Chicanos wanted a space in the ivory tower to have a better opportunity of achieving the “American Dream” than the previous generation which was perceived as dirty, poor, and uneducated. Chicano Studies is driven by of hope, faith, and hard work for a better understanding of history and demand for change. The term Chicano is now progressively changing as community members want to make the term more inclusive. The impetus began with el movimiento in the 1960-1970s demanding farm worker rights (1965), student rights (1968), and racial/historical recognition (1977).
In El Plan de Santa Barbara, by the Chicano Coordinating Council on Higher Education, implies a Chicano is identified as a self-identifying term which is a generative root idea. The …show more content…
Thus, the Chicano movement wanted successful people from similar backgrounds to educate them about their history and how to achieve the “American dream.” Therefore, on March 1, 1968, Chicanx students in East Los Angeles organized walkouts to change their school system. With the help of Sal Castro, they spread the message to several schools starting with Belmont High School by strategically planning to walkout at 9 a.m., to impact schools financially as they receive some of its funding by student attendance. Similarly, the National Farmworkers Association boycott non-union grapes to get the financial attention of growers in 1965-1970 to demand better working conditions and pay. In both situations, Chicano’s were characterized and perceived as uneducated, dirty, and poor. As Contreras mentions, scholars did not want to be represented in a “simplistic and narrow way, focusing on impoverished workers, lawless gangsters, and female vixens” (Contreras 32). That said, “el movimiento” was driven to change the school district’s bias and unequal treatment. To add, Chicanx students were driven to prove to the school district that they deserve the same quality education, high school graduation rates (despite high dropout rates), and the possibility to attend college. …show more content…
Hence, “Chicano Studies” responded to the initial impetus of the community as a sign of power. This power allows generative critical thinking skills to bridge the gap between representation in the past, present, and future. The community is now practicing Freire’s definition of dialogue by “reclaiming this right and preventing the continuation of dehumanizing aggression” (Freire 88). Essentially, dialogue should be rooted in an authentic classroom where the students and teachers learn from one another; therefore, the teacher builds upon the knowledge a student already has and meets the student’s needs. For instance, if a Chicano student wants to learn the history of Aztlan and if it can be proven true or false. In that case, the student would be more engaged in the lecture because it pertains to their history and the teacher would be challenged with proving a theory or correcting the student. This practice of dialogue in a classroom setting is the basis and impetus of “Chicano