Viva La Raza

"A history of Chicana and Chicano militancy that explores the question of whether this social movement is a racial or a national struggle"--Provided by publisher.

Two activists in the Chicano movement discuss the history and ambitions of the Chicano people land the prejudices and injustices suffered by them.

A comprehensive study of an ethnic political movement.

El Curso de la Raza: The Education of Aurelio Manuel Montemayor tells the story of Chicano activist and self-described fronterizo Aurelio Manuel Montemayor, whose dual identities as an educator and political organizer informed his hitherto little-known role in developing a course, or curso, that cultivated Chicano leadership from the barrios. This memoir follows Montemayor during the formative periods of his life—his education, his teaching career, his political awakening—to describe the development of his critical consciousness in 1960s America. The book combines the personal and the political, leading readers along a journey of self-discovery that results in Montemayor’s most consequential, yet relatively unknown, contribution to el movimiento, the Curso de la Raza. Along the way, Montemayor grapples with his Mexican and American identities, foregoes his literary pursuits in favor of uplifting la raza, and navigates the pitfalls of movement politics. From marching with the Mexican American Youth Organization to cofounding the first independent Chicano college, Colegio Jacinto Treviño, he recounts lesser-known events and projects of Chicano activism in South Texas. In doing so, he provides a more complete portrait of the Chicano movement through the lens of an educator-turned-activist from the borderlands. In El Curso de la Raza, Montemayor contextualizes his critical consciousness for twenty-first–century audiences. Much like the goals of the Curso, the book aims to educate readers about deriving pedagogy from oppression, historicity from personality, and contemporary insights from past shortcomings.

A wave of revolution swept across the United States in the sixties and the seventies. And across California, Cesar Chavez sparked the Chicano civil rights movement in the barrio, giving prominence to new leaders, new voices, and new demands for freedom from injustice and oppression. For young Javier Gomez, this battle cry would be the beginning of a fight to stand up to injustice in his home of East LA. In Mr. Gs Battle Cry!, author and civil rights activist Javier Gomez chronicles his march into the streets of East LA and beyond as he and his Chicano and Chicana brothers and sisters take up the cause of the civil rights movement and create hope for a better futureagainst great odds. Gomez also explores the history of his people, showing how their culture and their spirit was renewed during this historic era of equality and justice. Javier Gomez was inspired by the Chicano civil rights movement, and today his battle cry endures. Mr. Gs Battle Cry! gives voice to the enlightened individuals who fought, side by side, at protests, and in the streets, against the institutions of injustice that sought to keep the people silent. And today, this cultural revolution has left a living legacy of change, progress, and hope.

Exploring three major hubs of muralist activity in California, where indigenist imagery is prevalent, Walls of Empowerment celebrates an aesthetic that seeks to firmly establish Chicana/o sociopolitical identity in U.S. territory. Providing readers with a history and genealogy of key muralists' productions, Guisela Latorre also showcases new material and original research on works and artists never before examined in print. An art form often associated with male creative endeavors, muralism in fact reflects significant contributions by Chicana artists. Encompassing these and other aspects of contemporary dialogues, including the often tense relationship between graffiti and muralism, Walls of Empowerment is a comprehensive study that, unlike many previous endeavors, does not privilege non-public Latina/o art. In addition, Latorre introduces readers to the role of new media, including performance, sculpture, and digital technology, in shaping the muralist's "canvas." Drawing on nearly a decade of fieldwork, this timely endeavor highlights the ways in which California's Mexican American communities have used images of indigenous peoples to raise awareness of the region's original citizens. Latorre also casts murals as a radical force for decolonization and liberation, and she provides a stirring description of the decades, particularly the late 1960s through 1980s, that saw California's rise as the epicenter of mural production. Blending the perspectives of art history and sociology with firsthand accounts drawn from artists' interviews, Walls of Empowerment represents a crucial turning point in the study of these iconographic artifacts.

From its beginnings in Seattle nearly fifty years ago, El Centro de la Raza has been translated as “The Center for People of All Races.” In Seattle’s El Centro de la Raza: Dr. King’s Living Laboratory, Bruce E. Johansen, with valuable aid from Estela Ortega, executive director, and Miguel Maestas, Housing and Development director at El Centro, explores how the center has become part of a nationally significant work in progress on human rights and relations based on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s concept of a “Beloved Community” that crosses all ethnic, racial, and other social boundaries. Johansen’s examination of the history of the center highlights its mission to consciously provide intercultural communication and cooperation as an interracial bridge, uniting people on both a small and a large scale, from neighborhood communities to international relations. Scholars of Latin American studies, race studies, international relations, sociology, and communication will find this book especially useful.

This collection includes one-act plays by the famous farmwork theater, El Teatro Campesino, and its director Luis Valdez; one of the first fully realized, full-length plays by Valdez alone; and an original narrative poem by Luis Valdez.