Debtal draft of a paper i wrote for class.

Time to Take Charge!

 “Who is to say that robbing a people of its language is less violent than war?” says Ray Gwyn Smith. Culture is an amazing thing when it comes down to various different ones from our own. Now a days it’s easily practiced here in the States but wasn’t that easy a few years ago. It was a bad thing to talk any other language besides English in the 1950’s. A language that was not welcome was Spanish; people who spoke Spanish would be discriminated. “If you want to be American talk English or go back to where you came from.”(44) This was told to a young Chicana girl by the name of Gloria Anzaldua, who grew up here in the United States. In her essay “How to tame a wild tongue” Gloria Anzaldua, a young girl who grew up in Rio Grande of South Texas, was discriminated about her culture and her language. She tells us about how it was growing up knowing to speak English and mostly Spanish as a first language in her home. She was told by her mom that why would it help her speaking English if she had a thick accent when she talked. While she was at Pan American University all Chicanos were required to take two speech classes purposely to get rid of their accents. “Attacks on one’s form of expression with the intent to censor area a violation of the First Amendment,” said Gloria Anzaldua (52). This is very true; we should be able to express ourselves and our culture without being penalized for what we are or where we originated from. We should have the right to practice what has been passed down to us and keep it going to our children and our children’s children. Therefore, if we are told to stop and change our ways, who will keep our old ways going? As we go on and nothing is being practiced, our culture or old ways of life, will soon be terminated. Many people had this on their mind, being able to do whatever everyone else could do and not penalized because they were different. While this would be happening a lot of people were against it, which led to The Chicano movement also called El Movimiento in the 1960’s. This was an extension of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement of the 1940’s. The goal was to get our rights as Mexicans American empowerment here in the United States. They united as one trying to get more rights as a Mexican American and have “social Liberation.” Chicano was labeled to those sons and daughters of the Mexican descendents. The movements slowly but surely gained more momentum as time passed many people stood up for something that they knew was wrong and so they spoke up and went all out fought for what they believed in. Many inspired by all these movements went on and made famous organizations like the League of the United Latin American Citizens which originated in 1929 and still is up and active till this day. This organizations goal was to be protecting Mexican Americans from being discriminated. Time passed on and thinking back that only one big movement, made many people come out fearless and fight to get what they deserved and that was to be a Mexican Americans with rights. Many Mexican American activists won several major legal victories one was the Mendez vs. Westminster Supreme Court ruling that segregating children of “Mexican and Latin descent” was unconstitutional. Many went on and fought for freedom, being able to work like Cesar Chaves, politics and many won their battles and if it wasn’t for them who knows where we would be at today. I can also compare this to amazing Martin Luther king, he to stood up for what he believed in. That was to not just stand up for himself, but for all his people’s rights as Americans. He like other people knew what was going on at his time being was all wrong, to segregate people or to be treated in an injustice way just because his color of skin was different. Like Gloria she was also being mistreated for being from the Mexican descent, not only was she from there but spoke that language and many people did no tolerate that. Martin Luther king and Gloria Anzaldua have many things in common even though Gloria was not as famous she did her part to stand and represent what she has to offer even though she is from another location. Many people like Rosa parks also stood up for her rights and not getting up from her seat, and an event like that changed the world completely. If it wasn’t for all these great people standing for what they believed and fought for what they rights, how would it be at this time? Would I be sitting in this very place or be segregated like the old days which wasn’t too long ago. I am thankful for what all these people have done for all of us. If I was to be in this time span, I would also stand up for what I believe in and also support the movements. Like all other Mexican Americans I would like to have my own rights and be able to fight for what I want and that’s to be accepted for who I am and where I’m coming from. We are all equal no matter what we look like in the outside and that doesn’t make us any different we all have our beliefs and a heart. I still believe there is a lot of this still happening today all over the world and this time in more ethnicities. Many people are dying because they stand for something that they know is wrong and so they fight for their people and especially for themselves. As the movements happened before our time, they still go on till this day, fighting for equal rights being able to walk into public places and not be discriminated and get stared at or judged. “Identity is the essential core of who we are as individuals, the conscious experience of the self inside” says Gershen Kaufman .(52) We are who we are and there is nothing wrong with that, like Glorias Anzaldua is trying to say we have many ways of talking but we are who are in the end. We must not change no matter who tells what’s right or wrong no one can tell us that our culture is wrong.” Los Chicanos how patient we seem, how very patient.” Gloria tells us that we have taken so much from others but we still stand as one and fighting for we believe in and not take anything anymore. “We know how to survive. We know what it is to live under the hammer blow of the dominants norteamericanos” she tells us, that no matter how things can get or hard we still have our tongues and no one will ever take our roots away from us. I may have been born here in the United States but thanks to my parents I still know where I have come from and I will stick with that no matter how things can get I will stand as a strong Mexican American. Sited Sources: Azaldua, Gloria. 50 essays. “How to tame a wild Tongue” Boston. New York 2007 (pg 43- 55) Smith, Gwyn Ray. 50 essays. “How to tame a wild Tongue” Boston. New York 2007 (pg 44) (Quote) Kaufman Gershen 50 essays. “How to tame a wild Tongue” Boston. New York 2007 (pg 52) (Quote) Www.Google. Com -search Chicano movement: Wikipedia-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicano_Movement

Advertisement