Mexican American's Activism

Search

Mexican American's Activism

This activism in the 1970s was not simply a reaction to the gap between the white and the Chicano culture of the 1950s, however, it was based on Chicano political activism that began in the 1930s and 40s, which in turn is based on a cycle of political activism that dates even further back. Historically, the Chicano population in the Southwest, that is Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, has had to struggle to be accepted as first-class citizens ever since Europeans first settled in those areas (Valdes, 2000). However, the political activism of the 1970s has been specifically linked to the activism that took place in the 1930s and 40s (McWilliams, 1973). Bert Corona, a Mexican-American labor and community activist, is one example. He worked for "social justice and first-class citizenship" (Garcia, 1993, p. 241) among Los Angeles longshoremen and waste material workers in the 1930s and 40s. He also worked as a representative of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) in working with Mexican-American youth gangs and fighting discrimination in California.

Besides labor unrest in the immigrant and farm labor community, there were also the Sleepy Lagoon Murder trial and the Zoot Suit Riots of Los Angeles. In both instances, the Chicano population was used as a scapegoat for white fears of gang ac

VIEW THE REST OF THIS ESSAY!

Rivera, T. (1995). ...y no se lo trag= la tierra / ...And the Earth Did Not Devour Him. Bilingual edition, Vigil-Pinon, E., translator. Houston, TX: Arte Publico Press, University of Houston.

McWilliams, C. (1973). "Once a Well Kept Secret." Pacific Historical Review. 42(3):309-318

Olivares, J. (1990). "The Streets of Gary Soto." Latin American Literary Review. Vol. XVIII, no. 35, pp. 32-49.

Tobar, H. (April 20, 1997). "Sleepy Lagoon Victims Laud Their Champion." The Los Angeles Times. p. B1

Fitzsimmons, L. (Summer 2000). ". . . And the Earth Did Not Swallow Him: An interview with Severo Perez." Journal of Film and Video. Vol. 52, no. 2, p. 3-12.

C�rdenas de Dwyer, C. (1980). "Cultural Regionalism and Chicano Literature." Western American Literature. 15(3): 187-194.

936

VIEW THIS ESSAY

SAVE PAPER


		Some topics in this essay

		Lagoon Trial \| Los Angeles \| Evangelina Vigil-Pi�=n \| Chuy Olivares \| Leave Beaver \| Arizona California \| Tom�s Rivera \| Severo Perez \| Latin Renaissance \| Corona Mexican-American \| los angeles \| political activism \| activism 1970s \| 1930s 40s \| sleepy lagoon \| lo trag= la \| angeles times \| trag= la \| la tierra \| labor community \| mcwilliams 1973 \| de dwyer 1980 \| se lo trag= \| political activism 1970s \| interview severo perez \|