The Importance of Chicano/ Chicana Studies

Cheyenne Trujillo
Professor Hansen
ENGL 102-074
University of New Mexico
May 7, 2014













Introduction
Currently Chicano study has been getting a lot of criticism with the education department at
Universities. This paper is for those critics to show the nature and purpose of Chicano/Chicana
Studies. Chicano studies have been around for years. The education that Chicano studies try to
provide is something that many Americans should know about. Chicano studies currently
provides a promotion and an understanding of Chicano/Hispanic/Mexican communities. This
communities are different because people identity with different ethnicities and races. Chicano is
a Mexican American, a Mexican is someone who has Spanish and Mexican and Hispanic is
mostly Spanish. The UNM Chicano Studies Website states that the Chicano Studies at UNM
has three areas of focus which are Chicano/a studies cultural, politics and social justice and
transnational which is the experience between the U.S and Mexico. (UNM Chicana and
Chicano Studies). The important aspect about Chicano studies is the history of Chicano
Education, the start of a Chicano studies program and the current program of Chicano studies.
Chicanos Wanting an Education
Chicano Education has come a long way since the Chicano Movement. The Chicano Movement
started in the 1960s this was the first protest from farm workers on equality (Vigil, 2011).
These farm workers were trying to get equality and create a better life for their families. They
had to deal with hot temperatures throughout the day, pesticides that were used on the crops and
hard labor yet they got paid three times less what the average American wage was during the
sixties (Vigil, 2011). This workers though by them getting better pay they could give their
children the life they wish they could have. If they got paid more they wouldnt have their
children working the farms as well to support the family and they could go to school and make
something more of their lives(Vigil, 2011). The problem was that most children didnt have to
just help their family but they were dealing with discrimination and prejudice at the schools from
teachers and peers (Vigil,2011). According to Vigil, Every Mexican American wanted that
American Dream of getting a good education but the fact was that 1 out of 4 Chicanos dropped
out of high school. These children had to face a lot of prejudice and racism throughout the school
process. The Chicano Movement was about equality in every area of life. (253) To get this
equality in schools students all over California schools were starting to protest with walk outs.
These school walk outs is when people started to pay attention to the problems Chicanos were
having to face. A walk out was when, Chicano/a stand up and walked out of class to show that
they were against the education they were getting. They were showing that inequality was in
schools and that they wanted an equal education just like many of the white students. According
to Vigil, They would teach white students about getting to college and getting a good education
while Mexican students were being shown trades because teachers said thats all they would
need to know in life (246). These inequalities were in all parts of education from first grade to
senior year of high school. Children of Mexican descent would have to deal with discrimination
because they may have brought a burrito to school for lunch. Walk outs were organized by
students and the brown berets to get Americas attention and to stop this inequality in all schools.
The brown berets are a college organization that helped plan the school walk outs and protect the
students from police. They were the first Chicano organization in college.
Since the Chicano Movement people would think that Chicanos have a voice and that
discrimination is over but discrimination in education is still around. Chicano students are still
not getting the education that their ancestors wanted. Now there are many different reasons why
this issue has not been resolved. There is blame on the Hispanic community for not pushing for
the importance of education to their children, there is the fact that the economy is bad now and
many Hispanics are one of the most impacted ace of this recession and last that authority in
education are putting down Mexican students still. According to Kirkorian,
although welfare is mostly consumed by Mexicans which is due to the fact that they dont
have jobs that pay enough to support a family. They have low paying jobs because they
either didnt finish high school or didnt go to college and finish. When there is no higher
education people have to work in low paying jobs because they cant get better jobs. This
is a cycle repeated a lot in America today and more so in the Mexican community, by
increasing education rates of Mexicans, Latinos, and Chicanos they can start moving up
as a race (197).

