Chicano Movement Podcast HIST 354

This is a podcast discussing the Chicano movement, which aimed to promote Mexican-American pride and fight for equal rights. The movement used culture, art, and music as tools for unification. The podcast explores the historical context of the movement, including the Mexican-American War and the discrimination faced by Mexican-Americans. It also discusses the development of the Chicano identity and the emergence of ideologies like Chicanismo and the concept of Aztlan. The podcast highlights the role of political organizations and protests in promoting equal rights, but also acknowledges the exclusion of Mexican immigrants and women within the movement. The importance of art and culture in spreading the movement's message is emphasized, as well as the need for continued activism and creating for positive change. What you're listening to right now is a corrido written at the height of the Chicano movement, Yo Soy Chicano, written by an anonymous woman from Denver, Colorado in 1965, and sung here by Los Alvarados. It is widely considered to be the Chicano national hymn, with the melody identical to La Rielera, a song from the time of the Mexican Revolution. With this, the fight for workers' rights is equated to the fight for Mexican independence, and the heroes of the Chicano movement are likened to the revolutionaries of yesterday. These allusions to great leaders of the past and equivalencies drawn between them and contemporary Chicano leaders is a common theme among many of the art produced during the Chicano movement. The lyrics take a stand, proudly proclaiming in Spanish, I am Chicano, imbued with color, American, but with honor. When they tell me there is revolution, I defend my race with great valor, and later goes on to proclaim, I have my pride, I have my faith, I am different, I am the color brown, I have my culture, I have spirit, and it can't be taken from me by any bald-headed fool. This song is one of the great many pieces of art that carries the message of the Chicano movement and sought to unify Mexican-Americans under one battle, for labor rights, political rights, for a new home carved out for them in the United States. I am your host, David Grasage, and today we will delve into how cultural nationalism played a role in creating a unified Chicano identity, and how this use of culture as a unifier manifested itself as legitimate social change. Los Corridos and other pieces of art will be unalive, as they are the mediums through which culture spreads and takes root in a social group. Music and art unifies people, and in this instance, it unified the Mexican-Americans towards a new identity, the Chicano, a name filled with pride and ideas of self-determination. The Chicano movement was based on the civil rights movement, and the word Chicano itself was originally a derogatory term in the 1940s during the Placeros program, but the name was later used as a symbol of cultural reclamation and resistance to Anglo-American hegemony. The goals of El Movimiento were to promote Mexican-American pride, create political organizations and protests in favor of Chicano equity, enact educational reform through the use of student organizations, and to promote land and labor rights. When considering the historical context of the Chicano movement, it's absolutely essential to understand what the Mexican-American war laid out for Mexican-Americans for generations to come. Prior to its end with the Treaty of Guadalupe y Hidalgo, thousands of Mexicans lived in what was then northern Mexico, and would later become the southern United States. After the treaty was signed and all that territory was annexed, these people now found themselves adding American as a suffix to their identity. Their legal standing was in limbo, as was their sense of nationality. This came in combination with the rampant nativism present in the late 19th century amongst Anglo-Americans, bolstering already existing racial prejudices. With their national identity being largely ambiguous, competition was stirred between Mexican-Americans and Mexican immigrants. This will become an important talking point later on in this podcast. Mexicans were viewed by Anglo-Americans through a relational lens, aligning them with African-Americans and other similarly marginalized groups. Their indigenous heritage and poor economy in Mexico, prompted by the mass inflation of food prices and stagnant wages under the Porfiriato regime, were all used both as justification for the Mexican-American war, and subsequently for structural racism against them for generations to come. Natalia Molina speaks in depth in her work about the concept of racial scripts, which she describes as something that links racialized groups through space and time. Mexicans were aligned with African-Americans socially, linked to indigenous people culturally. However, many years later, legally, and only many years later, legally linked to white people, after the League of United Latin American Citizens, LULAC, achieved success in courts by reckoning their Spanish blood. Mexicans also historically have faced identity issues in Mexico as well, with the mestizo identity being in constant limbo between Spanish and indigenous heritage, and being seen as inferior to pure Spanish heritage. All of this must be kept in mind when attempting to fully grasp the development of the Chicano identity. Flash forward to the 1960s. The civil rights movement was raging in the pursuit of better lives