Occupied America: A History of Chicanos, Essay Example

Within in any culture it is necessary to establish cultural identity. Throughout every race, groups have tried to align their identity with the change in time, and the mood of the culture. The use of pachuquismo is used in describing Mexican-American Pachuca/os that make up a subculture of the Mexican-American identity. When societies develop their gradually become different from others. When a race assumes a cultural identity, it incorporates several aspects that make the individuals’ characteristics will be exceptional compared to others. After a while, a group of individuals will eventually assimilate to the cultural identity and over a period of time will become the norm. In the Mexican American community at the time, the popular cultural identifier was considered among the youth were pachucos. Pachuquismo is not considered a form of cultural confusion but instead an assertion of an emerging Mexican American identity, born from the offspring of Mexican immigrants, looking for ways to differentiate themselves from the older generation, establishing their identity, and creating a social bond with others that were still ostracized by White America. Looking at the importance of this cultural identity at the time, this paper will expound on while pachuquismo were crucial to Mexican Americans, and why it is an assertion of their individuality and their cultural marker.

Towards the middle of World War II, there was social evolution within the United States, which was creating a counter-cultural revolution among the Mexican Americans. Particularly the youth that were emanating within the inner-cities, by changing their style of clothing, speech, and behavior. After the war, many African Americans as well as Mexican Americans were greatly influenced by the anti-war movements, which also helped to spike a revolution in the cultural identity of several of the youth, which took it upon themselves to redefine their individualities in society. They were several youth rebellions during the 60s and 70s that was largely concentrated to major inner cities, however, it was during the World War that the pachuquismo identity emerged. “Through dress, language, and style, it expresses self-affirmation and rebellion against the racist, restrictive Anglo establishment” (Alaniz, Cornish 50). The Chicano or Mexican American youths grouped into gangs or cliques within Los Angeles were identifying as pachuquismo. They were characterized by their distinctive age, socio-economic variables and discreet social variables that were relevant to their cultural identification. The pachucos were seen like their African American counterparts that spoke jive, were considered Zooters, which spoke pachuco slang. During the Chicano movement in the 1960s and 70s, many of the youths decided to branch out to their own cultural not to conform to the status quo. “In short, many of the utterances of Mexican-American zooters came to signify resistance, style, and style as resistance” (Ramirez 3). According to Acuna, World War II brought out a lot of racial discrimination towards Chicanos or Mexican Americans, as many tried to enlist in the war, and were largely turned away (Acuna 240). In order to combat the racism that was shown to many, the youth decided to break away from their generation of immigrant parents, largely due to their racial, age, and socio-economic variables there were persistent throughout many Chicano areas.

The pachuquismo cultural identity was seen as assertion to be different the rest, and make their form their own identity apart from what mainstream America saw them as. During the Mexican migration to the United States, many Mexicans and other South American immigrants decided to settle in Latino barrios in order to establish survival networks and political allies. The barrios and neighborhoods that were entrenched with the immigrants helped to influence a vivid, unique, and inviting culture that saw the expression of the youth through their style of literature, community, and music. Acuna relays that when they would dress up, many were zoot suits that were popular with the low-income youth, which served as a cultural identifier to other Chicanos that represented as subversive refusal to be subservient. (Acuna 240). They decided to use the pachuquismo as a cultural identity because their found themselves rejected from the parents’ generation, and by society at large. It was a matter of “survival” that they sought to create a subculture were each was able to bond over similarities through the adoption of language, dress, and attest to their belonging in society. “The energy of this culture conveys working class opposition to oppression, as well as ethnic/racial pride, and it has been widely emulated by young people of other races” (Alaniz, Cornish 51). More importantly by embracing this cultural identity Mexican-American youths were redefining their role, place, and identity to not only to Americans, but to Mexicans, as well as their in the social and cultural context of what it was to be a Mexican-American.

