The article,The Development of the Chicano Movement in Los Angeles from 1967 to 1969 by Gerald Rosen appears in Chicano Studies the Discipline and Journey, a book edited by Anna Ochoa O’Leary. In his article, “The Development of the Chicano Movement in Los Angeles from 1967 to 1969,” Gerald Rosen depicts the origin of the Chicano movement and provides a timeline leading to the high school walkouts. Rosen examines how the Chicano Movement is related to the “biased” character of the American political system.
He explains what the movement consist of and introduces the activists who where involved and why their involvement was so significant. This article defines Chicano movement as important events, central organizations, and ideas/ideology and it provides different perceptions of the chicano movement. According to Rosen, political activism is constructed by resources such as education, control of economic reserves, occupation and related skills or experience.
These resources are prominent and are biased towards the American political system. Rosen says that the Chicano movement is related to this characterized political system. The article explains that chicanos in Los Angeles have little politically relevant resources, for example, education for chicanos does not have enough economic resources, and as a result chicano’s educational level is very low. Political support from the Church was also another tactic that was lacking.
Rosen states that there is evidence that Chicanos are poorly represented in business and in professions, such as law, and in institutions concerned with the administration of justice. The article provides Paul Sheldon’s opinion, in which he says that opportunities for employment, education, and new experiences that came after World War II caused the creation of the Mexican American middle class. Some in this class kept their community ties and became active in ethnic organizations to help those less fortunate.
The Essay on Chicano Movement Younger Scholars
The Chicano student movement of the 1960 s was a quest for identity. It was an effort to recapture what had been lost through the socialization process imposed by US schools, institutions, and citizens. Chicanos became an oppressed minority group as a consequence of the expansion of the US in the nineteenth century. This expansion had a profound impact on their political and intellectual ...
Rosen’s article introduces the activists and explains why they are very important. The group of activists were high school and college students. The reason they were young were because Rosen thought that the youth were important because of their new ideas and their receptivity to those new ideas. There is more freedom and ability to achieve new ideas and actions when there is no family obligation or job constrains that can interfere with political commitments.
In the article activism in interpreted as a sign as acculturation to “Anglo was and a recognition on their part that organization was necessary,” in making use of their political rights within politics. One of the major differences that Rosen points out between the older and new generation of activists is that there are those that favor “cultural nationalism,” and there are those that favor direct confrontation. The Chicano movement is composed of individuals and organizations that come together structurally and ideologically.
