The Chicana Feminist Movement

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For a long time, feminism has failed to include the issues of Latina women. When the feminist movement began, it focused on the issues of one specific group: white, American, middle-class women; therefore, it excluded Latinas, and women of color in general. Latina women realized that they needed to stand up for themselves because if they did not do it, then no one would. Mainstream feminists were not acknowledging their issues; thus, it pushed the need for Latina feminism. Without Latina feminism, Latina issues would not have came to light and would be ignored by many, even non-Latina women. Even though women were fighting for their rights, they seemed to lack the inclusion of all women of any color, ethnicity, race, and class. In order to …show more content…

However, understanding the feminist movement is to understand that there has been exclusion of certain groups of women; therefore, leaving out certain issues that those women are still needing to fight for on their own. Women of color had to fight and continue to fight to bring their issues to the attention of mainstream feminists. Latina women’s issues were not being represented in the issues that mainstream feminist were advocating for. Latina feminism includes issues regarding their culture, language, religion, and education and much more. Through the book, Chicana Feminist Thought: The Basic Historical Writings, edited by Alma M.Garcia, there is further evidence about the issues that Latina women experience. In the chapter ,“La Femenista,” by Anna NietoGomez, she states that “In order to establish themselves as a legitimate interest group or groups, the Chicana femenista has continually had to justify, clarify and educate people in the political philosophical issues of the Chicana woman” (NietoGomez 87). The fact that Latinas even had to clarify their issues shows that their issues were being ignored or not being considered important. Latinas had to prove that their issues were far different from the mainstream feminist, yet still important. NietoGomez states that, “Philosophical conflicts arose from those who felt that the Chicano movement did not have

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