…
Throughout his career, he has represented the Chicano and Mexican experiences through theater, film, and literature such as poems and books. The story behind Zoot Suit is derived from the Sleepy Lagoon Trial and the Zoot Suit Riot. Valdez uses the art of drama to create characters who are influenced by Mexican American men during this time period. Every character uses their actor's instrument to portray very strong emotions which delivers the message of the film beautifully in an approachable way for the audience. Not only did Valdez create dynamic characters, but he created a film which is humorous, educational, historical, and political. The film incorporates scenes that are humorous and witty in order to help keep the audience engaged considering that the theme of the play is very serious. The story being told in the film is based on a real event that impacted the lives of many …show more content…
Just as waves move, life also moves up and down; however every nine years every cell in your body reproduces, creating a new you. In one's own lifetime, you experience a life spiral. We go through a cycle of confusion where we realize life isn't a straight line, it's a spiral. Valdez feels as though there is far too much hate in the world. When he said, “the Chicano Movement was about loving yourself, loving your people, loving your origins,” I felt empowered. I am proud to be Mexican American. I agree with Valdez that we need to continue to educate ourselves, our people, and others on who we are and who are the Chicanos. Valdez exclaims that there are many cultural influences and traditions from the Mayans, Aztecs, and Mexico that impacted the aesthetic ideas in his book, Theatre of the Sphere. The Vibrant Being refers to the reconnection with the Chicano experience in humanity. Vibrant being refers to an individual's connection within their own culture and being able to proudly embrace it. A ‘vibrant being’ to me means a human who is in touch with themselves, their culture, and willing to be resilient towards
In Sueños Americanos: Barrio Youth Negotiating Social and Cultural Identities, Julio Cammarota studies Latina/o youth who live in El Pueblo, and talks about how Proposition 187, the anti-immigrant law, is affecting Latina/o youth in California (Cammarota, 2008, p. 3). In this book review, I will write about the two main points the author is trying to get across. The two main points I will be writing about are how Proposition 187 is affecting the Latina/o community, and about how Latina/o youth are copping in the El Pueblo barrio. Afterward I write about the two main points the author is trying to get across, I will write a brief description of the author and write about the author’s strengths and weaknesses.
Preceding her youth, in 1977, Anzaldua became a High School English teacher to Chicano students. She had requested to buy Chicano texts, but was rejected to do so. The principal of the school she worked for told her, in Anzaldua’s words: “He claimed that I was supposed to teach “American” and English literature.” She then taught the text at the risk of being fired. Anzaldua described, “Being Mexican is a state of soul – not on of mind.” All in all, the reprimanding she had to endure only made her stronger: “Until I can take pride in my language, I cannot take pride in myself.” It led to Anzaldua embracing her Mexican culture even more, contrary to shoving it aside. Anzaldua transformed her beliefs into something both cultures can applaud, and be honored
In Pocho, Rubio could not identify with any group because he didn’t want to be categorized. In fact, Rubio didn’t have a hard time fitting in with the Pachucos or queers. Although, Rubio seemed understanding about other peoples chooses he ultimately decided to identify as American. This was seen when Rubio joined the Army, as a means to escape his reality. Another theme presented was in regards to fighting social inequalities. This ultimately led to Chicano protest, which became essential to the Civil Rights Movements. The strong will of these Chicano/a activists were similar to Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzalez and his “Crusade for Justice”. The film “Quest for Homeland” acknowledged Gonzalez as an important figure for the Chicano Movement because he inspired people to demand for equality. Even though the Chicano Movement had a tragic ending with the death of Ruben Salazar, Chicanos made their voices heard. Similarly, the Chicano walkouts were the beginning of “consciousness”. For instance Castro mentions, “Chicano’s have long been sleeping giants” he continues by stating looks like we woke up”. This shows that students living in these areas were oblivious to their ability of obtaining a higher
Jesse Jackson once said, “If you fall behind, run faster. Never give up, never surrender, and rise up against the odds”. Being apart of a certain culture, leads to one acting, being, and looking different. In the novel, Esperanza Rising, Mexican culture is represented, and it genuinely displays how it progresses.
This book was published in 1981 with an immense elaboration of media hype. This is a story of a young Mexican American who felt disgusted of being pointed out as a minority and was unhappy with affirmative action programs although he had gained advantages from them. He acknowledged the gap that was created between him and his parents as the penalty immigrants ought to pay to develop and grow into American culture. And he confessed that he got bewildered to see other Hispanic teachers and students determined to preserve their ethnicity and traditions by asking for such issues to be dealt with as departments of Chicano studies and minority literature classes. A lot of critics criticized him as a defector of his heritage, but there are a few who believed him to be a sober vote in opposition to the political intemperance of the 1960s and 1970s.
