Chicanos: The Vanguard of La Raza
Today, Mexican Americans are
tom between assimilation. Is this
good or bad? Let us let time be the
judge. We see Hispanics, Latinos,
and Mexican Americans all asking
“why can’t we all be ‘Americans’?”
We Chicanos have no need to ask
this question, for we know who we
are. We are Indians, the true Ameri
cans — with European blood. If an
individual ofMexican descent begs
to differ, and prescribes “to be of
pure Spanish or European lineage”
they are rejecting the most beauti
ful part of our culture.
Be a wa re that not every Mexica n
American with a brown face or a
Spanish surname is a Chicano or
Cnicana. At birth we are born Mexi
can American, but wearc Chicanos/
as by choice. To the system we are
Hispanics, to the politically correct
we are Latinos, but to others like
ourselves, SOMOSCIIICANOS. Yes,
we Chicanos/as have not disap
peared. This society still tries to
downplay our presence, for it knows
we are an impalatable ingredient to
its “melting pot." It is because of
this that Anglos and many Mexican
Americans find the term offensive.
Just what is a Chicano/a, and
why is it such a controversial term
in the Mexican American commu
nity?The latcChicano activist of the
seventies, Ruben Salazar, best ex
plains Chicanismo. He asserted, “A
Chicano is a Mexican American
with a Non-Anglo image of him
self:. .. Mexican Americans will tell
you 'Chicano’ is an insulting term .
. . this type of Mexican American
doesn’t like the word Chicano be
cause it is abrasive to their Anglo
oriented minds. What then is a
Chicano? Chicanos say that if you
have to ask you’ll never under
sta nd, much less become a Chicano.
.. the word Chicano is as difficult to
define as ‘soul.’”
Today’s tragedy is that many of
our brothers and sisters both con
sciously and subconsciously grow
up ashamed of what makes them
distinct. Is it perhaps that they have
denied their Mexican culture for
ihe sake of socio-economic gain,
thus assimilating? A nd are they try
ing todistance themselves from the
Anglo stereotype of our Mexican
people? You, the reader, must an
swer these questions. You know
individuals of Mexican American
descent who refer to themselves as
“Hispanics," and pronounce their
Spanish surnames in an Amcrican
English tongue. These individuals
believe that society will at last em
brace them. Do you embrace them?
Don’t kid yourself, "spic" and
"wetback" arc common terms used
in this country, which arc used to
actively try to rape us of our Span
ish language by passing “English
only" laws. Many of our people try
to look past this and ignore that
they are still BROWN, with
unerasable MESTIZO characteris
tics. No three-piece suit, BMW, or
house in the suburbs can hide their
true identity. These individuals, who
stand by or participate in this
society’s actions that belittle our
people (who cross the Rio Grande
in search of a better life for their
children) are products of an educa
tional system that leaches them to
De American ana mus ieaas mem
to denounce their heritage for a
false dream. It istheChicano/a that
sees this and resists. Qu6 triste
(how sad) that many ignore or
refuse to see it also. Don’t believe
us, all of you in the majority? Then
take a look around and see how
many people of Mexican American
descent you know who have kept
their culture and value their people
over self-interest.
If there is one thing you should
remember, it is that all Chicanos/as
are Mexican Americans but not all
Mexican Americans are Chicanos/
as. We are politically, historically,
and socially conscious of what has
happened, and is happening, to
our people. We arc determined,
now more than ever, to edu cate ou r
community, and to sacrifice every
thing to liberate nucstra gentc (our
people), for one day they will forge
the future of this country. Yes, csto
cs Chicanismo... the vanguard of
La Kaza.
"Fs mejor morir de pie, en vez de
vivirdcrodi Has (It’s belter to die on
foot t ha n to live on you r k necs!)"—
Fmiliano Zapapta.
J.S. Oneslmo Sandoval to a graduate stu
dent In community and regional plan
ning, and Conrado CtolaAcda to a senior
secondary education major, and Diver
siona contributors.
/
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My Country, the Country I live in
What would it be like to move
to a different country where the
language is not the same as you rs
and its culture has its twists and
turns as well?
