Poem Analysis: The Ideal Chicano Identity

ocial consciousness is what brings change forward for many movements, the term Chicano first arose from the 1960’s when radical changes were happening in the United States. The term Chicano applied to individuals who identified from Mexican descent who took pride in its culture, history, and indigenous heritage had the awareness to the injustices done to Chicanos and are committed to a lifestyle of activism through various professions (Romero, Sept 30th). Though this is a great foundation to establish the Chicano identity, it needs to be worked on because it does not encompass diversity. A poem called I Am Joaquin which describes the ideal Chicano does not include a sisterhood, the inclusion of various sexuality and religion. It identifies
Many Chicanos who did identify with religion like César Chavez were often criticized for it because it meant they accepted their colonization (Romero, Oct 28th). A lot of Chicanos do not realize the importance religion has played in the movement because it is often rejected. Many Chicanas felt their oppression originated from the Catholic Church. “We, as Mujeres de la Raza, recognize the Catholic Church as an oppressive institution and do hereby resolve to break away…” this was a declaration from the Chicanas who attended the National Chicana Conference (Blackwell, pg 174). If it weren’t for religion there would not be a unity in the community. Mexico was submerged with Catholicism during the conquest, and even though it did cause a lot of cultural destruction, it has also provided a community where people can have a common belief. Cesar Chavez attributes his success to his faith in God. In his longest fasting his first item of food was the Eucharist, the flat wafer believed to be the body of Christ. Today many Mexican-American families identify with being Catholics; many Chicanos have a foundation in parish catholic school because better education was offered. In my own personal experience, my family is not strongly religious but did place me in a catholic school because of the better education offered. The strong
“It was the women who shouldered the double burden of racial and gender discrimination” (Vargas, pg. 336). Machismo is a strong attribution to being a Chicano, hence when woman comes into the picture it disrupts the “balance. “ Chicano power figured in the shaping of the Chicana liberation movement and radical feminism; particularly the refusal of many pointedly sexist male leaders to consider women or women’s interests”, hence sparking the Chicana movement during the civil rights movement (Vargas, pg 308). Chicanas was often attacked for not being “obedient” while at the same time criticized for not indulging in freedom. An example of this is “Chicanas suffered guilt at not contributing to the household income of their families and social pressures to get married” (Blackwell, pg.62) Many Chicanas wanted to be their own independent person before being joined in marriage while others did not want to at all. When Chicana feminism started during the civil rights movement, they strove for equal rights, child care for those actively participating, reproductive health care and higher education (Romero, Nov 16th). By not including Chicana feminism to being Chicano, gave the opportunity for men to believe themselves superior to women. “They organized themselves as a direct result of blatant contradictions between male leadership and women’s secondary