Ethnic Studies Research Presentation & Simulation

The Chicano Movement (Movimiento Chicano)

Hannah Krogstad ETC 522

Instructor: Kaitlin Kamalei Brandon

Ethnic Studies Theme ● Action

○ Advocacy ○ Empowerment ○ Motivation to be a changemaker. ○ Change current or future experiences. ○ Accountability ○ Not maintaining the status quo.

● History of Resistance and Liberation ○ Resisting oppression ○ Carried out by oppressed group

What initiated the Chicano Movement? ● Going into the 1960’s, Mexican Americans had already

endured decades of discrimination (Carillo, 2020). ● After the Mexican-American War, Mexicans who remained in

the US were promised citizenship (Carillo, 2020). ● Land grants that promised to Mexicans were later denied

(Carillo, 2020). ● Mexican Americans attempted to assimilate and push to be

recognized as citizens to gain civil rights (Carillo, 2020).

Historical Figures ● Reies López Tijerina

○ Led a three day march from Albuquerque to New Mexico (Kareem Nittle, 2020). ● Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales

○ Founded the Crusade for Justice, organized a resistance at West High School, and wrote the famous poem “Yo Soy Joaquin” (“Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales: Boxer,

Writer, Activist”, 2020). ● Students

○ United Mexican American Students and the Mexican American Youth Association (Kareem Nittle, 2020).

● Brown Berets ○ Established by teenagers, 55 chapters throughout the country, and

rejected the idea of assimilation (Martínez and Barajas, 2020). ● Young Lords

○ Formed by Puerto Ricans, started as a street gang, and turned into a civil rights activist group (Kareem Nittle, 2020).

Reies López Tijerina Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales

Member of the Brown Berets (Hilda Jensen Reyes)

Young Lords, sign reads “The Young Lords party serves and protects its people”.

Key Dates ● February 2nd 1848 - Guadalupe Hidalgo Treaty was signed

(“The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo”, 2021). ● 1969 - A group of students protested Eurocentric

curriculum, the ban on speaking Spanish in schools, and dropout rates (Cancún, 2022).

● 1970 - Farm workers fought for (and won) safe and secure unions (Cancún, 2022).

● 1972 - La Raza Bookstore was established, later turned into the Latino Center of Art and Culture (Redd, 2021).

● 1975 - The Concilio (Council) for the Spanish Speaking was founded (Castañeda, 2020).

Important Ideas ● The movement was between 1962 and 1983 (Castañeda, 2020). ● The Chicano Movement didn’t have one goal.

○ Creation of bilingual and bicultural programs ○ Improved conditions for migrant workers ○ Hiring more Mexican American teachers ○ More Mexican American elected officials

● The movement made great progress because of women and students.

● The fight has not stopped.

Vocabulary (For Teachers) ● Hispanic

○ Refers to people from Spain or other Spanish speaking countries. Excludes Brazilians (Simón, 2020).

● Latino/a ○ Refers to those from Latin America, includes Brazil but not Spain

(Simón, 2020). ● Chicano/a

○ Was often used as a slur until Mexican Americans took it back (Simón, 2020).

● Latinx ○ Thought to be more inclusive since Spanish is a gendered language

(Simón, 2020). ● Eurocentric

○ Focusing on European culture or history while excluding a broader view of the world (Oxford dictionary).

Vocabulary (For Students) ● Resistance ● Activist ● Protest ● Movement ● Strike ● Civil rights ● Slur ● Discrimination ● Racism/racist ● Assimilation

How to Teach the Chicano Movement ● Grades K - 2

○ Read Dreamers by Yuyi Morales ○ Read Separate is Never Equal by Duncan Tonatiuh ○ Fair or unfair?

■ List of scenarios in education and civil rights. ■ Students stand up if they think it is fair. ■ Discussion

○ Draw and Write ■ How would you stand up for others?

How to Teach the Chicano Movement ● Grades 3 - 6

○ Read excerpts from Chicano Movement for Beginners by Maceo Montoya. ○ Read excerpts from Youth, Identity, Power: The Chicano Movement by

Carlos Muñoz Jr. ○ Discussion about why the movement was necessary.

■ What was happening to Mexican Americans? ■ Why was it unfair? ■ How did they try to “solve the problem”?

○ Research a historical figure in the movement. ■ Create a poster/slideshow ■ Present to the class

How to Teach the Chicano Movement ● Grades 7 - 12

○ Read Yo Soy Joaquin poem by Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales. ○ Analyze the poem.

■ Why do you think Rodolfo wrote this? ■ What is he trying to portray to his audience? ■ What emotions do you feel after reading this? ■ What is the purpose of this poem?

○ Video on the Chicano Movement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sz5OAOTO_k4

○ Video on being Latinx in America: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1A4Vsh5Qas

○ Create your own social media post.

Sources ● Carillo 2020:

https://www.history.com/news/chicano-movement#:~:text=In%20the%201960s%2C% 20a%20radicalized,a%20chicanismo%20or%20cultural%20nationalism.

● Kareem Nittle 2020: https://www.thoughtco.com/chicano-movement-brown-and-proud-2834583

● Redd 2021: https://www.abc10.com/article/news/community/race-and-culture/the-origins- of-the-chicano-movement/103-eadc618e-2e43-496b-9210-e8ca72403c43

● Cancún, 2022: https://www.spanish.academy/blog/8-inspiring-ways-the-chicano-movement-cha nged-the-united-states/

● Simón, 2020: https://www.history.com/news/hispanic-latino-latinx-chicano-background

● Themes of Ethnic Studies: https://www.k12.wa.us/sites/default/files/public/socialstudies/pubdocs/ELA %20SDS%20ES%20Framework.pdf

Sources Cont…

● “Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales: Boxer, Writer, Activist”:https://www.coloradovirtuallibrary.org/digital-colorado/colorado-h istories/20th-century/rodolfo-corky-gonzales-boxer-writer-activist/

● Martínez and Barajas, 2020: https://www.latimes.com/projects/chicano-moratorium/female-brown-berets-crea te-chicana-movement/

● “Young Lords” : https://www.britannica.com/topic/Young-Lords ● “The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo”, 2021:

https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/guadalupe-hidalgo#background ● Castañeda, 2020: https://depts.washington.edu/civilr/mecha_timeline.htm ● Rodolfo Gonzales “Yo Soy Joaquin”:

https://www.latinamericanstudies.org/latinos/joaquin.htm ● Council for the Spanish Speaking:

https://www.visionforequality.org/resources/council-of-spanish-speaking-orga nizations-concilio/