for African-Americans. This inspired the beginning of a new movement, one for Mexican-Americans to pursue legal rights while also creating a new identity and purpose. It may be clear to listeners already that this became the Chicano movement. In the initial stages of the Chicano movement, political groups like the Mexican-American Political Association, MAPA, and the Political Association of Spanish-Speaking Organizations, PASO, were designed to promote political participation and elect Chicano officials in order to promote equal rights for all. This came a decade or so after the Zoot Suit riots in the 1940s led to the deaths of dozens of Mexican-American youths at the hands of armed forces, as well as the arrest of dozens more for crimes they had not committed. With this specific example, alongside a century of oppression and outright violence, many Chicanos did not trust American-based organizations like the Democratic Party to fully represent their interests. This led to the creation of various third parties like El Partido de la Razón Unida, LRUP, which determined the outcomes of many local elections, especially in South Texas. Political activism began to bloom in the early 1960s for Chicanos. By around 1965, the Chicano movement became much more ideological. Many promoted various forms of Marxism, separatist institutions, and a general sense of cultural pride became widespread. A new ideology emerged, Chicanismo, a philosophy of self-worth, pride, and a call for cultural rebirth. This came in tandem with the concept of Aztlan, the legendary homeland of the Aztecs, thought to be located in the southwestern United States. Chicanos, especially those in the southwestern United States, latched onto Aztlan as a representation of their ties to the land they resided on, a reminder that despite the United States' conquest of Mexican territory, they still had roots in the land that could not be done away with. Aztlan and Chicanismo are the key cultural aspects of the Chicano movement and are reflected in the art created at the time. In one art piece created in 1978 by José Montoya, titled Chicano Warriors, the faces of an Aztec warrior, GI soldier, and a pachuco are all placed side by side. Clear parallels are drawn between all the various inhabitants of Aztlan, and all are seen as existing under the same identity. Artwork like this encourages counterculture pachucos and other similar members of El Movimiento to embrace their heritage and remember what they are fighting for. Throughout history and in every social movement, artistic expression is the medium through which ideology spreads and culture blooms. Here you can hear a corrido written for César Chávez, the leader of the United Farm Workers, UFW or Strike. The lyrics gush in love for him as a leader and as an example for all Mexican Americans as to what a true freedom fighter looks like. In English, the lyrics go, inspiration of my people, protector of the farm workers, he is a great Mexican, this would be his destiny. They specifically champion his 25 state fast and retaliation against accusations of use of violence as cause for the highest praise. Songs like these do much to spread the word of legendary figures like César Chávez and illustrate them as heroes without fault. The Chicano movement wasn't inclusive for everyone though, nor was César Chávez the perfect hero. The UFW made great strides in securing better wages and working conditions for Mexican American farm workers in California and gave national acclaim to both the farm workers' plight and the fight for Mexican Americans in general. They were absolutely key in the Chicano movement. However, Mexican immigrants were outright excluded from the material gains made by the UFW and were rebuffed by César Chávez and others involved as they were seen as strike makers and as competition. After all, women also had to be attached to a man in order to be in the decision-making rooms of the Chicano movement and were still never taken as seriously or given as much credence as their male counterparts. Mexican migrants could not even turn to their own peoples as a support net. As Natalia Molinas talks about, racial scripts of laziness and inferiority were placed upon them by Mexican Americans whose parents and grandparents were originally just like them. As your host, I am the son and grandson of Mexican migrants. I find it difficult to fully express my grief at the injustices that have struck my people for generations. Despite the Chicano movement doing much for Mexican American identity, Mexican migrants were excluded then and they are excluded now. They have been excluded by their own people since the end of the Mexican American War. It's necessary to take lessons from the Chicano movement and its successes and apply it to the contemporary moment. Material gains must be made through public action. Strikes and protests and the like are necessary. But the way a movement is spread like wildfire is through culture, art, music. We must keep creating and we must keep creating for good. Never let the establishment tell you that you or your art is a nuisance. As shown time and time again, art is one of the most powerful forces in the world. It influences nations, unifies nations, and can be the way through which we create a better world for all. If you take anything from this podcast, I sincerely hope that it is to never stop creating and to never stop fighting. This has been your host, David Risage. Thank you very much for your time.