Luis Valdez and August Wilson transformed the reflecting of multicultural in two plays through characters. Fences is the picture of the conflict culture for African-American in USA in 1957 and Zoot Suit is the picture of Mexican-American in USA in 1942. Different culture, Different people in the time period. That is affected by the racism and discrimination. The picture of the poor life and poor colors from characters on the stage in Fences. The poor languages, and the biggest fear come from by Troy Maxson. That is the lowest stream in American society. The Zoot Suit is the conflict reflecting between Mexican and American. They do not accept in the America society in 1942. El Pachuco is standing for the justice revolution and the equally rights
Torres, Hector Avalos. 2007. Conversations with Contemporary Chicana and Chicano Writers. U.S.: University of New Mexico press, 315-324.
"Los Vendidos," directed by Luis Valdez, is a remarkable play that looks into the historical struggles, stereotypes and challenges of Mexican Americans in a unique fashion. Rather than tell the history of Mexican Americans through documentaries and actual footage, the play conveys its message about the true history of Mexican Americans in the United States through both subtle and blatant techniques.
Armando Rendon in his landmark 1970 wrote the book I am a Chicano. This book is about how activist in the Chicano movement pointed to an empty monolog of the word Chicano. Chicano means an activist. Chicanos describes themselves it was a form of self-affirmation; it reflected the consciousness that their experiences. Chicanos means, nations, histories, and cultures. This book talks about how Mexican American also used the term of Chicano to describe them, and usually in a lighthearted way, or as a term of endearment. In a text it talks how Chicanos haven’t forgotten their Mexican origins, and how they become a unique community. The book talks about how Mexican American community’s long-suffering history of racism and discrimination, disenfranchisement, and economic exploitation in the United States. The
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 disempowered by their position within society and used their fashion to send out a message and as a means to regain their masculinity. The Pachucos were accused with the murder of a fellow Mexican-American not because of clear evidence or proof, but because of their ethnic identity, renegade style of dressing, and behavior. The fundamental conflict that led to their arrest and unfair trial was a clash between Mexican-Americans and the dominant White American culture. Acting as a host, El Pachuco is the spirit of the ideal, defiant Pachuco and serves as Henry’s Reyna’s alter ego throughout the play, intermingling past Mexican culture with the current Zoot Suit culture. El Pachuco serves as a corrective to illustrate the heavy biases that the court and media displayed throughout the 1940s against Chicano people. Through his constant interjections during the courtroom scene, and his final confrontation with the reporter at the conclusion of the play he points out the injustices that Mexican-Americans had to endure.
Latinos who were raised in the United States of America have a dual identity. They were influenced by both their parents' ancestry and culture in addition to the American culture in which they live. Growing up in between two very different cultures creates a great problem, because they cannot identify completely with either culture and are also caught between the Spanish and English languages. Further more they struggle to connect with their roots. The duality in Latino identity and their search for their own personal identity is strongly represented in their writing. The following is a quote that expresses this idea in the words of Lucha Corpi, a Latina writer: "We Chicanos are like the abandoned children of divorced cultures. We are forever longing to be loved by an absent neglectful parent - Mexico - and also to be truly accepted by the other parent - the United States. We want bicultural harmony. We need it to survive. We struggle to achieve it. That struggle keeps us alive" ( Griwold ).
Montoya, Margret E. "Masks and Identify," and "Masks and Resistance," in The Latino/a Condition: A Critical Reader New York: New York University Press, 1998.
Ramon was an incredible actor and was born in Mexico City but raised in Juárez. Ramon Valdes is best known for playing the role of Don Ramón in the hit television show El Chavo del Ocho. Although, Valdes was best known for the playing in El Chavo he also starred in more than 50 other Mexican films. Ramon was born on September 2, 1923 and sadly died on August 9, 1988 at the age of 64 battling stomach cancer. He was an inspiration to many kids who found El Chavo del Ocho funny and very amusing. I chose Ramon Valdes because he was an interesting man with a big sense of humor.
“Education is the key to success that opens the door to knowledge, opportunities, and personal development.” Those are the guidelines that any successful person follows. Work hard at your education, and you can do anything. And that is precisely what the autobiography, Breaking Through, is about. The book focuses on the life of Francisco Jimenez and how he overcame racism and poverty to go to a prestigious university and become a world-renowned author.
Mexican Americans have become emotionally connected with the story of Gregorio Cortez. The Ballad may be exaggerated and not factual to Gregorio’s life, however, many saw this story as a hope to change the status quo. Today, people look back on this story and feel culturally connected to it. This legacy has translated into an academic movement to address a non-white-washed version of history. Many other stories like the one of Gregorio Cortez also share symbolic properties.