Mexicans are to this day on of the least ethnicities to attend college. This is why Chicano Studies
was placed to change this rate and influence Mexicans to continue in school and better their
lives.
The Making of Chicano Studies
The Chicano studies program began at the University of Santa Barbara in 1969 (Planas).
The goal behind the Chicano studies program was to bring a higher rate of Chicanos into college
and to teach others about Chicano heritage and history. This was also to give Chicanos a voice
after the Chicano Movement. After the University of Santa Barbara created Chicano Studies the
other universities within California started to create the program as well(Planas). The creation of
the Chicano studies program was nearly forty plus years ago, since then there has been over
twenty five universities that offer or have a Chicano studies program (Planas). The University
of New Mexico is one of those universities that offer Chicano studies. The University of New
Mexico first offered got a Chicano program in about 1998 due to the fact they had a minor by
then. According to UNM Chicano Studies Webpage, UNM allowed a Major in 2013 for
Chicano Studies and offered a minor in 1998 (UNM Chicana and Chicano Studies). There are
many states that didnt have a major offered at their university. Currently there are about six
states that offer a Chicano studies major, which are Texas, Washington, New Mexico, California
and Michigan, Colorado. Some universities dont just have a major and minor in Chicano
studies they also have PH.D Programs for their students. There are about 3 states that offer a
Ph.D. in Chicano Studies which are Texas, California and Michigan. Chicano Studies has been
growing with the opportunities that are given to students at universities. The one thing that can
be difficult with Chicano Studies is finding jobs that require or need a Chicano Studies degree.
There are many possibilities of a career with Chicano studies like a lawyer, teacher, business
owner, writer, poet and anthropologist. These careers can lead to great opportunities in life.
Although there are many opportunities offered in Chicano Studies Currently this area of studies
has been hitting a rough patch with enrollment, graduation rates, programs, funds and education
in general.
The Current Chicano Studies Program
According to Planas there have been many problems with Chicano studies from low enrollment
to not enough funding. There has been a lower enrollment this year than any other year before
but this does not mean that the Chicano studies program is less relevant then it was during the
Chicano Movement era. Currently, the University of New Mexicos Chicano studies program
has been falling short of the amount of students needed in their classes. This semester there were
four classes that had to be cancelled due to not enough students signing up. The department has
been coming up with a variety of ideas to increase the amount of students in these classes and to
get more students in the program by getting a major or minor. They are currently trying to get
departmentalized to start offering a graduate program and maybe even a PH.D program in the
near future. After a meeting with the dean of arts and science we have found out that funding is
a huge issue and is what may contribute to the falling of Chicanos studies departmentalized
process. The funding has been a problem for many things but the biggest is that there arent
enough funds for low incoming programs. The funds have been cut in many areas but education
has been the biggest since the economy went through a recession. With funds they give the
money to programs that have the highest percentage of students in the program and the
graduation rate from the program. In Chicano Studies there has been a low to zero graduation
rate because no one knows about the program. Many people dont understand how in New
Mexico Chicanos are the highest percentages of ethnicities in the state and in college. With the
population increase why has the Chicano studies program decreased? This is a question many
professors and people wonder and maybe the reason why the program stays in colleges.
Conclusion
Chicano Studies is a growing program in New Mexico but it has flourished in other states. New
Mexico is one of many places that is trying to get Chicano Studies off the ground. There is a
history of how Chicano Studies was started and how hard our ancestors fought for equality in
education and life for Chicanos. The founders and creator of a Chicano Studies Program had a
vision of all students knowing and understanding the suffrage and segregation
Chicanos/Mexicans/Hispanics all had to go through. This program can continue to grow but it
needs the help from its students. The Chicano studies program is here to help Mexicans find
their identity and build their knowledge.







Reference Page
Krikorian, Mark. The new case against immigration: both legal and illegal. New York: Sentinel,
2008. Print.
Planas, Roque. "Why Mexican-American Studies Matter." The Huffington Post.
TheHuffingtonPost.com, 8 Apr. 2014. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.
Vigil, James Diego. From Indians to Chicanos: The Dynamics of Mexican-American Culture.
Waveland Pr.Inc, November 8, 2011. Book.
"UNM Chicana and Chicano Studies." UNM Chicana and Chicano Studies. N.p., n.d. Web. 15
Apr. 2014.