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Edith Martinez Humanities 3: Holder/Lopez Social Movements Research Paper Chicano Movement: Chicano Struggles Hispanics, Latinos, Me icans, also !no"n as Chicano/as, the# all $ought $or "hat the# "anted and "hat the# %elieved in& 'he# $ought $or their $reedom and $or the $reedom o$ other races as "ell& Most o$ all, Chicanos $ought $or the right o$ people "ho $elt li!e the# "ere a minorit# and $elt li!e the# "ere invisi%le in this countr#& 'he Chicano Movement %egan to ta!e action in the ()*+,s& Chicanos su$$ered $rom un$air treatment at "or!, had trou%le getting an education and "eren,t involved in politics or in the communit#& -ut these things started to change once the movement started& Chicano,s e pressed ho" the# $elt in man# di$$erent "a#s, one o$ those "a#s "as %# doing art& Chicano artists sho"ed ho" the# $elt a%out the Chicano Movement %# their art& 'hese artists "anted to sho" ever#one their culture and "here the# come $rom& Chicano art has changed the "a# people see the Chicano Movement %ecause the artists have represented the culture and the struggles o$ %eing Chicano& .n the /nited States, the government sponsored man# art programs during and a$ter the 0reat 1epression23ac!son, 456& 'here "ere man# Chicano art programs that Chicano students 7oined& Some Chicano artists "ere ver# popular $or painting murals in Me ican8 9merican neigh%orhoods& :'he Chicano/a art movement "as characterized %# t"o distinct periods o$ activit#& 'he $irst period challenged the dominant culture& 'he second period sa" a change in the movements purpose&;23ac!son,*+6 Chicano artists also represent in their art ho" the# see the movement themselves& 9rtists put thought into "hat the# painted so that "hen people "ould loo! at their art, the# "ould get a sense o$ "hat Chicano,s "ent through& -e$ore this movement, Chicanos "eren,t reall# involved "ith the communit# and politics %ecause the#

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"ould sta# together and tr# to help eachother& 'hen Chicanos $ound a "a# to get involved, and that,s "hen the Me ican 9merican Political 9ssociation got together& <hen the 9ssociation got together, it reall# made them a signi$icant voting group& Me ican 9mericans %egan demanding that re$orms should %e made in la%or, education, and other areas that did not meet their needs& 3ohn =& >enned# "as considered in the concerns o$ the Hispanic communit#& >enned# also "anted them to ta!e part in politics and to spea! up a%out their concerns& 'he Me ican 9merican Political 9ssociation then "or!ed to get >enned# elected as president& He "as elected president in ()*+& >enned# sho"ed his gratitude to"ards the latino communit#, he !ne" that the# "ere a %ig part o$ him "inning the election& .n ()?@, there "as a case called the Mendez vs& <estminster case and it prohi%ited segregating Latino school children $rom "hite children& Chicanos had trou%le "ith their education and that,s "h# the# "anted to get a re$orm on it& 'he $ourteenth amendment guaranteed protection to all racial groups and that,s "hat Chicano,s "anted& 'he# "anted protection and $elt li!e the# "eren,t getting it& Chicano activists led man# marches and did man# speeches to spea! out to people %ecause the# $elt li!e the# "eren,t %eing heard either& Chicano art is 7ust another one o$ those "a#s that made people listen to Chicanos and that spo!e out to people& 9 reall# %ig event that happened in the Chicano movement "as "hen the 1elano $arm "or!ers "ent on stri!e& Cesar Chavez, an important and "ell !no"n !e# $igure during the Chicano movement, "as one o$ the people that led this %o#cott& 'he %o#cott %egan in ()*5, the grape pic!ers decided that the# have had enough o$ this mistreatment and that the# should tr# to stand up $or themselves& 'his stri!e "as ver# popular %ecause it got so "ell !no"n in the /nited States& Aot onl# Latinos "ere involved in this, %ut man# racial groups "ere& 'hese "or!ers o$ man# di$$erent races, got together and decided that the# "ere tired o$ the "a# things "ere so the# "anted to ma!e a change altogether& .t "as so po"er$ul and impressive that the# could all

