The Origins and History of The Chicano Movement By Roberto Rodriguez

1. Araceli Rubio Chicano Studies 245 Section:14004 OL April 2,2014 The Origins and History of The Chicano Movement By Roberto Rodriguez

2. Origins • The Chicano Movement began during the 1960’s, a time period that saw the birth of various social movements. • Rodriguez describes the Chicano movement as, “This was brown power. And it was also the building of Aztlan”(Rodrigues 1) • The Chicano Movement was composed of various organisations that sought to improve the lives of Chicanos. • Some of those groups were, "United Farm Worker’s Union, La Raza Unida Party, La Alianza de Pueblos Libres, theBrown Berets, The National Chicano Moratorium, C A S A - Hermandad General de Trabajadores, The Crusade For Justice, the Mexican American You t h Organization, MEChA, the August 29th Movement and ComisionFemenilNacional Mexicana”(Rodrigues 1).

3. Movements • The Chicano movement and those that composed it share many similarities to movements mentioned by Zinn. • These movements were a reaction to the inequalities that the government allowed to exist, as pointed out by Zinn within his interview. • Rodriguez gives insight to some of the difficulties faced by the movement such as, "lack of historical memory, regionalism and sectarianism, but also government efforts to destroy this nascent movement”(Rodriguez 1). • These government efforts heavily support Zinns statement that the government tends to create problems rather than solve them. • Contributing to the hindrances, although not as drastic, was "what to call people of Mexican-origin and if the word Chicano and Chicana included people with origins than Mexico.” • This furthered the difficulty in unifying the various organizations based on identity. • Another correlation with Zinnin regards to the Chicano movement is the participation of both parties in the Civil Rights movement.

4. Chicano And Civil Rights Movement • Much like Zinn participating within the civil rights movement, the Chicano movement did the same. • Rodriguez states that there were some of those in the Chicano movement that were active participants in the civil rights movement. “Many of them later became instrumental in forming linkages between the Chicano, Black Power, and the American Indian Movement”(Rodriguez 4). • Both activist groups had simultaneous support from one another. • Rodriguez points out an occasion where, “the farm worker’s movement — begun in 1963 —had drawn the support of Martin Luther King Jr”(Rodriguez ). • This unity amongst social movements further demonstrates that societal change was a constant presence in this era.

5. Education And The Movement • Institutions of educations played a pivotal role in the Chicano movement. • “Carlos Muñoz, one of the many principals involved in the political development of the 1960’s movement, says that the relatively large influx of Chicano students into universities unleashed both a political movement focused on civil and human rights, but also an intellectual movement that both challenged historical knowledge and created the discipline of Chicano studies”(Rodriguez 4). • This intellectual movement helped to promote the unity and strength of the Chicano movement. • Knowledge as pointed out by Zinnis an important stimulus for movements. Which can cause,“massmeeting and demonstrations of the unemployed took place all over the country”(Zinn 243). • Dolores Huerta as well as Congressman Grijalva also advocate individuals gaining greater knowledge in order to improve society. • Grijalva advocates this through his position on Arizona and Dolores in her position on movements.

6. Bringing Chicano History to the Public • Rodriguez points out that often much of the history of Chicanos was ignored by society. • This ignorance of history is something that Zinn mentions within his interview. He finds that history is often told from only one perspective. • “Prior to the development of Chicano studies as a discipline, very little knowledge existed about the Chicano”(Rodriguez 4). This further demonstrates how unwilling historians were to give Chicanos a voice. • The initiation of Chicano studies is documented by Rodriguez as “the establishment of Chicano studies — which was envisioned —through ‘El Plan de Santa Barbara’”(Rodriguez 1). • Similar situations where history is ignored are presented within Zinns book, A People’s Histoy of the United States. Particularly within the first chapter where the negative untold results of Columbus's actions are explored. • This makes it apparent that Chicano history has not been the only victim of ignorance.

