Professor De la O
History 112
11 December 2015
El Movimiento and the Importance on Education
The Chicano Movement, also known as El Movimiento, was a significant movement in the United States that occurred between the 1950s and the 1980s. The movement’s goal was to provide Mexican-Americans equality, identity and freedom they so much deserved. Jose Angel Gutierrez, in “The Chicano Movement” and Nancy MacLean, in “The Civil Rights and the Transformation of Mexican American Identity and Politics,” argue that the Chicano movement during the 1960s and 1970s immensely affected the methods of politics, civil rights, and especially education for Chicanos all over the United States.
The Chicano Movement not only fought for the people …show more content…
The Mexicans became unwanted, powerless minority, suffering from discrimination, acts of violence and harassment against them. Starting from the 1960s until the present time many Mexican-Americans have had to fight to have the right to be treated as an equal, not more than or less than any other human being. This is when the Chicano Movement bloomed, and one of the important aspects of the Chicano Movement was to produce a blend of educational goals, improve on the drop-out rates, refining educational achievements and bilingual-bicultural programs. At the same time that the Chicano Movement was succeeding throughout the United States, so was the Civil Rights Movement lead by Dr. Martin Luther King, in his speeches he promoted non-violent protest, this gave the Chicano Movement the chance to stand-up and do something for the community. There were many influential, scholars, activists, artists, educators and students guiding the Movement. Some very prominent names are “Reies López Tijerina, Corky González, César Chávez and Dolores Huerta” who gave this movement a purpose and leaders whose voices actually resulted in the Chicano’s …show more content…
Jose Angel Gutierrez observed, “During the Chicano Movement, youth became disenchanted with Democratic Party politics. The Democrats took the Latino vote as well as that of other minorities for granted, and the Republican Party ignored minorities” (28). People that were not of Mexican descent were shown what was happening in other social and economic groups. Local organizations gained strength and many started to campaign together in an attempt to raise public awareness. Education was at the top of this organization 's priority list. People actively involved in the movement saw the need for a change in the system that for so long satisfied a narrow-minded