What would it be like to be in
a place where you have to settle
for a low-income job because
most of the other iobs require
knowledge of the language, or
where you are forced to live in a
neighborhood where most of
the people there speak your lan
guage oecause of the lack of
bilingualists in this country?
How about living in a place
where you have to face racism
everyday?
My name is Pedro Ramirez. I
was born in Mexico, in the city of
San Julian Jalisco. I am a perma
nent resident of this country and
a citizen of Mexico—citizenship
here is available to me through
naturalization, but 1 really do not
want to forfeit my citizenship to
Mexico, although 1 have lived
here eighteen oimy twenty years
—This country is not the land of
my birth and it is not my culture.
My religion is very important to
me also.
1 want to inform you of the
cultural, religious and social dif
ferences of the H ispanic a nd Cau
casian race from both perspec
tives in which have been sub
jected to by 1 i vi ng here i n A m erica
and being raised by my Mexi
can-American customs and val
ues.
Mexico is a very underdevel
oped country. The construction
of roads and houses is pretty
pathetic down in Mexico. There
are potholes in the streets, a lot
of dirt roads.
In Mexico it is a luxury to have
running water for the toilet, the
sink and shower. Medical doc
tors, although they are not very
good, are very expensive, be
cause they a re so few in number.
In America it is almost com
plete opposite of Mexico. The
roads arc very well constructed
and the drivers are very safety
cautious (as compared to
Mexico). Houses are very attrac
tive in this country also.
There arc many more differ
ences between Mexico and the
United Stales than just its physi
cal characteristics. The people
are different also. 1 have noticed
Hispanic men arc very proud
andconfidant about themselves,
and his main priority is his family
— he will never sit back and
watch them get taken advantage
of or harmed. But he does not
believe in equality between gen
ders — a problem I think that is
stemmed from his lack of educa
tional opportunity.
A lot of the Hispanic popula
tion in thcUnitcdStatesisforced
to work at below minimu m wage
because of the language barrier
and minimal education. And al
though Hispanics do place a
great emphasis on educational
advancement for their children
and hopes that they may have
an opportunity to climb up the
ladder of success, funds for this
advancement are limited.
The American man typically
tries to solve things through the
legal system. He believes in
equality between genders, but
lacks tne belief of racial har
mony.
Mexican women are conser
vative, while American women
seem to be more liberal — they
are more career oriented, while
itiscommon forMcxican women
to be housewives.
I have tried to show you a few
differences between the two cul
tu res i n which I have been a part
of. This is my opinion based bn
my personal experiences.
Pedro Ramirez is a pre-law student
and a Diversion* contributor
K * ' i .- i ?' \ ,?W * * . M?K,% r»- ' vi ; /
Latina Forum
Cecilia Huerta (left) of the Nebraska Mexican-Ameri
can Commission discusses the future role of the
commission as Clarissa Suarez-Russeil listens.
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THE AMERICAN HEART
I am Mexican
American
•Sometimes I lie awake
thinking how can people be
racist."
I walk into a store and I sec faces
pecking around a shelf, a dis
play, a counter, and even a leaf!
I don’t know if they realize, (that)
but I know what they’re thinking.
As soon as I walked into the
store, instantly I was s^lhicf. M
Growing up, I never realized
how people were so stigma
tized. • . a
When there are two of us together,
I hear, “Oh, you must be re
lated." Whether
you sec it, 1 do, we’re all related
in our Savior’s great universe.
It’s like a song
with a verse
that I hear over and over in my
mind.
Lord, free my people,
free my people.
As I pray lo the Lord,
I say to Him
“I would give my life for anyone,
as you did for me.'
I will carry all the cuts, bruises, and
scars
without any fuss.
Because I know that the people
whocut, bruise, andscar me arc no
different than I.
Once we all die and go to heaven,
there will be so much love
because our colors fade away.
But my journey here on earth,
1 have to say —
I will say in pride that,
"I AM MEXICAN-AMF.RICAN UN
II L I DIE!"
Chandra Diaz la a Diver*Iona contribu
tor.