While the youth embraced the cultural identity of pachuquismo, there were several negative connotations that were born from wearing their zoot suits, talking in their slang, and hanging out collectively in cliques or gangs that expressed criminal activity. The pachuquismo identity was not born out of violence but instead as a way for youth to be different from their immigrant parents, and a way to find an identity apart from what their white counterparts at the time saw them. They were largely segregated, and the way in which they could find their role in society was to embrace the pachuquismo identity. Acuna iterates that at the time in Los Angeles, many saw the zoot suit wearing youth as “gangs”, that were largely apart of the criminal undergrounds that drove low-riders and other distinctive marks. Many of the Chicano youth belonged to barrio clubs that carried the name of their neighborhoods. “The fad among gang members, or pachucos as they were called, was to tattoo on the left hand just above the thumb a small cross with three dots or dashes above it” (Acuna 240). The pachuquismo identity of the youth which asserted their self-assured and proud bravado, enraged and terrified the power structure of White America at the time. Several riots broke out that turned violent against migrants, and other minorities within the United States, known as the Zoot Suit Riots. (Acuna 243) Pachuos were able to be outside the homes, as they parents were working long hours, and affording them the ability to hang in the streets, displaying their arrogance towards racial discrimination, and fitting into the status quo. It was not cultural confusion to the youths, but away in which to assert their identity from their immigrant parents, where their cultivated their own lifestyles and shared experiences. The discrimination towards the pachucos was demonstrated through several instances including the case of the Sleepy Lagoon, and several other violent riots with serviceman, which saw their gangs as opposition to patriotism. (Acuna 243).

However, the cultural identity made a comeback during the 70s as many youths took to regain their rebellious attitudes to affirm their distinct cultural identity. While the pachuquismo were seen later betrayed as a violent front for criminal and gang activity from Chicanos at the time. It was a cultural identity that gave way to the Chicano movement, and help differentiate the youth or the second generation of Mexican Americans from their parents that were forced to work long, and strenuous hours in jobs that was needed in order to take care of their families. Forced into low-income neighborhoods, the youth and the families bonded, and constructed their own society where they were able to cultivate their own style of dress, language, and identity that served as a tool to resist the status quo.

The Chicano movement during the 1960s saw several changes to the roles and the rights to many Mexican Americans throughout the United States. Where the advent of anti-war opposition was growing particularly with minorities, the women behind the scenes were making a large impact as well. The Chicano Movement was a significant event in history that saw the continuation of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement of the 1940s. The importance of the movement, was that it challenged the racism, and the ethnic stereotypes which existed in America about the Mexican heritage and culture. The women were a substantial part of the movement in which helped to reject the ideology of the role of the Mexican American role in the household, as well as served as a challenge to the roles of in which many women were pigeonholed in, including sexuality, race, and class. The Chicanos during the 1960s through the 1980s helped to bring about Women’s Liberation Movement, as well as assert women’s rights specifically those that challenged the racial inequalities that Chicanas faced in America. Looking to information from Acuna, Ruiz, and others, this essay will provide evidence of the roles of Chicanas in the Chicano Movement. As well as what they did to help in leading in the social and political struggles at the time, to bring pertinent issues that affect Mexican Americans, as well as women to the forefront.

During the time of the Chicano Movement, the United States was coming out of the victory of World War II, and heading into the Vietnam War. The world was dismantling the colonial role that was prevalent, and contributing to the liberation movement that was profoundly impacted by the Civil Rights Movements of several minority groups including African Americans and Mexican Americans that were suffering serious racism by being treated as third rate citizens. The movements spurred challenges to the inequalities, and the establishment of rights in areas of employment, civil, and social rights that were available to their white counterparts. Influenced by the movements for anti-war, many of the youths took upon themselves to mobilize others in fueling the transmission of equality, in which many Mexican Americans chose to push for education opportunities, and justice without compromise. The Chicano Movement pressed for an equal playing field that afforded each individual equal rights, which confronted discrimination, retribution. Women mainly Chicano women were left out of the historical overlook of the feminist movement during the 1960s, however, their influence cannot be denied. Mexican women throughout history suffered oppression, and held the sole responsibility of raising their family and taking care of home. (Ruiz 101) Chicana women worked alongside Chicano men in their fight to rid the United States of the social and political structures of inequalities that persisted in that time. Through their fight, they gain realization that they had the platform to address the gender inequalities that existed internally and externally of the movement. Chicana women turned to feminism as they began to question the sexist or machismo attitudes that was prevalent within the group and within society, which placed a stereotype on their sexuality and issues of gender.