7. Chicano Studies • Chicano studies courses have allowed many students to gain the sense of identity that Dolores Huerta in her interview mentions. • She states that she found her identity after having visited Mexico. • This coincides with the message provided by Rodriguez in his article. • Rodriguez points out that Chicano studies helps with “The study of living and dealing with duality can be helpful to societies that are also now having to deal with similar populations and ethnic tension”(Rodriguez 5). • This duality was another thing mentioned in both Dolores Huerta s interview as well as the Banning Shakespeare video. • Students in the Banning Shakespeare video were able to provide their own life examples regarding the sense of identity that participating within Chicano studies programs gave them.

8. Why Chicano Studies • As Rodriguez mentions Chicano studies became a place where students could unite in order to exchange ideas for community improvement. • Chicano studies was an effective area for “political movement focused on civil and human rights, but also an intellectual movement that both challenged historical knowledge”(Rodriguez 4). • Chicano studies was also able to, as mentioned by Rodriguez, give the community a voice. • There was now an area where ideas could freely be exchanged amongst the community. • Some of those ideas included the idea that “Prior to the Chicano movement, many people of Mexican-origin privately spoke of the Southwest as Mexican/indigenous land, but it was not until the Chicano movement that it was done so in a public/political manner”(Rodriguez 4). • Radical ideas such as these could not have been expressed without having to worry for repercussion prior to the awareness provided by Chicano studies.

9. Students • Student involvement has proven itself to be one of the most important contributors to the Chicano movement. • These students embody the ideals that fueled those that Huerta mentioned in her interview regarding walkouts. • As the documentary Outlawing Shakespeare demonstrates students are seen as a high risk. • High risk in the sense that students can create change in a quick amount of time. • This seemed to be the reasoning behind the fear that arose around the Chicano studies programs in Arizona. • The success and potential of Chicano fueled reform mentioned by Rodriguez was not welcome nor desired by many in Arizona. • Professor Acuna makes these sentiments clear as well within his interview when he expresses that many people feel jealousy and anger towards seeing Latinos gain positions of power.

10. Struggles • The Chicano movement like almost any other movement faced many struggles. • “Struggling against Jim Crow institutions, Chicano activists also won school board elections in South Texas…”(Rodriguez 3). This success in the face of opposition demonstrates the strength of the movement. • One of the greatest struggles as pointed out by Rodriguez is the presence of a “notion of grouping all Latinos under the rubric “Hispanic” has also weakened and diluted the intent of Chicano studies”(Rodriguez 5). • This goes back to the sense of identity. Erasing or diminishing the pride in identity that existed during the Chicano movement prevents organizations from creating stronger ties. • Another struggle being faced by the Chicano movement is the fact that people have stopped advocating. “Chicano studies centers/department have stopped being advocates”(Rodriguez 5). • This lack of advocacy seems to be due to a change in tactics. As Dolores Huerta points out, voting can help to create changes.

11. Feminist • Rodriguez mentions that there were also feminist tendencies within the Chicano movement. • The feminist aspect of the Chicano movement shines a light on a movement that was predominately run by males. • Rodriguez points out that the Chicana movement tended to go against the stereotypes envisioned for women envisioned by those within the Chicano movement.“Contrary to the picture of the ideal Mexican family— promoted by Chicano scholars — in which the woman stays at home to raise the children, Mexican women have always worked, at both wage and unwaged labor, says Castañeda(Rodriguez 6). • This is very similar to the troubles pointed out by Zinn regarding women, in the chapter titled The Intimately Oppressed.

12. Feminist Continued • Zinn mentions a similar mentality present in earlier years “the woman’s job was to keep the home cheerful,maintain religion, be nurse, cook,cleaner …”(Zinn 113). This demonstrates that the struggle for equality was a problem that occurred throughout history. • Chicana Feminist as pointed out by Rodriguez, tend to concentrate on the relationships between class and gender within the community. • Rodriguez states that Chicanas tend to address issues ignored by Chicanos, “such as the role of women and gender in colonial society, early labor organizing efforts by Chicanas, and the role of women in community, civil and human rights organizations”(Rodriguez 6). • ChicanaFeminst closely resemble the oppressed women of before, and coincided with Sojourner Truth who, “rose to her feet and joined the indignation of her race to the indignation of her sex”(Zinn124).

