Chicano Movement Research Paper

Words: 2481
Pages: 10

For a long time, Chicanos faced prejudice, discrimination, and inequity. In response, the Chicano Movement, which began to form in the 1960s, became a vital part of advocating for the rights and empowerment of Mexican Americans in the United States. Driven by profound frustration and anger, Chicanos united to confront the deep-rooted problems within the US, using strategies such as boycotting, protesting, and strikes. The Chicano movement spanning from the 1960s and 1970s significantly changed the lives of Mexican Americans in the United States. It served as a turning point in American History because it was a movement that empowered Chicanos by encouraging them to develop their identity and culture, pushed to create Chicanos studies in schools, …show more content…
As mentioned by Quinones and Vasquez, “The years between 1966 and 1977 were times of notable self-determined revitalization within the community.and as a period of increased efforts at integration into dominant ways and structures”(20). Anyone from young Chicanos, Chicanas, and farmworkers, pushed and advocated for what they believed. They peacefully did this and participated in peaceful boycotts, strikes, walkouts, etc. Besides the Chicano movement focusing on issues faced by Mexican Americans, Mexicans, Latinos, etc. they also managed to come together with other minorities, a great example of that is the United Farm Workers (UFW), fighting for better wages and working conditions for every farm worker regardless of race. The Chicano movement was filled with so many groups and organizations due to the amount of unity within the movement. A great example is the brown berets, who said they “instituted programming that dealt with food, housing, unemployment, and education within the barrios” (Castaeda). The movement continued and lasted about 10 years from 1965-1975. In that period, Chicanos across the country fought for civil rights that had been denied for