The readings for this week all focused on the development of the Chicano Movement. The authors make this point evident by mentioning each organization and explaining to us what they contributed to the Chicano Movement.
In “De Colores Means All of Us,” Elizabeth Martinez introduces us to the Chicano Movement by explaining to us that the youth had a major impact on the movement. She gets into detail how MEChA students went on strike at UCLA, how many students walked out from their high schools, known as “blowouts” and how other students formed organizations such as VOS in order to get their point of justice and equality across. These chapters appealed to me the most because it brought back memories of when I was in 8th grade and the walk outs were going on. It angered me to see how students were just walking out just to ditch school, without knowing the real meaning behind it. I, myself, did not walk out due to the fear of the school administration and the police, but what I did do was talk to other students and explain to them why students are walking out, what was the real cause.
In “Birth of a New Symbol,” by Ernesto Chavez, he mentioned how the Brown Berets began. One thing I found very interesting was the statement of David Sanchez, a member of the Brown Berets. “As a Brown Beret, you are to be considered prophets of [a] disillusioned past and a symbol of hope… ” (89). Chavez mentions how the Brown Berets mission was conversion. Immediately when I read that, religion entered my mind. After re-reading what Sanchez said over and over, I realized that he was making the Brown Berets similar to a religion. He said to stay away from the devil, the Anglos. All the leaders were strictly male, and Sanchez was considered the “prime minister.” I began to question myself, why would he do this? Would making their group similar to a religion cause more people to support their cause?
In “The Rise of the Chicano Student Movement,” by Carlos Munoz, he goes into more depth about MEChA. He explains to us that MEChA was an organized