13. The Movement Now • The Chicano Movement has managed to endure because it is a necessity for the community. • The movement and ideals that accompanied the Chicano movement continue to exist because, “’ There will always be a need • for Chicano studies’”(Rodriguez 7). • Rodriguez points out that since Cesar Chavez’s death the movement has managed to regenerate. • One example of the continues support for the Chicano movement is the, “new activism peaked in 1994 when hundreds of thousands of junior and senior high and college students across the country walked out of schools and held marches and rallies in opposition to California’s anti-immigrant Proposition 187”(Rodriguez 7). • These demonstrations continue to show that the Chicano movement has managed to endure the test of time.

14. The Movement Now Continued • Rodriguez mentions that the Chicano movement continues to live throughout students. • Rodriguez states that the Chicano movement “lives in students …who battle against students who believe that racism no longer exists and who don’t see a need for Chicano or Latino programs”(Rodriguez 7). • There are also those individuals that help to keep the movement alive. • One of those individuals is Maria Jimenes, who Rodriguez points out as a social activist, states that a“Latinomarch on Washington may well be the culmination of 25-30 years of struggle of the Chicano movement”(Rodriguez 7). • These kinds of protest demonstrate that the Chicano movement continues to provide results within the community. • Another important contemporary factor that adds to the current Chicano movement is “affirmative action, in which men and women and members of all races are struggling jointly to fight off the anti-affirmative movement”(Rodriguez 7).

15. Chicano Scholars • Chicano scholars also have their share of problems. • Rodriguez brings to attention the fact that many Chicano scholars have not been able to present their research to the public. • Scholars are also faced with the difficult task of providing support toward bilingual education. The difficulty is due to“Chicanoscholars have not been successful at presenting their research to the public.”(Rodriguez 6). • Chicano scholars have had great difficulty finding the sufficient support outside of schools as pointed out by Rodriguez. • However, Rodriguez also points out that, they did “create the Tomas Rivera Center think tank in 1984”(Rodriguez 7). • This think tank created a platform where ideas could be exchanged amongst Chicanosas well as the public.

16. More On The Movement • The Chicano Movement allowed many people to gain a voice and place where they could find a sense of identity. • Felipe Esparza is an example of a Chicano who faced various hardships growing up. As he puts it within the interview these problems managed to help him increase the possibility of succeeding in his goals. • Essentially both Chicano studies and the Chicano movement are a way for people to find identity as well as power. • This power allows individuals to gain a sense of responsibility for social change which is championed by not only Rodriguez but, Zinn, Huerta,Esparza, and Acuna. • Overall the Chicano movement throughout the examples provided by Rodriguez, has apparently created many benefits for the community. • The Chicano movement has accomplished many goals and continues to aid the community.

17. Work Cited • "Congressman Raul Grijalva Declares No Boycott-Challenges Obama and Mexico-The Nonprofit Network." YouTube. Nonprofitnews, 30 Sept. 2010. Web. 2 Apr. 2014. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oz1Sk05owCA>. • "Conversations with History: Howard Zinn." YouTube. UCTV, 12 June 2008. Web. 2 Apr. 2014. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMt7cFFKPeM>. • "Outlawing Dolores Huerta: The Tucson Diaries." YouTube. Nonprofitnews, 17 Oct. 2013. Web. 2 Apr. 2014. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIDY9gsspuE>. • "Outlawing Shakespeare: The Battle for the Tucson Mind." YouTube. Nonprofitnews, 30 Oct. 2012. Web. 2 Apr. 2014. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anChx_9TF-Q>. • "Professor Rudy Acuña Challenges Arizona Law-Part 1-The Nonprofit Network." YouTube. Nonprofitnews, 11 Aug. 2010. Web. 2 Apr. 2014. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZIQCH2aOfM>. • Rodriguez, Roberto, (Writer) “The Origins and History of the Chicano Movement.” JSRI Occasional Paper #7. The Julian Samora Research Institute, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 1996. • Zinn, Howard. A people's history of the United States. New York: Harper Perennial Modern Classic, 2005. Print.