The Chicano Movement and "El Movimiento"

For my final project I chose to focus on the Chicano Movement and how that movement inspired a massive rejuvenation in Chicano protest art, called “El Movimento”. I begin with the poem Yo Soy Joaquin by Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales - arguably the most famous epic poem associated with the Chicano movement of the 1960s. I use it as background to discuss the hybridity of Chicano identity, and the hardships that Chicano people have faced since the times of early colonization. The Chicano movement was concerned with many problems that plagued their Americans ranging from social issues to political ones as well. Specifically the movement focused on the Vietnam War, educational inequality, the restoration of land grants, added farm workers' rights movements and overall voting and political rights for Latino people.

I then go on to talk about "El Movimento" with a focus on the Chicano murals that came out of this movement. These murals acted as the main form of protest art throughout Mexico, and used repeated symbols to recognize their culture and ancestry.  I mention the inspiration of these murals being driven by the "Big Three" during the Mexican Renissance period, and talk about specific murals and what they represented during the Chicano movement. Finally, I talk about the role of woman in the movement, through the lens of artist Judy Baca.

      

To conclude, I allude to the similarities between the protests in the 1960s and 1970s and those that are happening today, post the election of President Donald Trump.