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The first Chicanos were the Mexicans absorbed by the United States following the Mexican-American war in 1848. This population was augmented by immigration from Mexico during the 20th century (Muñoz, 2013). While most Chicanos were relegated to cheap agricultural work, a small middle class developed in Texas, allowing some Chicanos access to American Universities (Muñoz, 2013). By the 1960s, these Mexican-American students began demanding rights and protections for the often exploited Chicanos. This culminated in the farm workers movement that called for social justice and an end to the exploitation of Mexican and Mexican-American workers. It also advocated for unity between other minorities in the United States. Student demonstrations and walkouts went on around the southwestern United States, including Texas, demanding more representation of Mexican-Americans in higher education and anti-segregation.
The anti-war movement intersected with the Mexican-American movement in the period of late 1960s, expanding it past a student movement and into a larger faction with specific socio-political goals. In Texas, the Mexican-American Youth Organization formed a political party, the La Raza Unida Party, In Crystal City (Muñoz, 2013). La Raza Unida participated in state elections in El Paso in 1972 but failed to win (Muñoz, 2013). Since then, Mexican-Americans have entered mainstream American politics, primarily as part of the Democratic Party. For example, Joaquin Castro represents Texass 20th congressional district in the House of Representatives (Muñoz, 2013). Recently, the focus of the Chicano movement has been towards immigrant rights and combating anti-immigrant sentiment in American politics and media. However, the current Chicano movement is not as large or organized as it was in the 1960s as many potential leaders choose to participate in mainstream politics instead of the more ethnocentric Chicano movement. In Texas, the legacy of the Chicano movement is still present, for example, the former Mayor of San Antonio, Julian Castro, was the son of a La Raza Unida activist.
Reference
Muñoz, C. (2013). The Chicano movement. Mexican American history and the struggle for equality. Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung, 1-19. Web.
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