The Chicano Movement was largely born out of the college campuses, as women formed groups on campus to fight for revisions to history books, and recruitment for Mexican-American teachers in place of racist teachers. Many women in the campuses walked out of classes in protest, with the media defining the protests as, “the birth of brown power”. The blowback from the officers overreacting helped in mobilizing others to walk out of schools in protest throughout the nation. Many Chicanas contributed to the movement through the use of their pens, writing poems, books, and articles that problematized the challenges of the gender roles at home, school, and other places in society. (Ruiz 108)  Examples of Chicana feminists included: El Grito, Encurentro Feminil, Regegnracion, and El Chicano. (Ruiz 107) The Chicanas were met with resistant from their male counterparts, as they cautioned to fight for their cause later, in fear that it would divided the Chicano movement, by speaking for the women’s movement. While some women remained silent, others chose to fight for women’s rights such as welfare and protesting forced sterilization of poor women, so they created organizations such as Chicana Action Service Center, and Comision Femenil Mexicana. (Ruiz 112) Women were a significant figure in the Chicano Movement.

Chicanas formed several organizations that forced changed from within, through political campaigns, community actions, campus activities, and union groups. They forced the media to cover the issues that were pertinent to the Chicana issues. They felt that in order to help the Chicano movement altogether was to address the stereotypes of the gender quality of Mexican Americans. The Chicanas fought against their oppression, as women who participated in a range of organizations were they had to deal with gender issues in which they fought to have a national platform to address the gender issues. They took part in a male dominated discussions such as in  the 1969 Chicano Youth Liberation Conference, and rallied together to address the issues that feminists were concerned about, because they wanted to bring to the forefront not only issues of racial inequalities, but also inequalities in the households. (Acuna 230) They headed the Chicana Feminist Movement as they gained traction to form activist groups in their communities, such as the la Raza Unida Party. One of the biggest movements made by Chicana women came during the First National Chicana Conference in Houston, Texas were Chicana women gathered to protest to bring about the resolutions to legalization of abortion, education, childcare centers, and the abolition of traditional marriages. The Chicana Movement however, were met with challenges as they were not welcomed from the White Feminist Movement or within the Chicano Movement.

The Chicanas focused on mobilizing their own movement while also working alongside the Chicanos, as they sought to organize local, national and regional conferences to address their issues, as they adopted an autonomous conference which deepened their feminism. They tried to mobilize with White Feminist, however, they felt that they were not addressing the concerns of the Chicanas, particularly with racial discrimination and inequalities throughout society. The Chicanas considered the White Feminist movements a middle class movement, that did not address the working class struggles of Chicanas. They did not want to limit their movement to that of just gender, but also incorporating the inequalities of race and discrimination. They followed a political and social activism through academic research, which help to address the struggles during that time period. Chicanas formed their owned women’s caucus within the Mexican American Political Association (MAPA), since they wanted to challenge their male counterparts from within. These movements help to spur workshops for women, and the formation of several Chicana community programs, and the birth of Chicano Studies. (Acuna 334) The role of the Chicanas during that time was prevalent to the addressing not only struggles of Mexican Americans but also those of women that redefined the gender roles inside and outside of the home.

Chicanas were substantial to the Chicano Movement. They were central in mobilizing the protests that started in the college campuses, which help to mobilize school protests and walk outs that help to bring a platform for Chicanas. They formed several regional, local, and national movements that help to challenge the political and social structures of Mexican Americans. While also working alongside the Chicanos to help bring their struggles as a collective unit to the forefront. Without the role of the Chicanas, they probably would not have been such as a movement to address the inequalities of Mexican Americans in America.

References

Acuna, Rodolfo. Occupied America: A History of Chicanos, Seventh Edition. 2011. Pearson. Alaniz, Yolanda, Cornish, Megan. Viva la Raza: A History of Chicano Identity and Resistance. 2008. Red Letter Press.

Ramirez, Catherine S. “Saying “Nothin”.” Frontiers. Vol. 27, No 3. 2007. Web. 30 April 2014. http://humweb.ucsc.edu/csramirez/SayingNothin.pdf

Ruiz, Vicki L. From Out of the Shadows: Mexican Women in Twentieth-Century America. 2008. Oxford University Press.