Vida Newspaper, Volume 4, Issue 1 - August 1976

ON BEING A CHICANO WHO IS A CHICANO? AND WHAT IS IT THE CHICANOS WANT? By Ruben (Salazar Comment by Diana Fuentee Soon after the dawning of the Chicano Movement, came the controversy over the attitudes and ideas that surrounded it. La Raza questioned the validity of the cries which rose from the ashes of the E.L.A. riots. Would the suffering and grief caused by the loss of life 'and property benefit the Chicano cause or would it hurt it? Would the An¬ glo-oriented society be receptive to the needs of the Chicano com¬ munity? Would it help? Or would it be ignored? Today, years after, many of the same injustices and pro¬ blems still face the Chicano com¬ munity. Although we have no single visable leader, or one sin¬ gle cause to rally under, advan¬ cements have been made to im¬ prove —the Chicano way of life. In and outside the barrio the struggle for equality and jus¬ tice for the Chicano goes on. As a people we have yet to unite. Diversity exists within the generations of Mexican-Ameri- cans who see the problems of the system and search for the solutions. Controversial as the finding of the answers to the problems we face; "La Raza” faces the Chicano question. "Who is the Chicano? And What is it that we want?” The question is evident on this cam¬ pus, and mirrored in the mem¬ bership of M.ECh.A. As a student you will see and hear different ideas of what a Chicano is, and how one identi¬ fies with M.E.ChA., the Move¬ ment, or in more realistic terms, how you identify yourself with other Chicanos on campus. Let me offer you a view of who is a Chicano, and what it is that we want. Being Chicano is more than a birthright or a way of seeing life in the United States. It is a feeling which marks a unique existance. It’s being. The following is an article written by the late Ruben Sala¬ zar, the L.A. Times Reporter, who died during the E.L.A. riots. It best exemplifies my attitudes of what it is to be a Chicano or a Chic ana. I hope it gives you a better prospective and an area for thought and reflexion A Chicano is a MexicanAme- rican with a non-Anglo image of himself. He resents being told Columbus "discovered” America when the Chicano’s ancestors, the Mayans and Aztecs, founded highly sophisticated civilizations centuries before Spain financed the Italian explorer’s trip to the "New World.” Chicano’s resent also Anglo pronouncements that Chicanos are "culturally deprived” or that the fact that they speak Spanish is a "problem.” Chicano’s will tell you that their culture predates that of the (Continued on Page 2) LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY M.EwCh. fl. DEPARTMENT OF CHICANO STUDIES AUGUST 1976 VOL. IV NO. 1 M.E.Ch.A Рог Rosa Linda Espinosa Many students are interested in M.E.ChA. and would lake to read about "El Movimiento.” A good place to start is with the book, "El Plan de Santa Bar¬ bara”, a well written book on Chicano history in general, and M.E.ChA. and its functions in particular. This 'book is an ab¬ sorbing one that will answer any questions you may have con¬ cerning our student organization. It can be found in the Chicano Library, Malone 201, on the L.M.U. campus. Nowadays, throughout the Southwest , the operation of M.E.¬ Ch.A. is striving for the advan¬ cement Of La Raza. On many campuses, our student organiza¬ tion is culturally and socially as well as politically focused. As stated in the book, "The spirit of M.E.Ch.A. must be one of "her- mandad” and cultural aware¬ ness. The ethic of profit and competition, of greed and into¬ lerance, must be replaced ancestral communalism and love for beauty and justice.” What is also emphasized is the necessity for all Chicano students on cam¬ pus to have a “familia” feeling. As stated, "the organization in its flurry of activities and pro¬ jects, must not forget or over¬ look the human factors of friend¬ ship, understanding, and trust. If enough of these three factors are generated, then loyalty and support can be relied upon when a crisis faces the group or com¬ munity.” In order to group cohesiveness, the follow¬ ing is specified: (Continued on Page 3) M.E.Ch.A'S GRUPO FOLKLORICCO WILL DANCE THE TUES DAY NIGHT OF ORIENTATION WEEK IN FRONT OF FOLEY POND, AUGUST 31st.