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come together and agree on things the# all had in common and altogether protest against "hat the# "anted to change& 1uring the stri!e, Chavez "ent on a 45 da# hunger stri!e& Ro%ert =& >enned# visited the $arm to sho" that he supported them&2Aittle6 9lthough, it too! up until ()@+ $or the "or!ers to get their 7ustice, the# still got it& 'he $arm "or!ers later signed agreements $or %etter pa# and "or!ing conditions& Man# groups li!e the /nited Me ican 9merican students and Me ican 9merican Bouth 9ssociation participated in school "al!outs to protest& Li!e in 1enver and Los 9ngeles in ()*C students did this to protest high school dropout rates as Chicanos, eurocentric curriculum, and a %an on spea!ing spanish at school&2Aittle6 People didn,t "ant Latinos spea!ing spanish during school and Chicanos $elt li!e that "as "rong&'hese "al!outs turned out to %e a success& -# the ne t decade, 'he 1epartment o$ Health, Education D "el$are and the Supreme Court declared that even i$ a student could not spea! English, the# should %e given an education& Later on in ()*C, there "ere education re$orms and an EEual Fpportunit# 9ct $ormed in ()@? $or -ilingual Programs in pu%lic schools& 'here "ere man# organizations and associations made to help the Chicanos& 'here "as the Me ican 9merican Legal 1e$ense D Education =und that $ormed a goal to protect the civil rights o$ Hispanics& 'his "as the $irst organization dedicated to this cause& 'here "as alot o$ art that "as made during the Chicano Movement& Murals "ere ver# common among Chicano artists& 'he Chicano mural movement %egan in the ()*+,s and mostl# in Me ican89merican neigh%orhoods& Chicano artists put e$$ort in their "or! to involve their cultural heritage& Some o$ the artists that painted Chicano art murals "ere trained and some "ere sel$ taught&29costa6 Chicano 9rt Frganizations "or!ed "ith communit# volunteers and teens "ho "ere o$ten recruited $or special art pro7ects& 'hese murals "ere usuall# painted on %uildings or on streets& 9 Chicano artist Leo 'anguma painted on the e terior o$ a %uilding and that

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%uilding "as destro#ed in ()C3& Cit# o$$icials couldn,t save his art piece %ecause the %uilding "as then sold to a ne" o"ner& .n El Paso there "ere more than (++ murals painted since the mid ()*+,s& 'here "ere man# artists all over the /nited States that ver# o$ten teamed up together to paint a mural& Li!e "hen .rene Martinez and Moni!a 9cevedo teamed up to paint a mural and the# called it the :M#ths o$ Maturit#; in ())(& 'here,s man# !inds o$ art that "as popular in the /nited States& -ut later in the ()*+,s, Chicano art started %ecoming more popular& 'here,s also man# di$$erent !inds o$ Chicano artists& 'here,s some that li!e to involve their ver# o"n li$e "ith their paintings, others li!e to involve the li$e o$ other Chicanos& Chicano artists li!ed putting culture into their art and "hat the# thin! a%out the Chicano movement& 'he# put so much thought into their art %ecause the# "ant to sho" people that are vie"ing their art, that it is meaning$ul and has po"er& People thought man# things o$ Chicano art& F$ course ever#one thin!s di$$erentl# o$ ever#thing and there "ill al"a#s %e di$$erent opinions a%out ever#thing& .t all depends on ho" a person vie"s the art o$ Chicanos&

<or!s Cited

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9costa, 'eresa Palomo& GChicano Mural Movement&G Tsaonline.com& 'e as State Historical 9ssociation, 4) Sept& 4+(3& <e%& 3 Fct& 4+(3& 1e9l%a, 9licia 0aspar& Chicano Art/ Inside outside the Masters House Cultural Politics and the Cara Exhibition& A&p&: /niversit# o$ 'e as State, ())C& Print& El Congreso 1e 9rtistas CHsmicos 1e Las 9mIricas 1e San 1iego& We Are Not A Minority& A&d& Chicano Par!, San 1iego C9& We Are Not a Minority& El Congreso 1e 9rtistas CHsmicos 1e Las 9mIricas 1e San 1iego& <e%& 3ac!son, Carlos =rancisco& Chicana and Chicano Art ProtestArte& A&p&: /niversit# o$ 9rizona, 4++)& Print& Aittle, Aadra >areem& G'he Chicano Movement: -ro"n and Proud&G About.com Race Relations& 9%out&com, n&d& <e%& (* Fct& 4+(3&